General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Sep 06, 2020

EU Demands Potential Veto on Britain's Post-Brexit Laws

As per reports, the European Union is demanding a potential veto on Britain's post-Brexit laws and regulations.
EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, is said to be insisting that London must agree not to implement any change to UK legislation that could distort trade with the bloc without first consulting Brussels.
Barnier's UK counterpart, David Frost, has rejected the approach.
EU diplomats said earlier that Barnier went to London to tell Frost Britain must move on state aid, or there will not be a Brexit agreement.
The chances of Britain leaving the European Union without a trade deal have risen sharply as negotiations have been threatened by London's insistence that it have full autonomy over its state aid plans.

Taliban Return to Doha Setting Stage for Afghan Peace Talks

Taliban officials say a senior delegation returned to Qatar, paving the way for the start of peace talks with the Afghan government that are expected to take place in the tiny Gulf state.
The negotiations are the second, critical part to a peace deal the US signed with the Taliban in February in Doha.
Washington has ramped up pressure on Afghans on both sides of the conflict to get started with their negotiations to decide what a post-war Afghanistan might look like, how rights of women and minorities would be protected, and how the tens of thousands of armed Taliban and government-allied militias are disarmed and re-integrated.
Relentless delays over the exchange of prisoners —5,000 held by the Afghan government and 1,000 by the Taliban — have hindered efforts to get intra-Afghan talks started.

Sep 05, 2020

Iran's Enriched Uranium Stockpile 10 Times Limit

According to UN's nuclear watchdog, Iran now has more than 10 times the amount of enriched uranium permitted under an international agreement.
As per the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran's enriched uranium stockpile had reached 2,105 kg (4,640lb).
Iran insists its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes.
It comes after Iran gave IAEA inspectors access to one of two suspected former nuclear sites.
The agency said it would take samples at the second site later this month.
Last year, Iran began deliberately and publicly reneging on commitments it had made under the international nuclear accord, signed in 2015 by Iran, China, France, Germany, Russia, the UK and the US.
This included the production of more enriched uranium than it was allowed - although only at enrichment levels far below that required for use in atomic weapons.
Iran's move came in retaliation against US sanctions reinstated by President Donald Trump when he abandoned the deal.

Ex-Australian PM New UK Trade Adviser

Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has been appointed as an unpaid trade adviser to the UK government.
Boris Johnson rejected claims Mr. Abbott was not suitable for the role, despite criticism over past comments on women, LGBT people and climate change.
Mr. Abbott, who negotiated trade deals for Australia when in power, will not take part in post-Brexit talks between the UK and other countries.
Instead, he will advise the new Board of Trade, set up to help ministers and encourage firms to do more business internationally.

Belarus Opposition Leader Calls for UN Monitoring Mission

Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya called on the United Nations to condemn the crackdown by President Alexander Lukashenko on protesters who charge he rigged his re-election victory last month.
Tsikhanouskaya also urged the United Nations to send an international monitoring mission to Belarus and said that the UN Human Rights Commission should hold a special session on the human rights situation there.
Tsikhanouskaya also called on the international community to impose sanctions on the individuals responsible for electoral violations and crimes against humanity.
Lukashenko, in power for 26 years, has faced a wave of opposition protests since his Aug. 9 election victory. He has denied accusations by the opposition and Western countries that the vote was rigged and has resisted demands to step down.

EU Trade Commissioner Nominations

The Irish government has nominated Mairead McGuinness and Andrew McDowell to become its next EU trade commissioner.
Phil Hogan resigned from the job last month after he faced accusations of breaching Covid-19 guidelines.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had asked the government to nominate one male and one female candidate.
Mairead McGuinness is currently vice-president of the European Parliament and represents the north west constituency of the Republic of Ireland in the European Parliament.
She has been a vice-president of the parliament since July 2014.
Ms McGuinness is the higher profile of the two candidates.
Mr McDowell is former chief economic adviser to the government from 2011 to 2016, working closely with then-Taoiseach (Irish PM) Enda Kenny.
Since then he has been vice-president of the European Investment Bank in Luxembourg.

Sep 04, 2020

Donald Trump Announces Wilmington in North Carolina State as First World War II Heritage City of US

US President Donald Trump announced Wilmington in southern US state North Carolina as the first World War II Heritage City at a ceremony held to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II.
During the war, Wilmington was the site of the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company, which built 243 ships in five years as part of the federal government's emergency shipbuilding program.
The President signed legislation last year directing the secretary of the interior to each year designate at least one city as an American World War II Heritage City based on contributions made to secure victory in the war, efforts to keep a historical record of those contributions and work honouring WWII veterans.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's Top Aide, Asim Bajwa Resigns

Pakistan Prime Prime Minister Imran Khan' top aide Lt Gen (Retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa announced his resignation shortly after debunking allegations of corruption against him in a rebuttal that was posted on Twitter.
Bajwa said he will step down as the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Imran Khan, on information and broadcasting.
Bajwa said that he will continue his work as Chairman of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority, which he said was a priority with the premier and believes that this project is the country's future.
Bajwa decision to step down followed his detailed Twitter rebuttal to the "false and incorrect" allegations made against him and his family for assets concealment.

Jamaica Election: Andrew Holness' JLP re-Elected Amid Rise in Covid-19 Cases

The centre-right Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) won 49 of 63 seats in parliamentary election.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness called for the early vote last month in what analysts saw as a bid to capitalise on people's satisfaction with his economic agenda and early response to the virus.
But he has faced criticism amid a surge in coronavirus cases as restrictions are lifted.
Face masks and temperature checks were compulsory in polling stations.
The campaign was dominated by discussions over the economy, how to fight crime and the coronavirus pandemic.
The result was one of the largest margins of victory in decades, but also one of the lowest voter turnouts at 37%. In the 2016 elections, turnout was over 48%.
Mr. Holness, a former education minister and leader of the conservative Jamaican Labour Party, has been Prime Minister since March 2016.

Trial Run on Gumti River Route Connecting Bangladesh (Daudkandi) with Tripura (Sonamura) Starts

The trial run from Daudkandi in Bangladesh to Sonamura in Tripura started as the MV Premier sailed from Daudkandi with 50 metric tonnes of cement cargo. It is scheduled to arrive in Sonamura in Tripura in two days after covering a distance of 93 kilometres through river Gumti.
The route will connect Tripura with Bangladesh using the inland waterways for the first time. This is yet another recent connectivity initiative with Bangladesh, which will greatly enhance connectivity between Bangladesh and the North Eastern states of India boosting bilateral trade with Bangladesh.
The opening of the new route follows the signing of the 2nd addendum to the Protocol for Inland Water Trade & Transit (PIWTT) in May 2020 which opened two new routes.
The PIWTT was signed between India and Bangladesh in 1972 to connect the two countries through inland waterways. In 2019-2020, approx. 3.5 million MT of cargo was transported between India and Bangladesh on the protocol routes.
Enhanced connectivity through inland waterways in the present Covid–19 scenario will provide an economical, faster, safer and cleaner mode of transportation for traders and business communities of both countries.

Sep 03, 2020

Switzerland First, India 48th on Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020

Marking a major advancement amid the coronavirus pandemic, India has moved up four places to rank 48th in the Global Innovation Index (GII) 2020.
Compiled by the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Cornell University and INSEAD business school, the index assessed 131 economies.
Switzerland, Sweden, the US, the UK and the Netherlands lead the innovation ranking.
South Korea joined the top 10 for the first time while Singapore is at number 8. The top 10 is dominated by high-income countries.
India retained the highest rank in the Central and Southern Asian region, followed by Iran.
Moving up four positions since last year, India became the third most innovative lower-middle-income economy in the world.

Tunisia's Parliament Approves Hichem Mechichi as New Prime Minister

Tunisia's Parliament approved Prime Minister-designate Hichem Mechichi's government - the country's third administration in less than a year.
Following a 15-hour session, Mechichi's cabinet - dominated by independent technocrats - won 134 votes out of the 217 members of parliament.
A former Interior Minister, Mechichi replaces Elyes Fakhfakh, whose government stayed in power for just five months before he resigned as Prime Minister last month after questions over his business dealings.
Mechichi proposed a government with 25 ministers and three secretaries of state that includes seven women and a blind man - a first in the country's history.

Taiwan to Change Passport

Fed up with being confused for China amid the coronavirus pandemic and Beijing's stepped-up efforts to assert sovereignty, Taiwan said that it would redesign its passport to give greater prominence to the island's name.
Taiwan has complained during the outbreak that its nationals have encountered problems entering other countries, as Taiwanese passports have the words "Republic of China", its formal name, written in large English font at the top, with "Taiwan" printed at the bottom.
The new passport, to roll out in January, enlarges the word "Taiwan" in English and removes the large English words "Republic of China", though that name in Chinese and in small English font around the national emblem will remain.

Australia Appoints Matthew Hayden as Trade Envoy to India

The Australian government appointed former cricketer Matthew Hayden and Indian-origin politician Lisa Singh as trade envoys for advancing business ties with India.
Ashok Jacob has been reappointed as chair, and will be joined by three new board members.
Lisa Singh, former Labor Party Senator from Tasmania, would be the Deputy Chair. Former Victoria Premier Ted Baillieu and former cricketer Hayden are the other new members.
The council plays an important role in advancing Australia's foreign and economic policy interests with India.

Five Countries Block Pakistan's Move to List Indians as Terrorists at UN

Five countries on Wednesday blocked the move of Pakistan to list Indians as terrorists at the United Nations (UN). Pakistan has failed to list two Indians as United Nations listed international terrorist under the 1267 committee of the UNSC.
The listing was blocked by five UNSC countries--UK, USA, France, Germany and Belgium after no evidence was found to substantiate Pakistan's claim. Pakistan was keen to list Indian nationals Gobinda Patnaik, and Angara Appaji as UN terrorists.
UNSC members had given Pakistan time to provide evidence but Islamabad could not provide it.

Sep 02, 2020

India, Japan and Australia Decide to Launch Resilient Supply Chain Initiative in the Indo-Pacific...

India, Japan and Australia said an initiative to build resilient supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region could be launched later this year, as they seek to reduce dependence on China following its hostile political and military conduct. The trio aim to create a free and transparent trade and investment environment.
This was decided at a virtual meeting attended by Australia's Minister for Trade, tourism and investment Simon Birmingham; India's Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Kajiyama Hiroshi.
This initiative was first proposed by Japan and is now taking shape.
The ministers instructed their officials to work out the details of the initiative for its launch later this year. They called for other countries in the region, which share similar views, to participate in the initiative.
The initiative comes at a time when there is a likelihood of rechurning of supply chains in the Indo-Pacific region.

Afghanistan Resumes Taliban Prisoner Release

Afghanistan has resumed the controversial release of hundreds of Taliban prisoners.
As per reports, 200 prisoners had been freed by the Afghan authorities, while the Taliban reportedly released four Afghan commandos.
The release of Taliban inmates has been a pre-condition to negotiations to end 19 years of conflict in the country.
Peace talks are expected to start in Qatar within days of the full release.
Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai praised the resumption of the prisoner release, and described the resumption as a positive step towards peace in Afghanistan.

Malaysia to Bar Long-term Pass Holders from India, Indonesia and Philippines

Malaysia would bar entry of long-term immigration pass holders from India, Indonesia and the Philippines from September 7, in a bid to curtail imported coronavirus cases amid a spate of new clusters in the country.
The entry ban on pass holders from the three countries will include permanent residents, expatriates, students and those on spouse visas and participants of Malaysia's 'My Second Home' programme.
A total of 7,505 people have died of the coronavirus in Indonesia, the highest in the region, while the Philippines, which has reported over 224,000 cases, has seen a continuous rise in infections.

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