General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Aug 08, 2020

Belarus in Surprising Presidential Election Battle

Belarus has only ever had one President and Alexander Lukashenko, who has held the position since 1994, is running for office again.
The man once dubbed "Europe's last dictator" is facing perhaps the biggest-ever challenge to his rule - from Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, a political novice. She says she is standing "out of love" for her jailed husband Sergei, but she also embodies a thirst for change in society.
The campaign for this election had an unexpectedly lively start as surprise challengers to Mr Lukashenko - video blogger Sergei Tikhanovsky, banker Viktor Babaryko and ex-diplomat Valery Tsepkalo - attracted thousands to their nomination rallies.
This was unusual in a country normally considered quite politically apathetic.

China, Russia and Iran Trying to Influence Vote

A top US intelligence chief has warned that China, Russia and Iran are among countries seeking to influence the US presidential election this year.
As per reports, China did not want President Donald Trump's re-election while Russia wanted to hurt Democrat Joe Biden.
Intelligence chiefs accuse Russia of interfering in the 2016 election.
They say Russia wanted to help boost Mr. Trump's campaign, including by spreading disinformation online. Russia has denied the allegations.
The announcement comes amid claims by Mr. Trump about the dangers of mail-in or postal ballots. He has suggested that the vote be delayed to prevent "the most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history", prompting a backlash even among members of his own party.

Canada Plans to Impose Retaliatory Tariffs on US Imports

Canada's Deputy Prime Minister said that the country plans to impose 3.6 billion Canadian (USD 2.69 billion) tariffs on US imports in response to President Donald Trump saying the US is reinstating a 10 per cent import tax on Canadian aluminum.
Canada is considering imposing a tariff on dozens of products, including golf clubs, bicycles, refrigerators, washing machines, tripods, sports equipment like bats and hockey sticks and embossed aluminum cans for beverages.
The new pact took effect July 1 and was expected to bring stability to North American trade. The new tariff spat comes after the US in 2018 imposed a 25 per cent duty on steel and a 10 per cent duty on aluminum.
Canada responded with tariffs on hundreds of US products such as ketchup, coffee, strawberry jam and whisky before the two countries dropped their efforts and agreed to the new North American free trade deal.
Trump said that he was re-implementing tariffs because there was a surge in aluminum exports from Canada to the US in recent months, but industry organisations dispute that claim.
Trump originally imposed the tariffs on aluminum imports in 2018. He then lifted them last year on Canadian and Mexican metals to smooth the way for the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Aug 07, 2020

US Senate Bans TikTok on Government Devices

The US Senate unanimously approved a bill from Senator Josh Hawley banning federal employees from using video-sharing app TikTok on government-issued devices, amid threats from the White House to ban the company. The app has come under fire from U.S. lawmakers and the Trump administration over national security concerns due to China`s ByteDance owning the technology.
The company currently faces a deadline of Sept. 15 to either sell its U.S. operations to Microsoft Corp or face an outright ban. Under a Chinese law introduced in 2017, companies have an obligation to support and cooperate in the country`s national intelligence work.
Last month, the House of Representatives voted to bar federal employees from downloading the app on government-issued devices as part of a proposal, offered by Representative Ken Buck. With passage in the House and approval by the Senate, the prohibition is expected to soon become law in the United States.

Mahinda Rajapaksa-led SLPP Registers Landslide Victory

Sri Lanka's strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa staged a political comeback as his party registered a landslide victory in the twice-postponed general elections.
The official results declared showed that the Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) alone had won 145 seats and with its allies have 150 seats, a two-thirds majority in the 225-member parliament.
The party led by the Prime Minister won all but 4 of the 22 electoral districts on offer. The victory margins in the South, dominated by the majority Sinhala community, were in the high 60 per cent mark in most areas. The party polled 6.8 million votes at 59.9 per cent.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who won the November presidential election on the SLPP ticket, had called a snap election six months ahead of the schedule.

India Extends Line of Credit Worth 18 million Dollars to Maldives

India has extended Line of Credit worth 18 million US dollars to the Government of Maldives for the expansion of fishing facilities at Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO).
The project envisages investment in fish collection and storage facilities and the setting up of a tuna cooked plant and fishmeal plant. It is part of the 800 million US dollars line of credit offered by India with repayment tenor of 20 years and a 5-year moratorium. Indian High Commission in Male said fishing is deeply connected to the Maldivian way of life and is a key driver of the economy through exports.

Aug 06, 2020

India Contributes over $15 Million to India-UN Development Partnership Fund

India contributed $15.46 million to the India-UN Development Partnership Fund, underscoring the country's commitment to supporting developing nations in their developmental priorities across all the Sustainable Development Goals.
India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T. S. Tirumurti handed over a cheque of $15.46 million to the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) Director Jorge Chediek at a low-key ceremony held within social distancing guidelines at the Permanent Mission of India to the UN.
The tranche of $15.46 million includes $6 million to the overall fund, in which all the developing countries are eligible for partnership, and $9.46 million dedicated to the Commonwealth countries.
The India-UN Development Partnership Fund is managed by the UNOSSC and implemented under the leadership of partner developing countries leveraging the strengths of United Nations Agencies, Funds and Programmes.

Zimbabwe VP New Health Minister after Covid-19 Scandal

Zimbabwe's Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga was appointed as Health Minister, about a month after the ministry was rocked by a scandal surrounding the procurement of coronavirus tests and equipment.
Mr. Chimwenga is a former head of the army who led the military takeover from former President Robert Mugabe.
His predecessor at the health ministry, Obadiah Moyo, appeared in court in June over corruption charges related to a $20m (£16m) contract awarded to a Hungary-registered firm, allegedly without going through proper processes.

US Looking to Ramp up Arms Sales to India

The US is looking to ramp up arms sales to India, including those of armed drones that can carry over 1,000 pounds of bombs and missiles, said a media report, noting the new push comes following the violent clashes in June between Indian and Chinese troops in Ladakh.
As per reports, the US in recent months has laid the groundwork for new arms sales to India that go above and beyond what previous administrations considered, including longer-term weapon systems with higher levels of technology and sophistication, such as armed drones.
President Donald Trump has officially amended rules that restrict the sale of military-grade drones to foreign partners like India, it said, adding that prominent among them being the recent announcement by the Trump administration changing its interpretation of the Missile Technology Control Regime.

Aug 05, 2020

Suu Kyi to Run for Second Term

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi formally declared her intention to seek a second term in an election in November that is seen as a test of the Southeast Asian nation's tentative democratic reforms.
After decades of military rule, Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning for democracy, took the reins in 2016 after an electoral landslide, but has been forced to share power with the generals. Her international reputation slumped over Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya Muslims but she remains popular at home, where her image is undented by accusations of complicity in atrocities against the minority.
Suu Kyi waved to a crowd on the outskirts of the former capital Yangon to submit an application to run as a candidate.

EU Imposes Cyber-attack Sanctions on Chinese Nationals Associated with Chinese Intelligence Agency

In a first, the European Union has imposed sanctions on two Chinese nationals and one Chinese company linked with the Chinese intelligence agency in the aftermath of a massive Cyber Attack targetting companies in the continent.
The two Chinese nationals are Gao Qiang, Shilong Zhang and the company that funded them is Tianjin Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development. All of them based are located in Tianjin, China. The sanctions include a travel ban and an asset freeze and no EU persons or entities will be allowed to deal with them.
They were involved in Operation Cloud Hopper which was a major cyber attack spanning 6 continents including targetted attacks on companies located in European union. The attack involved gaining unauthorised access to commercially sensitive data, resulting in significant economic loss.
What is an added worry is that EU says all 3 were linked to APT10--Advanced Persistent Threat 10 which is backed by the Chinese intelligence agency.

Aug 04, 2020

Irfaan Ali President Elect of Guyana

The presidential candidate for the main opposition People's Progressive Party/Civic, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, was declared President elect of Guyana.
Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh in the declaration of the election stated that article 177 (2) of the Constitution (states) that where there are two or more Presidential candidates, if more votes are cast in favour of the list in which a person is designated as presidential candidate than in favour of any other list, that presidential candidate shall be deemed to be elected president and shall so be declared by the Chairman of the Elections Commission, acting only in accordance with the advice of the Chief Election Officer, after the advice has been tendered to the Elections Commission at a duly summoned meeting.
According to a report by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, submitted to GECOM, the ruling Coalition – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), received – 217 920 votes; the main opposition PPP/C received 233 336; while 5 214 went to other parties.

Donald Trump Bans Hiring H1-B Visa Holders for Federal Contracts

In a major disappointment for Indian IT professionals, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning federal agencies from hiring H1-B visa holders for federal contracts.
Earlier on June 23, President Trump had passed an order suspending the H-1B visas along with other types of foreign work visas until the end of 2020. The Trump administration had justified the move saying that it was done to safeguard the American workers in the time of coornavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The new restrictions came into effect from June 24.
The H1B visa is most sought-after among Indian IT professionals as it allows US companies to hire foreigners for jobs which require theoretical or technical expertise.

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