General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Jun 29, 2020

India, 5 Other Countries Object to Chinese Communist Party Language for 75th Anniversary UN Resol...

In a strong message for China, the President of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Tijjani Muhammad-Bande changed the language of the resolution to be adopted by UN on the 75^th anniversary of the foundation of the global body.
The resolution that will be adopted in September will have a new sentence and not the one that has been a key part of Chinese foreign policy and backed by the Chinese communist party. This after 6 countries – India, the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand objected to the use of language – "community with a shared future for mankind', which has been talked about by Chinese Xi Jinping many times as his vision for the world.
Several European countries were not very happy with the use of the phase.
Another UN source explained, "UNGA President proposing an alternate language..its recognition of what we had asked for, vindicates our stance"Interestingly, China had put the phase under "silence" procedure and not at the negotiation stage which many UN member believe is not by chance. Under the silence procedure, the proposal is deemed to be passed, if no one breaks the silence by raising a concern. China had not taken kindly to the silence being broken and backed by Pakistan, Syria and Russia had written a letter to UN.
The proposed wording by UNGA President "for the common future of present and coming generations" was given approval for the resolution via silence procedure with China not objecting to it. Any objection by China could have led to a deadlock, and perhaps a controversy even as UN marks 75^th year of existence.

Trump Makes Vandalising National Monuments Punishable Offence

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to prosecute those who damage national monuments, making it a punishable offence with up to 10 years in jail.
The order comes in the wake of rioters defacing and destroying historical sites, monuments and statues in the country as violence erupted following the brutal custodial death of African-American George Floyd in May 2020. The President accused radical left for the violence.
Under the order, the federal government is directed to prosecute any person or entity that damages or defaces religious property and withhold certain federal support from state and local governments that fail to protect public monuments, memorials and statues from destruction or vandalism.

Niger's Ex-military Junta Leader to Vie for Presidency

The former head of Niger's military junta General Salou Djibo will vie for the presidency in this year's election.
Gen. Djibo was announced as the candidate for the Peace Justice Progress (PJP) Party.
He led the military junta that ousted President Mahamadou Tandja in February 2010, after he tried to stay in power beyond his two-term limit.
Gen. Djibo handed power back to civilian rule after Mahamadou Issoufou won the subsequent elections.
The general retired from the army in 2019.
He hopes to succeed President Issoufou who is constitutionally barred from serving a third term.
The elections are set for 27th December 2020.

Nepal PM Blames India of Conspiring to Topple His Government

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has alleged that India wants to topple his government after he issued the new map that shows Indian territories of Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura as Nepalese territories.
As per Oli, his government did not commit any mistake by claiming their land, which was snatched from us for the past 58 years after Nepal enjoyed the rights over these areas for 146 years.

Poland Presidential Election Heads for Second Round - Exit Poll

Exit polls in Poland's presidential election suggest the incumbent, Andrzej Duda, has finished first but without enough votes to win outright.
If confirmed, Mr. Duda, a conservative, will face the liberal mayor of Warsaw, Rafal Trzaskowski, in the second round in two weeks' time.
The polls suggest Mr. Duda took just under 42% of the vote and Mr. Trzaskowski just over 30%.
Turnout was high despite coronavirus and social distancing restrictions.
President Duda is an ally of the governing nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party and if he loses, the opposition could push through major changes in Polish politics.
The president has the power to veto legislation, so Mr. Duda's re-election would be of benefit to PiS, of which he used to be a member.

Princeton to Remove Woodrow Wilson Name from Public Policy School

Princeton University has announced plans to remove the name of former President Woodrow Wilson from its public policy school because of his segregationist views, reversing a decision the Ivy League school made four years ago to retain the name.
University president Christopher Eisgruber said to the school community that the board of trustees had concluded that Wilson's racist views and policies make him an inappropriate namesake" for Princeton's School of Public and International Affairs and the residential college.
Eisgruber said that the trustees had in April 2016 decided on some changes to make the university more inclusive and more honest about its history" but decided to retain Wilson's name, but revisited the issue in light of the recent killings of George Floyd and others. Wilson, governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913 and then the 28th US president from 1913 to 1921, supported segregation and imposed it on several federal agencies not racially divided up to that point. He also barred Black students from Princeton while serving as university president and spoke approvingly of the Ku Klux Klan.

Jun 28, 2020

ASEAN Takes Position against China's Vast Historical Sea Claims

Southeast Asian leaders said a 1982 U.N. oceans treaty should be the basis of sovereign rights and entitlements in the South China Sea, in one of their strongest remarks opposing China's claim to virtually the entire disputed waters on historical grounds.
The leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations took the position in a statement issued by Vietnam on behalf of the 10-nation bloc. ASEAN leaders held their annual summit by video, with the coronavirus pandemic and the long-raging territorial disputes high on the agenda.
The leaders were referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a 1982 international agreement that defines the rights of nations to the world's oceans and demarcates stretches of waters called exclusive economic zones where coastal states are given the right to exclusively tap fishery and fuel resources.

Starmer Appointed Kate Green as His New Shadow Education Secretary

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer appointed Kate Green as his new shadow education secretary.
She replaced Rebecca Long-Bailey, who was sacked earlier this week after sharing a story Sir Keir said contained an anti-Semitic conspiracy theory.
Sir Keir Starmer was delighted to appoint Ms Green, who has campaigned against educational inequalities.
Prior to becoming an MP, she was chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group and before that, director of the National Council for One Parent Families (now Gingerbread).
It is a return to the shadow cabinet for Ms. Green, who served as shadow minister for women and equalities under Jeremy Corbyn's leadership.

Micheál Martin Becomes Irish PM after Historic Coalition Deal

Micheál Martin was elected as the Irish PM at a special meeting of the Irish parliament in Dublin.
He has been the leader of the Fianna Fáil party since 2011.
He leads a three-party coalition consisting of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Green Party.
Mr. Martin said that to be elected to serve as taoiseach was one of the greatest honours which anyone can receive.
Speaking to the Dáil (Irish Lower House) as taoiseach for the first time, Mr. Martin said that the focus would be on the social, economic, and cultural recovery from the coronavirus.
It is the first time in history that former Civil War rivals Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have governed together.
Mr. Martin is expected to lead the country until December 2022 before handing back over to Leo Varadkar, the Fine Gael leader.

Nepal to Reopen its Second Border Point with China for Supply of Essential Goods

As per reports, Nepal has decided to reopen its second border point with China after five months for the supply of goods like construction material and equipment necessary for hydropower and airport projects.
Nepal on January 29 had closed its two border points with China -- Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi -- to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.
The Tatopani border point was opened on April 8 to bring medicines and health equipment from China.
The two countries have now agreed to resume one-way traffic to Nepal through the Rasuwagadhi border.
The exact date to reopen the border has not been finalised.
Hari Prasad Pant, chief district officer of Rasuwa, said that reopening the border point had been discussed between authorities from the two countries at the Nepal-China Friendship Bridge (Miteri Bridge).

Lazarus Chakwera Wins Historic Poll Rerun

Malawi's opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera won the country's rerun presidential vote.
According to the electoral commission, he defeated incumbent Peter Mutharika with 58.57% of the vote.
In February, Malawi's constitutional court annulled Mr. Mutharika's victory in the May 2019 election, citing vote tampering.
The country was bitterly divided in the run-up to this week's election.
It is the second African nation to annul a presidential election over irregularities, after Kenya in 2017.

Jun 27, 2020

US Senate Passes China Sanctions Bill over Hong Kong

In a bipartisan rebuke of China, the Senate has unanimously approved a bill to impose sanctions on business and individuals including the police that undermine Hong Kong's autonomy or restrict freedoms promised to Hong Kong residents.
The bill targets police units that have cracked down on Hong Kong protesters, as well as Chinese Communist Party officials responsible for imposing a strict national security law on Hong Kong, which is considered a special administrative region within China and maintains its own governing and economic systems.
The measure also would impose sanctions on banks that do business with entities found to violate the law.

Jun 26, 2020

After China Encroaches Nepal's Territory, Opposition Party Moves Motion in Parliament

Nepal's opposition party Nepali Congress moved a motion in the Lower House of Nepali Parliament on the Nepalese land encroached by China. Nepali Congress lawmakers put the motion in place drawing the K. P. Sharma Oli led government.
According to the motion, "64 hectares have been encroached upon in Dolakha, Humla, Sindhupalchowk, Sankhuwasabha, Gorkha and Rasuwa districts" of Nepal by China.
Pillar 35 has been shifted at the border, which has led to Northern Gorkha's Rui Village falling into China's Tibet region. 72 households of Rui village of Gorkha and 18 houses of Darchula are in Chinese territory.
Nepali Congress is the largest opposition party in both the Upper House and Lower House of the Nepali Parliament. Earlier this month, Nepali Congress Vice President Bimalendra Nidhi had demanded answers from the K. P. Sharma Oli government over the Chinese encroachment.
China currently has encroached 11 locations at China Nepal border.

Jack Ma No Longer the Richest Person in China

According to Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Ma Huateng, founder and CEO of Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings, has dethroned Alibaba Founder Jack Ma form the title of the richest man in China'. Huatang has a total net worth of $50 billion.
Tencent Holdings is currently China's largest game developer. It has surpassed Alibaba Group Holding Ltd as Asia's most-valuable company.
Ma Huateng founded Tencent in 1998 along with four of his classmates. He has a Bachelors of Science degree from Shinzen University in China. He currently owns 7 per cent stake in Tencent. He had sold some shares earlier this year, raising his net worth by $757 million, according to Bloomberg.
Tencent is one of the world's largest video game company. It also has a major presence in programming social media platform and has become one of China's largest social media companies. One of the social media platforms run by Tencent is WeChat (China's version of Whatsapp). In the gaming space, it provides some of the most popular titles including Honour of Kings, PUBG Mobile and League of Legends.

Jun 25, 2020

FAFT Decides to Continuation of Pakistan in Grey List

Terror financing watchdog FATF has decided for a continuation of Pakistan in "Grey List" in virtual plenary. "FATF feels Pakistan has failed to check terror funding to LeT, JeM, hence it remains in Grey List.
FATF plenary which decided continuation of Pak in 'Grey List' was chaired by its president Xiangmin Liu of China. "The decision has been taken as Pakistan has failed to check the flow of money to terror groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM). Pakistan will thus continue to remain on the grey list till its next plenary meet in October 2020.
The FATF decision came even as a report by the US slammed Pakistan for being safe haven for terror groups. The US Country Reports on Terrorism said that Pakistan continues to harbour regionally focused terrorist groups" and allows LeT and JeM to operate from its soil.
With continuation in FATF grey list, it will be difficult for Pakistan to get financial aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Union and others. This could further worsen its already weak economic condition, especially in light of COVID-19. If Islamabad fails to comply by the FATF directive by October, it is likely to be pushed into a blacklist along with North Korea and Iran.

Johnson & Johnson Told to Pay $2.1 Billion over Cancer-causing Talc Powder

A US court has upheld a verdict that talcum powder sold by Johnson & Johnson caused ovarian cancer and ordered the pharmaceutical giant to pay $2.1 billion in damages.
The decision by the Missouri Court of Appeals cut by more than half the $4.4 billion a jury had awarded 22 people in 2018. The court agreed that some of the plaintiffs should not have been included in the case as they were from outside the state.
Johnson & Johnson has faced thousands of lawsuits across the United States alleging it failed to warn consumers of the risk of cancer from asbestos in its talc-based products.

World's First Yoga University Outside India

As part of the 6th International Yoga Day commemorations, the world's first yoga university outside India was launched in Los Angeles, offering programmes that combine scientific principles and modern research approaches to the ancient Indian practice.
The Vivekananda Yoga University (VaYU) was jointly launched by Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan and Chairperson of the Standing Committee on External Affairs P. P. Chaudhary during a virtual event held at the Consulate General of India in New York.
Eminent Indian yoga guru Dr. H. R. Nagendra, Chancellor of Swami Vivekananda Yoga Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA), is the first Chairman of VaYU.

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