General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Mar 20, 2020

Italy Toll Passes China

Italy overtook China's coronavirus death total and braced for an extended lockdown that could see the economy suffer its biggest shock since World War 2.
The Mediterranean country's toll reached 3,405 after it recorded 427 new deaths on Wednesday.
China has officially reported 3,245 deaths since registering the first case at the end of 2019.
The number of new Covid-19 cases is yet to plateau despite the Italian government's best efforts.

China Reports No New Case

China and the epicentre of its Covid outbreak, Wuhan city, have reported no new domestic transmissions for the first time, raising hopes that strict containment efforts to stop the spread of the virus are working. Wuhan, locked down since January 23, is currently the only city in Hubei province still designated "high-risk" and subject to strict travel bans, even as restrictions across the rest of the country have loosened.

WhatsApp Launches Coronavirus Information Hub, Donates $1 million to IFCN

Facebook-owned messaging app WhatsApp launched the "WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub" globally, in partnership with WHO (World Health Organization), UNICEF (United Nations Children's Fund) and UNDP (United Nations Development Programme). WhatsApp also donated $1 million dollars to Poynter Institute's International Fast-Checking Network (IFCN) in order to avoid fake information about the disease.
The WhatsApp Coronavirus Information Hub will be available at Whatsapp.com/coronavirus and provides simple, actionable guidance for health workers, educators, community leaders, nonprofits, local governments & local businesses.
The site also offers general tips and resources for users around the world to reduce the spread of rumours and provides accurate health information.
The International Fast-Checking Network identifies the spread of health-related fake news on Whatsapp in different formats. The network detects & debunks misinformation on the messaging app.
Whatsapp has also worked with a number of national health ministries and NGOs (Non-Governmental Organisation) to provide factual information to users via text in countries including Singapore, Israel, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia.

US Slaps Sanctions on Five UAE-Based Firms

The United States slapped sanctions on five companies based in the United Arab Emirates for allegedly shipping oil from Iran in defiance of President Donald Trump's unilateral sanctions.
The Treasury Department said that the five companies bought hundreds of thousands of metric tons' worth of oil last year from Iran's state oil company, declaring it to be from Iraq or otherwise disguising its origin.
The sanctions mark a rare US action against firms in the UAE, a close ally of Washington in its campaign against Tehran but also a major trading hub with a significant Iranian expatriate community.
"The Iranian regime uses revenues from petroleum and petrochemical sales to fund its terrorist proxies, like the IRGC-QF, instead of the health and well-being of the Iranian people," treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.

Bank of England Cuts Rate to Historic Low

The Bank of England (BOE) cut interest rate in an emergency move to support the UK economy in the face of the coronavirus pandemic to 0.1%—the lowest it has been in British history—as the death toll rose to 128.
Lowering the interest rate was among new plans of the Boris Johnson government to deal with the growing scale of the challenge, including publishing a new bill in the House of Commons to provide more emergency powers to authorities.
The government said that the new powers will be used only if needed, judged on the basis of the clinical and scientific advice. Safeguards have been built in to ensure that powers are only used as necessary, for example during the peak of a coronavirus outbreak.

Mar 19, 2020

US Puts New IS Chief on Terror Blacklist

The US placed the new leader of the Islamic State group on its blacklist of terrorists, naming him as Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli.
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that al-Mawli was named leader of the group after an October raid by US commandos that killed its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The organisation had earlier named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as its new head, but US officials acknowledged they knew little about him - and later came to believe that the Islamic State group was using his nom de guerre.

Philippines Shuts Financial Market Due to COVID 19 Outbreak

Philippines became the first country to close its financial markets due to the COVID 19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. It resumed its trading on March 19, 2020. This measure was taken to ensure the safety of their employees and the people they interact with. Now, the speculations are if other countries may take similar measures then there is a fear of a global recession.
Shutting markets is an extremely rare case during times of crisis. Earlier cases were, a weeklong closing of America's stock after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, while Hong Kong had shut trading due to Black Monday crash in 1987. Greece halted its stock market for about five weeks in 2015.

ECB Launches Emergency $820bn Coronavirus Package

The European Central Bank (ECB) launched an emergency €750bn ($820bn; £700bn) package to ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
It will buy government and company debt across the eurozone, including that of troubled Greece and Italy.
ECB boss Christine Lagarde tweeted "there are no limits" to its commitment to the euro.
In recent weeks central banks and governments around the world have announced major stimulus plans.
The so-called Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme comes just six days after the ECB unveiled measures that failed to calm markets, piling pressure on it to do more to support Europe's economies.
Announcing this latest move Ms Lagarde said the ECB will do everything in its powers to support the euro in these "extraordinary times".
The asset purchasing scheme will be temporary and be concluded once the ECB "judges that the coronavirus Covid-19 crisis phase is over, but in any case not before the end of the year.

Biden Sweeps Three States

Former vice president Joe Biden swept all three states that held their nominating contests on Tuesday, winning 1,165 delegates so far for Democratic Party nomination to take on President Donald Trump.
Trump officially clinched his nomination, wrapping up the Republican primaries practically unopposed with 1,330 delegates, way more than the 1,276 needed to win the nomination. As has been with sitting presidents largely, he faced no serious challenge. Bill Weld, the former Massachusetts governor, finished a distant second with just one delegate.
The Democratic race appeared drawing to a close, with Biden increasing his tally after the three wins in Florida, Illinois and Arizona, taking what is being called an unassailable lead over Senator Bernie Sanders, who is at 880, according to an Associated Press count.

Mar 18, 2020

Philippines President Duterte Locks Down Island

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte widened a monthlong quarantine in the Manila region to cover all of the country's main island to prevent coronavirus from spreading. The "enhanced quarantine" of Luzon, which has 60 million people and is responsible for 70% of the Philippines' economic output, will place tens of thousands of daily wage earners at risk of penury. Hours after the announcement, the country's central bank governor said that policy makers are "inclined" to cut the key interest rate by 50 basis points.

Iraqi President Appoints Adnan al-Zurfi as New PM-designate

Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country's new Prime Minister-designate in the latest bid to resolve a months-long political crisis.
Al-Zurfi has 30 days to form his cabinet which he must then put to a vote of confidence in Iraq's fractious Parliament. The 54-year-old former governor of the holy Shia city of Najaf heads the Nasr parliamentary grouping of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Al-Zurfi would replace caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who quit in December 2019 following widespread mass demonstrations against a government that protesters see as corrupt, failing to provide them with basic services, and beholden to powerful neighbouring Iran.

Trump Moves to Save US Economy

Admitting for the first time that the coronavirus outbreak may send the US economy into a recession, President Donald Trump is asking Congress to unleash a torrent of emergency economic aid to help people through the financial pain of the crisis, with sizable cheques directly to Americans as part of the deal.
The White House was asking Congress on Tuesday to approve a sweeping emergency stimulus package to help businesses and taxpayers cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin planned to outline the roughly $850 billion package to Senate Republicans at a private lunch, with officials aiming to have Congress approve it this week. It's the most far-reaching economic rescue package since the Great Recession of 2008.

Mar 17, 2020

Switzerland Declares State of Emergency

The Swiss government declared a state of emergency lasting until April 19. "A strong reaction is needed across the country. And we need it now," Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga told a press conference. All shops, restaurants, bars, and entertainment and leisure facilities are to shut down, with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies and health facilities. Switzerland will also tighten its border controls with Germany, France and Austria.

Mar 16, 2020

Gantz to Form New Israeli Govt.

Israel's President Reuven Rivlin decided to give opposition leader Benny Gantz the first opportunity to form a new government following an inconclusive national election this month. President Reuven Rivlin's office announced this decision after consulting with leaders of all of the parties elected to parliament. The decision raises questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political future as he leads the country's battle against the coronavirus threat and prepares to go on trial for corruption charges. Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the largest party in the March 2 election, Israel's third in under a year. But with his smaller religious and nationalist allies, he received the support of only 58 lawmakers during consultations, leaving Likud three seats short of the required majority in parliament.

Slovakia Poll Winner to Form 4-party Govt.

The chairman of the winning party in Slovakia's parliamentary election told the country's President that he has agreed to form a coalition government with three other parties. Igor Matovic and his centre-right populist opposition group Ordinary People captured 25% of the February 29 vote. It has 53 seats in the 150-seat parliament. President Zuzana Caputova asked Matovic in March 2020 to lead the efforts to create a new government. After their meeting, Matovic said that he presented the details of his Cabinet to the President. It is not clear when the new government might be sworn in.

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