General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Nov 28, 2019

China Has the Most Diplomatic Posts in the World

According to an Australian think tank, China now has more diplomatic posts across the world than the US, a marker of its growing international clout and ambition.
China's expansion in worldwide diplomatic presence has come partly at the expense of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy, which Beijing says is a breakaway province.
The 2019 Global Diplomacy Index released by the Sydney-based Lowy Institute gives the latest statistics, marking how the world's diplomatic networks are expanding and, in certain cases, shrinking.
China overtook the US in 2019 with 276 embassies and consulates worldwide, which is three more than the US. The study said that both countries have an equal number of embassies, but Beijing has three more consulates.
The next three spots on the list are occupied by France, Japan, and Russia.
India is 12th among the 61 countries ranked by Lowy Institute. As of 2019, New Delhi has 123 embassies and high commissions and 54 consulates globally.

U.S. to Label Mexican Cartels as Terror Groups

Mexico rejected interventionism after U.S. President Donald Trump said that he will designate the Latin American nation's cartels as terrorist organisations, while a former U.S. official warned of unintended outcomes from such a move.
Designating groups as foreign terrorist organisations is aimed at disrupting their finances through the imposition of U.S. sanctions, including asset freezes and travel bans, on them and individuals and entities that support them.
However, Mexico warned it could respond in kind to such a move, while immigration lawyers said that calling traffickers terrorists could in some cases make Mexicans eligible for asylum.

Imran Khan Urged to Reopen Khokhrapar Crossing with India

Congratulating Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for showing "admirable magnanimity" in the opening of the Kartarpur Corridor for Sikh pilgrims, a US-based advocacy group has urged him to now reopen the Khokhrapar-Munabao border with India for millions of Hindu and Muslim devotees.
The opening of the Khokhrapar border would facilitate millions of followers of Saint Moinuddin Chishti to visit Dargah Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan. It will also allow Hindu pilgrims to visit the Hinglaj Mandir in Balochistan province of Pakistan.
The group represents Mohajirs, Urdu-speaking Indian Muslims who settled in Pakistan after the Partition.

Labour Party Says U.K. Govt. Holding Secret Talks to Sell NHS to U.S.

The leader of Britain's main opposition party, Jeremy Corbyn, accused Prime Minister Boris Johnson of secretly negotiating the basis of a trade deal with the United States ahead of the country's departure from the European Union — including a contentious plan to extend patents for American drug companies.
The Labour Party's Corbyn showed 451 pages of documents at a press conference, declaring that they covered six rounds of negotiations beginning in July 2017 — preliminary soundings ahead of formal trade talks.
With the future of the National Health Service in focus in the Dec. 12 general election, Corbyn highlighted the drug price issue and argued that extending patents would boost the profits of big pharmaceutical companies at the expense of taxpayers who would be barred from buying cheaper generic versions of the drugs.

Merkel Says It's Essential to Preserve NATO

Chancellor Angela Merkel said that NATO is at least as essential today as it was during the Cold War, renewing a pledge to keep raising Germany's defense spending and arguing that it is important to keep Turkey in the alliance.
Merkel told the German parliament before a NATO summit in London next week that "Europe cannot defend itself alone at the moment; we rely on this trans-Atlantic alliance."
As per Merkel, the preservation of NATO is in our very own interest today, more strongly than during the Cold War — or at least as strongly as during the Cold War. Merkel added that it's "right for us to work for this alliance and take on more responsibility."
French President Emmanuel Macron's recent public criticism of NATO — notably a perceived lack of U.S. leadership, concerns about Turkey since it invaded northern Syria without warning its allies, and the need for Europe to take on more security responsibilities — has shaken the alliance.

Nov 27, 2019

Pakistan Opposes India's Candidacy to UNSC Membership

Pakistan opposed India's candidacy to the UN Security Council's permanent and non-permanent membership, citing the Kashmir issue. Addressing the world body, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram said that "at least one of the G4 does not in our view qualify for membership of the Security Council - permanent or non-permanent."
The G4 nations comprising Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan support each other's bids for permanent seats on the Security Council.
Akram, without naming India, said the country was in "blatant violation of resolutions of the Security Council," referring to Kashmir issue.

Lam Admits to Public Discontent with Her Government

Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam renewed her appeals for peace in the Chinese-ruled city but failed to offer any concessions to anti-government protesters despite a resounding victory for pro-democracy parties in local elections.
Lam spoke a day after results showed democratic candidates secured almost 90% of 452 district council seats in Sunday's elections, which were widely seen as a barometer of the opposition to the Beijing-backed politician following months of unrest.
China, which has blamed foreign forces for fomenting unrest, has not directly commented on the results, and news outlets in its tightly controlled media largely avoided detailed reporting of how Hong Kongers voted.

Pakistan SC Suspends Decision to Extend Qamar Bajwa's Tenure

In an unprecedented move, Pakistan's Supreme Court suspended the notification granting a three-year term extension to Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. The move came just ahead of Bajwa's retirement on November 29, 2019.
Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa after suspending the government's notification adjourned the hearing.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on August 19 had approved an extension in the tenure of General Bajwa for another three years.
Khosa during the hearing said that only the President of Pakistan can extend the tenure of the Army Chief. He also observed that when the matter was discussed in the Cabinet, only 11 out 25 members approved the extension.

Nov 26, 2019

Romania's Pro-EU Prez Set for Re-election

Romanians started voting in the second round of presidential elections that are expected to return Klaus Iohannis to office, confirming the pro-European trajectory of the eastern EU member.
Thirty years after the fall of communism, the centre-right former physics professor is running against Social Democrats (PSD) leader and former Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, whose government fell in October, 2019 in a no-confidence vote.

Democracy Backers Sweep Hong Kong Polls

Democracy supporters were emboldened by capturing most of the seats in local elections, but Beijing and its allies are reluctant to compromise.
In the run-up to local elections in Hong Kong, Beijing and its allies in the city were portraying the vote as a way to hear the voice of a silent majority after nearly six months of increasingly violent antigovernment protests.
The city's Beijing-backed establishment camp suffered a staggering defeat in elections for district councils as democracy advocates swept 87 per cent of the seats, up from less than a third. Beijing and its supporters in Hong Kong, including the city's embattled leader, Carrie Lam, must now reckon with a resounding, very public display of support for the democracy camp and the protest movement.
According to Cary Lo, a newly elected district councilor supporting democracy, this election is not just about livelihood issues, but also a direct referendum regarding the justifiability of this regime. It has indicated that Carrie Lam's government has lost its legitimacy.

UK PM Promises Brexit Gift for Christmas

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will promise to bring his Brexit deal back to Parliament before Christmas when he launches his Conservative Party's manifesto, the cornerstone of his pitch to voters to get Brexit done.
With less than three weeks before Britain heads to the polls on December 12, 2019 the governing Conservatives and opposition Labour are trying to tempt voters with different visions but several pledges to spend more on public services. Johnson's manifesto aims at drawing a distinction with Labour, which has promised to raise taxes on the richest and big businesses to fund a big expansion of the state, by vowing not to increase taxes if the Conservatives win the election.

New Leak Reveals How China Runs Xinjiang Camps

Leaked government documents outlining the need to prevent escape, double lock doors and constantly monitor detainees in China's network of internment camps in Xinjiang refute Beijing's defence of vocational education centres.
Obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and published by 17 media outlets worldwide, the documents show the strict protocols governing life in the camps in Xinjiang, where an estimated one million Uighurs and other mostly Muslim minorities are held.
In one document, local officials are told to monitor inmates at all times -- including during toilet breaks -- to prevent escape.
Staff are also banned from befriending inmates and engaging in personal interactions" to prevent "collusion.

Sri Lanka Won't Do Anything that Will Harm India's Interests

Days ahead of his first State visit abroad to New Delhi, Sri Lanka's newly-elected President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has said that his government will not do anything that would threaten India's security.
President Gotabaya is scheduled to visit New Delhi on November 29, 2019 following an invitation from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was the first senior foreign official to meet the newly-elected President in Colombo, to hand over the PM's invitation.
The newly-elected Sri Lankan President's visit signals a full circle in diplomatic ties between New Delhi and the Rajapaksas in the last decade — with relations shifting from close cooperation to heightening tensions and now, to what appears a thaw.

Nov 25, 2019

PM Releases Manifesto, Keeps Focus on Brexit

The formal launch of the Conservative Party's election pledges centered around the key plank of PM Boris Johnson's campaign: making Brexit happen. Johnson claimed that his Conservatives are the sole party in next month's (December 2019) election that will actually get Brexit done.
Johnson promised to bring his Brexit deal back to parliament before Christmas, with passage likely assured if the Conservatives win a majority in the December 12 (2019) vote.
He said that would enable his government to get Britain out of the EU by the January 31 deadline while other parties would slow the process down for months or stop it altogether.
The manifesto promised increased spending to recruit 20,000 more police and 50,000 nurses. He said doctors, nurses and health professionals will be offered fast-track visas.

North Korea Conducts Artillery Firings

North Korea says leader Kim Jong Un has visited a frontline island and ordered troops there to practice firing artillery.
The firing happened when Mr. Kim inspected a military unit on Changrin Islet near the disputed sea boundary with South Korea.
It was Mr. Kim's first known visit to frontline troops since he entered nuclear talks with the United States in 2018.

Hong Kong Democrats Cheer Landslide Victory in Local Elections

Hong Kong's democrats romped to a landslide and symbolic majority in district council elections after residents turned out in record numbers to vote following six months of anti-government protests in the embattled city.
In a rare weekend lull in the unrest that has roiled the financial hub, democratic candidates across the city of 7.4 million secured more than half of the 452 district council seats for the first time, against a strongly resourced and mobilised pro-establishment Opposition.
Almost three million people voted, a record turnout of more than 71% that appeared to have been spurred by the turmoil, almost double the number last time.

Nov 24, 2019

British PM Launches Conservative Party Manifesto @Borisjohnson

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has launched the Conservative Party manifesto for the December 12 General Election with a central pledge to "get Brexit done" and make the UK "Corbyn-neutral by Christmas".
He promised not to raise the rates of VAT, income tax and National Insurance, dubbed a "triple tax lock".
Mr Johnson said unlike any other party standing in this election they are going to get Brexit done.

Bolivia's Congress Approves New Elections Without Evo Morales

Both chambers of Bolivia's Congress have unanimously approved a bill that annuls the result of the country's presidential vote and allows for new elections to be held without former president Evo Morales.
The measure approved forbids candidates from running if they have served in the last two terms, with politicians also agreeing to appoint a new electoral board.
Interim President Jeanine Anez, an opponent of Morales, is expected to sign the bill into law.

Hong Kong's Pro-Democracy Forces Bolstered by Huge Election Win

Hong Kong residents handed an overwhelming victory to pro-democracy candidates in a vote for local district councils, a stunning repudiation of the city's Beijing-backed government after months of increasingly violent protests seeking meaningful elections.
Pro-democracy candidates won 86% seats of the 444 seats counted as of 9 a.m., official results showed, with eight seats still up for grabs. In the last election in 2015, they had won about a quarter of all seats. The pro-government camp won about 12% of seats this time around, versus 65% four years ago. The vote saw record turnout of 71%, with more than 2.94 million people casting ballots -- roughly double the number in the previous election.

Pope Francis Calls For a World Free Of Nuclear Weapons

Pope Francis has condemned the use of nuclear weapons and the growing arms trade. In a symbolic visit to the Japanese city, Nagasaki, devastated by the nuclear attack in August 1945, he said nuclear weapons were not the answer to a desire for security, peace and stability.
The Pope paid tribute to what he called the unspeakable horror suffered by victims of the Nagasaki atomic bomb. He said this place makes people deeply aware of the pain and horror that human beings are capable of inflicting upon one another.
At least 74,000 people died from the atomic bomb unleashed on the city - just three days after the world's first nuclear attack hit Hiroshima and killed at least 140,000.
Pope Francis will also visit Hiroshima and meet survivors of the atomic attack, known in Japanese as hibakusha, at the world-famous Peace Memorial in the city.

Michael Bloomberg Joins 2020 US Presidential Race

Billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has officially announced he is standing to be the Democratic Party presidential nominee.
In a statement, the 77-year-old said he was standing "to defeat Donald Trump and rebuild America".
He joins 17 other candidates vying for the Democratic nomination to take on Mr Trump in 2020.
As things stand, former Vice-President Joe Biden, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders are the party's front-runners.

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