General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2016

Sep 2016

Mar 30, 2021

China Passes Patriot Electoral Reforms

China has passed sweeping changes to Hong Kong's electoral rules which will tighten its control over the city.
The number of directly elected seats in parliament has been cut almost by half, and prospective MPs will first be vetted by a pro-Beijing committee to ensure their loyalty to the mainland.
The aim is to ensure only patriotic figures can run for positions of power.
Critics warn it will mean the end of democracy, as it removes all opposition from the city parliament.
Beijing's rubber-stamp parliament first approved the plan during the National People's Congress (NPC) meetings earlier in March.

Scott Morrison Announces Cabinet Reshuffle

Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a Cabinet reshuffle following a series of damaging allegations.
Morrison said that Linda Reynolds will leave the role of Minister of Defence and will be replaced by Peter Dutton, who was previously Minister of Home Affairs.
Christian Porter will leave as Attorney General and Minister for Industrial Relations and will be replaced by Michaelia Cash.

Global Wind Report 2021

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the year 2020 was the best year in history for the global wind industry as this sector installed 93GW of new capacity in 2020, according to a new report titled 'Global Wind Report 2021, released by the Global Wind Energy Council. This is the 16th annual flagship report, released by GWEC on March 25, 2021. The 93GW represents a 53% year-on-year increase.
The global wind power market increased four times in size over the past decade but the record growth was seen in 2020.
This increase was driven by a surge of installations in China and the US alone.
Together, the US and China installed 75% of new installations in 2020 and account for over half of the world's total wind power capacity.

Iran and China Sign Long-term Strategic Cooperation Economic Agreement

Iran and China have inked a long-term cooperation agreement in Tehran.
The comprehensive agreement signed by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, aims to expand bilateral cooperation in various fields in the next 25 years.
The agreement paves the way for billions in Chinese investment in Tehran, and in return, Iran wants to supply oil to Beijing at favourable prices. Military cooperation is also part of the plans.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani described cooperation with China as strategic and said that the new agreement will deepen this partnership even further. We want China to be a major trading partner.

Congo President Wins Landslide Third Term

Denis Sassou Nguesso has been re-elected President of Congo-Brazzaville after the Constitution was amended to allow him to seek a third term.
He won 60% of the vote, against 15% for his nearest challenger, the interior minister announced.
The opposition says the vote was marred by "massive fraud".
It says the communications blackout announced during the vote was designed to prevent observers from monitoring the election.
Mr. Sassou Nguesso has been in power since 1979, except for a five-year period after losing elections in 1992.
The Constitution was changed after an October referendum to remove term and age limits which would have prevented the 72-year-old from standing again.

President Jair Bolsonaro Overhauls Cabinet amid Covid-19 Surge

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro overhauled his government, changing six cabinet members including the Foreign, Defense and Justice Ministers, as the far-right leader faced mounting pressure over a deadly surge of Covid-19.
Bolsonaro, who comes up for re-election in October 2022, has drawn backlash with his handling of the pandemic in hard-hit Brazil, where the average daily death toll has nearly quadrupled since the start of the year to more than 2,600, pushing hospitals to breaking point.
The shake-up comes the week after Bolsonaro replaced former health minister Eduardo Pazuello, an army general with no medical experience, with cardiologist Marcelo Queiroga, his fourth health minister of the pandemic.
The President named army General Luiz Eduardo Ramos as his new chief of staff, career diplomat Carlos Franca as his new Foreign Minister, General Walter Souza Braga Netto -- the outgoing chief of staff -- as Defense Minister, and police commander Anderson Torres as Justice Minister.

Agnes Callamard Is Amnesty Chief

Agnes Callamard, who led a United Nations' investigation into the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, has been appointed the new leader of Amnesty International.
The international human rights group said that Callamard will serve as the new leader of Amnesty International for a four-year term.
Callamard, a French human rights expert, has previously led free-speech organisation Article 19 and directs the Global Freedom of Expression Project at Columbia University. As the UN's special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, she investigated the killing of Khashoggi, who entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul on October 2, 2018, to pick up some documents, and never walked out.

Mar 29, 2021

Protests in Myanmar as Junta Chief Marks Armed Forces Day

The head of Myanmar's junta used the occasion of the country's Armed Forces Day to try to justify the overthrow of the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, as protesters marked the holiday by calling for even bigger demonstrations.
Senior Gen Min Aung Hlaing did not directly refer to the nationwide protests that show no signs of stopping. In a nationally televised speech before thousands of soldiers at a massive parade ground at the capital Naypyitaw, he referred only to "terrorism which can be harmful to state tranquillity and social security," and called it unacceptable.

Irish Government Makes Final Repayment on UK Emergency 'Bailout' Loan

The Irish government has repaid the emergency loan it got from the UK during the last financial crisis.
It borrowed £3.23bn as part its international bailout in 2010.
The loan was drawn down in eight portions between 2011 and 2013, each to be repaid after seven and a half years.
Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe welcomed the final repayment, saying it marked "another step along our journey since exiting the EU-IMF financial assistance programme in December 2013".
The Irish government had considered repaying the loan early but that would have incurred a penalty charge.
At the time the loan was made, Chancellor George Osborne said it was in the UK's interest to join a rescue package for the Irish economy.

Norway to Construct World's First Ship Tunnel

World's first ship tunnel is set to be constructed in Norway. Construction on the project will start in 2022 and it will be completed by 2025-2026.
Norway has planned to construct Ship tunnel underneath the mountains in Stadhavet peninsula of Norway. The tunnel will be 37 meters high, 1,700 metres long and 26.5 metres wide. A total of $315 million would be spent in constructing ship tunnel. Tunnel will burrow through narrowest point of Stadhavet peninsula. Conventional blasting will be employed to build tunnel. It will also use underground drilling rigs and pallet rigs. Tunnel was included in the National Transport Plan for the first time in 2013. Norwegian Ministry of Transport and Communications approved for preparations to start in March 2021.
The Ship Tunnel Project has been designed to help in navigation of ships through rough and treacherous Stadhavet Sea in north western Norway. Currently, ships have to wait for few days so that harsh weather conditions and rough tides conditions in Stadhavet Sea is improved before transiting the area.

Mar 28, 2021

France Seeks UNESCO Heritage Status for the Baguette

When you think of UNESCO heritage status, Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal or the Great Barrier Reef may spring to mind.
You probably wouldn't think of a baguette.
But France has nominated its staple bread stick for inclusion on the UN intangible cultural heritage register.
Separate from the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the status aims to protect traditions, knowledge and skills, so they are not lost over time.
Some 10 billion baguettes are consumed in France each year, according to data site Planetoscope, but about 20,000 bakeries have closed since 1970, as shoppers go to bigger supermarkets instead, where the baguettes are typically not made using traditional methods.
French bakers say the listing would safeguard an art that has been passed down through generations and would protect the baguette from global plagiarists.

Beijing Bans UK Politicians after Abuse Sanctions

China has imposed sanctions on British politicians and organisations as a tit-for-tat retaliation over the UK government's sanctions against Chinese officials for alleged human rights violations against its Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang province.
Members of Parliament (MPs) including former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith and Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, Pakistani-origin Nusrat Ghani, Tim Loughton and House of Lords peers Baroness Kennedy and Lord Alton — all members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China — are named on the Chinese foreign ministry's ban.

Taliban threaten Attacks if Foreign Troops Stay in Afghanistan Past May 1

Taliban militants have warned that they will resume attacks against foreign forces if they do not withdraw from Afghanistan by the May 1 deadline, in response to US President Joe Biden offering an unclear timetable on when American troops would be pulled back.
All responsibility for the prolongation of war, death and destruction will be on the shoulders of those whom committed this violation.
The May 1 deadline is part of an agreement the US administration under former President Donald Trump signed with the Taliban in February 2020 in Doha.

US adds India to List of Countries Affected by African Swine Fever

The United States notified that India has been added to the list of countries that have been affected by African swine fever, imposing restrictions on the import of pork and pork products from the country.
"We took this action on May 13, 2020 when the disease was confirmed and are now publishing notice in the regulations. Pork and pork products from India, including casings, are subject to APHIS import restrictions designed to mitigate the risk of ASF introduction into the United States," the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

Mar 27, 2021

Eritrea Agrees to Withdraw Troops from Ethiopia's Tigray Region

Eritrea will withdraw troops from Ethiopia almost five months after a conflict started in the Tigray region, Ethiopia's Prime Minister has said.
The soldiers are there to back Ethiopia's government as it fought a group that challenged the central government's rule.
Eritrea has not confirmed the troop withdrawal from some areas across the border in Ethiopia.
The presence of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia was especially controversial because the two countries had fought a bitter border war, which was only officially ended after Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in 2018 - a move which earned him the Nobel Peace prize the following year.
The conflict began in November after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) captured military bases in the northern Ethiopian region.

Turkey and Russia Agree to Prevent Ceasefire Violations in Syria's Idlib

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu during which they discussed measures to prevent ceasefire violations in Syria's Idlib province.
Both the leaders agreed to take measures to maintain the ceasefire.
Noting that the discussion was "constructive", the Minister said "we aim permanently to hold the ceasefire in the region", reports Xinhua news agency.
On Monday, Turkey expressed concern to the Russian envoy in Ankara over recent attacks in Idlib.
Akar also informed that more than 200 terrorists had been eliminated in anti-terror operations mostly in northern Syria since March 1.
Ankara and Moscow agreed in 2018 to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Bill Passed Enabling Putin to Run for Two more Terms Starting 2024

Russia's Lower House of parliament the State Duma approved a bill, enabling incumbent President Vladimir Putin to run for two more terms starting 2024.
The draft law on elections, which was approved in the State Duma's third or final reading, was made in pursuance of constitutional amendments adopted in a nationwide referendum in July 2020.
One of the 206 constitutional amendments stipulates that the limit of two presidential terms applies to the incumbent head of state, but without taking into account his previous terms.
In light of the amendment, the bill grants Putin the possibility of starting his presidency from scratch in 2024 and holding the office for two more terms until 2036.

Mar 26, 2021

Sudan Accepts UAE Mediation on Ethiopia Border Row

Sudan's cabinet has approved an initiative by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to mediate on the border dispute with neighbouring Ethiopia, as well as on the row over a mega dam being constructed on the Nile.
The al-Fashaga farmlands - where Ethiopia's northern Amhara region meets Sudan's Gedaref state in the east - is claimed by both nations and has recently been a source of clashes between troops, stoking fears of a wider conflict.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that his country did not want a war with Sudan over the territorial dispute.
Meanwhile negotiations over the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam have remained deadlocked for years - despite recent interventions by the US and the African Union (AU).
Ethiopia opposes any external parties other than the AU in the mediation of the dam dispute.
It has been building the mega dam on the Blue Nile River, which Sudan and Egypt oppose, to produce electricity to power its economy.
Egypt fears that the volume of water on the Nile downstream - which it relies on for almost all its water needs - would drastically reduce.
Sudan, which sides with Egypt, would benefit from reduced flooding, according to experts.

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