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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2016

Sep 2016

Mar 20, 2021

Turkey Leaves Istanbul Convention

Turkey has left the Istanbul Convention, a Council of Europe treaty intended to prevent violence and domestic abuse against women, according to a decree published on Saturday in the Official Gazette.
The discussion on the treaty, signed by 45 countries and the European Union in 2011 in Istanbul, divided the ruling AK Parti and the country last year as conservatives argue it is undermining traditional values and family structure.
Protesters took to the streets across the country to demonstrate that the pact should be bolstered by legislative changes and need to be implemented strictly.

Fourth Straight Election Win for Mark Rutte's Conservatives

The process of forming a new Dutch governing coalition began, a day after Prime Minister Mark Rutte's conservative party powered to a fourth consecutive victory in a vote held during a nationwide lockdown and dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The feat put Rutte in position to lead coalition talks, most likely with another big winner — the centrist, pro-European D66 party led by former diplomat Sigrid Kaag, who danced on a table Wednesday night when an exit poll showed her party capturing one of its biggest-ever victories.
However, those two parties will likely need at least two more partners to form a majority coalition. According to the national news agency ANP, based on 88% of votes counted, Rutte's party, known by its Dutch acronym VVD, won 35 of the 150 seats in the lower house of parliament while D66 garnered 24.

Mar 19, 2021

US Senate Confirms Becerra as Head of Biden's Ambitious Health Agenda

The Senate confirmed California Attorney General Xavier Becerra as President Joe Biden's health secretary, filling a key position in the administration's coronavirus response and its ambitious push to lower drug costs, expand insurance coverage, and eliminate racial disparities in medical care.
The 50-49 vote makes the 63-year-old Becerra the first Latino to head the Department of Health and Human Services.
The USD 1.4 trillion agency encompasses health insurance programs, drug safety and approvals, advanced medical research, substance abuse treatment, and the welfare of children, including hundreds of Central American migrants arriving daily at the US-Mexico border.
Becerra has been California's attorney general since 2017. He sued the Trump administration 124 times on a range of policy issues, earning the ire of conservatives. Before that he represented a Los Angeles-area district in the US House for 24 years.

North Korea to Sever Diplomatic Ties with Malaysia

North Korea said that it would sever diplomatic relations with Malaysia after a court there ruled that a North Korean man could be extradited to the United States to face money-laundering charges.
North Korea's Foreign Affairs Ministry also warned Washington would "pay a price". Malaysia's Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The North Korean statement did not name its citizen, but in early March, Malaysia's top court ruled that a North Korean man, Mun Chol Myong, could be extradited.
Mun had been arrested in 2019 after the United States accused him of laundering funds through front companies and issuing fraudulent documents to support illicit shipments to North Korea. He fought the extradition request, arguing that it was politically motivated.

Mar 18, 2021

Russia Recalls Envoy after Biden Remarks about Putin

Russia has recalled its Washington ambassador for talks to prevent the "irreversible deterioration" of relations with the US.
The Russian government said that Anatoly Antonov had been called back to Moscow as US ties had reached a "blind alley".
The move came after President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin would "pay the price" for alleged election meddling.
In an interview, Mr Biden confirmed he thought that the Russian President was "a killer".
Mr. Biden had been commenting on an American intelligence report that suggested Mr. Putin had authorised an interference campaign in last November's presidential election in the US.
The report accused Russia of trying to sway the election in favour of former Republican President Donald Trump, who was defeated by Mr. Biden.

US Facing Biggest Migrant Surge in 20 Years

The United States is facing the biggest surge of migrants at its southwestern border in 20 years, the Homeland Security Secretary said as the Biden administration races to handle an influx of children trying to cross the US-Mexico border alone.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the number of attempted border crossings by people from Central America and Mexico has steadily increased since April 2020 and most single adults and families are being turned away.

French Parliament Votes to Include Climate Change Clause in Constitution

The Lower House of the French parliament, the National Assembly, voted in favor of amending the country's Constitution with provisions that include climate and biodiversity protection.
The 391-47 vote on the climate bill marks the first step towards a referendum on the constitutional amendment.
According to Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, this bill is a "real chance that will go to the referendum promised by the President.
In December, French President Emmanuel Macron had announced his intention to hold a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments related to the fight against climate change.
The amendments are set to add notions of biodiversity, the environment and the fight against global warming to the basic law's Article 1.

Mar 17, 2021

Prime Minister Modi holds virtual summit with Finland counterpart Sanna Marin

PM Modi on March 16, 2021, held a summit in a virtual mode with the Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin.
During the summit, both the leaders covered the entire spectrum of the bilateral relationship between India and Finland. They also exchanged views on global and regional issues of mutual interest.
According to Prime Minister's Office, the summit will provide a blueprint for the diversification and future expansion of the Partnership between India and Finland.
The official release added that both the countries enjoy warm and friendly relations with each other that are solely based on the shared values of freedom, democracy, and rules-based international order.

Putin Tried to Help Trump Against Biden in 2020 US Elections: Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Donald Trump in last November's presidential election, according to a declassified intelligence assessment that found broad efforts by the Kremlin and Iran to shape the outcome of the race but ultimately no evidence that any foreign actor changed votes or otherwise disrupted the voting process.
The report released from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence represents the most detailed assessment of the array of foreign threats to the 2020 election. These included efforts by Iran to undermine confidence in the vote and harm Trump's re-election prospects as well as Moscow operations that relied on Trump's allies to smear Joe Biden, the eventual winner.

Mar 16, 2021

Prachanda Suggests Dropping 'Maoist Centre' from Party Name

As per reports, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Chief of Nepal's CPN-Maoist Centre (MC), has proposed to drop "Maoist Centre" from the party's name to make it acceptable for communist forces in the country, who do not like Maoism, to join it.
CPN-MC member Shiv Kumar Mandal said that the former PM was always in favour of unity among all communist forces of the country and suggested that if dropping "Maoist Centre" from the party's name could help unite these forces, then the party should be ready for that.

Libya's New Unity Government Sworn In

Libya's new unity government was sworn in, marking the end of years of rival administrations.
The interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who was selected during UN-brokered peace talks last month, will lead the country until elections planned for December.
Libya descended into conflict after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi 10 years ago.
It was then split between a UN- recognised government in the west fighting against the warlord Khalifa Haftar whose rival administration controlled the east.
The two sides were supported by different regional powers.

Canada Calls on China to Stop Persecution of Uighurs and Tibetans

Conservative party of Canada has called on China to stop the persecution of people who practice their religion or belief including Christians, Tibetans and Uighurs.
On the 62nd anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, Canadian Leader of the Opposition Erin O'Toole said that Canada must stand behind those who advocate for religious freedom.

UK Sanctions Allies of Syrian President Assad

Britain announced sanctions on six allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including his Foreign Minister and close advisers.
The Syrian civil war is 10 years old: in mid-March, 2011, peaceful pro-democracy protests developed into a multi-sided conflict that sucked in world powers, killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.
The Assad regime has subjected the Syrian people to a decade of brutality for the temerity of demanding peaceful reform.
Those sanctioned include Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad, Assad adviser Luna al-Shibl, financier Yassar Ibrahim, businessman Muhammad Bara' Al-Qatirji, Republican Guard commander Malik Aliaa and Army Major Zaid Salah.

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