General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - September 2016

Sep 2016

Mar 15, 2021

Kenya Withdraws from ICJ Case over Somalia Sea Border

Kenya did not take part in the hearings over its maritime border dispute with Somalia at the International Court of Justice.
Kenya accused the ICJ of bias in the case, which concerns a 62,000 sq. miles (160,000 sq. km) triangle in the Indian Ocean.
The area is thought to be rich in oil and gas.
The dispute is at the heart of a diplomatic row between the neighbours.
Kenya had asked for the case to be delayed while it briefed a new legal team, and also cited the coronavirus pandemic, but the ICJ ruled the case should be heard virtually on Monday.
Kenya also objected to the presence on the ICJ panel of a Somali judge, saying he should rescue himself.

Ex-interim President Jeanine Áñez Arrested

The former interim President of Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez, and several ex-ministers were arrested.
Prosecutors said that she and the ministers took part in a coup against the then President Evo Morales in 2019.
Mr. Morales resigned and fled Bolivia after protests and allegations of electoral fraud.
Ms. Áñez said that she is the victim of a political vendetta by Mr. Morales's Mas Socialist party, which has since returned to power.
The party won a landslide victory in presidential and congressional elections in October last year, paving the way for Mr. Morales to return to Bolivia from Argentina and take over the leadership of the Mas party.

Merkel's Party Slumps to Historic Low

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union crashed to its worst results in two regional elections since World War II, as voters vented their frustration over the government's handling of the pandemic and the slow pace of vaccinations.
With Merkel's exit looming after September's national election, support for the CDU slumped by four points to 23% in the western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg compared with the last election in 2016, an exit poll from public broadcaster ARD showed.
The Greens, led by popular state premier Winfried Kretschmann, cemented their decade-long hold on power with a third straight victory, winning 31%, 0.7 points more than five years ago.

UN Asks Somalia to Organise Elections

The U.N. Security Council urged Somalia's government to organise elections without delay in a resolution that stressed the pressing threat to the country's security from al-Shabab and armed opposition groups.
The resolution, which was adopted unanimously, authorised the African Union to maintain its nearly 20,000-strong force in Somalia until the end of the year with a mandate to reduce the threat from the extremist groups to enable a stable, federal, sovereign and united Somalia. The U.N.'s most powerful body said its objective is to transfer security to Somali authorities, with the aim of Somalia taking the lead in 2021, and achieving full responsibility by the end of 2023.
The resolution's adoption came amid growing pressure on Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed after scheduled elections on the 8th of last month failed to take place because of the lack of agreement on how the vote should be carried out.

Martial Law Imposed in Parts of Myanmar City

Myanmar's ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country's largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month's military coup.
At least 38 people were killed and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group tracking the toll of the violence.
Since the takeover six weeks ago, Myanmar has been under a nationwide state of emergency, with its civilian leaders ousted and detained and military leaders in charge of all government.
But the announcement on state broadcaster MRTV appeared to be the first use of the term martial law since the coup and suggested more direct military control of security, instead of local police.

Suga First Foreign Leader to Visit US under Biden Admin

Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will visit the United States in April, becoming the first leader of a foreign nation to hold a face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden since he took office in January.
The dates and other details of the first visit of the foreign leader under the Biden Administration are still being worked out.
While the White House did not provide any specific date about Suga's visit to the US, various reports have mentioned that the visit will be in April and after he and his entourage complete their COVID-19 vaccinations.

Gurdeep Singh Becomes First Turban-clad Sikh as Pakistan Senator

Gurdeep Singh from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party took the oath as a Senator, becoming the first turban-clad Sikh representative in the upper house of Pakistan's Parliament.
Singh, from the party of Prime Minister Imran Khan became the first turban-clad Sikh representative from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan's Senate.
He defeated rival candidates on a minority seat by a huge margin in the election to the upper chamber of Parliament.
Singh secured 103 votes in the House of 145 whereas Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (Fazlur) candidate Ranjeet Singh secured just 25 votes and Asif Bhatti of the Awami National Party received 12.

US Offers Temporary Legal Residency to People from Myanmar

The Biden administration offered temporary legal residency to people from Myanmar, where military leaders have overthrown the country's elected government and are using deadly force against protesters.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the temporary protected status would last for 18 months. The designation applies to people from that country already living in the United States.

Mar 14, 2021

China Approves Plan to Build Dam on Brahmaputra in Tibet Region

China's Parliament adopted the 14th Five-Year Plan, the mega blueprint containing billions of dollars worth of projects, including the controversial hydropower project on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet close to the Arunachal Pradesh border over which India has raised concerns.
The National People's Congress (NPC), China's legislature with over 2,000 members mostly drawn from the ruling Communist Party, adopted the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national economic and social development and the long-range objectives through the year 2035, on the last day of its six-day.

China Approves 'Patriotic' Plan to Control Elections

China's legislature has approved a resolution to overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system - its latest move to tighten control over the city.
The "patriots governing Hong Kong" resolution was passed at the National People's Congress (NPC).
It will reduce democratic representation and allow a pro-Beijing panel to vet and elect candidates.
The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 under a model called "one country, two systems".
Under the deal, which gave the territory freedoms not available in mainland China, Hong Kong also had its own mini-constitution and an elected parliament.
The latest Chinese move follows a series of measures that have tightened Beijing's grip on Hong Kong, including the passing of a national security law and a crackdown on activists and opposition politicians.
Detailed legislation will now be drafted and could be enacted in Hong Kong within the next few months.

Mar 13, 2021

EU Declared LGBT Freedom Zone

The European Parliament has declared that the whole of the European Union is an "LGBTIQ Freedom Zone".
The symbolic resolution was passed in response to local authorities in Poland labelling themselves "LGBT ideology-free zones" in recent years.
Poland also plans to close a loophole that allowed same-sex couples to adopt.
The Polish government announced its proposal for the adoption ban just hours before the European Parliament's declaration in support of LGBT rights.
Same-sex relationships are not legally recognised in Poland, and the country already bans same-sex couples from adopting children together.
However, as single people are permitted to adopt, some have managed to get around the ban by applying to adopt as single parents.
Under the new law, authorities will be required to perform background checks on anyone applying to adopt a child as a single parent.

US lawmaker Urges FAA to Extend 'Zero-tolerance' Policy

The head of the U.S. House of Representatives transportation panel urged the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to extend a "zero-tolerance" policy for passengers not wearing masks or causing disturbances on flights.
In January, FAA Administrator Steve Dickson signed an order directing the policy after supporters of then-President Donald Trump were disruptive on some flights. Dickson warned that disruptive passengers could face up to $35,000 in fines and possible jail time and said the policy would last through March 30.
Democratic Representative Peter DeFazio, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, urged Dickson to continue the "policy until public health officials determine that mass vaccinations have eliminated the risk of infection" on airplanes.

Mar 12, 2021

Ivory Coast's PM Dies in Germany

The Prime Minister of the Ivory Coast, Hamed Bakayoko, died in a hospital in Germany.
Bakayoko, who was receiving treatment for cancer, passed away just days after his 56th birthday.
He was appointed Prime Minister in July 2020, following the sudden death of his predecessor Amadou Gon Coulibaly.
President Alassane Ouattara described Mr. Bakayoko as a great statesman, an example to young people and a man of exemplary loyalty.
Mr. Bakayoko was flown to France in February for medical tests and was later transferred to Germany due to his deteriorating health.

Mar 11, 2021

Uzbekistan Invites India for Mega Connectivity Summit

Even as India and Uzbekistan have seen increased high-level exchanges, New Delhi has been invited to an International connectivity summit from 15th to 16th July that will take place in the Uzbekistan capital Tashkent.
Connectivity has been the key focus point of talks between the 2 countries and both India and Uzbekistan are already engaging on the Chabahar project.
Remember during the virtual summit, Uzbekistan announced its intent to join the International North-South Transport Corridor that connects Mumbai to Moscow. The invite for the mega connectivity summit was personally handed over by Uzbek Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov during his Delhi visit.

Erdogan and Putin Remotely Start Nuclear Reactor Construction

The Presidents of Turkey and Russia remotely inaugurated the construction of a third nuclear reactor at the Akkuyu power plant in southern Turkey, vowing to continue their close cooperation.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the plant would launch Turkey into the league of nuclear energy countries and called it a symbol of Turkish-Russian cooperation.
Russia is building Turkey's first nuclear power plant on the Mediterranean coast in Mersin province. The two countries signed a cooperation agreement in 2010 and began construction in 2018.

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