General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2017

May 2017

Feb 26, 2019

Hand over Chagos Islands to Mauritius

Britain has an obligation to end its administration of the Chagos archipelago, home to the U.S. military base of Diego Garcia, and complete the process of decolonisation of Mauritius, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague has said in an advisory opinion that is a significant legal victory for Mauritius and other nations, including India, which supported its case.
Delivering the opinion, ICJ president Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf said that the judges had rejected the contention that the issue did not fall within its jurisdiction because it was a bilateral matter for the two countries, and concluded that the decolonisation of Mauritius was not lawfully completed as a result of Britain's continued administration of the Chagos islands.

Labour to Back Second Referendum

Britain's Opposition Labour Party will back a call for a second referendum on Brexit, its leader Jeremy Corbyn told his lawmakers.
Parliament is due to debate and vote on the next steps in Britain's tortuous departure from the European Union (EU) on Brexit, and lawmakers are expected to put down proposals, or amendments, including at least one that would demand that the exit deal is put to a public vote.
The party will also support a bid by Labour lawmaker Yvette Cooper to give Parliament the legal power to force Ms. May to seek an extension to the Article 50 negotiating period beyond the exit date currently set down in law, March 29.

Trump Delays Hiking Tariffs

U.S. President Donald Trump would delay a planned tariff increase on Chinese exports after both sides hailed substantial progress in trade talks, raising the prospect of a summit with President Xi Jinping to seal the deal.
The United States had been due to increase tariffs on more than $200 billion in Chinese goods on March 1.

Feb 25, 2019

India-built Houses Handed over to Sri Lanka

As many as 155 houses, built as part of India's ongoing housing project in Sri Lanka, were handed over to estate workers in Hatton, located in the Central Province.
The effort is part of India's pledge to help construct 63,000 houses in Sri Lanka, including 46,000 homes built in the war-hit north and east, with a grant of $350 million, the largest Indian grant assistance project in any country abroad.
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, Minister for Hill country New Villages, Infrastructure and Community Development Palani Digambaram and Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Taranjit Singh Sandhu were present at the ceremony held on Sunday, to mark the completion and handing over of the 155 houses.
The newly-constructed houses will enable families of estate workers to move out of the cramped, colonial-era line rooms, into individual units.

JuD and FIF Bypass Ban

As per reports, Hafiz Saeed's extremist groups continue to function in Pakistan despite a recent ban.
Days after the government of Imran Khan reimposed a ban on Jamat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and its charity arm Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF) against the backdrop of the Pulwama terror attack, the Daily Times of Pakistan reported that the groups continue to operate with impunity in various parts of Pakistan.
JuD and FIF outlets have put up new banners outside offices and collection centres and are continuing to work as before.
In various places, the two organisations have re-branded themselves as Al Madina and Aisar Foundation.

Venezuelan opposition looks to foreign allies for next steps

International pressure mounted against Venezuela's leader Nicolás Maduro, with Washington vowing to take action after Opposition efforts to bring humanitarian aid into the country descended into chaos.
Self-declared interim President Juan Guaidó called on the international community to consider all measures to free Venezuela after clashes at the border crossing left at least two people dead.
Mr. Guaidó announced he would participate in Lima Group meeting of mostly Latin American countries in Bogotá, and called on the international community to be prepared for all possibilities regarding Mr. Maduro. U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence will represent Washington at the meeting.
Mr. Maduro claims the aid is a smokescreen for a U.S. invasion, and has ordered several crossings on Venezuela's borders with Colombia and Brazil closed.

Feb 24, 2019

Delayed Brexit Better than No-deal Exit

Three members of Prime Minister Theresa May's Cabinet warned that Brexit must be delayed if she cannot persuade the British Parliament to back her EU divorce deal next week.
Business Minister Greg Clark, Work and Pensions Minister Amber Rudd and Justice Minister David Gauke wrote an article stating their opposition to leaving the European Union on March 29 with no deal.

Feb 23, 2019

Terror Watchdog Retains Pakistan on its Grey List

Islamabad will face reviews of its actions in June and October 2019, when a final decision on whether to change its status is taken.
If it were put on the blacklist, Pakistan's economy, already laden with a debt crisis, would face a move that could see more financial strictures and ratings downgrade by international banking and credit rating agencies.
Pakistan was on the 'grey list' of countries of risk between 2012 and 2015 as well.
In its public statement that did not name any countries or groups, President of the body Marshall Billingslea said that the group notes with grave concern and condemns the violent terrorist attack last week that killed at least 40 Indian security forces in Pulwama in the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
While all these attacks kill, maim, and inspire fear, they cannot occur without money and the means to move funds between terrorist supporters," calling on all countries to choke off the supply of those funds.

Move to Block Trump's Emergency

U.S. Democrats rolled out their measure aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from circumventing Congress to seize federal dollars for the construction of a southern border wall.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the chamber would vote very soon on the so-called disapproval resolution aimed at terminating the national emergency.

Troops Will Stay in Syria

The White House plans to leave about 200 U.S. troops in Syria, signalling a partial retreat from President Donald Trump's announcement in December that he would withdraw all 2,000 forces after what he described as a victory over the Islamic State.
The move was a concession to allies and Pentagon officials who have argued that a complete American withdrawal risks returning key areas in Syria to the IS.

Pakistan Slipped on Timelines

Pakistan's efforts to get off the watch list of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) suffered a setback with the multilateral watchdog saying the country had made limited progress in curbing terror financing and failed to show proper understanding of risks posed by banned groups such as Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).
Pakistan has to implement a 27-point action plan by September to be taken off FATF's grey list, in which it was included last June.
After that, FATF will decide whether to remove it from the grey list or to put it in a "black list," which will entail harsher sanctions and greater scrutiny of financial transactions.

Saudi and China Cement Ties

China and Saudi Arabia have cemented ties based on a stronger energy relationship as well as Riyadh's decision to distance itself from the controversy surrounding Beijing's approach towards Xinjiang.
Saudi Arabia has also pledged support for the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese President Xi Jinping's signature connectivity enterprise.
According to a statement by the Saudi energy giant, Aramco, had agreed to set up a joint venture with China's military equipment heavyweight, Norinco.
The two would build a refining and petrochemical complex, worth more than $10 billion in the northeastern Chinese city of Panjin.

Feb 22, 2019

Netanyahu's Strongest Challengers form Alliance

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu`s strongest challengers in Israel`s April general election joined forces, a dramatic turn in a race his right-wing Likud Party has been predicted to win easily.
In anticipation of the announcement of a new centrist alliance between former military chief Benny Gantz Resilience party and Ex-finance Minister Yair Lapid`s Yesh Atid faction, Netanyahu orchestrated a merger of far-right parties that could help him build a governing coalition after the ballot.
Gantz and Lapid agreed on a rotation for the Prime Minister`s post in which Gantz would hold office for the first two and a half years of a new government`s term before Lapid took over.

Pakistan Bans JuD and Its Charity Wing

Pakistan banned the Jamat-ud-Dawa, which is led by 2008 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Saeed, and its charity wing Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation, amid intense global pressure to rein in the militant groups following the Pulwama terror attack.
The decision to ban these groups was taken during a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan.

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