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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - July 2017

Jul 2017

Aug 13, 2021

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau Likely to Call Snap Polls

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appears set to take the considerable risk of holding snap elections to secure a majority in the House of Commons despite health authorities formally declaring that a fourth wave of the Covid-19 pandemic is now under way.
As per report, Trudeau is expected to meet Governor-general Mary Simon for starting the election process, formally called dropping of the writ, and polls will be held on September 20.
The Trudeau-led Liberal Party government is in a minority in the House of Commons, with 155 MPs, as against 119 for the principal Opposition party, the Conservatives. When the last Federal elections were held in October 2019, the Liberals captured 157 seats, short of the 170 majority mark and also trailed the Conservatives in vote share, with 31.1% against 34.3%.

Afghan Govt. Offers Taliban Power-sharing Deal

The negotiators representing the Afghan government in Qatar have offered the Taliban a power-sharing deal in an attempt to end the violence in the war-torn region. The Taliban has been reluctant to strike a political settlement with the Afghan government and other regional stakeholders since the US-led troops finalised their withdrawal from the region.

Aug 12, 2021

Mohammad Mokhber is First Vice President of Iran

Iran's New President Ebrahim Raisi named the chairman of a powerful state-owned foundation sanctioned by the United States as his first vice-president. Mohammad Mokhber has for years headed the foundation known as Setad or the Execution of Imam Khomeini's order.
Mokhber was appointed to the position by the supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in 2007. The Setad was originally founded in the late 1980s to manage confiscated properties following the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

China Recalls Lithuania Ambassador in Row over Taiwan Office

China recalled its ambassador to Lithuania and expelled the Baltic nation's top representative to Beijing over the country's decision to allow self-governing Taiwan to open an office in Lithuania under its own name.
Beijing claims Taiwan as its territory without the right to diplomatic recognition, although the island maintains informal ties with all major nations through trade offices that act as de facto embassies, including in the United States and Japan. Chinese pressure has reduced Taiwan's formal diplomatic allies to just 15.
Taiwan and Lithuania agreed last month that the office in the capital Vilnius — set to open this fall — will bear the name Taiwan rather than "Chinese Taipei," the term used in other countries in order not to offend Beijing.

Hong Kong to Adopt China's Anti-sanctions Law

China's anti-sanctions law will be implemented in some form in Hong Kong, the city's leader confirmed, a move that will add fresh regulatory pressure on international companies in the finance hub.
Beijing's rubber-stamp legislature passed the law in June in response to Western penalties that were imposed following crackdowns in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Its powers include denying visas, deportation, or seizing assets of those who formulate or comply with sanctions against Chinese businesses or officials.
Foreign companies can be sued in Chinese courts for applying sanctions and the law can also be wielded against family members.

Aug 11, 2021

Biden Rules Out Changes in Troop Withdrawal Plan from Afghanistan

U.S. President Joe Biden ruled out any change in the withdrawal of his troops from Afghanistan despite the Taliban increasingly gaining control over large parts of the country.
But told Afghan leaders that political, economic support will continue after U.S. troops leave.

India Ranks 122nd on New Global Youth Development Index

India is ranked 122nd on a new Global Youth Development Index measuring the condition of young people across 181 countries, released by the Commonwealth Secretariat in London.
The triennial rankings of youth development found India among the top five risers on the index between 2010 and 2018, alongside Afghanistan and Russia, advancing their score on average by 15.74 per cent across areas such as education and employment.
The top five risers from 2010 to 2018 were Afghanistan, India, Russia, Ethiopia and Burkina Faso, says the 2020 Global Youth Development Index'.
Singapore ranked topmost followed by Slovenia, Norway, Malta and Denmark. Chad, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Afghanistan and Niger came last respectively.

Aug 10, 2021

Germany Rejects Calls to Send Military Back to Afghanistan

Germany's Defence Minister has rejected calls for its soldiers to return to Afghanistan after Taliban fighters took Kunduz city where German troops were deployed for a decade.
The country had the second-largest military contingent in Afghanistan after the United States, losing more troops in combat in Kunduz than anywhere else since World War II.
The Taliban overran six provincial capitals, including Kunduz, during the last four days as it pressed an offensive since foreign troops began a withdrawal.
The German minister said that those now calling for renewed military intervention in Afghanistan must ask themselves what would be the goal and the strategy, as well who would be the partners.

Aug 09, 2021

US Passes Bill to Support Taiwan's Participation in WHO

The US senate-house passed a bill to strengthen support for Taiwan to participate in the World Health Organization (WHO).
The bill states that the COVID-19 pandemic transcends all borders and that Taiwan should not be excluded from the global health body and calls on the U.S. government to formulate strategies to assist the East Asian nation to regain WHO observer status.
"Taiwan is an important partner to the United States, and it is critical that the administration improve its strategy to help Taiwan obtain observer status.
Taiwan's efforts to join WHO begin in 1997 and with US support, the country had participated in World Health Assembly as an observer from 2009-2017 against Beijing's pressure.

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