General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2017

Oct 2017

Aug 16, 2021

Zambia Election: Hakainde Hichilema Declared Winner

Zambia's electoral commission has confirmed that last week's presidential election was won by the opposition candidate Hakainde Hichilema.
Mr. Hichilema defeated his main rival, the outgoing President Edgar Lungu, by more than a million votes.
It was Mr. Hichilema's sixth attempt at winning the presidency. His supporters have been celebrating on the streets of the capital, Lusaka.
Earlier, Mr. Lungu alleged that the elections were not free and fair.
In its final tally, the electoral commission said that Mr. Hichilema had won 2,810,777 votes to Mr. Lungu's 1,814,201 in the election. There were seven million registered voters.
The landslide win means Mr. Hichilema will not have to fight a run-off contest.

BRICS for Partnership in Strengthening Agro-biodiversity for Food Security

BRICS nations have pitched for closer ties in strengthening agro-biodiversity to ensure food and nutrition security.
The issue was discussed in the working group of agriculture represented by top agriculture officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) virtually on August 12-13.
The group stressed on having closer ties in strengthening cooperation and research in the field of agriculture.
In the meeting, the group shared that the United Nation has noted BRICS countries are well positioned to take a leading role in helping to achieve the objectives of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals to eradicate hunger and poverty.

After G-7, QUAD Includes Taiwan Strait in Talks

Taiwan irked China further by publicly thanking the members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QUAD) for including peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait during the virtual discussions between their senior officials.
The Biden administration is focusing on developing the Taiwan Strait as a friction point with China after decades. The US has been successful in mentioning Taiwan Strait in its joint statements with Japan and South Korea. More importantly, it found mention in the recent G-7 summit.

Biden Authorises Deployment of Approximately 5,000 US Troops to Afghanistan

US President Joe Biden has ordered deployment of 5,000 troops to Afghanistan to ensure an orderly and safe drawdown of American personnel from the war-torn country.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris held a secure video conference with the national security team to discuss the ongoing efforts to drawdown American civilian footprint in Afghanistan, evacuate SIV applicants, and monitor the evolving security situation.

Kabul Falls to Taliban as President Flees

The Taliban has claimed victory in Afghanistan after taking over the capital Kabul, bringing to a swift end almost 20 years of a US-led coalition's presence in the country.
Fighters have seized the presidential palace. The government has collapsed, with President Ashraf Ghani fleeing.
Kabul has descended into chaos, and residents and foreign nationals have been trying to escape.
As per report, at the capital's international airport staff had abandoned their desks and people were running to planes.
The US has moved all of its embassy staff to the airport. The US military has secured the perimeter and is in the process of taking over air traffic control to evacuate American and allied personnel from the country.
Kabul was the last major city in Afghanistan to hold out against the Taliban offensive, which began months ago but has accelerated in the space of days as they rapidly gained control of territories, shocking many observers.
The militants were able to seize control after most foreign troops pulled out.

Aug 15, 2021

Justice Ayesha Malik to Become First Woman Chief Justice of Pakistan

Justice Ayesha Malik is set to become the first woman Chief Justice of Pakistan after outgoing CJP Mushir Alam recommended her for the elevation in the Supreme Court. Justice Alam is set to retire on August 17 and a judicial committee is considering Malik as a judge for the top Court. She is currently at the Lahore High Court and ranks four on the seniority list.
Malik started her legal career by assisting Fakhurddin G Ebrahim at his legal firm in Karachi from 1997 till 2001. Malik studied law at the Pakistan College of Law in Lahore. After this, she got a master's degree from the prestigious Harvard Law School in London. In March 2012, Malik became a justice in the Lahore High Court.

Aug 14, 2021

Haiti's Presidential Election Postponed until November

Haitian authorities have postponed elections to choose the successor to assassinated President Jovenel Moïse until November 7.
The nine-member council agreed to the new date for the elections, which were originally to be held September 26.
Haitians will also vote for a new legislative assembly and on a referendum on that date.
Recently installed Prime Minister Ariel Henry had pledged to hold elections as soon as possible and said his government wanted a free and transparent vote.

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.

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