General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2017

Oct 2017

Jun 28, 2021

Sudan Agrees to Hand over Darfur War Crimes Accused

Sudan says it will surrender former officials who are wanted for alleged war crimes in the Darfur region to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
As yet, Sudan has not named the individuals being handed over.
The country's rulers had already promised to surrender ex-President Omar al-Bashir who was in power during the conflict but this has not yet happened.
Bashir was ousted by the military after mass protests in 2019 and is now serving a jail sentence for corruption.
The war in Darfur caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises of recent years.
Sudan's decision comes weeks after the ICC's outgoing chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, visited the country and urged its leaders to surrender all those wanted including Mr. Bashir.

Japan Ratifies World's Biggest Free Trade Agreement Involving China, ASEAN

Japan ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement between China, Australia, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Tokyo becomes the third member to ratify the agreement, which was signed by 15 countries in November last year. Among the signatories, Singapore and China have completed ratification procedures.
The Cabinet approved the accord, completing Tokyo's necessary domestic procedures for the ratification.
It will be Japan's first trade deal involving both China and South Korea -- its largest and third-biggest trade partners.
The deal will strengthen the link between Japan and the (Asia-Pacific) region, which is the world's growth center, and will contribute to Japan's economic growth when it comes into force.

Jun 27, 2021

FATF Keeps Pakistan on Grey List

The global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided to keep Pakistan on the grey list of nations requiring constant monitoring till it demonstrates that terror financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups.
"Though Pakistan government has made substantial progress and has largely addressed 26 out of 27 action points, it is still failing to implement global FATF standards in a number of areas. This means the risk of money laundering remains high in turn fueling corruption and organised crime," said Pleyer at the end of the FATF's virtual plenary that ended.
Pakistan also remains the subject of an investigation by FATF's regional body, the Asia Pacific Group (APG) regarding "serious issues" on money laundering and terror financing. The implication is that even if Pakistan completes all the 27 action points given by FATF, it will also have to clear the APG hurdle. Pakistan will also be subjected to on-site investigations by both FATF and APG before it is cleared.

Jun 26, 2021

Congress Repeals Trump-era Regulations on Payday Lenders

Congress overturned a set of regulations enacted in the final days of the Trump administration that effectively allowed payday lenders to avoid state laws capping interest rates. The House voted 218-208 to overturn the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's payday lending regulations, with one Republican voting with Democrats. The vote to overturn the OCC's 'true lender rules' marked the first time Democrats in Congress successfully overturned regulations using the Congressional Review Act.
The act was enacted in the mid-1990s and gives Congress the authority to overrule federal agency rules and regulations with a simple majority vote in the House and Senate. Its powers are limited to a certain period after an agency finalises its regulations, usually around 60 legislative days.

Jun 25, 2021

Biden Meets Afghan Leaders as U.S. Troops Leave

U.S. President Joe Biden met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his former political foe, Abdullah Abdullah, to discuss Washington's support for Afghanistan as the last U.S. troops pack up after 20 years of war and government forces struggle to repel Taliban advances.
The Oval Office meeting may be as valuable to Mr. Ghani for its symbolism as for any new U.S. help because it will be seen as affirming Mr. Biden's support for the beleaguered Afghan leader as he confronts Taliban gains.

Jun 24, 2021

Sri Lanka's Former PM Wickremesinghe Returns to Parliament

Sri Lanka's former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as an MP for a record ninth consecutive time, creating history as the only politician in the country to have entered every Parliament since 1977.
The United National Party (UNP), which Wickremesinghe has been leading since 1994, suffered a major setback at the 2020 parliamentary polls when the party faced its worst election defeat in history.
Although Wickremesinghe was a defeated candidate in the August 2020 parliamentary election, his entry to Parliament was made possible by the solitary seat the UNP won – through the list of appointed members based on the cumulative votes polled nationally.
The 72-year-old four-time prime minister has now created history as the only parliamentarian to represent all parliaments since 1977.

Warren Buffett Resigns as Trustee of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Warren Buffett resigned as a trustee at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation as the charity grapples with upheaval created by the divorce of its namesake founders.
Buffett has contributed more than $27 billion of his own money to the charity over the past 15 years. He's one of the Gates Foundation's three board members, alongside Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, who announced last month they're splitting after 27 years of marriage. Buffett has no involvement in the endowment's investment decisions.

Joe Biden Announces US Ambassador to Ireland Pick

Joe Biden has announced Claire Cronin as his nominee for the position of US ambassador to Ireland.
Ms. Cronin is a representative and majority leader in the state legislature of Massachusetts.
She is also a lawyer, and campaigned for President Biden in the 2020 presidential election.
As per Irish broadcaster RTÉ, she had been seen as the frontrunner for the position prior to the announcement.
The nomination will now be sent to the US Senate, with a confirmation hearing taking place and senators voting on her appointment.

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