General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - October 2017

Oct 2017

May 29, 2021

Mali Names Coup Leader Col Assimi Goïta as Transitional President

Mali's constitutional court has named the leader of the country's military coup, Colonel Assimi Goïta, as its transitional President.
Col Goïta had already declared himself interim President, two days after seizing power in Mali's second coup in nine months.
He also led the first coup last August, which saw the elected President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta forced out of office.
The court said that the decision was due to the "vacancy in the presidency".
The two men tasked with steering the country back to civilian rule, interim President Bah Ndaw and Prime Minister Moctar Ouane, were detained by soldiers.
Col Goïta said that both men had failed in their duties and were seeking to sabotage the country's transition.

Talks on to Bring Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh-Kalapani Area Back from India's Control

Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli said that his government is engaged in dialogue with India to bring back the disputed tri-junction of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani area from India's control.
The areas lying on the east of Mahakali is of Nepal and we have issued our land in the political and administrative map and passed it (through parliament).
The conditions are 'unfavorable' in the disputed tri-junction of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani and therefore elections announced in November will not be held in these regions.

Bashar al-Assad Wins a Fourth Term

Syrian President Bashar Assad was re-elected in a landslide, ushering in a fourth seven-year term in the war-torn country following an election described as illegitimate and a sham by the West and his opposition.
Assad's win was not in doubt, in an election where officials said 18 million were eligible to vote. But in the country ravaged by the 10-year-old conflict, areas controlled by rebels or Kurdish-led troops did not hold the vote.
At least 8 million, mostly displaced, live in those areas in northwest and northeast Syria. Over 5 million refugees mostly living in neighbouring countries have largely refrained from casting their ballots.
US and European officials have also questioned the legitimacy of the election, saying it violates UN resolutions in place to resolve the conflict, lacks any international monitoring, and is unrepresentative of all Syrians.

Permanent Commission for Israel and Palestine

Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have called United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to establish a permanent commission; who can report on human rights violations across Israel, Gaza and West Bank; following the latest violence in Israel-Palestine Conflict.
The proposed Permanent Commission is an independent, international commission of inquiry. It will be appointed by president of UNHRC. Commission will investigate violations of humanitarian and human rights law in Israel and Palestine. Commission will authorize "commission of inquiry (COI)" which is the highest level of scrutiny. Proposed commission can also investigate all underlying causes of tensions and instability in the region often.
OCI, comprising of 57 states, is second-largest intergovernmental organisation after United Nations. It acts as "collective voice of Muslim countries". It is involved in protection of interests of Muslims in order to promote international peace and harmony across world. It was established in 1969 following a summit in Rabat, Kingdom of Morocco. It is headquartered in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Nepal's Constitutional Bench to Hear Petitions against House Dissolution

Nepal's Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana has picked four justices of the Supreme Court (SC) for the Constitutional Bench to hear the 30 writ petitions filed against the dissolution of the House of Representatives by the President.
There is a provision of a five-member Constitutional Bench to settle the disputes over constitutional matters.
As many as 30 writ petitions have been registered at the apex court against President Bidya Devi Bhandari's May 22 move to dissolve the lower house of Parliament on the advice of Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli, who is heading a minority government.
The newly-formed bench includes justices Dipak Kumar Karki, Aanand Mohan Bhattarai, Tej Bahadur KC and Bam Kumar Shrestha, besides the Chief Justice.

May 28, 2021

Ecuador's Lasso Sworn in as First Right-wing Leader in 14 Years

Guillermo Lasso, a conservative, assumed the presidency of Ecuador and has become the first right-wing leader in 14 years in Ecuador. The 65-year-old former banker beat left-wing economist Andres Arauz in a second-round run-off last month and succeeds the hugely unpopular Lenin Moreno.
Guillermo Alberto is a banker, businessman, writer and politician who recently became the 47th president of Ecuador. He is the first centre-right president in two decades.

Hong Kong Electoral Reform: LegCo Passes 'Patriots' Law

Hong Kong has passed a controversial electoral reform law, aimed at keeping people China deems "unpatriotic" from positions of political power.
The reform will allow a pro-China panel to vet and elect candidates, reducing democratic representation.
Critics warn it is designed to remove all opposition from the city's parliament, allowing Beijing to tighten its control over Hong Kong.
It is the latest measure designed to crack down on dissent in Hong Kong.
Since the electoral reform law was initiated by the Chinese government in March, it has drawn widespread international condemnation, including from the US, the EU and UK.
On Thursday the bill was passed by an overwhelming majority in Hong Kong's parliament, the Legislative Council (LegCo), which has been dominated by pro-Beijing lawmakers since a mass opposition walkout last year.
The bill will be signed into law soon by city executive Carrie Lam.

May 27, 2021

Macron Visits Rwanda to Mend Diplomatic Ties

French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting Rwanda in an attempt to reset relations that ruptured over accusations about the role of Paris in the 1994 genocide.
The visit follows the release in March of an official French report which said the then-government of Francois Mitterrand bore a "serious and overwhelming" responsibility for not foreseeing the killings.
The report, which has been welcomed in Kigali, did absolve France of direct complicity in the slaughter of more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame recently said that Rwandans could not forget but could perhaps forgive France for its role and signalled that relations between Paris and Kigali were on the mend.
Mr. Macron is expected to visit and deliver a speech at the Kigali genocide memorial. He is also expected to appoint an ambassador to Kigali - the first in six years.

Joe Biden Nominates Arun Venkataraman to a Key Administration Post

US President Joe Biden announced his intent to nominate Indian American Arun Venkataraman to a key position in his administration related to foreign commercial service.
Venkataraman is the nominee for Director-General of the United States and Foreign Commercial Service and Assistant Secretary for Global Markets, Department of Commerce.
With over 20 years of experience in advising companies, international organizations, and the US government on international trade issues, Venkataraman is currently the Counselor to the Secretary of Commerce, advising the department on trade and other international economic matters.
Before joining the Biden-Harris administration, he was a senior director at Visa, leading global government engagement strategy on a range of international policy issues including digital economy, trade, tax, and sanctions.

Israel Appoints David Barnea as New Mossad Spymaster

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday the appointment of David Barnea as the new head of the country's spy agency, the Mossad.
Barnea, a former longtime Mossad operative, will succeed Yossi Cohen as head of Israel's intelligence agency on June 1. Cohen has served as Israel's spymaster since taking office in 2016.
According to Netanyahu, Barnea's appointment will allow the Mossad and the state of Israel to continue in the path of accomplishments to ensure the security of Israel," adding that the top mission is preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Mali's Transitional President Resigns

Mali's transitional President has resigned while he and the Prime Minister are in detention after being arrested by the military earlier this week.
The resignation comes as representatives of the West African regional bloc are in Mali to mediate the political crisis.
The UN, the African Union and other international bodies have urged Mali's military to release the transitional President and Prime Minister, who were to lead an 18-month civilian transitional government.
Transitional President Bah N'Daw dismissed Prime Minister Moctar Ouane before handing in his own resignation letter to former junta leader and transitional Vice President Col.

Swiss Abandons Years of EU Talks and Reject Treaty

After years of talks, Switzerland has scrapped efforts aimed at agreeing an over-arching treaty with the EU.
Switzerland is not in the European Union but has signed up to many of its policies, such as freedom of movement.
The relationship is currently governed by more than 120 bilateral deals, and a failure to replace them with one framework deal could harm ties.
"We regret this decision, given the progress that has been made over the last years," the EU Commission said.
The EU-Switzerland free trade agreement dates back to 1972.
The Commission - the executive body for the EU's 27 member states - said that without an EU-Swiss framework agreement, modernising that relationship would not be possible. Existing deals were "not up to speed" and the impact of Switzerland's decision would have to be analysed, it warned.

War-torn Syria Goes to Polls

Syrians in government-held areas of the war-torn country headed to polling stations to vote in a presidential election set to give President Bashar Assad a fourth seven-year term.
The vote is the second presidential election since the country's conflict began 10 years ago and has been dismissed as a sham by the opposition and western countries.
Two other candidates are running for the country's top post, which has been held by members of the Assad family for five decades.
They are little known figures, Abdullah Salloum Abdullah and Mahmoud Ahmad Marie. But competition with Assad is largely seen as symbolic.

May 26, 2021

Mali's Coup Leader Dismisses President and Prime Minister

Mali's former coup leader Assimi Goita fired the President and Prime Minister of the transitional government but promised to still hold new elections next year.
The move came a day after the two leaders were arrested by the military following their announcement of a cabinet reshuffle. Goita said that the President and Prime Minister had acted without consulting him.

Iran and World Powers Resume Talks on US Return to Nuclear Deal

World powers were set to open a fifth round of talks with Iran aimed at bringing the United States back into the landmark 2015 nuclear deal meant to prevent the Islamic Republic from obtaining an atomic bomb.
The talks in Vienna come the day after the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, was able to strike a last-minute agreement with Tehran on a one-month extension to a deal on surveillance cameras at Iran's nuclear sites.
The issue wasn't directly related to the ongoing talks on the nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, but had Iran not agreed it could have seriously complicated the discussions.
The US is not directly involved in the talks but an American delegation headed by President Joe Biden's special envoy for Iran, Rob Malley, has also been in the Austrian capital. Representatives from the other powers involved Germany, France, Britain, Russia and China have been shuttling between the U.S. and the Iranians to facilitate indirect talks.

Joe Biden to Meet Putin on June 16

The White House announced that US President Joe Biden will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland on June 16.
The leaders will discuss the full range of pressing issues, as we seek to restore predictability and stability to the US-Russia relationship.
Last month, Biden held a phone call with Putin, where he had voiced his concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine's borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions.
He had reaffirmed his goal of building a stable and predictable relationship with Russia consistent with US interests and proposed a summit meeting in a third country in the coming months to discuss the full range of issues between the United States and Russia.

May 25, 2021

Australia to Close Embassy in Afghanistan

Australia abruptly announced that it will shutter its embassy in Afghanistan this week, expressing fears over the increasingly uncertain security environment in Kabul as foreign troops withdraw.
The Taliban, which has ramped up violence across the country in recent weeks, reacted by saying it would provide a safe environment to foreign diplomats and humanitarian organisations.
The United States and allied forces are in the final stages of pulling out their remaining troops from Afghanistan, ending America's longest-ever war, but heralding an uncertain future for a nation in the tightening grip of Taliban militants.
According to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the embassy would close in just three days.

Cindy Kiro New Zealand's Next Governor-general

Children's advocate Cindy Kiro hopes to inspire Maori girls after becoming the first indigenous woman appointed to the role of governor-general.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern picked Kiro for the largely ceremonial role as Queen Elizabeth II's representative, and that the queen had approved.
Under New Zealand's constitutional system, the British monarch remains the nation's head of state although it does not wield any real day-to-day power.
Kiro's five-year term begins in October, when she will replace Patsy Reddy. Both women have been given the honorific "Dame" for their services to the community.
Kiro is currently chief executive of the Royal Society, a nonprofit group which advocates for research.

Appoint Deuba as PM of Nepal

Nepal's Opposition alliance filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court demanding restoration of the House of Representatives and appointment of veteran Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba as the Prime Minister.
Leaders of the alliance moved the apex court two days after President Bidya Devi Bhandari dissolved the 275-member House on the recommendations of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who headed a minority government after losing a trust vote in the House.
In the writ, the petitioners have demanded that Nepali Congress president Deuba should be lawfully appointed the Prime Minister of Nepal in accordance with Article 76 (5).
Their other demands include the scrapping of the announcement of elections in November, to stop election-related programmes amid the pandemic, and to issue an order to summon House meeting to facilitate presentation of the budget within the time provisioned by the Constitution.

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