General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2017

Nov 2017

Oct 13, 2020

Protesters Knock Down Roosevelt and Lincoln Statues

Protesters overturned statues of former Presidents Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln in Portland, Oregon, in a declaration of "rage" towards Columbus Day.
Protest organisers dubbed the event "Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage," in response to the federal holiday named after 15th-century Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, a polarising figure who Native American advocates have said spurred centuries of genocide against Indigenous populations in the Americas.
After toppling the statues, the crowd began smashing windows at the Oregon Historical Society and later moved onto the Portland State University Campus Public Safety office.

Bangladesh Cabinet Approves Death Penalty for Rape Cases

Bangladesh's Cabinet approved an amendment to introduce the death penalty for rape cases after a series of recent sexual assaults sparked nationwide protests.
Bangladesh was rocked by an unprecedented level of protest after footage of a brutal gang assault on a woman went viral on social media.
As per Cabinet secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam, the Cabinet unanimously endorsed the amended law, prescribing capital punishment for rape instead of (existing) lifetime rigorous imprisonment.
During the Cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina emphasised on completing rape trials within the stipulated time frame as well.

Israeli Government Approves Normalisation Deal with UAE

The Israeli government unanimously approved the country's recently signed normalisation agreement with the United Arab Emirates ahead of a ratification vote by parliament.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement following his weekly Cabinet meeting that he spoke over the weekend with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Sheikh Mohammed, the UAE's day-to-day ruler, confirmation of the call and said that discussed prospects for peace and the need for stability, cooperation and development in the region.

United Nations Stillbirth Report

The United Nations launched a report on stillbirths titled "A Neglected Tragedy: The Global Burden of Stillbirths". The report was created by UNICEF, World Health Organisation, World Bank and the United Nations department of economic and social affairs.
As per the report, a stillborn baby is delivered every 16 seconds. 84 percentage of these grievous episodes occur in low and lower-middle-income countries.
This is the first time a stillbirth report has been published by the United Nations.
The covid-19 impact has induced 50% reduction in health services. This has created 200,000 additional still birth in 17 low and middle-income countries.
According to the report, there were around 1.9 million stillbirths globally. Of this 0.34 million were from India. India along with other countries such as Nigeria, Congo, Pakistan, China and Ethiopia contributed to half of all the stillbirth in the world.

Oct 12, 2020

Iran-backed Militias Offer Truce for US Troop Withdrawal

Iraqi militias backed by Iran have agreed to temporarily halt attacks targeting the American presence in Iraq on the condition that US-led coalition troops withdraw from the country in line with a parliamentary resolution.
The militia officials spoke to The Associated Press just hours after a roadside bomb targeted a convoy transporting equipment for the US-led coalition on a highway south of Baghdad, damaging one vehicle.
The militia factions offered a truce and will refrain from targeting the US in Iraq, including the US Embassy, on the condition that American forces withdraw within an "acceptable time frame", said Mohammed Mohie, a spokesman for the powerful Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah.
If it does not withdraw, the resistance factions will resume their military activities with all the capabilities available to them.

Maldives Considers Scrapping Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with China

Maldives, which has been steadily restricting its ties with China, may scrap its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Beijing to safeguard trade relations with other countries including India.
The FTA established between Maldives and China during the regime of former President Abdulla Yameen will hinder trade relations with other countries, stated Maldives' economic minister Fayyaz Ismail.
The contentious agreement was signed between the then Maldives president and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping during the former's first state visit to Beijing in 2017.

Turkey To Conduct Seismic Survey In Eastern Mediterranean

Turkey's navy has issued an advisory that the Turkish ship Oruc Reis will carry out a seismic survey in the eastern Mediterranean over the next ten days, a step likely to revive tensions with NATO ally Greece.
Two other vessels, the Ataman and Cengiz Han along with Oruc Reis exploration ship will continue works in an area including the south of Greek island of Kastellorizo till month end.
The two countries are at odds over overlapping claims for hydrocarbon resources in the region. The Foreign Ministers of Turkey and Greece met last week and agreed to hold bilateral talks on the disputes.
Last month, Ankara withdrew Oruc Reis from contested waters to "allow for diplomacy" ahead of a European Union summit.

Oct 11, 2020

Boris Johnson Calls Emmanuel Macron as Deadline Looms

Boris Johnson told French President that UK wants to "explore every avenue" to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with the EU, days before the PM's self-imposed deadline.
A disagreement over fishing has been one major sticking point of talks.
Informal discussions will continue in Brussels next week.
The UK left the EU and entered a transition period until the end of the year - with all the rules, regulations and budget payments staying the same until then.
Both sides are now trying to negotiate a trade deal, which would decide, among other things, the tariffs (taxes) applied when buying and selling each other's goods.

Belarus Protests

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has held an unexpected meeting with political opponents in the jail where they are currently detained.
The president called the meeting to discuss constitutional reform with the opponents he had jailed.
As per opposition figures the meeting was a sign of weakness on his part.
Mr. Lukashenko claimed a landslide win in August elections widely seen as fraudulent, sparking mass protests.
A violent crackdown on unrest in the days following the disputed poll saw thousands of people detained, and hundreds beaten by police.
The EU and the US have refused to recognize Mr. Lukashenko's new term.

Taiwan President Calls for 'Meaningful Dialogue' with China

Taiwan wants to have "meaningful dialogue" with China on an equal basis, President Tsai Ing-wen said, extending an olive branch at a time of heightened military tension with Beijing, which claims the island as sovereign Chinese territory.
Democratic Taiwan has come under increasing pressure from Beijing, which has ramped up air force activity near the island in the past few weeks, including crossing the Taiwan Strait's sensitive mid line that normally serves as an unofficial buffer zone.
China says it is responding to "collusion" between Washington and Taipei, angered at growing US support for the self-governed island. Beijing views this precursor to Taiwan declaring formal independence, a red line for China.

Argentina First Nation to OK Drought-resistant GMO Wheat

Argentina formally became the first country in the world to approve the use of drought-resistant genetically modified (GMO) wheat, prompting fierce criticism by the country's massive export agriculture industry.
Bioceres' HB4 wheat is resistant to drought and tolerates the herbicide glufosinate sodium; a combination the company says can help boost yields on dry years. But the government said the product cannot be sold before Brazil, Argentina's biggest wheat buyer, approves its importation.
Last year, 45% of the 11.3 million tonnes of wheat exported by Argentina went to neighboring Brazil, which has not commented on the prospects of it approving the purchase of HB4 wheat.

Oct 10, 2020

Kyrgyzstan President Declares State of Emergency

Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov declared a state of emergency in the capital Bishkek and ordered the military to end days of unrest, as supporters of rival political groups fought on the streets.
The state of emergency, including a curfew and tight security restrictions, would be in effect until October 21.
The country has seen a power vacuum, with opposition groups quarrelling among themselves since seizing government buildings and forcing the cancellation of results from parliamentary election which they denounced as fraudulent.

Taiwan Releases New Passport Design to Distinguish it from China

Taiwan released a new design for the country's passport highlighting the English word for 'Taiwan' eyeing to draw a clearer distinction between Taiwan and China.
The new cover re-positions and significantly shrinks the words Republic of China (ROC), the country's official name, making them hard to see at first glance, while enlarging and using a bold font for 'Taiwan'.
The Chinese version of ROC remains at the top of the cover, but the English version of the name originally positioned below the Chinese now circles the national emblem in the middle of the cover.

Armenia and Azerbaijan Agree Ceasefire

Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed a temporary ceasefire in the conflict in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Russia's Foreign Minister announced the agreement following 10 hours of talks in the Russian capital.
The two countries would now begin "substantive" talks.
More than 300 people have died and thousands displaced since the latest violence in the long-running conflict broke out on 27 September.
Nagorno-Karabakh is run by ethnic Armenians although it is officially part of Azerbaijan.
The two former Soviet republics have blamed each other for the latest outbreak of violence - the worst in decades.

Nancy Pelosi Introduces 25th Amendment to Oust President Donald Trump

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced legislation to create a commission that would allow Congress to oust a President from office, using the 25th Amendment which permits the vice president to become acting President if it is determined that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.
She questioned the state of Trump`s health and his behavior since being diagnosed with COVID-19 and called on the Trump administration to disclose more information about the health of President Trump to serve.

Teen Assumes Finland's PM Post for a Day

A 16-year-old girl ceremoniously assumed the post of Finnish prime minister for one day for the "Girls Takeover" program — part of the UN International Day of the Girl to raise more awareness of gender equality.
Aava Murto from the small village of Vaaksy in southern Finland stepped into the shoes of Prime Minister Sanna Marin to highlight the impact of technology on gender equality, this year's theme for the annual event.
Murto and Marin, one of the world's youngest government leaders at 34 and the Nordic nation's second female prime minister, discussed what tech-savvy Finland with 5.5 million residents could do to improve girls' opportunities to use and develop technology on a global basis.

Huawei Ousted from Heart of EU as Nokia Wins Belgian 5G Contracts

Orange and Proximus have picked Nokia to help build 5G networks in Belgium as they drop Huawei amid the US pressure to exclude the Chinese firm from supplying key telecoms equipment.
The moves are among the first by commercial operators in Europe to drop Huawei from next-generation networks and come after months of diplomatic pressure from Washington, which alleges Huawei equipment could be used by Beijing for spying.
The Belgian capital Brussels is home to the European Union's executive body and parliament, making it a matter of particular concern for US intelligence agencies.

Oct 09, 2020

Sophie Pétronin Released in Mali Prisoner Swap

Four people abducted and detained in Mali, including 75-year-old French charity worker Sophie Pétronin, have been released by their hostage-takers.
Ms. Pétronin, who was seized in December 2016, was the last French citizen to be held hostage anywhere in the world.
Ex-Malian opposition leader Soumaïla Cissé and two Italian nationals were also freed.
Their release was part of a prisoner swap for more than 100 jihadists.
Malian and international armed forces have been struggling to contain a jihadist insurgency in the north of country that first emerged in 2012.

Sadyr Zhaparov Acting PM of Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyzstan's Prime Minister Kubatbek Boronov stepped down after the Central Electoral Commission annulled the results of parliamentary elections in response to accusations of vote-rigging.
Boronov and Dastan Jumabekov, the speaker of the country's parliament, presented their resignation letters at a meeting of legislators in the capital Bishkek.
At an emergency session, the parliament appointed Sadyr Zhaparov, a founder of the opposition Mekenchil party, which had lost the election, as acting Prime Minister.
Earlier, Zhaparov had been released by protesters from prison, where he was serving a sentence of 11 years and six months for taking a government official hostage in 2013.

WTO to Name First Female Boss as Shortlist Narrows

The selection of a new director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is entering its final stage.
The final two, from an initial list of eight candidates, are Nigeria's former Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and South Korean Trade Minister Yoo Myung-hee.
Both are female which means that if members of the WTO can coalesce around one them in the final stages of selection, it will be the first time the job has been taken by a woman.
Ms. Okonjo-Iweala and Ms. Yoo both have political and international experience and both were students at American universities.
Ms. Okonjo-Iweala, who also has US nationality, has had two spells as finance minister and a short stint as Foreign Minister in Nigeria.
Much of her career was spent as an economist at the World Bank.
Ms. Yoo is much more of a trade specialist.

Biennial Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report

The World bank released the biennial poverty and shared prosperity report. According to the report, around 150 million people are likely to enter extreme poverty due to covid-19 pandemic in different countries. To counter this, countries should prepare for a different economy by allowing labour capital skills and innovation to move into businesses.
The report says that covid-19 pandemic will push an additional 88 million to 115 Million people to Extreme poverty. this will raise the count of of the poor to 150 million by 2021.
If the pandemic had not entered the globe, the poverty rate would have dropped by 7.9% in 2020.
Unfortunately, the Global recession caused by the pandemic will now push 1.4% of the world population into extreme poverty. The Global poverty rate is projected to increase to 9.2 percent in 2020.

Trump Wants Sudan to Befriend Israel

With Sudan in desperate straits, a collapsing economy, hyperinflation looming and a nationwide food crisis, the administration of US President Donald Trump and the Israeli government have seen an opportunity.
The country's democratic hopes hang by a thread 18 months after non-violent protests overthrew their long-term ruler Omar al-Bashir.
But if Sudan recognises Israel, then the US will strike it off the state sponsors of terror list, opening the door to essential economic stabilisation measures.
The Trump administration is offering Sudan a way out.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo proposed a deal to Sudan's civilian Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok: if Sudan recognised Israel, President Trump would circumvent the Congressional blockage.
Following the UAE's decision last month, Sudan, a member of the Arab League, would be only the fourth Arab state to do so.
This would be a huge boost to the administration's campaign to normalise Arab relations with Israel in the weeks before the election.

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