General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2017

Nov 2017

Jun 16, 2020

Afghan Govt. and Taliban To Meet In Doha

Afghanistan's government and the Taliban have agreed that Doha will be the venue for the first meeting in their peace talks. The talks, known as the intra-Afghan dialogue, will be the first high-level meeting between the two sides after years of fighting. No date has been announced for the meeting, but it is expected to take place after the two sides settle differences on the release by the Afghan government of 5,000 Taliban prisoners.

Trump Confirms Plans to Cut Troops in Germany

US President Donald Trump has confirmed plans to withdraw 9,500 American troops from bases in Germany.
He accused Germany of being "delinquent" in its payments to NATO, and said that he would stick with the plan unless Berlin changed its course.
Mr. Trump has long complained that European members of NATO should spend more on their own defence.
Germany's ambassador to the US said US troops were not there to defend Germany but defend transatlantic security.
Emily Haber added that Berlin had been informed of the plan.

India Leads "Verified" Initiative of United Nations

India with 12 other countries lead the "Verified" initiative launched by the United Nations, to fight the spreading of misinformation about COVID-19 with fact-based accurate information.
The initiative is led by the United Nations Department of Global Communication(DGC) with an aim to provide facts about COVID-19 in the digital space.
This will provide information on the following three themes:Science – to Save lives, Solidarity – to promote local and global cooperation and Solution – to advocate for support to impacted population.
The initiative recruits information volunteers – "Digital first responders" who will receive daily feeds on verified facts and will spread the information to counter the misinformation.
This collaboration of the world's leading social mobilisation organisation and supported by IKEA foundation and Luminate.

India Becomes Founding Member of Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence

India joined international and multi-stakeholder initiative Global Partnership for Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) on artificial intelligence as its founder member.
By joining GPAI as a founding member, India will actively participate in the global development of Artificial Intelligence, leveraging upon its experience around use of digital technologies for inclusive growth.
This body is supported by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Paris.

Jun 15, 2020

Somalia v Somaliland: Leaders Meet over Long Feud

The leaders of Somalia and the self-declared republic of Somaliland are holding rare talks in an effort to end a long-standing feud.
President Mohamed Abdullahi "Farmajo" Mohamed of Somalia and Somaliland's leader Muse Bihi Abdi are meeting in neighbouring Djibouti.
The main point of contention is Somaliland's political status following its decision to declare independence in 1991.
This was rejected by the government in Mogadishu and Somaliland has not been internationally recognised.
Djibouti's President Ismail Omar Guelleh and the Ethiopian Prime Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner Abiy Ahmed are playing a mediation role at the meeting.

Sri Lanka Stages 'Mock Election'

Sri Lanka staged a mock election to test measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus during a parliamentary vote in August.
The poll was due to be held on April 25 but was put off and then postponed indefinitely due to the epidemic.
The election commission said that the vote would be held on August 5. The island nation of 21 million people has steadily lifted its lockdown restrictions, although a night curfew remains.
The new health measures-- to be implemented at polling booths and counting centres - were trialled in four of the 22 electoral districts.
Officials and polling agents will be behind clear plastic screens or wear face shields. We have also ensured that voters will stand a metre apart when they queue up." Voters will also be required to bring their own pen or pencil to mark ballot papers.

Jun 14, 2020

Donald Trump Targets ICC

U.S. President Donald Trump issued an executive order authorising sanctions against individuals involved in an International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into whether U.S. forces committed war crimes in Afghanistan.
As per reports, the ICC probe is "being pushed forward by an organisation of dubious integrity" and accused Russia of having a role.
The order authorises Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, in consultation with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, to block assets in the U.S. of ICC employees involved in the probe.
It also authorises Mr. Pompeo to block entry into the U.S. of these individuals.

Jun 13, 2020

Assad Sacks PM as Economic Crisis Sparks Protests

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has sacked Prime Minister Imad Khamis, as he struggles with a worsening economic crisis that has triggered protests.
No reason was given for the decision to replace Mr. Khamis, who had been Prime Minister since 2016.
But it came after days of rare anti-government demonstrations in the mainly Druze city of Suweida, at which people called for the overthrow of Mr. Assad.
Syria's currency has plummeted in value recently, leading to soaring prices.
The government, whose supporters have staged a counter-demonstration in Suweida, has blamed Western sanctions and exchange rate "manipulation".

SA Court Opens Door for Independent Candidates

South Africa's Constitutional Court has ruled that the current Electoral Act, which bars independent candidates from running for office, is unconstitutional.
It's a ruling that could change the face of South African politics. Until now only members of political parties were allowed to run for office. In future elections, the field will be open to individuals to stand for provincial and national positions.
South African voters have become increasingly disillusioned by the country's parties – evidenced by a consistent decline in voter turnout in recent years.
Critics say the country has become in effect a three-party democracy – a tussle between the governing African National Congress (ANC) and opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance and the Economic Freedom Fighters.
South Africa's parliament has been given two years to change the legislation.

Jun 12, 2020

Prince Philip Marks Quiet 99th Birthday

Britain's Prince Philip marked a quiet 99th birthday in lockdown with his wife, Queen Elizabeth II, at Windsor Castle in south-east England.
Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the 94-year-old Queen Elizabeth II, who have been married for 72 years, have been isolating together since March.
Born in Corfu, Greece, in 1921, the royal is the longest-serving monarch's consort in British history. He retired and stepped down from frontline royal duties in May 2017.
The Queen also celebrated her 94th birthday in April quietly, cancelling the traditional gun salute because of the pandemic.

Amazon Bans Police Use of Facial Recognition Tech

Technology giant Amazon banned the police from using its controversial facial recognition software for a year.
It comes after civil rights advocates raised concerns about potential racial bias in surveillance technology.
IBM also said that it would stop offering its facial recognition software for mass surveillance or racial profiling.
The decisions follow growing pressure on firms to respond to the death of George Floyd in police custody.
Amazon said that the suspension of law enforcement use of its Rekognition software was to give US lawmakers the opportunity to enact legislation to regulate how the technology is employed.
As per Amazon, this one-year moratorium might give Congress enough time to implement appropriate rules, and we stand ready to help if requested."
However, the company would still allow organisations that deal with human trafficking to use the technology.

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