General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Jun 06, 2021

FATF Retains Pakistan on Enhanced Follow-up List

The Asia Pacific Group on Laundering has retained Pakistan on "enhanced follow-up" status for outstanding requirements, and Islamabad will continue to report back to it on the country's progress to strengthen its implementation of anti-money laundering and combating financing terror measures.
Pakistan was put on the grey list by the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) in June 2018 and the country has been struggling to come out of it. The APG is a regional affiliate of the FATF. The second Follow-Up Report (FUR) on Mutual Evaluation of Pakistan released by the APG also downgraded the country on one criterion. The report said Pakistan was re-rated to 'compliant' status on five counts and on 15 others to 'largely compliant' and on yet another count to 'partially compliant'.

Denmark Parliament Approves Giant Artificial Island off Copenhagen

Plans for an artificial island to house 35,000 people and protect the port of Copenhagen from rising sea levels have been approved by Danish MPs.
The giant island, named Lynetteholm, would be connected to the mainland via a ring road, tunnels and a metro line.
The approval by Denmark's parliament paves the way for the 1 sq mile (2.6 sq km) project to begin later this year.
But it faces opposition from environmentalists who have concerns over the impact of its construction.
Plans for Lynetteholm include a dam system around its perimeter, with the aim of protecting the harbour from rising sea levels and storm surges.
If construction goes ahead as planned, the majority of the foundations for the island off Denmark's capital should be in place by 2035, with an aim to fully complete the project by 2070.

Norway Reaches Post-Brexit Trade Deal with UK

Non-European Union member Norway reached a post-Brexit trade deal with its greatest trading partner, Britain, which left the EU last year following a 2016 referendum.
The agreement includes Iceland and Liechtenstein, which also are outside the bloc and together with the Norwegians form the European Economic Area (EEA).
Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg called the deal "ambitious and comprehensive".
Negotiations have been going on since 2020.

Jun 05, 2021

G7 Finance Ministers Meet in London to Broker Global Tax Deal

Finance Ministers from the G7 group of rich nations met in London for two days of talks aimed at moving closer to a global deal to raise more tax from the likes of Google, Facebook and Amazon.
The gathering, chaired by British finance minister Rishi Sunak, is the first time the ministers have met face-to-face since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rich nations have struggled for years to agree a way to raise more tax from large multinational companies, which often book profits in jurisdictions where they pay little or no tax.

African Union Suspends Mali after Military Coup

The African Union suspended Mali's membership in response to last week's military coup and threatened sanctions, if a civilian-led government is not restored.
African Union's Peace and Security Council said that the organisation called for an unimpeded, transparent and swift return to the civilian-led transition, failing which, the Council will not hesitate to impose targeted sanctions. Mali's neighbours and international powers fear the latest revolt will jeopardise a commitment to hold a Presidential election in February. It may also undermine a regional fight against Islamist militants, some of which are based in Mali's desert north.

Putin Signs Law to Bar 'Extremists' from Elections

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed legislation that bars members of "extremist" organisations from running for office, a move allies of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny say aims to sideline them from parliamentary election this year.
This comes days before a court will consider outlawing Navalny's anti-corruption foundation and regional campaign groups on the grounds they are extremist. The law bars members or heads of groups declared extremist from running for seats in the State Duma or taking part in other elections for periods ranging from three to five years.

Jun 04, 2021

Russia Cuts US Dollar Holdings in $119-billion Wealth Fund to Zero

Russia said that it will eliminate the dollar from its oil fund to reduce vulnerability to Western sanctions just two weeks before President Vladimir Putin holds his first summit meeting with US leader Joe Biden.
The National Wellbeing Fund will shift its dollar holdings into euros, yuan and gold.
Coming ahead of the June 16 Biden-Putin meeting, the move marks another milestone in the Russian leader's drive to reduce his country's dependence on the dollar after years of steadily increasing U.S. restrictions.

Iran Dampens Hopes for Early Agreement in Dispute over Nuke Deal

Iran has dampened hopes of an early agreement in its dispute with the US over the 2015 nuclear deal.
We have come closer, but we are still far from an agreement," said Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.
Araghchi said that the US and other parties would have to make some difficult decisions.
Iran's final decision would also definitely not be made in Vienna, but in Tehran, the Deputy Minister and head of Iran's delegation in Vienna said.
A new problem in the Vienna negotiations is the imminent change of political power in Iran.

Jun 03, 2021

Herzog Israel's 11th President

Veteran Israeli politician Isaac Herzog will be the Jewish nation's new President after his overwhelming victory in a secret ballot held in Parliament.
The 60-year-old former Labour leader will be the first Israeli President who is the son of a former President. His father Chaim Herzog served as Israel's head of state between 1983 and 1993.
Herzog won the support of an overwhelming 87 lawmakers in the 120-member Knesset (parliament) to defeat his rival Miriam Peretz and become the 11th President of Israel. Herzog will succeed Reuven Rivlin when the latter's term ends on July 9.

Palestine Flays India's Abstention at UNHRC

Palestine expressed disappointment over India's abstention from a UN Human Rights Council vote that called for a probe into Gaza violence. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki wrote to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar expressing concern over the position taken by India at a special session of the UNHRC.
India's abstention did not eventually matter as the resolution was passed with 24 countries voting in favour and nine against. The Palestinians felt disappointed over the Indian stand as they felt the resolution was the product of extensive multilateral consultations.

US Ends Migrant Protection Protocols

United States has ended Migrant Protection Protocols which are also dubbed as "Remain in Mexico" policy.
This policy forced several Central American asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for US court cases.
Now, Joe Biden administration has paused this programme called known as the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) in January 2021.
Since January 2021, about 11,000 migrants have enrolled in it and have been allowed to enter US to seek asylum claims.
However, Republicans have criticised reversal of this policy, because it encouraged huge migrant arrivals at US-Mexico border.
The international border separating Mexico and United States extends from Pacific Ocean in west to Gulf of Mexico in east. It traverses different terrains, from urban areas to deserts. This border is considered as most frequently crossed border across the world with about 350 million documented crossings each year.

Dr. Patrick Amoth of Kenya Appointed as Chair of WHO Executive Board

Dr. Patrick Amoth, the acting Director-General for Health, Ministry of Health of Kenya has been appointed as the Chairman of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board, for a period of one year. The announcement was made during the 149th session of the WHO Executive Board, on June 02, 2021, by the outgoing Chair Dr Harsh Vardhan.
Mr. Amoth replaces Union Health Minister, Government of India, Dr Harsh Vardhan, who completed his tenure as Chairman of WHO Executive Board on June 02, 2021. Dr Vardhan will continue to be a member of the Executive Board of WHO till 2023. The chairman's post is held on a rotation basis for one year among regional groups.

China Leads Key Afghanistan Peace Talks

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will host a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from Pakistan and Afghanistan on Thursday to discuss the Afghan peace and reconciliation process, as Beijing stepped up its diplomacy with the two nations in the wake of the US troops withdrawal from the war-torn country.
Wang will chair the China-Afghanistan-Pakistan trilateral foreign ministers meeting, the fourth such talks, via video link in which his counterparts from Pakistan and Afghanistan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Mohammad Haneef Atmar, would take part.
Last month, China offered to host peace talks between the Afghan government and Taliban militants to forge peace in view of the US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan by September.

Jun 02, 2021

Mali Leader Appoints New Prime Minister

Mali's transitional president Colonel Assimi Goïta has named Choguel Kokalla Maïga as new Prime Minister.
Mr. Maïga is a leader of the 5 June-Rally of Patriotic Forces (M5-RFP) movement.
The movement took part in the overthrow of former President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta last year.
The former Prime Minister Moctar Ouane and former transitional president Bah Ndaw resigned last week after another coup.
Colonel Goïta who was the vice-president at the time accused them of violating the transitional agreement after a cabinet reshuffle.
The regional bloc Ecowas has suspended Mali and asked the military to adhere to the transition timelines towards elections next year.
The Africa Union has also suspended Mali and called for a return to civilian government.
Mali has had two coups in the last nine months.

U.S. President Suspends Trump-era Oil and Gas Leases in Alaska Refuge

U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said that it would suspend oil and gas leases that had been handed out in an Alaska wildlife refuge during the final days of the Trump administration pending an environmental review.
The action reverses one of former President Donald Trump's signature efforts to expand fossil fuel development in the United States, and delivers a setback to the Alaskan state government which had hoped opening the enormous refuge would help revive its declining oil industry.
Mr. Trump's Interior Department sold the leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in January over the objections of environmentalists and indigenous groups.

Angola President Replaces Head of Security

Angola's President Joao Lourenco has replaced his head of security and a slew of generals, after several army officials serving the presidency were dismissed on graft allegations.
Lourenco has been targeting members of his close entourage as part of a crackdown on rampant corruption that took root under his predecessor Jose Eduardo dos Santos.
Angola's presidency announced that Lourenco had replaced Pedro Sebastiao, a minister of state leading the president's security team since he took power in 2017.

Germany, United Nations to Host Conference on Libya in Berlin in June

Germany and the United Nations plan to host a conference on Libya in June with an aim to bring together powers with interests in the North African country and its transitional government.
The agenda will include discussions for preparations for elections in December and the withdrawal of foreign forces.
The meeting is expected to take place at the level of foreign ministers and follows up on a first Berlin conference held in January 2020 at which leaders agreed to respect an arms embargo and push Libya's warring parties to reach a full cease-fire. Germany has been trying to act as an intermediary.
The countries that have been involved in the process include the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, along with Italy, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
The Berlin conference will mark the first time that the Libyan transitional government is represented at such an event.

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