General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Mar 28, 2021

France Seeks UNESCO Heritage Status for the Baguette

When you think of UNESCO heritage status, Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal or the Great Barrier Reef may spring to mind.
You probably wouldn't think of a baguette.
But France has nominated its staple bread stick for inclusion on the UN intangible cultural heritage register.
Separate from the UNESCO World Heritage Site list, the status aims to protect traditions, knowledge and skills, so they are not lost over time.
Some 10 billion baguettes are consumed in France each year, according to data site Planetoscope, but about 20,000 bakeries have closed since 1970, as shoppers go to bigger supermarkets instead, where the baguettes are typically not made using traditional methods.
French bakers say the listing would safeguard an art that has been passed down through generations and would protect the baguette from global plagiarists.

Beijing Bans UK Politicians after Abuse Sanctions

China has imposed sanctions on British politicians and organisations as a tit-for-tat retaliation over the UK government's sanctions against Chinese officials for alleged human rights violations against its Uyghur minorities in Xinjiang province.
Members of Parliament (MPs) including former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith and Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Tom Tugendhat, Pakistani-origin Nusrat Ghani, Tim Loughton and House of Lords peers Baroness Kennedy and Lord Alton — all members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China — are named on the Chinese foreign ministry's ban.

Taliban threaten Attacks if Foreign Troops Stay in Afghanistan Past May 1

Taliban militants have warned that they will resume attacks against foreign forces if they do not withdraw from Afghanistan by the May 1 deadline, in response to US President Joe Biden offering an unclear timetable on when American troops would be pulled back.
All responsibility for the prolongation of war, death and destruction will be on the shoulders of those whom committed this violation.
The May 1 deadline is part of an agreement the US administration under former President Donald Trump signed with the Taliban in February 2020 in Doha.

US adds India to List of Countries Affected by African Swine Fever

The United States notified that India has been added to the list of countries that have been affected by African swine fever, imposing restrictions on the import of pork and pork products from the country.
"We took this action on May 13, 2020 when the disease was confirmed and are now publishing notice in the regulations. Pork and pork products from India, including casings, are subject to APHIS import restrictions designed to mitigate the risk of ASF introduction into the United States," the Department of Agriculture (USDA) said.

Mar 27, 2021

Eritrea Agrees to Withdraw Troops from Ethiopia's Tigray Region

Eritrea will withdraw troops from Ethiopia almost five months after a conflict started in the Tigray region, Ethiopia's Prime Minister has said.
The soldiers are there to back Ethiopia's government as it fought a group that challenged the central government's rule.
Eritrea has not confirmed the troop withdrawal from some areas across the border in Ethiopia.
The presence of Eritrean troops in Ethiopia was especially controversial because the two countries had fought a bitter border war, which was only officially ended after Abiy Ahmed became prime minister in 2018 - a move which earned him the Nobel Peace prize the following year.
The conflict began in November after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) captured military bases in the northern Ethiopian region.

Turkey and Russia Agree to Prevent Ceasefire Violations in Syria's Idlib

Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar spoke with his Russian counterpart Sergey Shoigu during which they discussed measures to prevent ceasefire violations in Syria's Idlib province.
Both the leaders agreed to take measures to maintain the ceasefire.
Noting that the discussion was "constructive", the Minister said "we aim permanently to hold the ceasefire in the region", reports Xinhua news agency.
On Monday, Turkey expressed concern to the Russian envoy in Ankara over recent attacks in Idlib.
Akar also informed that more than 200 terrorists had been eliminated in anti-terror operations mostly in northern Syria since March 1.
Ankara and Moscow agreed in 2018 to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone where acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.

Bill Passed Enabling Putin to Run for Two more Terms Starting 2024

Russia's Lower House of parliament the State Duma approved a bill, enabling incumbent President Vladimir Putin to run for two more terms starting 2024.
The draft law on elections, which was approved in the State Duma's third or final reading, was made in pursuance of constitutional amendments adopted in a nationwide referendum in July 2020.
One of the 206 constitutional amendments stipulates that the limit of two presidential terms applies to the incumbent head of state, but without taking into account his previous terms.
In light of the amendment, the bill grants Putin the possibility of starting his presidency from scratch in 2024 and holding the office for two more terms until 2036.

Mar 26, 2021

Sudan Accepts UAE Mediation on Ethiopia Border Row

Sudan's cabinet has approved an initiative by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to mediate on the border dispute with neighbouring Ethiopia, as well as on the row over a mega dam being constructed on the Nile.
The al-Fashaga farmlands - where Ethiopia's northern Amhara region meets Sudan's Gedaref state in the east - is claimed by both nations and has recently been a source of clashes between troops, stoking fears of a wider conflict.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that his country did not want a war with Sudan over the territorial dispute.
Meanwhile negotiations over the Grand Ethiopia Renaissance Dam have remained deadlocked for years - despite recent interventions by the US and the African Union (AU).
Ethiopia opposes any external parties other than the AU in the mediation of the dam dispute.
It has been building the mega dam on the Blue Nile River, which Sudan and Egypt oppose, to produce electricity to power its economy.
Egypt fears that the volume of water on the Nile downstream - which it relies on for almost all its water needs - would drastically reduce.
Sudan, which sides with Egypt, would benefit from reduced flooding, according to experts.

Mar 25, 2021

Niger Court Upholds Bazoum's Win

The runner-up in Niger's recent election has denounced a court ruling that upheld Mohamed Bazoum as the winner.
Mahamane Ousmane - who was President in the 1990s before being overthrown in a coup - still maintains he won.
He's called on people throughout the country to take part in a peaceful protest march.
With President Mahamadou Issoufou stepping down after two terms, the swearing in of Mr. Bazoum next month will be the first ever democratic transfer of power in Niger.

Ethiopia PM Ahmed Abiy Admits Eritrea Forces in Tigray

Ethiopia's Prime Minister has acknowledged for the first time that troops from neighbouring Eritrea have been in the Tigray region following the outbreak of conflict in November.
For months both countries have denied that troops crossed the border.
Abiy Ahmed told MPs that Eritrean forces came fearing they would be attacked by Tigray's regional fighters.
The conflict began after the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) captured military bases in the region.
The TPLF had been the ruling party in the northern Ethiopian region, but had a massive fall-out with Mr Abiy over the future of Ethiopia's ethnically based federal system and its role in government.

Senate Confirms Dr. Vivek Murthy as U.S. Surgeon General

Indian-American physician Vivek Murthy has been confirmed by the Senate as President Joe Biden's surgeon general, a role in which his top priority would be responding to the coronavirus pandemic that has severely hit the country.
Dr. Murthy would occupy the position of America's Surgeon General for the second time. In 2011, President Barack Obama tapped him to serve on the advisory group on prevention, health promotion, and integrative and public health.
In 2013, Obama nominated Dr. Murthy to be the surgeon general. He was the youngest ever to hold the office at the age of 37. However, he had to abruptly leave the position during the Trump administration.

Mar 24, 2021

Exit Polls Indicate No Clear Winner in Israeli Elections

Israeli parliamentary elections resulted in a virtual deadlock for a fourth time in the past two years, exit polls indicated, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with an uncertain future and the country facing the prospect of continued political gridlock.
The exit polls indicated that both Netanyahu and his religious and nationalist allies, along with an anti-Netanyahu group of parties, both fell short of the parliamentary majority required to form a new government. That raised the possibility of an unprecedented fifth consecutive election later this year.
The election was seen as a referendum on Netanyahu's polarizing leadership style, and the initial results showed that the country remains as deeply divided as ever, with an array of small sectarian parties dominating the parliament.
The results also signaled a continuing shift of the Israeli electorate toward the right wing, which supports West Bank settlements and opposes concessions in peace talks with the Palestinians. That trend was highlighted by the strong showing of an ultranationalist anti-Arab religious party.

UNHRC Adopts Resolution against Sri Lanka's Human Rights Record

India abstained from a crucial vote on Sri Lanka's rights record at the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The resolution on 'Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka' was, however, adopted after 22 states of the 47-member Council voted in its favour.
Sri Lanka, which had earlier deemed the resolution "politically motivated", was quick to reject the UN move to collect and preserve evidence of war crimes in the country, committed by the armed forces and the LTTE.

Libya's Rebel Administration Hands over Power

The rebel administration in eastern Libya has officially handed power to the country's new interim government, based in Tripoli.
A handover ceremony took place in Libya's second city, Benghazi, headquarters until now of the eastern administration.
A new Government of National Unity, led by Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and backed by the UN, was sworn in last week in Tripoli to replace the two rival administrations which have been fighting for control of Libya.
In France, President Emmanuel Macron announced that Paris will reopen its embassy in Tripoli next week, which was closed in 2014, as violence spread in the country.
Libya has been beset by violence since forces backed by NATO overthrew its leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011.

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