General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Mar 18, 2021

Russia Recalls Envoy after Biden Remarks about Putin

Russia has recalled its Washington ambassador for talks to prevent the "irreversible deterioration" of relations with the US.
The Russian government said that Anatoly Antonov had been called back to Moscow as US ties had reached a "blind alley".
The move came after President Joe Biden said Vladimir Putin would "pay the price" for alleged election meddling.
In an interview, Mr Biden confirmed he thought that the Russian President was "a killer".
Mr. Biden had been commenting on an American intelligence report that suggested Mr. Putin had authorised an interference campaign in last November's presidential election in the US.
The report accused Russia of trying to sway the election in favour of former Republican President Donald Trump, who was defeated by Mr. Biden.

US Facing Biggest Migrant Surge in 20 Years

The United States is facing the biggest surge of migrants at its southwestern border in 20 years, the Homeland Security Secretary said as the Biden administration races to handle an influx of children trying to cross the US-Mexico border alone.
According to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the number of attempted border crossings by people from Central America and Mexico has steadily increased since April 2020 and most single adults and families are being turned away.

French Parliament Votes to Include Climate Change Clause in Constitution

The Lower House of the French parliament, the National Assembly, voted in favor of amending the country's Constitution with provisions that include climate and biodiversity protection.
The 391-47 vote on the climate bill marks the first step towards a referendum on the constitutional amendment.
According to Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti, this bill is a "real chance that will go to the referendum promised by the President.
In December, French President Emmanuel Macron had announced his intention to hold a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments related to the fight against climate change.
The amendments are set to add notions of biodiversity, the environment and the fight against global warming to the basic law's Article 1.

Mar 17, 2021

Prime Minister Modi holds virtual summit with Finland counterpart Sanna Marin

PM Modi on March 16, 2021, held a summit in a virtual mode with the Prime Minister of Finland Sanna Marin.
During the summit, both the leaders covered the entire spectrum of the bilateral relationship between India and Finland. They also exchanged views on global and regional issues of mutual interest.
According to Prime Minister's Office, the summit will provide a blueprint for the diversification and future expansion of the Partnership between India and Finland.
The official release added that both the countries enjoy warm and friendly relations with each other that are solely based on the shared values of freedom, democracy, and rules-based international order.

Putin Tried to Help Trump Against Biden in 2020 US Elections: Report

Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized influence operations to help Donald Trump in last November's presidential election, according to a declassified intelligence assessment that found broad efforts by the Kremlin and Iran to shape the outcome of the race but ultimately no evidence that any foreign actor changed votes or otherwise disrupted the voting process.
The report released from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence represents the most detailed assessment of the array of foreign threats to the 2020 election. These included efforts by Iran to undermine confidence in the vote and harm Trump's re-election prospects as well as Moscow operations that relied on Trump's allies to smear Joe Biden, the eventual winner.

Mar 16, 2021

Prachanda Suggests Dropping 'Maoist Centre' from Party Name

As per reports, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, Chief of Nepal's CPN-Maoist Centre (MC), has proposed to drop "Maoist Centre" from the party's name to make it acceptable for communist forces in the country, who do not like Maoism, to join it.
CPN-MC member Shiv Kumar Mandal said that the former PM was always in favour of unity among all communist forces of the country and suggested that if dropping "Maoist Centre" from the party's name could help unite these forces, then the party should be ready for that.

Libya's New Unity Government Sworn In

Libya's new unity government was sworn in, marking the end of years of rival administrations.
The interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, who was selected during UN-brokered peace talks last month, will lead the country until elections planned for December.
Libya descended into conflict after the ousting of Muammar Gaddafi 10 years ago.
It was then split between a UN- recognised government in the west fighting against the warlord Khalifa Haftar whose rival administration controlled the east.
The two sides were supported by different regional powers.

Canada Calls on China to Stop Persecution of Uighurs and Tibetans

Conservative party of Canada has called on China to stop the persecution of people who practice their religion or belief including Christians, Tibetans and Uighurs.
On the 62nd anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day, Canadian Leader of the Opposition Erin O'Toole said that Canada must stand behind those who advocate for religious freedom.

UK Sanctions Allies of Syrian President Assad

Britain announced sanctions on six allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, including his Foreign Minister and close advisers.
The Syrian civil war is 10 years old: in mid-March, 2011, peaceful pro-democracy protests developed into a multi-sided conflict that sucked in world powers, killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions more.
The Assad regime has subjected the Syrian people to a decade of brutality for the temerity of demanding peaceful reform.
Those sanctioned include Foreign Minister Faisal Miqdad, Assad adviser Luna al-Shibl, financier Yassar Ibrahim, businessman Muhammad Bara' Al-Qatirji, Republican Guard commander Malik Aliaa and Army Major Zaid Salah.

Mar 15, 2021

Kenya Withdraws from ICJ Case over Somalia Sea Border

Kenya did not take part in the hearings over its maritime border dispute with Somalia at the International Court of Justice.
Kenya accused the ICJ of bias in the case, which concerns a 62,000 sq. miles (160,000 sq. km) triangle in the Indian Ocean.
The area is thought to be rich in oil and gas.
The dispute is at the heart of a diplomatic row between the neighbours.
Kenya had asked for the case to be delayed while it briefed a new legal team, and also cited the coronavirus pandemic, but the ICJ ruled the case should be heard virtually on Monday.
Kenya also objected to the presence on the ICJ panel of a Somali judge, saying he should rescue himself.

Ex-interim President Jeanine Áñez Arrested

The former interim President of Bolivia, Jeanine Áñez, and several ex-ministers were arrested.
Prosecutors said that she and the ministers took part in a coup against the then President Evo Morales in 2019.
Mr. Morales resigned and fled Bolivia after protests and allegations of electoral fraud.
Ms. Áñez said that she is the victim of a political vendetta by Mr. Morales's Mas Socialist party, which has since returned to power.
The party won a landslide victory in presidential and congressional elections in October last year, paving the way for Mr. Morales to return to Bolivia from Argentina and take over the leadership of the Mas party.

Merkel's Party Slumps to Historic Low

German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union crashed to its worst results in two regional elections since World War II, as voters vented their frustration over the government's handling of the pandemic and the slow pace of vaccinations.
With Merkel's exit looming after September's national election, support for the CDU slumped by four points to 23% in the western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg compared with the last election in 2016, an exit poll from public broadcaster ARD showed.
The Greens, led by popular state premier Winfried Kretschmann, cemented their decade-long hold on power with a third straight victory, winning 31%, 0.7 points more than five years ago.

UN Asks Somalia to Organise Elections

The U.N. Security Council urged Somalia's government to organise elections without delay in a resolution that stressed the pressing threat to the country's security from al-Shabab and armed opposition groups.
The resolution, which was adopted unanimously, authorised the African Union to maintain its nearly 20,000-strong force in Somalia until the end of the year with a mandate to reduce the threat from the extremist groups to enable a stable, federal, sovereign and united Somalia. The U.N.'s most powerful body said its objective is to transfer security to Somali authorities, with the aim of Somalia taking the lead in 2021, and achieving full responsibility by the end of 2023.
The resolution's adoption came amid growing pressure on Somalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed after scheduled elections on the 8th of last month failed to take place because of the lack of agreement on how the vote should be carried out.

Martial Law Imposed in Parts of Myanmar City

Myanmar's ruling junta has declared martial law in parts of the country's largest city as security forces killed more protesters in an increasingly lethal crackdown on resistance to last month's military coup.
At least 38 people were killed and dozens were injured in one of the deadliest days of the crackdown, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, an independent group tracking the toll of the violence.
Since the takeover six weeks ago, Myanmar has been under a nationwide state of emergency, with its civilian leaders ousted and detained and military leaders in charge of all government.
But the announcement on state broadcaster MRTV appeared to be the first use of the term martial law since the coup and suggested more direct military control of security, instead of local police.

Suga First Foreign Leader to Visit US under Biden Admin

Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will visit the United States in April, becoming the first leader of a foreign nation to hold a face-to-face meeting with President Joe Biden since he took office in January.
The dates and other details of the first visit of the foreign leader under the Biden Administration are still being worked out.
While the White House did not provide any specific date about Suga's visit to the US, various reports have mentioned that the visit will be in April and after he and his entourage complete their COVID-19 vaccinations.

Gurdeep Singh Becomes First Turban-clad Sikh as Pakistan Senator

Gurdeep Singh from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party took the oath as a Senator, becoming the first turban-clad Sikh representative in the upper house of Pakistan's Parliament.
Singh, from the party of Prime Minister Imran Khan became the first turban-clad Sikh representative from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan's Senate.
He defeated rival candidates on a minority seat by a huge margin in the election to the upper chamber of Parliament.
Singh secured 103 votes in the House of 145 whereas Jamiat Ulema-e Islam (Fazlur) candidate Ranjeet Singh secured just 25 votes and Asif Bhatti of the Awami National Party received 12.

US Offers Temporary Legal Residency to People from Myanmar

The Biden administration offered temporary legal residency to people from Myanmar, where military leaders have overthrown the country's elected government and are using deadly force against protesters.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the temporary protected status would last for 18 months. The designation applies to people from that country already living in the United States.

Mar 14, 2021

China Approves Plan to Build Dam on Brahmaputra in Tibet Region

China's Parliament adopted the 14th Five-Year Plan, the mega blueprint containing billions of dollars worth of projects, including the controversial hydropower project on the Brahmaputra River in Tibet close to the Arunachal Pradesh border over which India has raised concerns.
The National People's Congress (NPC), China's legislature with over 2,000 members mostly drawn from the ruling Communist Party, adopted the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) for national economic and social development and the long-range objectives through the year 2035, on the last day of its six-day.

China Approves 'Patriotic' Plan to Control Elections

China's legislature has approved a resolution to overhaul Hong Kong's electoral system - its latest move to tighten control over the city.
The "patriots governing Hong Kong" resolution was passed at the National People's Congress (NPC).
It will reduce democratic representation and allow a pro-Beijing panel to vet and elect candidates.
The former British colony was handed back to China in 1997 under a model called "one country, two systems".
Under the deal, which gave the territory freedoms not available in mainland China, Hong Kong also had its own mini-constitution and an elected parliament.
The latest Chinese move follows a series of measures that have tightened Beijing's grip on Hong Kong, including the passing of a national security law and a crackdown on activists and opposition politicians.
Detailed legislation will now be drafted and could be enacted in Hong Kong within the next few months.

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