General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Mar 03, 2021

Zanzibar's new vice-president sworn in

The new vice-president of Tanzania's semi-autonomous islands of Zanzibar was sworn in less than two weeks after his predecessor died.
Othman Masoud Othman Sharif replaced Seif Sharif Hamad who died in 17 February 2021, aged 77.
Mr. Masoud has previously served in senior positions in Zanzibar government, including as attorney-general.

Zimbabwe VP Resigns

Zimbabwe's second Vice-President Kembo Mohadi has resigned a week after he denied accusations of sexual impropriety.
Mr. Mohadi repeated his defence that he was the victim of hacking and "voice cloning" after an online newspaper published lurid phone call recordings with several women allegedly including a subordinate.

China Asks Australia to Abandon its Interference in Hong Kong's Affairs

- China has condemned Australia for granting protection visas to Hong Kong passport holders in December and asked Canberra to abandon its interference in Hong Kong's affairs.
- Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that China's position on Hong Kong-related issues is consistent and clear. Hong Kong affairs fall entirely within China's internal affairs.
- No foreign country has the right to interfere.

Mar 02, 2021

Trump Hints at 2024 Presidential Run

In his first public speech since leaving office, former US President Donald Trump has called for Republican Party unity while indicating that he might launch a third presidential bid in 2024 even as he slammed the Biden administration, claiming the country had gone from "America First" to "America Last" in just one month.
Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Committee in Orlando, Florida, the 74-year-old leader, who left the White House on January 20, stopped short of announcing to run for the president in 2024, although he gave enough indications that he is moving in that direction.

Former French President Sarkozy Convicted of Corruption

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty by a Paris court of corruption after he offered to pull strings to help a magistrate land a prestigious job in return for a favour.
The 66-year-old was also sentenced to a 1-year prison term, though under the French system he's unlikely to serve it, even if he fails to overturn the verdict on appeal.
"Sarkozy used his status as former French President," said Presiding Judge Christine Mée as she read out the court's decision.
The judgment puts the former president on the back-foot just two weeks before he's due back in court on separate charges that he illegally exceeded campaign-spending limits ahead of his electoral defeat.

Republican Leaders Call for US Boycott of 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing

Accusing China of horrific human rights abuses, some top Republican leaders, including Indian American Nikki Haley, have demanded that the US boycott the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and called on the International Olympic Committee to select a new site for the event.
The White House, however, said that no decision has been taken yet on the demands of the leaders.
It is no secret that China wants to use the Winter Olympics as part of its "massive communist propaganda campaign", Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, said as she launched a campaign to demand President Joe Biden announce a boycott of the games.

Morocco Suspends Relations with German Embassy

Morocco has announced that it has suspended contacts with the German embassy in the country over its stance on Western Sahara.
The country's foreign affairs ministry cited "deep disagreements concerning crucial issues," without elaborating.
A senior Moroccan diplomat cited Germany's reaction to the US decision in December to recognise Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara as a reason for the suspension of relations.
The diplomat also cited Germany's decision not to invite Morocco to an international meeting about Libya last year.
Germany called a UN Security Council meeting to discuss the issue after former US President Donald Trump said that Washington recognised Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.

Mar 01, 2021

Myanmar Envoy Appeals to UN to Stop Military Coup

Myanmar's U.N. envoy urged the United Nations to use "any means necessary" to stop a military coup there, making a surprise appeal on behalf of the ousted government as police cracked down on anti-junta protesters.
The Southeast Asian country has been in crisis since the army seized power on Feb. 1 and detained elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and much of her party leadership, alleging fraud in a November election her party had won.
Myanmar's ambassador Kyaw Moe Tun told the U.N. General Assembly he was speaking on behalf of Suu Kyi's government and appealed to the body "to use any means necessary to take action against the Myanmar military and to provide safety and security for the people".

Iran Says it Will Continue to Support Syria in War against Terrorism

Iran will keep supporting the Syrian government in the fight against terrorism, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a telephone conversation with the Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad.
Zarif reaffirmed that the Islamic Republic will continue its supports for Syria in various fields and in its efforts to ensure security and stability across Syria, the Xinhua news reported.
The Iranian foreign minister also stressed the need for a solution that preserves the interests, sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Arab country.
For his part, Mekdad thanked Iran for supporting the Syrian people in the economic arena with the purpose of mitigating the effects of unilateral economic sanctions.
The two sides also urged the western states to abide by the UN Security Council resolutions on Syria.

US Democrats Reintroduce Legislation to Prevent Future Muslim Bans

As many as 140 Democratic lawmakers have reintroduced a legislation in the US Congress to prevent future Muslim bans and prohibit discrimination on the basis of religion.
The Muslim travel ban, introduced by former US President Donald Trump, targeted several Muslim-majority nations and restricted the entry of people from Iran, North Korea, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Venezuela. President Joe Biden ended the Muslim ban on his day one in the office last month.
In the House of Representatives, the National Origin-Based Anti-discrimination for Non-immigrants (NO BAN) Act was reintroduced on Friday by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler and Judy Chu, while in the Senate it was done by Senator Chris Coons.

Feb 28, 2021

Australia First in Asia-Pacific Region to Lift Ban on Boeing 737 MAX

Australia's aviation regulator said on Friday it would lift a near two-year ban on flights to and from the country that use the Boeing Co 737 MAX aircraft, making it the first nation in the Asia-Pacific region to do so.
The regulator has accepted the comprehensive return-to-service requirements set by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as state of design for the 737 MAX.
No Australian airlines operate the 737 MAX, but Fiji Airways and Singapore Airlines Ltd operated them on flights with Australia before the craft were grounded in March 2019 after two deadly crashes.
Fiji Airways and Singapore Airlines, which will also need to receive approvals to fly from their national aviation regulators, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

President Xi Jinping Declares Complete Victory in Eradicating Poverty in China

President Xi Jinping declared that China has scored a complete victory in its fight against poverty by lifting over 770 million people out of it in the last four decades, calling it another miracle created by the country that will go down in history.
China has a population of around 1.4 billion. With this, China has achieved the U.N. goal of poverty eradication 10 years ahead of the 2030 deadline.

Yellen Supports New Allocation of IMF's SDR Currency

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen threw her support behind a new allocation of the IMF's own currency, or Special Drawing Rights (SDR), but said that broad parameters were needed to boost transparency on how the reserves are used and traded.
Reversing the opposition of the Trump administration, Yellen told G20 finance officials in a letter that a new SDR allocation could boost liquidity for poor countries, which have been particularly hard hit by the global coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. Treasury chief gave no specific size for possible allocation of SDRs, which can be converted to hard currency by IMF members. Italy, which holds the presidency of the G20 this year, and other members of the group of rich and emerging economies have backed a $500 billion allocation, but the United States had been guarded about its view until now.

Feb 27, 2021

France Extends Operational Lifetime of Its Oldest Nuclear Reactors

France's nuclear safety authority agreed to extend the operational lifetime of the country's 32 oldest nuclear reactors by a decade to as much as 50 years.
The public electricity company that operates the nuclear plants, EDF, is in charge of ensuring the safety of the reactors, which had previously been intended to run for 40 years.

Pakistan to Stay on FATF Grey List

Indicating the status quo of being on FATF's 'grey list', the global body against money laundering and terror financing said that Pakistan will remain on the increased monitoring list as there are serious deficiencies in checking terror financing and the country lacks an effective system to deal with it.
After its meeting, Marcus Pleyer, president of Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF), said that the deadline given to Pakistan has already expired and asked Islamabad to address their concerns as quickly as possible.
To date, Pakistan has made progress across all action plan items and has now largely addressed 24 of the 27 action items. As all action plan deadlines have expired.
There is serious deficiency on the part of Pakistan in checking terror financing and the country is yet to demonstrate taking action against the UN designated terrorists and their associates.

Biden Approves US Airstrike on Iran-backed Militias in Syria

The US military has carried out an airstrike targeting Iran-backed militias in Syria, the Pentagon says.
The attack destroyed "multiple facilities located at a border control point used by a number of Iranian-backed militant groups", it said.
President Joe Biden approved the action in response to recent attacks against US and coalition personnel in Iraq.
A civilian contractor was killed in a rocket attack on US targets in Iraq earlier this month.
A US service member and five other contractors were injured when the rockets hit sites in Irbil, including a base used by the US-led coalition.
Rockets have also struck US bases in Baghdad, including the Green Zone which houses the US embassy and other diplomatic missions.

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