General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Nov 20, 2020

Nepal's Ruling Party Meet Ends in Stalemate

The much-awaited crucial meeting of the Central Secretariat of the ruling Communist Party of Nepal (CPN) ended in a stalemate with Prime Minister.
KP Sharma Oli demanded 10 days' time to present a separate political document in response to his rival Pushpa Kamal Dahal "Prachanda's" accusations that he was running the government without consulting the party.
As soon as the meeting started, Oli said to the members of the Secretariat that he would present a separate political document in the next meeting. The next meeting is on November 28.

TRACE Releases Global Bribery Risk Matrix

The Global Bribery Risk Matrix was released by TRACE. India ranked 77 with a score of 45 in the global list.
The ranking is prepared by TRACE International. It is the world leading anti-bribery standard setting organisation. The TRACE Bribery Risk Matrix, 2020 measured bribery in 194 jurisdictions. The jurisdictions were ranked based on score. The score is calculated based on four parameters.
Denmark topped the list followed by Norway, Finland, Sweden and New Zealand. The bottom most ranks were occupied by North Korea, Turkmenistan, South Sudan, Venezuela, Eritrea.

Pakistan Court Awards over 10 Years Jail term to Hafiz Saeed

A Pakistan Anti Terrorism Court (ATC) pronounced ten-and-a-half year's imprisonment to 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Jamaat-ud-Dawah (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed in two terror funding related cases.
This is the fourth conviction of Saeed in 2020. Hafiz is currently serving a five-year sentence in another terror financing case in Lahore.
The court also pronounced ten-and-a-half year's imprisonment for three other JuD terrorists. Zafar Iqbal and Yahya Mujahid have been sentenced for ten-and-a-half years. Abdul Rehman Makki has been sentenced to six months imprisonment. The conviction is by the anti-terror court in Lahore and it has ordered to confiscate all properties of Hafiz Saeed.

UK Announces Biggest Military Investment since Cold War

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced Britain's biggest boost in military spending since the end of the Cold War, as the country looks to head off threats from China and Russia and exert global influence as a power separate from the European Union.
Over the next four years, the British Armed Forces will receive an extra 16.5 billion pounds ($21 billion), helping to develop cyber- and space capabilities, create an artificial-intelligence agency and restore Britain's position as the foremost naval power in Europe.
Britain, which has fought alongside the United States in places such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, already had one of the largest military budgets in Europe, surpassing the NATO guideline of 2 per cent of gross domestic product. This new budget would represent a 10 per cent rise from previous spending plans, in what the government characterized as the largest increase in 30 years.

Nov 19, 2020

World Economic Forum Selects Four Indian Cities

The World Economic Forum selected 36 cities from 22 countries for pioneering a policy road map for smart cities.
These smart cities are being developed under the G20 Global Smart Cities Alliance. Of the 36 cities selected, four are Indian cities. The four Indian cities selected are Bengaluru, Faridabad, Indore and Hyderabad.
The selected 36 cities will collaborate with global experts and enhance their city policies in areas ranging from cybersecurity to services to be provided to physically challenged people. These 36 cities will adopt five policies namely better broadband coverage, privacy protection, accountability for cybersecurity, better accessibility to digital city services for physically disabled and increased openness of city data. With these inputs they will frame a road map to become a smart city which will then be used by other cities in the world in the following phases of the initiative.

Iran Now Operating Natanz Centrifuges

The head of the UN atomic watchdog agency confirmed that Iran has begun operating centrifuges installed at an underground site, but said that they had been moved from another facility so the country's overall uranium-enriching capabilities have not increased.
As per head of the UN atomic watchdog, operation of centrifuges of that type was in violation of the nuclear deal Iran had signed with world powers in 2015, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, but would not lead to a greater overall output of enriched uranium.
Iran is already far past the deal's limits on enriched uranium.

Partial Withdrawal of US Troops from Afghanistan and Iraq

The US Government announced that the US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq will be reduced. The US forces in Afghanistan are to be reduced from 4,500 to 2,500 and in Iraq from 3,000 to 2,500.
According to NATO, by withdrawing forces, the United States is putting Afghanistan at the risk of becoming a platform of international terrorism once again. This might lead to attack on US again (just like Twin tower attack).
NATO has 12,000 troops. These troops are from different nations. The alliance is highly dependent on the US armed forces for logistics and transport.
NATO took charge of international security effort in Afghanistan in 2003. This was after US-led coalition ousted the Taliban for accommodating Osama bin Laden. From 2014, NATO led security forces began to train the Afghan security forces.
In February 2020, the representatives of Taliban (of Afghanistan) and the US signed an agreement. The US is currently withdrawing its forces based on this agreement. They agreed on the following:
All US and NATO troops to be withdrawn within 14 months of time

Nov 18, 2020

Governance Reforms Approved by Russia

The Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin approved Governance Reforms that are to begin from January 1, 2021.
The reforms were earlier postponed several times due to number of reasons including COVID-19 pandemic. The reforms are being made at executive level.
According to the reforms, the staff within the central administrative office is to be reduced by 5%.
The staff within territorial governments is to be reduced by 10%.
The reforms are being introduced to improve the efficiency of Executive branch of the Russian Government.
The reform will create a special working group that will deal with matters that are related to reform procedures.
The reforms are to be completed by April 1, 2021.

UN Launches 'Team Halo'

The United Nations along with "the Vaccine Confidence Project" of University of London launched "Team Halo". More than 100 scientists from different parts of the world have come together under the project.
Team Halo aims to tackle misinformation on safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines. Under the initiative, the scientists will create social-media friendly videos on COVID-19 vaccine science based on their personal experiences.
Also, Team Halo will act as a communication platform for the scientists working on COVID-19 vaccines.
Over 22 Indian scientists are part of the initiative. The scientists from Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Institute of Medical Science, SRM Research Institute, etc. have joined the initiative.

Saudis Seek Buffer Zone with Yemen in Return for Ceasefire

As per reports, Saudi Arabia has told Yemen's Houthis in high-level back channel talks that it would sign a UN proposal for a nationwide ceasefire if the Iran-aligned group agrees to a buffer zone along the kingdom's borders.
If a deal is struck, it would mark the biggest breakthrough in efforts to reach a political settlement since the conflict, widely seen as a proxy war between arch-enemies Saudi Arabia and Iran, began in 2014.
US President-elect Joe Biden pledged in his election campaign to halt arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the Middle East's biggest buyer of American weapons, to pressure Riyadh to end the war that has caused the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Nov 17, 2020

Imran Khan's Party Wins 8 Seats in Gilgit-Baltistan Polls

Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) won eight of 23 constituencies and was leading in one seat in the legislative assembly polls in Gilgit-Baltistan, prompting Opposition parties to dub the election as stolen.
India slammed Pakistan for its decision to hold elections in Gilgit-Baltistan and said any action to alter the status of the militarily-occupied region has no legal basis.
Elections were held on 23 seats of the third legislative assembly on Sunday amidst tight security due to the threat of militancy.

Time Running Out for Brexit Deal

European Union diplomats warned Britain that time was fast running out for a Brexit deal, and that it may already be too late to ratify one, as negotiators in Brussels began a last-ditch attempt to avoid a tumultuous exit at the end of December.
Almost five years since the Brexit referendum campaign began, Britain and the EU have still not worked out how nearly $1 trillion in trade per year will operate once Britain leaves a status quo transition arrangement on December 31, 2020.
Ireland, the EU nation most exposed to Brexit, said that there were just days, or possibly weeks, left to find a way to unlock trade talks, while a senior EU official said that there might no longer be time to put any trade deal agreed into force.

Peru Seeks Third President in a Week

Peruvian lawmakers and the country's top court were set to debate on who should take over as President after Congress failed overnight to name a candidate to become the third leader in the space of a week marred by deadly protests.
The Andean country's interim leader, Manuel Merino, resigned, after the ouster last week of his predecessor, centrist Martin Vizcarra, had sparked off protests and dragged the country into a constitutional crisis.
Peru's fragmented and unpopular Congress will vote after an unsuccessful midnight vote to select the only name then put forward, Rocío Silva-Santisteban, a leftist human rights defender.

Nov 16, 2020

Peru's President Steps Down After Just 6 Days

Facing widespread opposition, Peru's interim president stepped down, plunging a country already facing an economic tailspin and a devastating pandemic into a constitutional crisis.
The interim president, Manuel Merino, had taken power after legislators shocked the nation by voting to remove the popular incumbent, Martín Vizcarra, and then swearing in Mr. Merino, who was the head of Congress.

Aung San Suu Kyi, NLD Win Second Landslide Election in Myanmar

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi and her ruling National League for Democracy have clinched a second consecutive landslide win in national elections, though analysts still expect slow going for democratic reforms and peace talks in the war-torn country.
The Union Election Commission declared the NLD the winner of the Nov. 8 poll, with the party gaining 396 of the 498 contested seats in the bicameral parliament. That not only puts it well over the 322 it needs to govern alone but gives it nine more seats than it won in 2015, when it swept to power in Myanmar's first democratic elections after decades of military rule.

RCEP: Asia-Pacific Countries Form World's Largest Trading Bloc

Fifteen countries have formed the world's largest trading bloc, covering nearly a third of the global economy.
The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is made up of 10 Southeast Asian countries, as well as South Korea, China, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.
The pact is seen as an extension of China's influence in the region.
The deal excludes the US, which withdrew from a rival Asia-Pacific trade pact in 2017.

US judge rejects Trump limits on 'Dreamer' immigration programme

A judge has rejected the White House's limitations on a programme protecting 700,000 so-called "Dreamers," undocumented migrants brought to the United States as children.
The federal judge in New York ruled that President Donald Trump's acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf was not lawfully serving in his role when he issued the new rules for the DACA programme in July.
The ruling is another victory for proponents of the Barack Obama-era programme after the US Supreme Court in June rejected Trump's cancellation of it.

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