General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Sep 22, 2020

EU Imposes Sanctions over Libya Arms Embargo

The European Union has imposed sanctions on three companies for violating the UN arms embargo on Libya.
A meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels resolved that the sanctions imposed include an asset freeze for the three companies.
Two individuals were also sanctioned for human rights abuses in Libya.
These new listings show the EU's strategic use of its sanctions regime and ability to react to developments on the ground in support of the political process and to deter past and present perpetrators from further violations.
The three companies are from Turkey, Kazakhstan and Jordan respectively.
A United Nations report seen early this month accused Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other states of blatantly defying the international arms embargo on Libya.
Libya has been torn by violence since long-time ruler Col Muammar Gaddafi was deposed in 2011 by Nato-backed forces.
The UAE backs renegade Gen Khalifa Haftar, while the Turkish government supports his rivals in the government based in Tripoli.

Taiwan Military Says it Has Right to Counter Attack Amid China Threats

Taiwan said that its armed forces have the right to self-defence and counter attack amid harassment and threats, in an apparent warning to China, which last week sent numerous jets across the mid-line of the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
Tensions have sharply spiked in recent months between Taipei and Beijing, which claims democratically run Taiwan as its own territory, to be taken by force if needed.
As per Taiwan's defence ministry, it had clearly defined procedures for the island's first response amid high frequency of harassment and threats from the enemy's warships and aircraft this year.

Belarus Opposition Appeal to EU Fails to Unblock Sanctions

European Union foreign ministers failed to agree sanctions against Belarusian officials, despite an appeal by the country's main opposition leader.
After a sixth straight weekend of huge protests against President Alexander Lukashenko, opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya travelled to Brussels to try to convince the EU to follow through on a sanctions threat it announced last month.
So far the bloc has yet to approve a list of some 40 Belarusian officials to be hit with travel bans and asset freezes. Cyprus has been seen as blocking approval by tying the Belarus measures to unrelated sanctions it wants on Turkey in a gas exploration dispute.
According to EU's top diplomat Josep Borrell, although there is a clear will to adopt the sanctions, the required unanimity was not reached, referring to EU rules that all 27 states must agree.

Lebanese President Warns of 'Hell' If No New Govt. is Formed

Lebanon's President warned that the crisis-hit country could be going to hell if a new government was not formed soon.
President Michel Aoun criticised his political allies, the Shiite groups Hezbollah and Amal, for insisting on holding on to the Finance Ministry portfolio in any new government and on naming the Shiite ministers in the Cabinet.
Their insistence has undermined a French initiative led by President Emmanuel Macron for a Lebanese government of independent specialists that was to be formed by September 15 to enact desperately needed reforms meant to extract the country from a devastating economic and financial crisis.
The crisis, which has led to the collapse of the Lebanese currency, has been worsened by the August 4 explosion at Beirut's port caused by the detonation of thousands of tons of ammonium nitrate, which killed nearly 200 people, injured thousands and caused losses worth billions of dollars.

Sep 21, 2020

Thailand Protests: Activists Challenge Monarchy by Laying 'People's Plaque'

Anti-government protesters have installed a plaque declaring Thailand 'belongs to the people', in a bold show of opposition to the monarchy.
The plaque was laid near Bangkok's Grand Palace in the latest challenge to Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn.
Student-led protests calling for reform of the country's monarchy and political system have been going on since July.
The protests over the weekend were some of the largest in years, with thousands defying authorities to demand change.
Their calls for royal reform are particularly sensitive in Thailand, where criticism of the monarchy is punishable by long prison sentences.
Protesters are also demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, who took power in a 2014 coup and won disputed elections last year.

Opposition Parties in Pakistan Launch Alliance to Oust Imran Khan

Demanding Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's immediate resignation, the country's major opposition parties have launched an alliance to hold a countrywide protest movement to oust his government.
A 26-point joint resolution was adopted by the All Parties Conference (APC), which was hosted by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and attended by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and several other parties.
At a joint press conference after the end of the multi-party meeting, JUI-F chief Mualana Fazl ur Rehman read out the resolution and said that the Opposition parties have agreed to launch an alliance named Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to organise countrywide protests against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government from October.
The resolution alleged that the Khan government has been granted "fake stability by the same establishment" that interfered with the elections to bring the incumbent rulers to power.
The protests would start in phases. In the first phase, the opposition parties will hold joint rallies in all four provinces in October. The second phase will begin in December during which the opposition will hold huge rallies across the country.
Finally, a "decisive" long march towards Islamabad would start in January next year to oust the government.
The forum also demanded that elections be held again in a transparent manner and that electoral reforms should be passed in order to ensure free and fair polls.

Sep 20, 2020

France, UK, Germany Reject US Call to Return Iran Sanctions

The U.S. has no authority to demand a snap-back in sanctions against Iran after quitting the 2015 nuclear deal two years ago.
Since quitting the nuclear accord in May 2018, the Trump administration has intensified efforts to pressure the Islamic Republic, ratcheting up sanctions. But the U.S. moves have united partners like the U.K., France and Germany with Russia and China, who have sought to salvage the accord.
That has left the U.S. isolated on the UN Security Council, with most nations saying America has no authority to demand the return of international sanctions since it's no longer a party to the agreement.

White House Receives Envelope Containing Poison Ricin

Federal officials intercepted an envelope addressed to the White House that contained the poison ricin.
The letter was intercepted at a government facility that screens mail addressed to the White House and President Donald Trump.
A preliminary investigation indicated it tested positive for ricin, a poison found naturally in castor beans.

Thai Protesters Challenge Monarchy as Huge Protests Escalate

Openly challenging the monarchy of Thai King Maha Vajiralongkorn, thousands of protesters marched in Bangkok to present demands that include a call for reforms to curb his powers.
Protesters have grown ever bolder during two months of demonstrations against Thailand's palace and military-dominated establishment, breaking a longstanding taboo on criticising the monarchy - which is illegal under lese majeste laws.
The Royal Palace was not immediately available for comment. The king, who spends much of his time in Europe, is not in Thailand now.
The marchers were blocked by hundreds of unarmed police manning crowd control barriers.

Sep 19, 2020

Bolivia's Interim Leader Jeanine Áñez Quits Presidential Race

Bolivia's interim President Jeanine Áñez has quit the presidential election due on 18 October.
She said she did not want to split the vote and see the return to office of former President Evo Morales' Mas socialist party.
Mas candidate Luis Arce is leading in opinion polls, with Ms Áñez trailing in fourth place.
Ms Áñez was sworn in last year after Mr Morales resigned and left the country amid allegations of electoral fraud.
Mr Morales, who currently lives in Argentina, later said he was forced into exile by the police and the military.

Israel Marks Jewish New Year

Israel is entering a second nationwide lockdown to curb surging coronavirus cases, just as people begin to mark the start of Jewish New Year.
Rosh Hashanah is traditionally a time for big, family get-togethers.
But under the new three-week lockdown, Israelis must stay within 1km (0.6 miles) of their homes, with exceptions, and the number of people allowed in synagogues has been greatly reduced.

Gaza Violence Flares After Israel Signs Deals With Gulf States

There has been a fresh round of violence between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel, after a ceremony in Washington at which Israel and two Gulf Arab states normalised their relations.
Militants fired two rockets into Israel. One hit the coastal city of Ashdod, wounding two men.
Another barrage of 13 rockets was launched.
In retaliation, the Israeli military bombed sites in Gaza it said belonged to the Palestinian group Hamas.

Sep 18, 2020

Smart City Index 2020

The Institute for Management Development (IMD), in collaboration with Singapore University for Technology and Design (SUTD), released the 2020 Smart City Index, with key findings on how technology is playing a role in the COVID-19 era.
Four Indian cities — New Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru — witnessed a significant drop in their rankings in the global listing of smart cities that was topped by Singapore.
In the 2020 Smart City Index, Hyderabad was placed at the 85th position (down from 67 in 2019), New Delhi at 86th rank (down from 68 in 2019), Mumbai was at 93rd place (in 2019 it was at 78), and Bengaluru at 95th (79 in 2019).
The 2020 Smart City Index (SCI) was topped by Singapore, followed by Helsinki and Zurich in the second and the third place respectively. Others in the top 10 list include Auckland (4th), Oslo (5th), Copenhagen (6th), Geneva (7th), Taipei City (8th), Amsterdam (9th), and New York at the 10th place.

Trump Campaign Denies Sexual Assault Claims by the President in 1997

US President Donald Trump's re-election campaign denied a Guardian newspaper report in which a former model accused the New York real estate developer of sexually assaulting and groping her at the US Open tennis tournament in 1997.
The Guardian reported that Amy Dorris told the paper in an interview that Trump assaulted her outside a bathroom in his VIP box at the tournament that year. She was 24 at the time, the newspaper said.

Miami Herald Apologizes for 'Racist' Insert Column

The Miami Herald is investigating how it published a paid insert with what it called "racist and anti-Semitic commentary" and distributed to readers of its Spanish-language sister paper.
The Florida daily's publisher Aminda Marqués González earlier this week said it will no longer publish or distribute the content of the weekly supplement LIBRE.
Marqués González and the managing editor of El Nuevo Herald Nancy San Martín apologized to readers in a letter saying they had not previously read the advertising insert until a column was widely shared on social media with commentary berating Jews for supporting the Black Lives Matter movement while comparing violent demonstrators to Nazis.

United States Accuses Hezbollah of Storing Explosive Chemical in Europe

Militant group Hezbollah has stored chemicals that can be used to make explosives in several European countries, a senior State Department official said as he appealed to countries in Europe and elsewhere to impose bans on the organization.
Hezbollah operatives have moved ammonium nitrate from Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland in recent years and are suspected to still be storing the material throughout Europe.
Ammonium nitrate is a chemical compound commonly used as a fertilizer, but it can be used to make explosives. It can also be dangerous in storage, as demonstrated by the huge explosion last month in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

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