General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2018

Mar 2018

Jul 30, 2020

UK Names New MI6 Spy Chief to Tackle Challenges from China and Russia

Britain named career diplomat and intelligence officer Richard Moore as the new chief of the MI6 spy service as the West seeks to bolster its defences against hostile espionage from China and Russia. Moore joined the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in 1987, just four years before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
An accomplished intelligence officer, Moore served in various diplomatic and security roles before winning one of the most powerful jobs in Western intelligence. Alex Younger, the current chief of MI6 - or plain "C" - will step down in the autumn.
Moore served as British ambassador to Turkey from January 2014 to December 2017 and has also served as deputy national security adviser.

Turkey Approves Social Media law with New Powers

Turkey's parliament approved a law that gives authorities greater power to regulate social media despite concerns of growing censorship.
The law requires major social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to keep representative offices in Turkey to deal with complaints against content on their platforms. If the social media company refuses to designate an official representative, the legislation mandates steep fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reductions.

Jul 29, 2020

Iran Holds Annual Gulf Drill Amid Rising Tensions with US

Iran`s elite Revolutionary Guards launched a military drill in the Gulf at a time of high tension between Tehran and Washington. There have been periodic confrontations in the Gulf in recent years between the Guards and the U.S. military, which has accused the Guards` navy of sending fast-attack boats to harass U.S. warships as they pass the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran, which opposes the presence of U.S. and Western navies in the Gulf, holds annual naval war games in phases in the strategic waterway, the conduit for some 30% of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea. "The final stage of the drill called `Great Prophet 14` with the participation of the Guards Navy and Air Force has started in the areas of land, air, sea and space in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.

Malaysian Ex-PM Najib Gets 12-year Jail

Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 12 years in jail in the first trial over a multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB that stretched to the Gulf states and Hollywood.
In a case widely seen as a test of the nation's resolve to stamp out corruption and which could have big political implications, high court judge Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali sentenced Najib to 12 years and a fine of 210 million ringgit ($49 million) on a charge of abuse of power.
Najib, 67, also received 10 years in jail on each of three charges of criminal breach of trust and three charges of money laundering for illegally receiving nearly $10 million from SRC International, a former unit of the state fund.
The judge allowed a request by Najib's lawyers to delay the jail sentence and the financial penalty, but asked Najib to post additional bail and report to a police station twice a month.

Jul 28, 2020

Hichem Mechichi Tunisia's New Prime Minister

Tunisia's President Kais Saied appointed the Interior Minister, Hichem Mechichi, as the new Prime Minister for the North African country.
Mechichi will succeeded Elyes Fakhfakh, who resigned last week over allegations of conflict of interest.
Fakhfakh's coalition government was elected last year, with his resignation coming after only five months in power. The political row in parliament has deepened with lawmakers demanding the resignation of Speaker Rached Ghannouchi, the leader of the Islamist Ennahda party.
Mechichi served as President's adviser and member of the National Commission of Investigation on Corruption founded in 2011. However, political analysts are worried about his lack of experience in economics, at a time when the Tunisian economy is struggling.

Mahdi Mohammed Gulaid is Somalia's Interim Prime Minister

Somalia's Deputy Prime Minister Mahdi Mohammed Gulaid announced his appointment as the interim Prime Minister following the vote of no confidence against the previous head of government, Hassan Ali Khaire.
Earlier, the country's parliament ousted Khaire by a vote of no confidence.
According to local website Garowe Online, a new Prime Minister will be appointed within a month.

Mali Leader Appoints New Cabinet to Resolve Crisis

Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta appointed a slimmed down cabinet to work towards a government of national unity.
It said the new cabinet would include the Prime Minister Boubou Cissé and six other ministers.
It came hours after a summit of West African leaders called for the swift creation of a unity administration and a fresh vote, following disputed elections.
No statement has been made on the other proposals by the regional grouping Ecowas, like the resignation of 31 parliamentarians whose election was disputed and the remodelling of the constitutional court.
The opposition coalition in Mali had earlier rejected a proposal for a national unity government, insisting the President must go.

New Zealand Suspends Hong Kong Extradition Treaty

New Zealand has suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to China's new national security law for the territory.
The widely criticised law makes it easier to punish protesters and reduces the city's autonomy.
Travel advice has also been updated to alert New Zealanders to risks presented by the law.
China's embassy in New Zealand said the suspension was a "gross interference in China's internal affairs".
The New Zealand government's decision is a serious violation of international law and basic norms governing international relations.
Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom earlier suspended their extradition treaties with Hong Kong.

Jul 27, 2020

US Sends Envoy to Press for Peace Talks in Afghanistan

Washington dispatched a special envoy for Afghanistan to press for peace talks between the government and Taliban fighters, with the diplomat scheduled to visit Kabul on a trip with stops in five nations.
U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad departed to travel to Doha, Kabul, Islamabad, Oslo and Sofia.
The United States is drawing down its troops in Afghanistan under an agreement struck in February with the Taliban.
The agreement aimed to pave the way for formal peace talks between the insurgents and the Afghan government, and Khalilzad's task is to try and bring both sides to the table.
Khalilzad plans to press for a deal on prisoner exchanges and a reduction in violence, two issues that have hampered progress toward starting peace talks.

Pakistanis Lead al-Qaida Faction, Other Terrorist Groups in Asia: UN Report

According to a UN report, Pakistani nationals remain at the leadership levels in terror groups such as al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant and Khorasan (ISIL-K) and Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, and many of them are yet to be blacklisted.
The 26th report of the Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team concerning ISIL, al-Qaida and associated individuals and entities said that in April and May, the Afghan special forces conducted a series of countrywide operations and arrested the head of the ISIL-K Aslam Farooqi (also known as Abdullah Orokzai) and his predecessor Zia ul-Haq (also known as Abu Omar Khorasani) and others.

Australia Rejects China's Sea Claims

Australia has formally rejected China's territorial and maritime claims in the South China Sea, aligning itself more closely with the US as tensions rise.
In a declaration to the United Nations, Australia said that the claims, which take in the majority of the sea, had "no legal basis.
It comes after the US called some of China's actions in the area unlawful.
In recent years China has built bases on artificial islands in the sea, saying its rights go back centuries.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam contest China's claims. The countries have wrangled over territory for decades but tensions have steadily increased in recent years, with several maritime confrontations taking place.
Beijing claims a vast area known as the "nine-dash line" and has backed its claims with island-building and patrols. It has built significant military infrastructure, although it insists its intentions are peaceful.

Jul 26, 2020

United States Eases Export Restrictions on Unmanned Drones

In a significant development, the Donald Trump administration relaxed standards for exporting drones to friendly countries.
Under the new policy, drones that fly at speeds below 800 km per hour are no longer subject to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
This policy change modernises the approach to implementing the MTCR commitments. It makes it more reflective of the technological realities.
Higher-speed systems such as cruise missiles, hypersonic aerial vehicles, and advanced unmanned combat aerial vehicles are not affected by this revision.

Vietnam Bans Wildlife Imports, Markets Amid New Health Fears

An order signed by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc bans all imports of wildlife dead or alive and includes eggs and larvae. It also merits tougher penalties for crimes involving the trade in wildlife.
Vietnam has been a popular destination for wildlife products – often from endangered species – that are used in traditional medicine or in preparing exotic cuisine. The move comes amid increased scrutiny of the health risks of the wildlife trade as the world deals with the new coronavirus, which is thought to have jumped from animals to humans.
The new directive includes recommendations that conservationists have been making for years, including cracking down on domestic markets.

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