General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2018

Jun 2018

Nov 11, 2020

US Attorney General Okays Probe into Vote Irregularities

Attorney General William Barr has authorized federal prosecutors across the US to pursue substantial allegations of voting irregularities before the 2020 presidential election is certified, despite little evidence of fraud.
Barr's action comes days after Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump and raised the prospect that Trump will use the Justice Department to try to challenge the outcome.
It gives prosecutors the ability to go around longstanding Justice Department policy that normally would prohibit such overt actions before the election is formally certified.
Trump has not conceded the election and is instead claiming without evidence that there has been a widespread, multi-state conspiracy by Democrats to skew the vote tally in Biden's favour.
Biden holds a sizable lead in multiple battleground states and there has been no indication of enough improperly counted or illegally cast votes that would shift the outcome.

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia Sign Deal to End Conflict

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia have signed a deal to end the military conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region after more than a month of bloodshed.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan first announced the signing on social media and the Kremlin and Azerbaijan`s President Ilham Aliyev later confirmed the news.
The signed trilateral statement will become a (crucial) point in the settlement of the conflict.
Putin said that Russian peacekeepers would be deployed along the frontline in Nagorno-Karabakh and the corridor between the region and Armenia.

UK PM's Treaty-breaking Brexit Laws Defeated in Parliament

Prime Minister Boris Johnson suffered a heavy defeat in parliament`s upper chamber over proposed laws which would allow him to breach Britain`s EU exit treaty - a plan that has been criticised by US President elect Joe Biden.
The Internal Market Bill is designed to protect trade between Britain`s four nations after Brexit. It contains clauses ministers say are needed to protect Northern Ireland`s delicate status as part of the United Kingdom, but would also break international law in a "specific and limited" way.
The House of Lords voted to strip those clauses from the bill in a series of defeats for the ruling Conservative Party. The government does not have a majority in the Lords and even some high-profile Conservative members opposed the clauses.

Modi Speaks at SCO Meet in Front of Chinese President Xi Jinping

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) virtual summit alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan and leaders of four central Asian countries.
Surprisingly, the Russian President Putin who hosted the chair of the grouping this year was seen noting down the points in the most part of PM Modi's address. He was seen listening to PM Modi's address very carefully and kept noting the points.
The virtual summit also witnessed Chinese President Jinping and Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan listening to PM Modi.
During his address, PM Modi indirectly slammed Pakistan calling it 'unfortunate' that there are unnecessary and repeated attempts to bring bilateral issues in the SCO agenda, which is in violation of SCO Charter and Shanghai spirit.

Nov 10, 2020

Peru's Martín Vizcarra Faces another Impeachment Vote

Peru's Congress is expected to vote on whether to impeach President Martín Vizcarra over corruption allegations.
A previous impeachment vote held less than two months ago failed to get the necessary votes.
Eighty-seven votes are needed in the 130-member Congress to remove the President from his post.
Mr. Vizcarra has denied any wrongdoing and said that the vote creates turbulence just months ahead of elections.
Mr. Vizcarra would go to Congress later on Monday to give his defence to allegations he accepted bribes worth 2.3m soles ($640,000; £487,000) when he was governor of the southern Moquegua region.
The impeachment vote is expected to be held once Mr. Vizcarra has finished presenting his defence.
Last week, 60 lawmakers voted in favour of the proceedings going ahead, while 40 opposed the move and 18 abstained.

Suu Kyi's Party Claims Victory in Myanmar

Myanmar's ruling party said that it had won enough seats in parliament to form the next government, after reporting a lead based on its unofficial count of votes from the country's second general election since the end of strict military rule.
According to Myo Nyunt, internal reports showed the National League for Democracy (NLD), led by Aung San Suu Kyi, had won the 322 seats in parliament needed, though no official results had been announced by the election commission.
Election was seen as a referendum on the fledgling democratic government led by Suu Kyi and the NLD, which remains hugely popular at home but has seen its reputation collapse overseas amid allegations of genocide against the Rohingya Muslim minority.

India-Maldives to Sign MOUs and Discuss COVID-19 Crisis

A number of MoUs in the field of sports and on implementation of some high impact community development projects were signed between Maldives and India in Malé. The signing came during the visit of Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla to the country.
Maldivian Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed and his Indian counterpart held official discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with particular emphasis on the recovery and resilience efforts to curb the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, including boosting tourism.
Amidst the COVID pandemic, India had sent relief to Maldives in terms of food, medicine.
Focus was also on "accelerating" the implementation of the ongoing development cooperation projects across the Maldives.

Trump Fires US Defence Secretary Mark Esper

US President Donald Trump fired Defence Secretary Mark Esper, a stunning move on the heels of Trump's failed reelection bid.
Presidents who win reelection often replace Cabinet members, including the secretary of defence, but losing Presidents have kept their Pentagon chiefs in place until Inauguration Day to preserve stability in the name of national security.
Trump said that effective immediately Christopher Miller, the director of the National Counter terrorism Center, will serve as acting secretary, sidestepping the department's No.2-ranking official, Deputy Defence Secretary David Norquist.

India Supports Expansion of NDB Membership at BRICS Meet

India supported the expansion of the membership of the New Development Bank, set up by India and other BRICS nations, and emphasised on the importance of regional balance.
Participating in the 1st BRICS Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors meeting under the BRICS Russian Chairmanship, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also said that a consensus solution will play an important role in ensuring fairness, equity and sustainability of tax systems.
The agenda of the meeting included discussions on the outcomes of G20 Saudi Presidency in 2020, a digital platform to encourage infrastructure investments and expansion of the membership of the New Development Bank.

Nov 09, 2020

Japan Formally Proclaims Crown Prince Akishino Heir to Throne

Japan formally proclaimed Crown Prince Akishino the first in line as heir to the throne, the last of a series of ceremonies after his elder brother, Emperor Naruhito, became monarch last year following their father's abdication.
The day-long ceremonies at the palace had been scheduled for April but were postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic and have been scaled back as infection keeps rising.
Under Japanese law, only males can inherit the throne, so Naruhito's only offspring, 18-year-old Princess Aiko.

UN Watchdog Says Pakistan Does Not Deserve to be in UNHRC

In an unprecedented move, the UN Watch took a scathing dig at Prime Minister Imran Khan for his intolerant views and Pakistan's inclusion in the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC).
Pakistan was recently re-elected to the UNHRC even as the country's human rights record is one among the worst in the world.
Two weeks ago, a French teacher was beheaded by an Islamist in Paris for exhibiting Charlie Hebdo cartoons in a class on the idea of freedom of expression. While President Emmanuel Macron has made it clear that Islamic radicalism and terrorism will not be tolerated in France, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan justified the brutal act of beheading by arguing that the teacher had committed "blasphemy" by showing the cartoons of the Islamic Prophet.

Nov 08, 2020

Mississippi Voters Approve New State Flag Design

Mississippi voters cast their ballots in favour of a new flag design, replacing the state's long-controversial banner, which was adopted in 1894 and prominently featured the Confederate battle flag.
A bill to alter the flag was passed by the Mississippi state legislature earlier this summer, in the wake of widespread protests about racial justice in America. The redesigned flag is called "The New Magnolia" and features the state flower surrounded by 20 stars, signifying the state's position when joining the union, alongside the phrase "In God We Trust".

The UK and EU to Step up Efforts on Brexit Deal

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the head of the European Union's executive arm agreed to stay in contact as their negotiating teams step up efforts to conclude a post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and the European Union.
With less than two months to go before the UK exits the EU's economic orbit, the negotiating teams would redouble efforts to reach a deal.
Both sides said that the main issues at hand related to a so-called level playing field governing business regulations and fisheries.

Joe Bidden New President of the US

Joe Biden has won the US elections defeating Donald Trump. His Oath of Office as the 46th President of the US will be administered by the Chief Justice of Supreme Court. He is to assume office on January 20, 2021. The election results make Trump the first one term President since 1990. This year, the US vote counting was delayed. The delay in declaration of US Election results was due to several reasons. The foremost was that different state in the country adopts different polling, counting processes.
Joe Biden served as the 47th Vice President during Obama administration between 2009 and 2017. In 2009, during the Great Recession, he oversaw the infrastructure spending of America.
The election for the President of United States is held once in four years. A person cannot run for US President Election more than two times.

Nov 07, 2020

Suu Kyi's Party Expected to Win Second Term

Myanmar's citizens go to the polls in an effort to sustain the fledgeling democracy they helped install just five years ago.
There are about 37 million registered voters, though turnout is expected to suffer because of a recent surge in coronavirus cases.
In 2015, excitement was high over the opportunity to end more than five decades of army-directed rule.
The National League of Democracy party of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi roared to a landslide election victory and she became her country's leader after many hard years at the forefront of a non-violent struggle against military dictatorships that won international admiration.
This year, her party is expected to again top the polls, but some critics feel her administration has failed to embrace democratic principles.

China Slams US for Delisting Xinjiang's ETIM as Terrorist Outfit

China criticised the US for delisting Xinjiang's separatist militant outfit East Turkistan Islamic Movement from its list of terrorist organisations, saying it reflected Washington's double standards on fighting global terrorism.
In a major policy shift, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo lifted the ban on East Turkistan Islamic Movement (ETIM), which was designated as a terrorist organisation by the UN's 1267 counter-terrorism committee in 2002 for its alleged association with al-Qaida, Osama bin Laden and the Taliban.
China accuses ETIM, which is entrenched in Uighur Muslim-majority province of Xinjiang, of being responsible for numerous violent attacks in the province and outside, including one at the Forbidden City in Beijing, killing several people.

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