General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2018

Jun 2018

Oct 23, 2020

Sweeping Powers for Lanka President

Sri Lanka's Parliament passed the 20th Amendment to the Constitution with two-thirds majority, consolidating the power in the hands of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and undermining the authority of Parliament.
The second reading of the 20th Amendment was passed in Parliament, with 156 MPs voting in favour of the Bill and 65 against it in the 223-member Parliament. Only 213 members were present at the time of voting.
The interesting feature of the vote was six defections from the Opposition benches to government ranks.
With their dominant majority in the assembly, the Rajapaksa have made it clear that they would amend the Constitution to bolster the powers of the President, reversing the work of the previous government to introduce more checks and balances and enhance the role of Parliament.

Whistleblower Edward Snowden Gets Permanent Residency Rights

Russia has granted US whistleblower Edward Snowden permanent residency rights, a step towards Russian citizenship if he wants it.
Snowden fled the United States and was given asylum in Russia after leaking secret files in 2013 that revealed vast domestic and international surveillance operations carried out by the US National Security Agency where he was a contractor.
US authorities have for years wanted Snowden returned to the United States to face a criminal trial on espionage charges brought in 2013.

China Vows Retaliation if US Proceeds with Taiwan Arms Sale

China has vowed to retaliate if the US proceeds with the sale of advanced weaponry to Taiwan worth more than a billion dollars.
The statement from China's defence ministry gave no specifics but the development marks a further deterioration in ties between Beijing and Washington that have hit their lowest ebb in decades.
The State Department announced it had green lighted the sale of 135 precision land-attack missiles, associated equipment and training to Taiwan to improve its defence capabilities. The package is worth just over a billion dollars, it said in a statement. The missiles are made by Boeing.

Lebanon's New Prime Minister

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun designated Sunni Muslim politician Saad al-Hariri as Prime Minister to form a new government to tackle the worst crisis since the country's 1975-1990 civil war.
Hariri won the backing of a majority of parliamentarians in consultations with Aoun. He faces major challenges to navigate Lebanon's power-sharing politics and agree a cabinet, which must then address a mounting list of woes: a banking crisis, currency crash, rising poverty and crippling state debts.
A new government will also have to contend with a COVID-19 surge and the fallout of the huge August explosion at Beirut port that killed nearly 200 people and caused billions of dollars of damage.

Sri Lanka Opposes Delisting of LTTE as Terror Group

Sri Lanka has appealed against a judgment from Britain's Proscribed Organisations Appeal Commission, which has delisted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) as a proscribed terrorist organisation.
As per a foreign ministry statement, Sri Lanka had been made aware of the Open Judgment by the Commission
The decision of the commission arose from an appeal filed in May 2019 by an LTTE front organisation challenging a decision of the British Secretary of State for Home Affairs.

Oct 22, 2020

EU and Britain to Resume Trade Talks

Britain will resume talks with the European Union (EU), marking a new push by the two sides to protect billions of dollars worth of trade from the beginning of next year.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson walked away from the negotiations late last week after British officials criticised conclusions from an EU summit, which they said that suggested only London should compromise to try to secure a new trade deal.
With just 10 weeks until a status quo Brexit transition period due to end, both sides have traded blame and called on each other to offer more concessions in the talks, which have been all but deadlocked since the summer.
But while markets welcomed the resumption, it is unclear whether the two sides can bridge gaps on fair competition guarantees —especially state aid rules —and fisheries, a sector laden with symbolism for Brexit supporters in Britain.

Taiwan Not Seeking Arms Race with China

Taiwan is not seeking to get involved in an arms race with China but does need a credible combat capability, Defence Minister Yen De-fa said after the United States approved a potential $1.8 billion arms sale to the Chinese-claimed island.
Beijing has applied increasing pressure on democratically-ruled Taiwan to accept China's sovereignty, including by flying fighter jets across the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial buffer.
The latest US arms package includes sensors, missiles and artillery, and further congressional notifications are expected for drones made by General Atomics and land-based Harpoon anti-ship missiles, made by Boeing Co, to serve as coastal defence cruise missiles.

Sindh Cops Revolt against Pakistan Army

In a show of open defiance against the Pakistan army, police officers in Karachi threatened to go on mass leave after the Sindh police chief was allegedly kidnapped and coerced to act against PML (N) vice-president Maryam Nawaz Sharif.
Sources in Islamabad said that with the ongoing tussle between Opposition and the Army, Pakistan was slipping into a civil war-like situation.
The Sindh police alleged they were pressured to arrest Maryam's husband Safdar Awan. Sindh is headed by CM Syed Murad Ali Shah of the Pakistan People's Party.
The Sindh police had arrested Safdar Awan, who's the son-in-law of exiled former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, from a hotel in Karachi.

Oct 21, 2020

US Files Antitrust Case against Google

The US government has filed charges against Google, accusing the company of violating competition law to preserve its monopoly over internet searches and online advertising.
The lawsuit marks the biggest challenge brought by US regulators against a major tech company in years.
It follows more than a year of investigation and comes as the biggest tech firms face intense scrutiny of their practices at home and abroad.
Google called the case deeply flawed.
The company has maintained that its sector remains intensely competitive and that its practices put customers first.
People use Google because they choose to - not because they are forced to or because they can't find alternatives.

Trump Says Sudan to be removed from Terrorism List

President Donald Trump said that Sudan will be removed from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism if it follows through on its pledge to pay $335 million to American terror victims and their families but some hurt in the attacks weren't happy with the deal.
The move will open the door for the African country to get international loans and aid needed to revive its battered economy and rescue the country's transition to democracy.
The announcement comes as the Trump administration works to get other Arab countries, such as Sudan, to join the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain's recent recognition of Israel.

Vietnam Invites India for ASEAN Virtual Summit

Vietnam invited India to take part in the ASEAN virtual summit that will take place from November 13-15. Hanoi, which is the chair of the ASEAN for 2020 has invited all 10 dialogue partners for the annual summit.
The 10 dialogue partners of ASEAN are Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Russia, the United States and the European Union.
India has increased its engagement with ASEAN and earlier this year, new ASEAN-India Plan of Action (2021-2025) was adopted.

Oct 20, 2020

Singapore Becomes First Country to Use Facial Recognition to Pay Taxes

In Singapore, online government services can now be accessed by facial recognition -- a world first.
This technology is being rolled out to the city-state's SingPass digital identity scheme, offering access to no less than 400 online services, including tax declarations and public housing applications. Facial recognition is also increasingly being used to access other online services, such as banking.
This new function, dubbed SingPass Face Verification, lets users connect securely to government websites, as well as online services on private websites. The function is designed to work via home computers, tablets and cell phones, as well as at public kiosks.
According to the Singapore authorities, the technology helps ensure that the right person is genuinely present in front of their screen, rather than a photograph, a video, a replayed recording or a deep fake.

Oct 19, 2020

India, Chile hold first joint commission meeting

India and Chile held their first joint commission meeting and agreed to add new momentum to their relations in a wide range of fields including trade and commerce, agriculture, health and social security, defence and space.
The meeting held virtually was co-chaired by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chilean counterpart Andres Allamand Zavala. Both sides noted that the Joint Commission was a significant development in India - Chile relations, being the first institutionalized dialogue between the two countries at the level of Foreign Ministers.
India welcomed Chile's decision to designate India as a priority country in its foreign policy. Chile will also be opening its Consulate General in Mumbai.
Based on their convergence of views on many global and regional issues, both sides agreed to coordinate closely at the multilateral fora.

Israel and Bahrain to Formalise Diplomatic Ties

Israel and Bahrain officially established diplomatic relations at a ceremony in Manama as the wealthy Gulf region continues to open up to the Jewish state.
An Israeli delegation, led by National Security Council chief Meir Ben Shabbat, arrived from Tel Aviv for a one-day trip that saw Israel and Bahrain formalise a US-brokered agreement they signed at the White House on September 15.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain became only the third and fourth Arab states to agree to normalise ties with Israel, following Israel's 1979 peace deal with Egypt and a 1994 pact with Jordan.

India, Netherlands Collaborate in E-health Initiative

India and the Netherlands discussed a joint thrust in e-health sector with the purpose of providing digital health facilities and security to Indians and helping the Netherlands accelerate the digital transformation of health.
Part of India''s ambitious National Digital Health Mission (NDHM), this collaboration will see the two countries work closely to create capacities and put in place the requisite technology backbone to enable this revolutionary initiative.
The NDHM, unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Independence Day, aims to create a mechanism to improve healthcare significantly and provide better access to it.

New Zealand Election

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has won a landslide victory in the country's general election.
With all votes tallied, Ms Ardern's centre-left Labour Party won 49.1%, bringing a projected 64 seats and a rare outright parliamentary majority.
The opposition centre-right National Party won 26.8% in polls - just 35 seats in the 120-seat assembly.

China Passes New Export Law

China has passed a new law restricting sensitive exports to protect national security, a move that adds to policy tools it could wield against the US as tensions -- especially in technology -- continue to rise.
The law, which China's top legislature passed, comes into effect on 1 December and allows Beijing to "take reciprocal measures" against countries that abuse export controls and pose a threat to national security.
Technical data related to items covered will also be subject to export controls, according to the published text of the law.
Beijing's latest measure gives it more room to hit back in US President Donald Trump's war on Chinese tech firms, with the White House moving against popular platforms and major companies -- including apps TikTok and WeChat, tech giant Huawei and chipmaker Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp.

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