General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2018

Aug 2018

Jan 06, 2020

Iran will no longer abide by uranium enrichment limits under 2015 nuclear deal

• Less than a week after Iran's top military commander was killed by U.S. drone strike, the regime would further scale back compliance with an international nuclear pact.
• Iran will not respect any limits established in the 2015 nuclear deal on the number of uranium enrichment centrifuges, according to a state-run television broadcast.
• While the other signatories of the nuclear deal ⁠— France, Germany, the U.K., Russia and China ⁠— have tried to keep the agreement alive.

LS Speaker to lead Indian delegation to attend Commonwealth conference in Canada

An Indian Parliamentary delegation led by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla will be attending the 25th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) scheduled to be held from January 5 to 11 in Canada's Ottawa.
The delegation also comprises Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh and Secretary-General of Lok Sabha Snehlata Shrivastava, according to a press release.
Four workshop sessions and a special plenary will be held during the conference.
The theme of the first workshop is -- 'Parliamentary Engagement: Openness, Transparency and Accountability, while the second workshop is based on 'Challenges and Opportunities Arising from the Displacement of a Parliamentary Assembly'.
The theme of the third and fourth workshops are -- 'Parliamentarians as Effective Legislators and Constituency Representatives: Evolving Support Required' and 'Security of Individuals in the Parliamentary Context and Beyond', respectively.
The Lok Sabha Speaker will be the workshop presenter in the fourth workshop and will also attend the meeting of CSPOC standing committee to be held on January 6.

CIC website inaccessible again outside India

While the website of the Central Information Commission (CIC) has been inaccessible in many countries since the beginning of the year, Chief Information Commissioner Sudhir Bhargava says there has been no policy decision to block the website outside India.
The CIC is the highest appeal body under the Right To Information (RTI) Act. Its website, cic.gov.in, offers facilities to file appeals online, as well as a database of all appeals and decisions. The RTI Act specifies that "all citizens shall have the right to information", which would include non-resident citizens.

Pelosi says House will introduce 'War Power Resolution' aimed to limit Trump's Iran military action

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent a letter to Democratic members of Congress announcing the House will introduce and vote on a "War Powers Resolution to limit the President's military actions regarding Iran" amid rising tension.
The resolution, Pelosi writes, "reasserts Congress's long-established oversight responsibilities by mandating that if no further Congressional action is taken, the Administration's military hostilities with regard to Iran cease within 30 days."
The letter comes as the US is deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East following the airstrike that killed Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani. President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to target Iranian cultural sites.
"Last week, the Trump Administration conducted a provocative and disproportionate military airstrike targeting high-level Iranian military officials. This action endangered our servicemembers, diplomats and others by risking a serious escalation of tensions with Iran," Pelosi writes.
The resolution would be led by Rep. Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, who previously worked for the CIA and was an analyst for the Defense Department specializing in Shia militias.

Bangladesh orders arrest of 'fugitive' ex-chief justice

An arrest warrant was issued against Bangladesh's first Hindu chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha on charges of embezzling 40 million taka.
Sinha, 68, who lives in the U.S., has been described as a "fugitive" by the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) in its charge-sheet. Judge K.M. Emrul Kayesh of Dhaka's Senior Special Judges' Court took cognizance of the graft charges brought against Sinha and 10 others by the ACC.

Jan 05, 2020

Attack On Nankana Sahib Gurdwara: SGPC To Send 4-Member Delegation To Pakistan

A day after a group of local Muslims pelted stones on Gurdwara Nankana Sahib near Lahore and threatened to destroy it, several political leaders cutting across party lines condemned the attack and called on the Indian government to take up the issue with Pakistani authorities to ensure the safety of pilgrims and adequate security for the shrine.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex body which manages Sikh shrines, said it will send a four-member delegation to Pakistan to take stock of the situation in Nankana Sahib. SGPC also plans to take up the matter with the United Nations.

Indian-origin MP To Bid For Labour Leadership

Indian -origin British MP Lisa Nandy has formally launched her bid to replace Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, urging the party members to "change course" to avoid becoming "irrelevant" in the wake of the party's worst defeat in over 70 years.
Ms. Nandy has become the fourth Labour hopeful to throw her hat in the ring after Clive Lewis, Jess Phillips and Emily Thornberry.

China Replaces Top Envoy In Hong Kong

China has replaced its top envoy to Hong Kong, the most significant personnel change by Beijing since pro-democracy protests erupted in the city nearly seven months ago.
The removal of the head of the Liaison Office, which represents the central government in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, comes as the city grapples with its biggest political crisis in decades.
Wang Zhimin has been dismissed from his position as head of the Liaison Office and replaced by Luo Huining

Jan 04, 2020

Pakistan Tables Army Chief Tenure Amendment Bill

The Imran Khan government tabled the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, 2020 in parliament after the two main opposition parties assured they would support it.
The amendment is expected to provide clarity on future extensions to the tenures of army chiefs. According to the bill, the army chief's extension will not be challengeable in any court of law in the future. It also states that the matter of an army chief's extension shall not be called into question before any court on any ground whatsoever.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) offered its unconditional support to the amendment, while the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has asked for is that "the democratic legislative process must be followed".

World Shocked at Killing of Iranian General

Global powers warned that the world has become a more dangerous place and urged restraint after the US assassinated Iran's top general, although Britain and Germany also suggested that Iran shared blame for provoking the targeted killing that dramatically ratcheted up tensions in the Mideast.
China, Russia and France, all permanent members of the UN Security Council, took a dim view of the US airstrike near Baghdad's airport that killed Gen Qassem Soleimani.
But while echoing the concerns of other Security Council members about spiraling tensions, Britain and Germany broke ranks, voicing qualified understanding for the US position. German government spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer described the US strike as a reaction to a whole series of military provocations for which Iran bears responsibility, pointing to attacks on tankers and a Saudi oil facility, among other events.

Gotabaya Rajapaksa Seeks Constitutional and Electoral Reforms

In his first address to Parliament since becoming President, Gotabaya Rajapaksa sought constitutional and electoral reform, for a strong executive and legislature and sovereignty of the people.
The proportional representation electoral system, currently followed in Sri Lanka, allows smaller parties to be represented in the legislature with a minimum vote percentage. In a House that is numerically skewed towards the majority Sinhala-Buddhist community, politicians representing minorities have had reasonable say because of the PR-system.

Ayatollah Khamenei Appoints Esmail Ghaani as Head of Quds Force

Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed Deputy Commander of the Quds Force Esmail Ghaani as the head of the unit after Qasem Soleimani was killed in a US airstrike in Baghdad.

Jan 03, 2020

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Visits Pakistan to Boost Bilateral Ties

Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Islamabad on a day-long visit, amidst criticism of the UAE for siding with Saudi Arabia to put pressure on Pakistan to skip a key conference of Muslim nations in Malaysia.
The visit comes in the wake of the controversy created due to Pakistan skipping the Kuala Lumpur summit to apparently appease Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
Both the leaders discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest as well as ways to enhance bilateral ties.
The UAE is Pakistan's largest trading partner in the Middle East and a major source of investments. The UAE is also among Pakistan's prime development partners in education, health and energy sectors.

Turkey Approves Libya Military Deployment

Turkey's parliament passed a bill approving a military deployment to Libya, aimed at shoring up the UN-backed government in Tripoli.
The beleaguered Tripoli government has been under sustained attack since April 2019 by military strongman General Khalifa Haftar, who is backed by Turkey's regional rivals Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.

Israeli Court Declines to Rule on Netanyahu's Eligibility

Israel's Supreme Court declined to weigh in on whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can return to his post now that he has been indicted, postponing any ruling on his political future until after March elections.
A three-judge panel said that the question of whether an indicted member of parliament can be tapped to form a government is important, but that it would be premature to decide the issue before the vote.
The court had been widely expected to delay any ruling. Judging Netanyahu ineligible would have triggered a major political crisis and exacerbated already strained ties between the government and the judiciary.
Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Israeli Cabinet members are required to resign if indicted, but the rule does not apply to the Prime Minister. He has continued serving as caretaker Prime Minister after failing to form a government after unprecedented back-to-back elections last year.

Austria's Unlikely Coalition to Unveil Govt. Programme

Austria's conservatives and their Green partners were set to present the government programme of their unprecedented coalition, a plan with right-wing leader Sebastian Kurz's clear imprimatur that could set a European precedent.
The two parties announced that they had agreed to govern together after key election gains in September following a corruption scandal that broke apart 33-year-old Kurz's ruling coalition with the far right.
Kurz -- who has styled himself as a tough anti-immigration fighter -- said that his People's Party and the Greens had succeeded in uniting the best of both worlds in protracted negotiations aimed at protecting the climate and borders.
It is the Greens' first entry into the Austrian government at a national level -- and that in the unlikely marriage of conservatives and ecologists.

Jan 02, 2020

Pakistan Approves Amendment to Army Act

The Pakistan government approved amendments to the Army Act, four weeks after it assured the Supreme Court of passing a legislation on the extension and reappointment of army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa within six months.

Benjamin Netanyahu Will Seek Immunity from Corruption Charges

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek immunity from charges that accuse him of accepting bribes, fraud and breach of trust. The move will likely delay any trial until after the March elections, when he hopes to have a majority coalition that will shield him from prosecution.
Netanyahu was indicted in November on the corruption charges. After failing to assemble a governing majority following back-to-back elections last year, he will get a third shot at remaining in office in March.
This announcement has essentially turned the upcoming election into a referendum on whether Netanyahu should be granted immunity and remain in office, or step down and stand trial. A recent poll indicated that a majority of Israelis oppose giving him immunity.

Kim Promises to Unveil a New Strategic Weapon

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that he sees no reason to continue his self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests, warning the world will soon see a new strategic weapon unveiled by his country in the near future.

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