General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - November 2018

Nov 2018

Sep 22, 2021

Taliban Appoints Deputy Ministers

The Taliban announced a list of deputy ministers, failing to name any women, despite an international outcry when they presented their all-male Cabinet ministers earlier this month.
The list was presented by government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid at a conference in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
The list of deputy ministers signals that the Taliban have not been swayed by the international criticism and that they're doubling down on their current hard-line path despite initial promises of inclusivity and upholding women's rights.
According to Mujaheb, the newly-formed Taliban government is an interim one and will include women, minorities and professionals over a period of time.

Putin's Party Wins Election

Opponents accused Russian authorities of mass fraud on Monday after the ruling United Russia party, which supports President Vladimir Putin, won a bigger than expected parliamentary majority despite unease over living standards.
With 99.9% of ballots counted, the Central Election Commission said that United Russia had won nearly 50% of the vote, with its nearest rival, the Communist Party, taking just under 19%.
The scale of the victory means United Russia will have more than two-thirds of deputies in the 450-seat State Duma Lower House of parliament. This will enable it to continue to push through laws without having to rely on other parties.

Taliban Nominates Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's UN Ambassador

The Taliban nominated their Doha-based spokesman Suhail Shaheen as Afghanistan's UN ambassador. This comes after the Taliban said that they wanted to address world leaders at United Nations.
Meanwhile, Qatar`s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani urged world leaders not to boycott the Taliban. The ruling emir of Qatar urged world leaders gathered at the United Nations against turning their backs on Afghanistan`s Taliban rulers.

Justin Trudeau's Liberals Win Canada Election

Canadians gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party a victory in parliamentary elections, but his gamble to win a majority of seats appeared to have failed.
The Liberals were on track to win the most seats of any party. Trudeau channeled the star power of his father, the Liberal icon and late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, when he first won election in 2015 and now appeared to have led his party to the top finish in two elections since.
The Liberals were leading in 148 ridings, the Conservatives in 103, the Quebec-based Bloc Quebecois in 28 and the leftist New Democratic Party in 22.

Sep 21, 2021

Taliban: No Country Should Ask Us to Form Inclusive Government

Days after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's comments over the government formed in Afghanistan, the Taliban expressed that countries have no right to ask the Islamic Emirate to establish an inclusive government in Afghanistan.
The remarks came from Taliban spokesperson and Deputy Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid after Pakistan and several other countries reiterated the Taliban to form an inclusive government in Afghanistan.

Iran Becomes 9th Member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation

Iran was officially admitted as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The decision to admit Iran as a full member was declared in the 21st summit of the SCO leaders in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. At the end of the 21st Summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the leaders of the eight main members of the organisation agreed to change the membership of the Islamic Republic of Iran from an observer member to a full member and signed the relevant documents.
The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), or Shanghai Pact, is a Eurasian political, economic, and security alliance. It is the world's largest regional organisation in geographic scope and population.
The SCO is the successor to the Shanghai Five, a mutual security agreement formed in 1996 between China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. On 15 June 2001, the leaders of these nations and Uzbekistan met in Shanghai to announce a new organisation with deeper political and economic cooperation; the SCO established the following year with the signing of its charter, which entered into force on 19 September 2003. Its membership has since expanded to eight states, with India and Pakistan joining on 9 June 2017.

World's Oldest Certified Living Identical Twins

Two Japanese sisters have been certified by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living identical twins, aged 107 years and 330 days. The announcement coincided with Respect for the Aged Day, a national holiday in Japan.
Sisters Umeno Sumiyama and Koume Kodama were born on Shodoshima Island in western Japan on November 5, 1913.
The sisters as of September 1 broke the previous record of 107 years and 175 days set by famous Japanese twin sisters Kin Narita and Gin Kanie.

Sep 20, 2021

Voters Choose New Hong Kong Electors

Select Hong Kong residents voted for members of the Election Committee that will choose the city's leader in the first polls following reforms meant to ensure candidates with Beijing loyalty.
The Election Committee will select 40 of 90 lawmakers in the city's legislature during elections in December, as well as elect the Hong Kong leader during polls in March next year.
In May, the legislature amended Hong Kong's electoral laws to ensure that only patriots, people who are loyal to China and the semi-autonomous territory, will rule the city. The committee also was expanded to 1,500 members, from 1,200, and the number of direct voters for committee seats was reduced from about 246,000 to less than 8,000.

UNSC Extends Mandate for its Assistance Mission in Afghanistan

The UN Security Council extended for six months the mandate of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), unanimously voting on a resolution that emphasises the importance of the establishment of an inclusive and representative government.
The 15-nation Council voted on the draft resolution that extended the mandate of UNAMA until March 17, 2022.
The resolution, stressing the important role that the United Nations will continue to play in promoting peace and stability in Afghanistan, recognises the need for strengthened efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan and the important coordination role of the United Nations, and reaffirming that the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance requires all parties to allow full, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, for United Nations humanitarian agencies and other humanitarian actors.

Manny Pacquiao to Run for Philippines President

Philippine boxing star Manny Pacquiao will run for President in next year's election.
He was nominated as a candidate by a faction of the ruling party, PDP-Laban.
On top of a glittering career as a fighter, Pacquiao is a senator in the Philippines' parliament.
Incumbent Rodrigo Duterte is barred from another term but has been picked by a rival party faction to run for vice-president, a move critics say is an attempt to cling to power.

France Pulls Out of UK Defence Talks amid Row

France's Defence Minister has cancelled talks with her UK counterpart amid the row prompted by a new security deal between Britain, the US and Australia.
Paris is angry after Australia signed the Aukus pact to build nuclear-powered submarines, pulling out of a major contract with France in the process.
UK PM Boris Johnson said that France had nothing to worry about from the deal.
But Florence Parly's meeting with UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace in London this week has been called off.
The Aukus agreement brokered last week, widely seen as an effort to counter China's influence in the contested South China Sea, ended a deal worth $37bn (£27bn) signed by Australia in 2016 for France to build 12 conventional submarines.

Sep 19, 2021

Albania Approves New Female-dominated Cabinet

The Albanian parliament approved a cabinet dominated by women, following a 20-hour parliamentary debate.
The country's parliament voted 77-53 for the new cabinet under Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Of the 17 cabinet seats, 12 will be held by women.
The newly reelected premier said his new government "will enter history as the Cabinet with the highest number of women."
According to the latest UN figures, Albania now ranks fifth globally in women's representation in Cabinet.

Sep 18, 2021

Beijing Seeks to Join an Asia-Pacific Trade Deal Donald Trump Left

Beijing has applied to join an Asia-Pacific trade pact once pushed by the U.S. as a way to isolate China and solidify American dominance in the region.
China submitted a formal application letter to join the deal, known officially as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
The treaty was originally envisioned by the U.S. as an economic bloc to counterbalance China's growing power, with then-President Barack Obama saying in 2016 that the U.S., not China, should write the regional rules of trade. His successor Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in 2017, with Japan leading the revised and renamed pact to a successful conclusion the following year.

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