General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2018

Dec 2018

Jun 30, 2021

Angela Merkel Pushes for European Union Talks with Russia

German Chancellor Angela Merkel defended the idea of holding a European Union meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing it would offer an opportunity to confront Putin with European concerns.
The idea was rejected last week by eastern EU members. At a summit on Friday, EU leaders agreed only to "explore formats and conditionalities of dialogue with Russia". There was no mention of any high-level meetings or plans for a summit with Putin, an idea that Germany and France had pushed. The outcome reflected deep divisions in the 27-nation EU's approach to Moscow.
The EU is concerned that Putin is turning increasingly authoritarian and wants to distance himself from the West. Both EU and the NATO military alliance are struggling to bring Russia back to the table.

Former S. African President Zuma Sentenced to Jail

The apex court in South Africa sentenced the country's former President Jacob Zuma to 15 months' imprisonment for contempt of court after he walked out of hearings of the Commission of Enquiry into State Capture in November last year and refused to return to it.
The court also said that the sentence could not be suspended. The Commission, which is investigation allegations of corruption and bribery at state and parastatal institutions, had asked that Zuma be sent to prison for two years.
Zuma has repeatedly said that he would rather go to jail than cooperate with the Commission.

India Jumps to 10th Place in Cybersecurity Index

India entered the top 10 of a global cybersecurity ranking of countries, ahead of China at No.33, and Pakistan at No.79. India improved its ranking from 47 to 10 in the United Nation's ITU Global Cybersecurity Agenda (GCA). The US is ranked first, followed by the UK.
The rankings come at a time when the government has been dealing with several instances of cross-border cyber attacks.
The International Telecommunications Union, or ITU, which is a specialised agency under the UN, said in the report that the ranking is based on four pillars: legal measures, technical measures, capacity building measures and organisational measures.

Atul Keshap to be US Chargé d'Affaires in India

Atul Keshap will be departing for New Delhi to serve as Chargé d'Affaires, ad interim, following the retirement of US ambassador to India, Daniel Smith.
Keshap served previously at the US embassy and as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia. A career member of the US Foreign Service, he has also served as the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka and Maldives
Keshap's appointment will reinforce the close US partnership with the Government and people of India, demonstrated by our collaboration to overcome global challenges like the Covid pandemic.

Jun 29, 2021

Iraq, Egypt and Jordan Hold Summit

Egypt, Jordan and Iraq agreed to bolster security and economic cooperation at a tripartite summit that saw an Egyptian head of state visit Iraq for the first time in three decades.
The visits by Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Jordan's King Abdullah II came as Iraq seeks to move closer to Arab allies of the United States in the Middle East.
Iraq is also seeking to establish itself as a mediator between Arab countries and Iran, after reportedly hosting talks in April between Tehran and Riyadh.

Iran Not to Deliver Nuclear Activities' Record to IAEA

According to parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Iran will not deliver records of its nuclear activities to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) after a temporary understanding reached in January expired.
the Speaker added that the records are in possession of the Iranian authorities, and Tehran's Strategic Action Plan to Counter Sanctions (SAPCS) law is being "thoroughly" implemented.
The SAPCS act was passed by Parliament in December 2020, requiring among other measures the Iranian executive branch to stop implementing the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) by February 23, in case the sanctions imposed on the country by the US were not lifted.
The IAEA and Iranian officials reached a temporary understanding in February to keep the Agency's monitoring cameras under Tehran's supervision for a period of three months up to May 24, and deliver the records to the agency only after sanctions on the country are lifted.

Jun 28, 2021

Sudan Agrees to Hand over Darfur War Crimes Accused

Sudan says it will surrender former officials who are wanted for alleged war crimes in the Darfur region to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
As yet, Sudan has not named the individuals being handed over.
The country's rulers had already promised to surrender ex-President Omar al-Bashir who was in power during the conflict but this has not yet happened.
Bashir was ousted by the military after mass protests in 2019 and is now serving a jail sentence for corruption.
The war in Darfur caused one of the world's worst humanitarian crises of recent years.
Sudan's decision comes weeks after the ICC's outgoing chief prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, visited the country and urged its leaders to surrender all those wanted including Mr. Bashir.

Japan Ratifies World's Biggest Free Trade Agreement Involving China, ASEAN

Japan ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement between China, Australia, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Tokyo becomes the third member to ratify the agreement, which was signed by 15 countries in November last year. Among the signatories, Singapore and China have completed ratification procedures.
The Cabinet approved the accord, completing Tokyo's necessary domestic procedures for the ratification.
It will be Japan's first trade deal involving both China and South Korea -- its largest and third-biggest trade partners.
The deal will strengthen the link between Japan and the (Asia-Pacific) region, which is the world's growth center, and will contribute to Japan's economic growth when it comes into force.

Jun 27, 2021

FATF Keeps Pakistan on Grey List

The global Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has decided to keep Pakistan on the grey list of nations requiring constant monitoring till it demonstrates that terror financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups.
"Though Pakistan government has made substantial progress and has largely addressed 26 out of 27 action points, it is still failing to implement global FATF standards in a number of areas. This means the risk of money laundering remains high in turn fueling corruption and organised crime," said Pleyer at the end of the FATF's virtual plenary that ended.
Pakistan also remains the subject of an investigation by FATF's regional body, the Asia Pacific Group (APG) regarding "serious issues" on money laundering and terror financing. The implication is that even if Pakistan completes all the 27 action points given by FATF, it will also have to clear the APG hurdle. Pakistan will also be subjected to on-site investigations by both FATF and APG before it is cleared.

Jun 26, 2021

Congress Repeals Trump-era Regulations on Payday Lenders

Congress overturned a set of regulations enacted in the final days of the Trump administration that effectively allowed payday lenders to avoid state laws capping interest rates. The House voted 218-208 to overturn the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency's payday lending regulations, with one Republican voting with Democrats. The vote to overturn the OCC's 'true lender rules' marked the first time Democrats in Congress successfully overturned regulations using the Congressional Review Act.
The act was enacted in the mid-1990s and gives Congress the authority to overrule federal agency rules and regulations with a simple majority vote in the House and Senate. Its powers are limited to a certain period after an agency finalises its regulations, usually around 60 legislative days.

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