General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Aug 05, 2020

Suu Kyi to Run for Second Term

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi formally declared her intention to seek a second term in an election in November that is seen as a test of the Southeast Asian nation's tentative democratic reforms.
After decades of military rule, Suu Kyi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize for campaigning for democracy, took the reins in 2016 after an electoral landslide, but has been forced to share power with the generals. Her international reputation slumped over Myanmar's treatment of Rohingya Muslims but she remains popular at home, where her image is undented by accusations of complicity in atrocities against the minority.
Suu Kyi waved to a crowd on the outskirts of the former capital Yangon to submit an application to run as a candidate.

EU Imposes Cyber-attack Sanctions on Chinese Nationals Associated with Chinese Intelligence Agency

In a first, the European Union has imposed sanctions on two Chinese nationals and one Chinese company linked with the Chinese intelligence agency in the aftermath of a massive Cyber Attack targetting companies in the continent.
The two Chinese nationals are Gao Qiang, Shilong Zhang and the company that funded them is Tianjin Huaying Haitai Science and Technology Development. All of them based are located in Tianjin, China. The sanctions include a travel ban and an asset freeze and no EU persons or entities will be allowed to deal with them.
They were involved in Operation Cloud Hopper which was a major cyber attack spanning 6 continents including targetted attacks on companies located in European union. The attack involved gaining unauthorised access to commercially sensitive data, resulting in significant economic loss.
What is an added worry is that EU says all 3 were linked to APT10--Advanced Persistent Threat 10 which is backed by the Chinese intelligence agency.

Aug 04, 2020

Irfaan Ali President Elect of Guyana

The presidential candidate for the main opposition People's Progressive Party/Civic, Mohamed Irfaan Ali, was declared President elect of Guyana.
Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Retired Justice Claudette Singh in the declaration of the election stated that article 177 (2) of the Constitution (states) that where there are two or more Presidential candidates, if more votes are cast in favour of the list in which a person is designated as presidential candidate than in favour of any other list, that presidential candidate shall be deemed to be elected president and shall so be declared by the Chairman of the Elections Commission, acting only in accordance with the advice of the Chief Election Officer, after the advice has been tendered to the Elections Commission at a duly summoned meeting.
According to a report by the Chief Elections Officer, Keith Lowenfield, submitted to GECOM, the ruling Coalition – A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), received – 217 920 votes; the main opposition PPP/C received 233 336; while 5 214 went to other parties.

Donald Trump Bans Hiring H1-B Visa Holders for Federal Contracts

In a major disappointment for Indian IT professionals, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order banning federal agencies from hiring H1-B visa holders for federal contracts.
Earlier on June 23, President Trump had passed an order suspending the H-1B visas along with other types of foreign work visas until the end of 2020. The Trump administration had justified the move saying that it was done to safeguard the American workers in the time of coornavirus COVID-19 pandemic. The new restrictions came into effect from June 24.
The H1B visa is most sought-after among Indian IT professionals as it allows US companies to hire foreigners for jobs which require theoretical or technical expertise.

Aug 03, 2020

Prachanda Launches Fresh Salvo against PM K. P. Sharma Oli

Nepal's former Maoist leader and PM aspirant Prachanda continues to be adamant as he launched a fresh salvo against PM K. P. Sharma Oli undermining Communist unity in the Himalayan State notwithstanding desperate measures by China to safeguard the regime.
As per reports, Prachanda launched a tirade against Oli for delaying the debate in the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP), particularly in the Standing Committee –– the highest decision-making body of the party.
Both Dahal and Oli have been sticking to their guns even as the Chinese envoy in Kathmandu is trying her best to unite the two camps. Political circles in Nepal are not confident if Chinese President Xi Jinping's remarks on China-Nepal ties will be enough to safeguard Communist unity.

Aug 02, 2020

Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in UAE Successfully Starts up its First Reactor

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates announced the start-up of its Barakah nuclear power plant, scoring another first for the Arab world.
The announcement, coincided with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, comes on the heels of the UAE's launch of the Arab world's first probe to Mars.
The UAE started loading fuel rods into the reactor at Barakah in February, after regulators gave the green light for the first of the plant's four reactors, opening the way for commercial operations.
The plant had been due to go online in late 2017 but faced a number of delays that officials attributed to safety and regulatory requirements.
The UAE has substantial oil and gas reserves, but with a power-hungry population of 10 million it has made huge investments in developing clean alternatives, including solar energy.
Barakah, which means "blessing" in Arabic, is a regional first -- Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, plans to build up to 16 nuclear reactors.
Barakah was built by a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation at a cost of some $24.4 billion.
When fully operational, its four reactors have the capacity to generate 5,600 megawatts of electricity, around 25 per cent of the nation's needs. The remaining three reactors are almost ready for operation.

England All-rounder Ian Botham Made Member of House of Lords

Legendary England all-rounder Ian Botham was made a member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament.
Botham, a former captain, was among 36 new peers announced by the government to join the unelected House.
Botham, who played 102 Test matches for England between 1977 and 1992, is a prominent Brexit supporter. He was knighted in 2007 in recognition of his services to charity and cricket.
He will sit as a crossbench – independent – peer.
He is the first cricketer to be awarded a peerage since former England women's team captain Rachael Heyhoe-Flint in 2011. David Sheppard, Colin Cowdrey and Learie Constantine were the others who were honoured with House of Lords seats earlier.
After retirement, he has been involved in charity campaigns, including raising funds for research into leukaemia, besides doing commentary of cricket matches.

Nepal to Send Revised Map to India in August

As per reports, the K. P. Sharma Oli-led Nepal government plans to send its recently revised map to India, by the middle of August. The revised map includes Indian territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani. The map will also be sent to Google and other international communities.
The Department of Measurement has printed on 25,000 copies of the latest version of the map, which have been distributed around the nation. Provincial and all other public offices will be given copies free of cost while people can buy it at Nepali Rupees 50.
India has been continuously opposing Nepal for including its three territories in its revised map. India also said that the move is contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue and "such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India.
Meanwhile, the United Nations have refrained from using the new map and said that it will neither use nor officially endorse the new Nepal map.

Aug 01, 2020

Australia to Make Google and Facebook Pay for News Content

The conservative government is pushing ahead with the changes after the pandemic created an advertising revenue crisis for many Australian media companies
The Australian government said that it plans to give Google and Facebook three months to negotiate with Australian media businesses fair pay for news content.
The government has released a draft mandatory code of conduct that aims to succeed where other countries have failed in making the global digital giants pay for news siphoned from commercial media companies.
If the U.S.-based platforms could not agree with the Australian media businesses on pricing after three months, arbitrators would be appointed to make a binding decision.

UK Offers Grace Period for Visa extensions until End August

The UK government issued fresh guidance offering a one-month grace period for all expiring or expired visas of foreign nationals, including Indians, unable to return to their home countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, until August 31.
The extension, initially announced until May 31 and then extended to July 31, has been extended by another month and will apply to anyone whose leave to remain in the UK expired after January 24 and they are still unable to leave the country because of travel restrictions or self-isolation.
Right across the immigration system, this government has introduced measures to help those who have been impacted by global travel and health restrictions throughout this pandemic. This has included providing over 40,000 visa extensions for those whose visas had expired between January 24, 2020, and July 31, 2020, and relaxing the rules on switching in the UK.
The Home Office said that it would also keep in place the relaxation of the visa switching rules to enable those who wished to stay in the UK to submit an application to enable them to do so during the grace period.

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