General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Mar 19, 2020

US Puts New IS Chief on Terror Blacklist

The US placed the new leader of the Islamic State group on its blacklist of terrorists, naming him as Amir Mohammed Abdul Rahman al-Mawli.
Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said that al-Mawli was named leader of the group after an October raid by US commandos that killed its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The organisation had earlier named Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as its new head, but US officials acknowledged they knew little about him - and later came to believe that the Islamic State group was using his nom de guerre.

Philippines Shuts Financial Market Due to COVID 19 Outbreak

Philippines became the first country to close its financial markets due to the COVID 19 (Coronavirus) outbreak. It resumed its trading on March 19, 2020. This measure was taken to ensure the safety of their employees and the people they interact with. Now, the speculations are if other countries may take similar measures then there is a fear of a global recession.
Shutting markets is an extremely rare case during times of crisis. Earlier cases were, a weeklong closing of America's stock after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001, while Hong Kong had shut trading due to Black Monday crash in 1987. Greece halted its stock market for about five weeks in 2015.

ECB Launches Emergency $820bn Coronavirus Package

The European Central Bank (ECB) launched an emergency €750bn ($820bn; £700bn) package to ease the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
It will buy government and company debt across the eurozone, including that of troubled Greece and Italy.
ECB boss Christine Lagarde tweeted "there are no limits" to its commitment to the euro.
In recent weeks central banks and governments around the world have announced major stimulus plans.
The so-called Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme comes just six days after the ECB unveiled measures that failed to calm markets, piling pressure on it to do more to support Europe's economies.
Announcing this latest move Ms Lagarde said the ECB will do everything in its powers to support the euro in these "extraordinary times".
The asset purchasing scheme will be temporary and be concluded once the ECB "judges that the coronavirus Covid-19 crisis phase is over, but in any case not before the end of the year.

Biden Sweeps Three States

Former vice president Joe Biden swept all three states that held their nominating contests on Tuesday, winning 1,165 delegates so far for Democratic Party nomination to take on President Donald Trump.
Trump officially clinched his nomination, wrapping up the Republican primaries practically unopposed with 1,330 delegates, way more than the 1,276 needed to win the nomination. As has been with sitting presidents largely, he faced no serious challenge. Bill Weld, the former Massachusetts governor, finished a distant second with just one delegate.
The Democratic race appeared drawing to a close, with Biden increasing his tally after the three wins in Florida, Illinois and Arizona, taking what is being called an unassailable lead over Senator Bernie Sanders, who is at 880, according to an Associated Press count.

Mar 18, 2020

Philippines President Duterte Locks Down Island

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte widened a monthlong quarantine in the Manila region to cover all of the country's main island to prevent coronavirus from spreading. The "enhanced quarantine" of Luzon, which has 60 million people and is responsible for 70% of the Philippines' economic output, will place tens of thousands of daily wage earners at risk of penury. Hours after the announcement, the country's central bank governor said that policy makers are "inclined" to cut the key interest rate by 50 basis points.

Iraqi President Appoints Adnan al-Zurfi as New PM-designate

Iraqi President Barham Salih appointed Adnan al-Zurfi as the country's new Prime Minister-designate in the latest bid to resolve a months-long political crisis.
Al-Zurfi has 30 days to form his cabinet which he must then put to a vote of confidence in Iraq's fractious Parliament. The 54-year-old former governor of the holy Shia city of Najaf heads the Nasr parliamentary grouping of former Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.
Al-Zurfi would replace caretaker Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi, who quit in December 2019 following widespread mass demonstrations against a government that protesters see as corrupt, failing to provide them with basic services, and beholden to powerful neighbouring Iran.

Trump Moves to Save US Economy

Admitting for the first time that the coronavirus outbreak may send the US economy into a recession, President Donald Trump is asking Congress to unleash a torrent of emergency economic aid to help people through the financial pain of the crisis, with sizable cheques directly to Americans as part of the deal.
The White House was asking Congress on Tuesday to approve a sweeping emergency stimulus package to help businesses and taxpayers cope with the economic fallout of the pandemic. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin planned to outline the roughly $850 billion package to Senate Republicans at a private lunch, with officials aiming to have Congress approve it this week. It's the most far-reaching economic rescue package since the Great Recession of 2008.

Mar 17, 2020

Switzerland Declares State of Emergency

The Swiss government declared a state of emergency lasting until April 19. "A strong reaction is needed across the country. And we need it now," Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga told a press conference. All shops, restaurants, bars, and entertainment and leisure facilities are to shut down, with the exception of grocery stores, pharmacies and health facilities. Switzerland will also tighten its border controls with Germany, France and Austria.

Mar 16, 2020

Gantz to Form New Israeli Govt.

Israel's President Reuven Rivlin decided to give opposition leader Benny Gantz the first opportunity to form a new government following an inconclusive national election this month. President Reuven Rivlin's office announced this decision after consulting with leaders of all of the parties elected to parliament. The decision raises questions about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's political future as he leads the country's battle against the coronavirus threat and prepares to go on trial for corruption charges. Netanyahu's Likud emerged as the largest party in the March 2 election, Israel's third in under a year. But with his smaller religious and nationalist allies, he received the support of only 58 lawmakers during consultations, leaving Likud three seats short of the required majority in parliament.

Slovakia Poll Winner to Form 4-party Govt.

The chairman of the winning party in Slovakia's parliamentary election told the country's President that he has agreed to form a coalition government with three other parties. Igor Matovic and his centre-right populist opposition group Ordinary People captured 25% of the February 29 vote. It has 53 seats in the 150-seat parliament. President Zuzana Caputova asked Matovic in March 2020 to lead the efforts to create a new government. After their meeting, Matovic said that he presented the details of his Cabinet to the President. It is not clear when the new government might be sworn in.

Mar 15, 2020

Bill Gates Quits Microsoft Board

Microsoft announced that co-founder Bill Gates left its board of directors to devote more time to philanthropy.
Gates served as chairman of Microsoft's board of directors until early in 2014 and has now stepped away entirely.
Microsoft would continue to benefit from Gates' "technical passion and advice" in his continuing role as a technical advisor.

Europe Now the Epicenter of the Coronavirus Pandemic

As per World Health Organization officials, Europe has become the new epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic as cases in China slow and the deadly coronavirus runs through Italy and nearby countries.
More cases are now being reported (in Europe) every day than were reported in China at the height of its epidemic.
Italy currently has the most cases outside of China with at least 15,113 infections, followed by Spain at 4,334, Germany at 3,156 and France at 2,882, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Other countries in Europe are seeing cases soar. Switzerland currently has 1,125 cases, followed by Sweden at 809, the Netherlands at 804 and Denmark at 788.

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