General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Dec 06, 2019

Maldives Wants to Restructure Debt to China

According to Maldives Foreign Minister, his country needs to restructure its massive debt to China, which has put the Indian Ocean archipelago in a difficult situation.
As per Abdulla Shahid, the country's Chinese debt currently totals about $1.4 billion.
The Chinese loans were given for housing projects, a bridge connecting the airport island with the capital island, Male, and for some state-owned enterprises.
As per Shahid, the loans were unreasonable borrowings by the previous government.
Since the government of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came into power last year, Maldives has begun a shift away from China toward traditional ally India.

Sajith Premadasa Named Leader of Opposition

Sajith Premadasa, the United National Party (UNP) leader who lost to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the presidential election, was named the Leader of the Opposition in the Sri Lankan Parliament.
Following a meeting of the party's parliamentary group, the party leader and former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe agreed to nominate Premadasa in his place.
Wickremesinghe would thus leave the job he had continuously held since 1994 barring short periods between 2001-2004 and 2015 to November this year, his two prime ministerial stints.

Offer of North Province Governor Post A Rumour

Sri Lankan cricket star Muttiah Muralitharan dismissed reports that he was offered the post of governor of Sri Lanka's Northern Province.
As per Muttiah, it is a rumour that was first floated on Facebook. I was not offered that post and in any case have made it clear that I am not interested in politics. I am a sportsman, a cricket player, not a politician. My Foundation for Goodness has already been helping 60000 fellow citizens ever year.

US Indicts Hackers Linked to Russian Intel Agencies

The US justice department unveiled indictments of two Russians with ties to their country's intelligence services, who ran a major global cyber theft operation under the name Evil Corp.
An indictment unsealed in Pittsburgh named Maksim Yakubets and Igor Turashev as the main figures in a group which inserted malware on computers in dozens of countries to steal more than $100 million from companies and local authorities.

Dec 05, 2019

US to Name Sudan Envoy after 23 Years

As per secretary of state Mike Pompeo, the US plans to boost diplomatic relations with Sudan by exchanging ambassadors. Pompeo said that the two nations would initiate the process of exchanging ambassadors after a 23-year gap and adding that the decision is a meaningful step forward in strengthening the US-Sudan bilateral relationship, particularly as the civilian-led transitional government works to implement vast reforms.

Pakistan Submits Report to FATF

Seeking to escape the black list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Pakistan submitted its compliance report to the terror funding watchdog, hoping for another extension till June 2020 as the present deadline of February is too short for the country to comply with all 27 action plans sought by the group.
FATF has already granted an extension till February 2020, and kept the country on its grey list till then. It warned that Islamabad would be put on the blacklist if it did not comply with the remaining 22 out of 27 points related to anti-money laundering and terror financing.
The first formal response from the FATF is awaited till this December-end, said economic affairs minister Hammad Azhar. A meeting is likely in Sydney in January, 2019 in which the Pakistani delegation will be given an opportunity to defend the compliance report. The FATF's plenary review meeting will take place in February 2020 in Paris to decide the fate of the country.

China Fumes over US House Bill on Uighurs

As per China, the bilateral cooperation with Washington will be affected in important areas after the US House of Representatives passed a bill that called for targeted sanctions against Beijing for the arbitrary detention, torture, and harassment of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang.
Beijing's reaction came after the US House passed the Uighur Human Rights Policy Act 2019, which seeks to sanction Chinese government officials including the Xinjiang Communist Party of China (CPC) secretary Chen Quanguo.
More than a million Uighur Muslims are said to be held in re-education camps in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in northwest, many without having committed any crime.

France Braces for Severe Disruption Amid Strike

France is preparing for severe disruption as millions of workers go on strike in protest at being forced to retire later or face reduced pensions.
School and transport workers will join police, lawyers and hospital and airport staff in a general walkout.
France's largest nationwide strike in years was agreed by unions unhappy with President Emmanuel Macron's plans for a universal points-based pension system.
Authorities have been trying to put in place plans to mediate the disruption.
The industrial action is expected to last beyond Thursday and some trade union leaders have warned they will continue their industrial action until Mr. Macron abandons his campaign promise to overhaul the retirement system.
One opinion poll put public support for the strikes at 69%, with backing strongest among 18-34 year-olds.
The Macron administration will hope to avoid a repeat of the country's general strike over pension reforms in 1995, which crippled the transport system for three weeks and drew massive popular support, forcing a government reversal.

India and US to Talk Emerging Threats, Challenges

India and the US will further cement their special strategic relationship with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar meeting their US counterparts, Mark Esper and Mike Pompeo, for the two-plus-two dialogue in Washington on December 18, 2019 with the focus being on Indo-Pacific and the early conclusion of India's hardware purchases from the US.
The only other country with which India holds a dialogue in the two-plus-two format is Japan.
According to reports, the forthcoming dialogue will be important as it will synergise positions and views of the foreign and defence ministries of the two countries and try and achieve convergence in terms of a common view on emerging global threats and challenges.

Dec 04, 2019

Ex-minister Roopun is Mauritian president

Lawmakers in Mauritius picked former arts and culture minister Pritivirajsing Roopun (61) as a president of the island nation, a largely ceremonial post. His predecessor Ameenah Gurib-Fakim resigned in March 2018 after being embroiled in a scandal over her use of a credit card to buy luxury personal items. She denied wrongdoing.
In Mauritius, the prime minister is head of the government and holds most political power while the President is head of the state but has no executive role and is considered the guardian of the Constitution. — AFP.

Finland's PM resigned after losing trust of coalition partner

Finnish Prime Minister Antti Rinne resigned after a member of the ruling coalition, as it had lost confidence in him following a series of disruptive strikes. The Center Party asked Rinne to step down after a more than two-week strike at Finland's state postal service, Posti, spread to the national airline, Finnair, and to other industries before being settled last week.
Center Party chairwoman Katri Kulmuni questioned Rinne's role in handling the strike but she wanted the same five-member coalition to continue under an unspecified new prime minister.
President Sauli Niinisto accepted Rinne's resignation and asked the centre-left cabinet to continue in a caretaker role pending the formation of a new one.

Swedish King held extensive talks with President, PM to expand bilateral cooperation PTI

Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf held extensive talks with President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expand overall bilateral cooperation in diverse areas.
These included trade and investment, innovation and culture.
Welcoming King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia at Rashtrapati Bhawan last evening at a banquet in their honour, President Ram Nath Kovind said that India-Sweden bilateral trade and investment relations are gaining strength.
He said that India sees Sweden as a key partner in its Make in India, Start-up India, Clean India, Digital India and Smart City programmes. He invited Sweden to join the International Solar Alliance.
Later, the two sides inked three pacts providing for cooperation in polar science, innovation and research and in maritime spheres.

European Commission President Juncker handed over to Ursula von der Leyen

Former head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker officially handed over his function to Ursula von der Leyen during a ceremony.
A portrait of Juncker was unveiled next to the other former presidents.
Giving a short speech afterwards, a joking Juncker expressed his gratitude for the years in service and also had some advice for von der Leyen, wishing her "great ears" to interpret the whispering in Brussels, the members states and the European Parliament.
He then symbolically gave her a ceremonial bell but said it was "absolutely useless".
Von der Leyen, as the head of the EU executive, will be in charge of trade negotiations, and economic and climate policy for 500 million Europeans and antitrust rulings.
Her five-year Commission, which began on December 1, is composed of the College of Commissioners from 27 EU countries.

Dec 03, 2019

RCEP Cannot Achieve Its Full Potential Without India: Japan

As per the Japanese foreign minister, Japan believes the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade pact can achieve its full potential only with the participation of India in view of its status as a major power in the Indo-Pacific.
India opted out of RCEP, whose other participants are the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the grouping's FTA partners, Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, last month, saying the agreement doesn't satisfactorily address New Delhi's concerns.

Gotabaya Seeks Pakistan Help

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa sought Pakistan's help in tackling drug trafficking and Islamist extremism.
The Pakistan Foreign Minister also met Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to convey a special message from his Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The discussion focussed on topics including trade, fighting terrorism, youth affairs, unemployment, agriculture and cricket.

Trump to Restore Tariffs on Steel from Brazil and Argentina

US President Donald Trump said that he will place tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Brazil and Argentina.
He justified the move saying that those countries' weak currencies had made it harder for US food exports to compete.
Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro said he would seek talks with Mr Trump.
Argentine production minister Dante Sica would also request a conversation with his US counterparts.
Despite Mr Trump's claims, both countries have taken steps over the past two years to try to bolster their currencies, which have dropped sharply amid domestic political turmoil and economic woes.

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat To Resign

Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will resign amid growing calls for his departure over the scandal surrounding the murder of prominent anti-corruption journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia.
The Labour Party, which had been expected to hold a leadership election in January, has a comfortable majority in Parliament, which suggests a new leader could become Prime Minister without the need for a national election.

China Hits Back at U.S. Over Hong Kong Bill

China said that it would suspend visits to Hong Kong by American warships and impose sanctions on several United States-based nongovernmental groups, in a mostly symbolic retaliation for tough human rights legislation President Trump signed.
As per Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, the measures were a response to the "unreasonable behavior" on the part of the United States. She denounced the new human rights legislation as illegal interference into its domestic affairs.

Siberia Pipeline Cements China-Russia Bond

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putiny remotely inaugurated the "Power of Siberia" gas pipeline — a massive cross-border undertaking not only central to China's energy security but also for bolstering special ties between Beijing and Moscow. The 30-year project is anchored by a $400 billion gas deal.
Russia has been a primary gas supplier to Europe, but the Power of Siberia is the first cross-border gas pipeline between Russia and China, adding a prominent eastern dimension to Moscow's energy blueprint.
Under the contract, Russia will deliver 1 trillion cubic meters of natural gas to China over the next 30 years.
Gas is being sourced from Chayandinskoye and Kovytka fields in eastern Siberia, and is then piped to Blagoveshchensk — the last town on the Russian side of the border. From there, it is tunneled under the Amur River, before entering Heihe on the Chinese side.

Dec 02, 2019

Iraq Parliament Approves PM's Resignation

Iraq's Parliament approved the resignation of the embattled Cabinet, after two months of violent unrest that have left more than 420 people dead and thousands mourning them in nationwide marches.
Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi said that he would submit his resignation to Parliament following a spike in the death toll among protesters who accuse the entire ruling elite of being inept, corrupt and beholden to foreign powers.
The protest movement is Iraq's biggest since the US-led invasion of 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein and installed a democratic system in the oil-rich but poverty-plagued nation.

Israel Plans New Jewish Settlement

Israel's new hard-right Defence Minister ordered officials to start planning a new Jewish settlement in the heart of the divided West Bank city of Hebron.
The announcement came as the prospects of a third snap election since May loomed larger, with Defence Minister Naftali Bennett's New Right party leaning heavily on settlers for support at the polls.
The Defence Ministry said that Bennett had instructed ministry departments responsible for the Israeli occupied West Bank "to notify the Hebron municipality of planning a new Jewish neighbourhood in the wholesale market complex".
The city is holy to both Muslims and Jews and is a flashpoint for clashes between the two sides.

China Introduces Mandatory Face Scans for Phone Users

China will require telecom operators to collect face scans when registering new phone users at offline outlets.
In September, China's industry and information technology ministry issued a notice on safeguarding the legitimate rights and interests of citizens online, which laid out rules for enforcing real-name registration.

Iran: May Reconsider Atomic Watchdog Commitments

Iran said that it may seriously reconsider its commitments to the UN atomic watchdog if European parties to a nuclear deal trigger a dispute mechanism that could lead to sanctions.
The 2015 nuclear accord has been unravelling since last year when the United States unilaterally withdrew from it and began reimposing sanctions on Iran. The three European countries still party to the deal — Britain, France and Germany — have been trying to salvage it but their efforts have so far borne little fruit.

Six European Nations Join Iran Barter System

Paris, London and Berlin welcomed six new European countries to the INSTEX barter mechanism, which is designed to circumvent U.S. sanctions against trade with Iran by avoiding use of the dollar.
As founding shareholders of the Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges (INSTEX), France, Germany and the U.K. warmly welcome the decision taken by the governments of Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, to join INSTEX as shareholders.
The Paris-based INSTEX functions as a clearing house allowing Iran to continue to sell oil and import other products or services in exchange.

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