General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Jul 08, 2019

Saudi King Meets UK Treasury Chief

Saudi Arabia's King Salman met British treasury chief Philip Hammond to discuss economic and financial investments between the two countries and security cooperation amid heightened tensions with Iran.
The British Foreign Office said that Hammond travelled with a delegation that includes the UK investment minister and CEO of London's stock exchange as Saudi Arabia mulled listing internationally a much-anticipated and long-delayed public offering of its oil company Aramco by 2021.

Imran Khan to Visit Russia

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan would travel to Russia in September to attend the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).
Khan accepted Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation, which was extended last month in a conversation between the two leaders on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Bishkek.
The EEF is scheduled to be held from September 4 to 6 in Vladivostok.
President Putin also invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be the main guest at the EEF in Vladivostok and he warmly accepted the invitation.
Several world leaders are expected to attend the event which is held annually since 2015 in the same city.

Greek Conservatives on Track for Landslide Win

According to early results, Greece's opposition conservatives were on track to return to power by a landslide, unseating incumbent leftists blamed for foisting a bailout on the country which critics say was unnecessary.
The win appeared driven by fatigue with years of European Union-enforced belt-tightening, combined with high unemployment, after the country almost crashed out of the euro zone at the height of its financial travails in 2015.
Exit polls gave conservative New Democracy a commanding lead of between 38% and 42% of the vote, suggesting an outright majority in Greece's parliament.
New Democracy, led by opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, was seen winning between 155 and 167 seats in the 300 member parliament.
Shortly after the projection was announced, incumbent Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called Mitsotakis to congratulate him.

Jul 07, 2019

Iran Hints it could Enrich Uranium to 5%

A top adviser to Iran's supreme leader hinted that Teheran could boost its uranium enrichment to 5 per cent for peaceful aims, ahead of a deadline it set for world powers to save a landmark 2015 nuclear agreement.
Iran is acting on its May 8 threat to suspend from today parts of the nuclear agreement in response to US President Donald Trump's reimposition of crippling sanctions on Teheran after withdrawing from the deal in May last year (2018).
The accord caps Iran's enrichment maximum at 3.67 per cent, sufficient for power generation but far below the more than 90 per cent level required for a nuclear weapon.
According to Mr Ali Akbar Velayati, international affairs adviser to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, uranium enrichment would increase as much as needed for our peaceful activities.
As per Mr Ali Akbar Velayati, for the Bushehr nuclear reactor only 5 per cent enrichment is needed and it is for a completely peaceful goal.
Bushehr, Iran's only nuclear power station is running on imported fuel from Russia that is closely monitored by the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency.

India's Role in Economic Corridor Revival

After flagging last month the revival of the Bangladesh China India Myanmar- Economic Corridor (BCIM-EC) during talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kyrgyzstan capital Bishkek, Chinese President Xi Jinping joined visiting Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina to accelerate the project with New Delhi's support.
The revival of Chinese interest in the BCIM-EC in coordination with India was evident when Mr. Xi singled out the project as an example of expanding the India-China ties, which entered a new phase after the Wuhan informal summit held last year (2018) in April, following last month's talks with Mr. Modi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Bishkek.
In tune with China's intent to engage with India to spur the BCIM-EC, President Xi and Prime Minister Hasina acknowledged that the initiative would have to be revived working together with India.

Erdoğan Sacks Central Bank Governor

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sacked the Governor of Turkey's central bank and replaced him with his Deputy, after months of tension with the government over high interest rates.
Murat Çetinkaya, who was appointed to the role in April 2016, was replaced by Murat Uysal, according to the decree published in the official gazette, which gave no official reason for the change.

Jul 06, 2019

Rule of Law in Venezuela

The UN rights chief warned that the rule of law has eroded in Venezuela, pointing to attacks on political opponents and activists, including torture and thousands of killings by security forces.
Presenting a damning report to the UN Human Rights Council, Michelle Bachelet said that attempting to exercise the most basic rights like freedom of opinion, expression, association and assembly entails a risk of reprisals and repression.
Essential institutions and the rule of law in Venezuela have been eroded.
She decried attacks against actual or perceived political opponents and human rights defenders ranging from threats and smear campaigns to arbitrary detention, torture, ill-treatment, sexual violence, killings and enforced disappearance.
Venezuela immediately slammed the report, which was published and followed a visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to the troubled South American country last month.
As per William Castillo, Venezuela's deputy foreign minister, the report is dominated by a selective and partial vision and demanding a correction.

Sri Lanka Supreme Court stays Death Penalty

The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka stayed the death penalty for four persons convicted on drug-related offences until October 30, temporarily preventing the country's first hanging in 43 years.
In June, President Maithripala Sirisenahe signed papers to execute four convicts, effectively ending a 43-year-old moratorium on capital punishment. Amid concern voiced by local and international rights groups, President Sirisena has defended his stance while criticising those opposed to his move.
Appearing for one of the convicts, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP and President's Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran argued that around the time Sri Lanka's current Constitution was adopted in 1978, when President J.R. Jayawardene was at the helm, the country's policy was that in a "Dharmishta" (righteous) society, the State shall not put an end to any person's life. The last time Sri Lanka executed someone was in 1976.

Jul 05, 2019

France Focuses to Boost Ties with India

France identified cyber security and digital economy, artificial intelligence, outer space and global ocean governance as key pillars for strengthening its relations with India.
The two countries have widespread convergence in these areas and this provides the foundation for further boosting cooperation, including working together on these issues bilaterally and at multilateral forums.
In the field of digital economy, France and India are on the same page in supporting the full sovereignty of data and ensuring that data protection and sovereignty is guaranteed to their citizens.
The two sides are already cooperating in cyber security by working together on matters such as the regulation of the internet and the "Christchurch Call", an initiative launched by France and New Zealand in May 2019 to prevent the use of social media to organise and promote acts of terror.

Putin Confirms Fire-hit Submersible was Nuclear-powered

Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed reports that the navy's deep-sea submersible vessel that caught fire, killing 14 seamen, was nuclear-powered.
Russian officials previously declined to release any details of the vessel, citing its secret mission.
Putin met with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, who returned from the Navy's Arctic base of Severomorsk, and asked him about the submersible's nuclear reactor. Shoigu said that the reactor is completely isolated now and it is in full working order.

Jul 04, 2019

IMF Approves $6 Billion Loan for Pakistan

The IMF approved a USD 6 billion loan over a period of three years for cash-strapped Pakistan, aimed at returning sustainable growth to the country's fragile economy and improve the standards of living.
Pakistan's finance ministry had approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in August 2018 for a bailout package when the Imran Khan government took over.
The USD 6 billion financial aid includes an immediate disbursement of USD 1 billion to help Pakistan address its balance of payment crisis.
The remaining amount will be phased over the duration of the programme, subject to four quarterly reviews and four semi-annual reviews.

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