General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2019

Jun 2019

Aug 19, 2020

Biden Official Democratic Nominee for US Election 2020

Joe Biden was officially appointed the Democratic presidential candidate at the party's convention, helped over the line with some glowing testimonials from elder statesmen.
Two Democratic former presidents, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican, endorsed Mr. Biden.
Mr. Trump trails Mr. Biden in opinion polls ahead of November's election.
The convention is largely virtual, amid the coronavirus pandemic, and it is unclear whether a format of pre-recorded speeches and no live audience will generate the same levels of enthusiasm as the traditional party gatherings. Next week's Republican convention will also be mostly online.
Mr. Biden, the former vice-president under President Barack Obama, became his party's nominee in a pre-recorded roll call vote from delegates in all 50 states.
This is Mr. Biden's third White House bid, having formerly run in 1988 and 2008. The 77-year-old's campaign appeared to be in danger of collapse back in February this year.

Mali President Resigns

Mali President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita resigned and dissolved parliament hours after mutinying soldiers detained him at gunpoint, plunging a country already facing a jihadist insurgency and mass protests deeper into crisis.
Looking tired and wearing a surgical mask, Keita resigned in a brief address broadcast on state television after troops seized him along with Prime Minister Boubou Cisse and other top officials.
Mali has seen months of protests against alleged corruption and worsening security in the West African country where Islamist militants are active, and there have been calls for Keita to resign.
France and other international powers as well as the African Union denounced the mutiny, fearful that Keita`s fall could further destabilise the former French colony and West Africa`s entire Sahel region.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the immediate release of Keita and the other detainees.

PM K. P. Oli Remains Mum as China Illegally Grabs Land in Districts of Nepal

Nepal is fast becoming the victim of Chinese colonial design as Beijing is slowly and gradually encroaching upon Nepali land in several places. According to Nepali government agencies data, China has illegally occupied Nepal's land in at least seven bordering districts and is slowly moving forward, further pushing Nepali boundaries, and encroaching upon more and more landmass.
It is pertinent to note that the data is being under-reported and the actual scenario could be worse as the Nepali Communist Party (NCP) is trying to shield the expansionist agenda of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It is believed that China has made inroads into several other areas of Nepal and has occupied vast areas of land.
Diplomatic experts on China -Nepal relations said that Prime Minister KP Oli government has preferred to keep mum over the illegal occupation of the village by China under fears of displeasing the CCP. The Nepali districts which are victims of China's land grabbing plan include Dolakha, Gorkha, Darchula, Humla, Sindhupalchowk,Sankhuwasabha and Rasuwa
According to the Surveying and Mapping Department of Nepal, China has pushed the international boundary 1,500 meters towards Nepal in Dolakha. It has pushed the boundary pillar Number 57 in Korlang area in Dolakha, which was previously located at top of Korlang. The pillar has been an issue of confrontation between the two countries and China has pressurised the Nepali government not to sign the fourth protocol on resolving and managing border disputes between the two countries as China wanted to maintain status quo and further transgress the boundary arrangements.

Aug 18, 2020

With UAE deal, Israel Opens Tentative New Chapter with Gulf Arabs

A breakthrough"; "A game-changer"; "A betrayal": there is no shortage of epithets for this month's sudden announcement - by President Trump - that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is to fully normalise its relations with Israel.
After Egypt's peace treaty with Israel in 1979, followed by Jordan's in 1994, this makes the UAE only the third Arab country to normalise relations. It is the first of the six Arab Gulf states to do so. Oman. Bahrain and possibly Morocco are widely expected to follow.
Discreet contacts between the UAE and Israel had been under way for years but still, the details and timing of this normalisation deal were kept secret right up to the last minute.
There were no consultations between the UAE foreign ministry in Abu Dhabi and its Arab neighbours. Almost everyone was taken by surprise, most of all the Palestinians, who called it "a stab in the back" since they have yet to come close to getting a state of their own or ending Israeli occupation.
"For the Palestinians, there is zero upside here," comments Emile Hokayem from the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.
For the UAE's de facto ruler Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed (known as MBZ), this deal is something of a gamble but one with the odds heavily in his favour.
The risk is it could make the UAE leadership highly unpopular in the wider Arab world where some social media postings have been calling it "a sell-out". Were the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to renege on his promise to temporarily shelve annexation of parts of the West Bank then that would be extremely embarrassing for the Emiratis and possibly see the whole deal unravel.

Aug 17, 2020

Tricolour Hoisted for First Time at New York's Times Square (15)

The Indian Independence Day celebrations reached its pinnacle at the iconic Times Square in New York City.
For the first time, the Indian flag was hoisted with pride and patriotism alongside the US flag at Times Square. Over two hundred Indian Americans participated in the event to witness the flag soaring high and wide in the skies of New York. They chanted patriotic slogans and raised Indian flags.
It was organised by the Federation of Indian Associations.
The flag was hoisted at the iconic venue by Consul General of India in New York by Randhir Jaiswal, who was the Guest of Honour at the event.
Not just the Times Square, the FIA also carried out its annual tradition of illuminating the Empire State Building in to mark India's Independence Day.

The 4th Session of the BRICS Anti-drug Working Group

India discussed "misuse" of the darknet and modern technology for drug trafficking during a recent webinar conference of BRICS nations. The anti-narcotics agencies of this multi-nation grouping also discussed steps to curb increased instances of drug trafficking through the maritime route, it said.
The 4th session of the BRICS anti-drug working group was held under the chairmanship of Russia and the Indian side was represented by Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General Rakesh Asthana.
The common points emerged during the discussions include need for real-time information sharing among the member states and need to curb increased drug trafficking through maritime routes.
The misuse of darknet and other advanced technologies for drug trafficking was one of the key focal areas of the meeting.
Darknet refers to the deep hidden internet platform that is used for narcotics sale, exchange of pornographic content and other illegal activities by using the secret alleys of the onion router (ToR) to stay away from the surveillance of law enforcement agencies.

New Zealand PM Ardern Postpones General Election

New Zealand`s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern postponed the general election by four weeks to October 17 but ruled out delaying it any further, as the country tackles a new outbreak of the coronavirus.
The election had been scheduled to be held on Sept. 19.
Pressure had been mounting on Ardern to postpone the vote amid the resurgence of COVID-19 infections in its biggest city Auckland, after the country had been free of coronavirus cases for 102 days.
New Zealand law requires the election to be held before November 21.

Aug 16, 2020

Iran Threatens 'Dangerous Future' for the UAE after Israel Deal

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard vowed that there would be dangerous consequences for the United Arab Emirates after it announced a historic deal with Israel to open up diplomatic relations.
The UAE is the first Gulf Arab state to do so and only the third Arab nation to establish normalised relations with Israel, Iran's regional archenemy.
The Iranian Guard called the deal a shameful agreement and an evil action that was underwritten by the US.
The Guard warned that the deal with Israel will set back American influence in the Middle East, and bring a dangerous future for the Emirati government.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also condemned the Emirati move.

Trump Orders ByteDance to Divest Interest in U.S. TikTok Operations within 90 Days

President Donald Trump ordered the Chinese company ByteDance to divest its interest in video-sharing app TikTok's operations in the United States within 90 days.
There is credible evidence that leads me to believe that ByteDance might take action that threatens to impair the national security of the United States," Trump said in the order.
The move adds to pressure for ByteDance to divest TikTok, and legally buttresses the Trump administration's crackdown on the Chinese-owned social media app.
TikTok has come under fire from U.S. lawmakers over national security concerns surrounding data collection. Last week, Trump issued an executive order that would ban U.S. transactions with ByteDance and with Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat in 45 days, escalating a confrontation with Beijing over the future of the global tech industry.
Trump said that he would support an effort by Microsoft Corp to buy TikTok's American operations if the U.S. government got a "substantial portion" of the proceeds, but has also said there are other interested potential buyers. Trump nevertheless said he will ban the popular app on Sept. 15, though some Republicans have raised concerns about potential political fallout.

Pompeo Signs Deal to Redeploy Troops from Germany to Poland

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo signed a new defence agreement with Poland that will see American troops redeployed there from Germany.
The deal will see the number of US troops in Poland rise to about 5,500.
According to Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak, the number could quickly be increased to 20,000 if a threat justified it.
US President Donald Trump has previously accused Germany of not contributing enough to NATO.
But the US move has raised concern among NATO allies worried over possible Russian expansionism.

US Loses Iran Arms Embargo Bid

The United States lost a bid to extend a UN arms embargo on Iran as Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed a summit of world leaders to avoid confrontation over a US threat to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Tehran.
In a UN Security Council vote, Russia and China opposed extending the weapons ban, which is due to expire in October under a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. Eleven members abstained, including France, Germany and Britain, while Washington and the Dominican Republic were the only yes votes.
The United States could now follow through on a threat to trigger a return of all UN sanctions on Iran using a provision in the nuclear deal, known as snapback, even though President Donald Trump abandoned the accord in 2018. Diplomats have said the United States could do this as early as next week, but would face a tough, messy battle.

Vladimir Putin Pledges Support for President Lukashenko

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Russia has agreed to offer security assistance in the case of external military threats.
Mr. Lukashenko also voiced concerns over Nato military exercises taking place in neighbouring Poland and Lithuania.
The news comes as the embattled President faces mass protests over the disputed 9 August election.
The unrest erupted after President Alexander Lukashenko claimed a landslide victory in last week's election, the result of which has been condemned amid widespread allegations of vote-rigging.
The Central Election Commission says Mr. Lukashenko, who has been in power since 1994, won 80.1% of the vote and the main opposition candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya 10.12%.

Aug 15, 2020

Ex-army Man is Sri Lanka's Foreign Secretary

The Sri Lankan Government appointed ex-commander of the Navy, Admiral Jayanath Colombage, as the new Foreign Secretary, days after the new Cabinet took the oath with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa retaining the key Defence Ministry.
Colombagreplaced Ravinatha Aryasinha, a career foreign service officer. Since November last year, he has been the foreign affairs advisor to President Rajapaksa.

Around 818 Million Children across the World Lack Basic Hand Washing Facilities at their Schools

As per the latest report, 'Progress on drinking water, sanitation and hygiene in schools Special focus on COVID-19' released by World Health Organisation and United Nations Children's Fund through the WHO/UNICEF Joint Monitoring Programme(JMP), around 818 million children across the world lacked basic hand-washing facilities in their schools which makes them prone to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and other transmittable diseases.
The programme produces internationally comparable estimates of progress on drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH). The programme is responsible for monitoring the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets and indicators related to WASH.
Of the 818 million children, 355 million went to schools which had facilities with water but no soap, and 462 million to schools which had no facilities or water available for handwashing.
More than one third of these children (295 million) are from sub-Saharan Africa.

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