General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2017

May 2017

Apr 14, 2019

Kim Open to another Summit with Trump

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said that he is open to a third summit with President Donald Trump, but set the year's end as a deadline for Washington to offer mutually acceptable terms for an agreement to salvage the high-stakes nuclear diplomacy.
Mr. Kim made the comments during a speech at a session of North Korea's rubber stamp parliament, which made a slew of personnel changes that bolstered his diplomatic lineup amid stalemated negotiations with the United States.
His speech came hours after Mr. Trump and visiting South Korean President Moon Jae-in met in Washington and agreed on the importance of nuclear talks with North Korea.

Apr 13, 2019

Rajapaksa's Brother Returns to Lanka

Former Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa's brother Gotabhaya Rajapaksa returned to the island nation and said he has taken necessary steps to renounce his U.S. citizenship to be able to contest the presidential polls later in 2019.
The Former Defence Secretary is being promoted as the main candidate from the Rajapaksa camp to face the next presidential election later in 2019 as Mr. Rajapaksa cannot constitutionally run for a third term.

Taliban Declares Start of Spring Offensive

The Taliban announced the start of their spring offensive despite talking peace with the United States and ahead of a significant gathering of Afghans meant to discuss resolutions to the protracted war and an eventual withdrawal of American troops from the country.
The insurgents released a lengthy missive in five languages, including English, saying the fighting would continue while foreign forces remain in Afghanistan.
The announcement is something the militant group does every year, even though Taliban attacks never really ceased during the harsh winter months.
The insurgents carry out daily attacks targeting Afghan security forces and NATO troops, and inflicting staggering casualties, including among civilians.

Bashir Won't Be Extradited

As per the country's new military rulers, Sudan's ousted President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and war crimes, will not be extradited.

Apr 12, 2019

S. Korea Lifts Abortion Ban

South Korea's constitutional court ruled to lift the country's 66-year-old ban on abortion, in a landmark decision that will decriminalise the medical procedure by the end of 2020.
Seven out of nine judges declared that the current penalising of abortion was unconstitutional and ordered parliament to revise the 1953 law.
South Korea, Asia's fourth largest economy, is one of the few industrialised nations where the procedure is illegal except in cases of rape, incest and when the mother faces serious health risks.

EU and the U.K. Agree to Delay Brexit

Britain won't be leaving the EU on April 12, after Britain and the EU agreed to an extension till the end of October, with the option of Britain leaving earlier if a deal was agreed to in Parliament.
The period is longer than the extension till June 30 that Prime Minister Theresa May had sought but is shorter than some of the possible dates that had been considered, including a possible delay of a year.
Leaders made clear that the onus was very much on Britain to find a solution and deliver within this period.

Apr 11, 2019

Scott Morrison Announces Australia's Election

Prime Minister Scott Morrison called Australia's election for May 18, with polls showing he's facing an uphill battle to prevent a shift in power to the left-leaning opposition Labor party.
The five-week campaign will be dominated by the stark policy differences between Labor and his Liberal-National coalition, which is vying for a third straight term.
They include everything from cutting taxes to boosting wages to reducing emissions in one of the world's worst per-capita polluters.

Lawmakers Approve Sweeping Gun Reforms

New Zealand lawmakers have almost unanimously passed sweeping gun reforms, paving the way for a ban on military-style semi-automatic weapons to enter into force as soon as 12 April.
The new rules are aimed at removing semi-automatic firearms from circulation through a buy-back scheme, prohibition and harsh prison sentences.
A hand-in amnesty will be in place until 30 September 2019, and perpetrators will face between two and ten years in jail for breaking the laws.

EU's Emergency Meet on Brexit Delay

Europe mounted an emergency summit to decide how long a Brexit delay to grant British Prime Minister Theresa May, and under what conditions.
Without a postponement, Britain is due to crash out of the European Union (EU) at midnight on 12 April under a no-deal Brexit that could trigger economic chaos.
Ms. May wants to postpone Brexit from April 12 to June 30 to arrange an orderly departure — but the European leaders gathered in Brussels for a summit were expected to offer her a longer delay, of up to a year.

Zambian Villagers to Sue Vedanta

A group of Zambian citizens can take Vedanta Resources and its Zambian subsidiary, Konkola Copper Mines (KCM), to court in the U.K. over allegations relating to the pollution of a river there, after Britain's Supreme Court rejected an attempt by the company to challenge the jurisdiction of British courts.
They will now be able to bring their claims for torts of negligence and breach of duty to the courts in the U.K., first initiated in 2015.
Vedanta Resources cannot appeal the jurisdiction judgment any further as its attempt to suggest recourse to the European Court of Justice during the Supreme Court proceedings was also rejected.
The judgment was read in court by Lord Briggs, with the four other justices considering the case, concurring with him.

Apr 10, 2019

China-financed Railway Line

Sri Lanka has opened a new railway line, built with China's assistance, connecting its coastal city of Matara and Beliatta in Hambantota, a move that will boost passenger traffic into the island nation's deep south.
The 26.75-km long Matara-Beliatta railway extension is the first to be constructed in Sri Lanka since 1948.
The railway extension was financed by the Export-Import Bank of China and the contract was awarded to the China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation.

China to Join FAA's Review Panel

According to an official at the Chinese aviation regulator, China has decided to accept an invitation to join the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) review panel on the Boeing 737 MAX.
The FAA said it was forming an international team to review the safety of the aircraft, grounded worldwide following two deadly crashes, in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia in March, that killed nearly 350 people.
China was the first to ground the newest version of Boeing's work horse 737 model in March, following the Ethiopian Airlines crash, prompting a series of regulatory actions by other governments worldwide.
Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and Singapore have already confirmed that they will join the panel.

British MPs Endorse Brexit Delay

British lawmakers endorsed Prime Minister Theresa May's request to the European Union (EU) to delay Brexit until June 30 in a vote in Parliament.
The majority of Ms. May's Conservative Party voted alongside the Opposition Labour Party to back the Prime Minister's approach by 420 votes to 110.
As per government Solicitor-General Robert Buckland, it is all about making sure we leave the EU in a timely and orderly way and that means leaving with a deal.

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