General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2017

May 2017

Mar 04, 2019

Kurds Free 283 Syrians

According to Kurdish authorities, nearly 300 Syrians suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group have been freed because they have no blood on their hands.
Their release was announced by the semi-autonomous Kurdish administration of northern Syria.

Sanders Kicks off His Presidential Campaign

Bernie Sanders kicked off his presidential campaign, miles from the rent-controlled apartment where he grew up in Brooklyn, and forcefully made the case that he is nothing like fellow New Yorker Donald Trump, proclaiming himself the Democrat best prepared to beat the incumbent in 2020.
Mr. Sanders called Mr. Trump the most dangerous President in modern American history and said that the President wants to divide us up.
Mr. Sanders's rally was his first campaign event since announcing a week ago that he would run against Mr. Trump for the White House.

Mar 03, 2019

UNSC Blacklists Osama's Son

The UN Security Council has designated Hamza bin Laden, the son of Osama bin Laden, under its sanctions list, calling him the "most probable successor" to al-Qaeda's current leader Ayman al-Zawahiri.
The UN Security Council's 1267 ISIS and Al Qaida Sanctions Committee listed Hamza, the day the U.S. announced a reward of up to $1 million for information about him.
Saudi Arabia also announced that it had revoked the citizenship of Hamza via a royal decree.

U.S. Seeks Detail of Misuse of F-16s

The U.S. is seeking more information from Pakistan on the potential misuse of American-made F-16 fighter jets by it against India in violation of the end-user agreement.
The Indian Air Force displayed parts of an AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence to conclusively prove that Pakistan deployed U.S.-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir after India's anti-terror operation in Balakot.
The United States, which is the largest seller of high-tech defence equipment globally, has a strong end-user monitoring agreement, and as a matter of practice takes all allegations of misuse of defense articles very seriously.

Extradition of Huawei Executive to the US

Canada launched the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to the United States, the latest move in a case that has roiled relations between the North American neighbours and China.
Beijing said that Ottawa's action amounted to a severe political incident.
Ms. Meng was changing planes in Vancouver in December when she was detained at Washington's request on suspicion of violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, sparking arrests of Canadians in China that were seen as retaliatory.

Mar 02, 2019

More Support for Maduro

Russia vowed to maintain support for the embattled regime of its Venezuelan friend President Nicolas Maduro, including with humanitarian aid supplies.
Battered by an economic meltdown, Venezuela descended into political crisis when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim President in January and asserted that Maduro was no longer legitimate.
Mr. Maduro and his allies — including Russia — have accused Washington of attempting to carry out a coup against his government.
The U.S. has recognised Mr. Guaido and led a diplomatic campaign in support of his leadership.

US Urges Global Community to Act against JeM

The United States asked the world community to act against UN-designated Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and its leadership immediately. It further added that America will cut resources to the group.
JeM has claimed the responsibility behind suicide bombing attack in Pulwama on February 14 that killed over 40 jawans. JeM is also responsible for Indian Parliament attack in 2001, Pathankot and Uri terror attack in 2016.
The US has already designated JeM and its leadership under its domestic laws.

S. Korea to Help U.S. and N. Korea

South Korea's President said that South Korea will work with the U.S. and North Korea to ensure they reach agreement on denuclearisation, a day after talks between the U.S. and North Korean leaders collapsed over sanctions.
A second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, in Vietnam, was cut short after they failed to reach a deal on the extent of sanctions relief North Korea would get in exchange for steps to give up its nuclear programme.
South Korea's President Moon Jae-in has been an active supporter of efforts to end confrontation on the Korean peninsula, meeting Mr. Kim three times last year and trying to facilitate his nuclear negotiations with the U.S.

London Mayor Urges Brexit Delay to Break Deadlock

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has urged Prime Minister Theresa May to delay Britain's departure from the European Union, warning time has run out to rework her withdrawal agreement.
According to Mr. Khan, it is clear that a meaningful deal that's agreed by Parliament by March 29. He hopes the Prime Minister sees sense and either extends the notice period for Article 50, or withdraws Article 50.
Article 50 is the EU law that Britain invoked in 2017 triggering a two-year countdown to Brexit that ends at 11pm (23:00 GMT) on March 29.
European leaders have warned any postponement would come with conditions.

Sudanese President Steps Down

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has handed his powers as chief of the country's ruling party to his deputy, Ahmed Harun, after more than two months of protests against his nearly three-decade rule.

Mar 01, 2019

Historic Gun-control Law

The US House of Representatives passed a legislation to expand background check for gun buyers to include online transactions and at gun shows and fairs, in the first attempt at reforming firearms laws in a generation.
The Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 was passed in a 240-190 vote along party lines, with Democrats all in favour and Republicans against it.
The bill proposes to expand federal background checks to online buyers firearms and at gun shows, that are currently not covered.
In a second measure also passed, the time given to FBI to complete the background check was increased from 3 to 10 days.

Reward for Information on Osama Bin Laden's Son

The United States offered a $1 million reward for information on a son of late Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, seeing him as an emerging face of extremism.
The location of Hamza bin Laden, sometimes dubbed the "crown prince of jihad," has been the subject of speculation for years with reports of him living in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria or under house arrest in Iran.
Hamza bin Laden is the son of deceased former AQ leader Osama bin Laden and is emerging as a leader in the AQ franchise.
Bin Laden has threatened attacks against the United States to avenge the 2011 killing of his father.

Feb 27, 2019

Trump and Kim Arrive for Summit

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Hanoi, ahead of a second summit closely watched for concrete steps to dismantle Pyongyang's nuclear programme.

May Offers MPs a Choice

The campaigns to delay, modify, or even halt the British government's interpretation of Brexit gained a boost, as Prime Minister Theresa May said that she could offer MPs a choice of ruling out a no-deal exit, or a time limited-delay to Brexit.
The move comes a day after the Labour Party said that it would support the holding of a second referendum if the government failed to back its alternative vision of Brexit.
The developments come as Britain prepares to leave the EU in just over a month's time, so far without a withdrawal agreement amenable to both sides, and as the Prime Minister prepares to put the terms of leaving the EU to MPs in a meaningful vote on March 12.

UN Chief Asks India and Pakistan to Exercise Restraint

UN chief Antonio Guterres appealed to the governments of both nations (India and Pakistan) to exercise "maximum restraint" to ensure the situation does not deteriorate further.
His remarks came after Indian Air Force (IAF) carried out a pre-dawn air strike on a terror training camp inside Pakistan.
The strike was the first by the IAF inside Pakistan after the 1971 war.

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