General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2018

Jun 2018

Apr 23, 2019

Iran and Pakistan to Form Rapid Reaction Force

Iran`s President Hassan Rouhani said that Iran and Pakistan will form a joint quick reaction force to combat militant activity on their shared border.
Khan is in Iran to discuss security and regional issues.
Relations between Iran and Pakistan have been strained in recent months, with both sides accusing each other of not doing enough to stamp out militants allegedly sheltering across the border.

Sri Lanka Names Local Islamist Group

Sri Lankan authorities named a little-known local Islamist radical group, the National Thowheed Jamaath, as responsible for the ghastly Easter serial blasts that claimed nearly 300 lives and injured over 500 at different locations across the island nation.
The country's National Security Council has decided to enforce a state of emergency from midnight.
The police have arrested nearly 30 suspects in connection with Sunday's explosions at churches and hotels in and around Colombo and in Batticaloa, in the island's Eastern Province.

Bomb Detonators at Colombo's Main Bus Stand

Sri Lankan police found 87 bomb detonators at the main bus station in the capital, Colombo.
The detonators were found just a day after suicide bombers targeted churches and hotels in Colombo killing at least 290 people and injuring about 500.
Security forces are carrying out searches at several places across the island nation to find those who were involved in the deadly attacks.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.
According to Minister Rajitha Senaratne, none of the suicide bombers behind the ghastly attack was a foreign national and that the National Tawheed Jamath outfit is suspected to be have organised and coordinated the attacks.

Apr 22, 2019

Volodymyr Zelensky Wins Presidency

Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky has been elected President of Ukraine twice, first as a character in the popular TV show Servant of the People, and now for real. The 41-year-old performer's bid started out as a long shot but, on the back of popular discontent with the political class, he sent establishment candidates tumbling.
Incumbent leader Petro Poroshenko conceded he had been soundly defeated in a run-off vote by Zelenskiy and would be leaving office next month, but said that he did not plan to quit politics altogether.

Supreme Court Extends President Ghani's Term

Afghanistan's Supreme Court has extended the term of President Ashraf Ghani until delayed elections take place, resolving for now the question of what would happen after his term expires on May 22.
Presidential elections were initially slated for April 20, but Afghan poll officials were unprepared for a new nationwide vote so soon after October parliamentary elections.

Mitsuhiro Iwamoto Completes Non-stop Pacific Voyage

Mitsuhiro Iwamoto, a blind Japanese sailor completed his non-stop Pacific voyage, becoming the first sightless person on record to navigate a vessel across the vast ocean.
He arrived at port in Fukushima in his 12-metre (40-foot) sailboat, around two months after he left California.
Iwamoto, a 52-year-old San Diego resident, sailed from the US city on February 24 with Doug Smith, an American navigator who verbally helped him by offering information such as wind directions.
This was his second attempt after his initial voyage was cut short six years ago when his yacht hit a whale and sank.

New Chief for Iran's Revolutionary Guards

Iran's top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has replaced the head of the influential Revolutionary Guards Corps, after the United States designated the elite group a foreign terrorist organisation.
The Supreme Leader appointed Brigadier General Hossein Salami as the new commander-in-chief of the Guards, who will replace Mohammad Ali Jafari. Major General Jafari had held the post since September 2007.
The IRGC, created by late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini during Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, is more than a military force. It is also an industrial empire with political clout and is loyal to the supreme leader.
Comprising an estimated 125,000-strong military with army, navy and air units, the Guards also command the Basij, a religious volunteer paramilitary force, and control Iran`s missile programmes. The Guards` overseas Quds forces have fought Iran`s proxy wars in the region.

Serial Blasts across Sri Lanka

Over 200 people were killed and nearly 500 injured in a series of blasts that shook Sri Lanka. Churches and luxury hotels were targeted in the deadliest incidents since the civil war ended a decade ago.
As many as eight blasts occurred in and around the capital Colombo and in the eastern city of Batticaloa, as large groups gathered at churches for Easter services.
As per reports, most of the blasts appeared to have been suicide bombings.
No group has claimed responsibility for the blasts. Investigating authorities in Sri Lanka are yet to disclose the names of the suspects or the alleged perpetrators.

Aid to Sudan

Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to send Sudan $3 billion worth of aid, throwing a lifeline to its new military leaders after protests led to the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir.
The two countries will deposit $500 million with the Sudanese central bank and send the rest in the form of food, medicine and petroleum products, their state news agencies said in parallel statements.
It is the first major publicly announced assistance to Sudan from Gulf States in several years.

Apr 21, 2019

Worst Industrial Accidents of the Century

As per a UN report, the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy which killed thousands of people is among the world's major industrial accidents of the 20th century, warning that 2.78 million workers die from occupational accidents and work-related diseases each year.
Among other major industrial disasters after 1919 listed in the report are the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear disasters as well as the Rana Plaza building collapse. In the Chernobyl disaster in April 1986, one of four nuclear reactors at the Chernobyl power station in Ukraine exploded, releasing at least 100 times more radiation than the atom bombs dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

More Powers to President Sisi

Egyptians voted in a three-day referendum on constitutional changes that could allow President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to stay in office until 2030 and boost the role of the powerful military.
Mr. Sisi's supporters say that the changes are necessary to give him more time to complete major development projects and economic reforms. Critics say they concentrate more power in Mr. Sisi's hands.
If approved, the amendments would extend Mr. Sisi's current term to six years from four and allow him to run again for a third six-year term in 2024.
They would also grant the President control over appointing head judges and the public prosecutor from a pool of candidates.

Apr 20, 2019

Indian extradited to the U.S.

Singapore has extradited Indian national Hitesh Madhubhai Patel to the U.S. to face charges in a call centre fraud that scammed millions of dollars from mostly South Asian victims in the U.S.
The case was first announced in 2016, charging 60 people with wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

Malaysia Revives Project Backed by China

Malaysia will revive a $34 billion Chinese-backed transport and property development that was abandoned in 2017.
The project would contribute to Beijing's global infrastructure drive.

Key Summit between the Taliban and Afghan Officials Postponed

Hopes for a breakthrough in a push to end Afghanistan's gruelling conflict suffered a major setback after a key summit between the Taliban and Afghan officials was indefinitely postponed.
The so-called intra-Afghan dialogue, due to take place in Doha, fell apart at the last minute in a row over the large number of delegates Kabul wanted to send.
The collapse comes at a critical time and amid continued bloodshed. The Taliban now control or influence about half of Afghanistan and 3,804 civilians were killed there in 2018, according to a UN tally.
Washington, which is leading an effort to end the war, signalled its disappointment and urged both sides to return to the table, though organisers provided no hint about when the conference might be rescheduled.

Sudan Protesters to Unveil Civilian Body

Sudanese protest leaders have announced plans to unveil a civilian body to take over from the ruling military council as demonstrators thronged outside Army headquarters and Washington said that it would send an envoy to encourage the transition.
The military council, which took power after ousting Omar al-Bashir on April 11, has so far resisted calls from protesters to make way for a civilian administration.
The Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests, said that it would name members of the council at a news conference outside the Army complex, to which foreign diplomats are also invited.

Apr 19, 2019

Kim to Meet Putin

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un will visit Russia for talks with Vladimir Putin in April, as tensions between Washington and Pyongyang reached fever pitch.
The Kim-Putin meeting will be the first between the two leaders, as Moscow seeks to play a role in another global flashpoint.

Both Indonesian Candidates Claim Victory

Indonesia's Joko Widodo said that his re-election as head of the world's third-biggest democracy was all but assured, calling for calm as his firebrand ex-General rival insisted he had in fact won the nation's top job.
However, Mr. Subianto insisted that he and running mate Sandiaga Uno, a wealthy financier, had prevailed, citing voter fraud but without supplying concrete evidence.
Sandiaga Uno and Mr. Subianto declared victory as the President and Vice-President.

Pakistan's Finance Minister Quits

Pakistan's Finance Minister Asad Umar stepped down as part of a reshuffle of the Cabinet initiated by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
As part of a Cabinet reshuffle, PM wanted that Asad Umar takes the Energy Minister portfolio instead of Finance. However, Asad Umar obtained his consent to not take any Cabinet position.
As per reports, Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan was also asked to step down, but he refused to do so. He reportedly said that he will leave Prime Minister Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party if he's forced to quit the Cabinet. He has now been made Federal Minister for Aviation.
Shehryar Afridi, State Minister for Interior, has now been made Minister for States and Frontier Regions. The new Federal Minister of Interior will be Brigadier Ijaz Shah (retired). Brig. Shah was Federal Minister Parliamentary Affairs earlier, a porfolio now assigned to Azam Swati.
Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry will now be the Minister for Science and Technology. Firdous Ashiq Awan will be Special Adviser to Prime Minister for Information.
According to sources, Health Minister Aamir Kiani, Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur and Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema also lost their jobs.

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