General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2018

Jun 2018

Jan 04, 2019

On-arrival Visas for Afghans Abolished

Pakistan scrapped the long-standing facility of on-arrival visas for Afghan nationals, citing security risks amid a spike in terror attacks.
Citizens from 24 countries are now issued 'on-arrival' visas in Pakistan.

US House Passed Bills

The US House of Representatives approved legislation to end a partial government shutdown that began nearly two weeks ago at several federal agencies and fund the Department of Homeland Security through February 8.
Under the bills, the departments of State, Commerce, Agriculture, Labor, Treasury and other agencies would be funded through September 30, the end of the current fiscal year.
Hours before the vote, advisers to President Donald Trump would recommend that he veto the measure if Congress passed it without any additional money for Trump's proposed wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ireland to Seek EU Aid

As per the Agriculture Minister, Ireland will seek hundreds of millions of euros in aid from Brussels if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal.
The emergency aid would aim to buttress sectors such as beef, dairy and fishing — those most exposed to customs and regulatory changes likely to arise if Britain severs all ties.
Nearly 80% of Irish exporters deliver products to Britain, according to 2016 government figures.

Jan 03, 2019

Trump Wants another Meet with Kim

President Donald Trump is looking forward to another summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
The development comes after Mr. Kim, in his New Year speech, warned that Pyongyang could change its approach to nuclear talks if Washington persists with sanctions.

Taiwan's Unification with China

President Xi Jinping said that Taiwan's unification with the mainland is inevitable, and warning against any efforts to promote the island's independence.
China would not renounce the option of using military force to bring it into the fold.
China still sees democratic Taiwan as part of its territory to be reunified, despite the two sides being ruled separately since the end of a civil war in 1949.

Advanced Warships for Pakistan

As per reports, China is building the first of four "most advanced" naval warships for Pakistan as part of a major bilateral arms deal to ensure among other things "balance of power" in the strategic Indian Ocean.
Equipped with modern detection and weapon systems, it will be capable of anti-ship, anti-submarine and air-defence operations.
The under-construction ship is a version of the Chinese Navy's most advanced guided missile frigate.

Jan 02, 2019

Israel's Opposition Split Ahead of Election

Israel's centre-left opposition split ahead of an April 9 election, with leader Avi Gabbay announcing that he would no longer partner with veteran politician Tzipi Livni.
The announcement means the end of their Zionist Union alliance.

U.S. and China to Boost Cooperation

The Presidents of China and the U.S. have exchanged messages vowing to boost cooperation despite a bruising trade war, on the 40th anniversary of the countries' diplomatic relations.
President Xi Jinping underlined the importance of working with the U.S. "to advance China-U.S. relations featuring coordination, cooperation and stability".

U.S. and Israel Officially Quit UNESCO

The U.S. and Israel officially quit the UN's educational, scientific and cultural agency (UNESCO), the culmination of a process triggered more than a year ago amid concerns that the organisation fosters anti-Israel bias.
The withdrawal is mainly procedural, yet serves a new blow to UNESCO, co-founded by the U.S. after the Second World War to foster peace.
The withdrawals will not greatly impact UNESCO financially, since it has been dealing with a funding slash ever since 2011 when both Israel and the United States stopped paying dues after Palestine was voted in as a member state of the organisation.

Jan 01, 2019

Resignations of Vatican Spokesperson and Deputy

The Vatican announced the resignations of its spokesman and his deputy, without giving any explanation.
Pope Francis accepted the resignations of the director and deputy director of the press office of the Vatican, Greg Burke and Paloma Garcia Ovejero, and named Alessandro Gisotti as acting director.

Elizabeth Hints at 2020 Presidential Bid

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, a progressive Democrat, has formed an exploratory committee to run for President in 2020.
Ms. Warren had said in September that she would take a hard look at running for the Democratic nomination to challenge President Donald Trump in 2020.
Ms. Warren, an architect of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau set up after the 2008 financial crisis, has been a strong voice in the Senate on financial issues and a self-described defender of the ordinary American against powerful interests.

No Scope for a Fresh Election

Responding to the Opposition's call for a fresh election, Bangladesh's Chief Election Commissioner K. M. Nurul Huda ruled out the demand.
He said that the allegations of ballot-stuffing are completely untrue.
As per Awami League joint general secretary Abdur Rahman, foreign and domestic observers had declared that the election was held in a fair environment.

Dec 31, 2018

Iraq Hinted at Bigger Role in Syria

Iraq's Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi said that top security officials from Baghdad had met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, and hinted at a bigger Iraqi role fighting Islamic State militants as U.S. troops withdraw from Syria.
Abdul Mahdi said Iraq sought to move beyond its current arrangement with Syria - under which it launches air strikes against Islamic State militants in Syrian territory - but did not got into more details.

Hasina Secured Fourth Term

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has secured a fourth term with a landslide victory.
Hasina's ruling Awami League party and its allies won 288 seats in the 300-seat parliament, and the main opposition secured only six seats.

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