General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - June 2018

Jun 2018

Nov 12, 2018

Koreas Disarm 22 Guard Posts

The North and South Korean militaries completed withdrawing troops and firearms from 22 front-line guard posts as they continue to implement a wide-ranging agreement reached in September to reduce tensions across the world's most fortified border.

As per South Korea, the military agreement is an important trust-building step that would help stabilise peace and advance reconciliation between the rivals.

Nov 11, 2018

US to Stop Refuelling Saudi Aircraft

The United States is halting refuelling of aircraft from the Saudi-led coalition engaged in Yemen, ending one of the most divisive aspects of US assistance to the Saudi war effort.

As per reports, Saudi Arabia had decided to request an end to US aerial refuelling for its operations in Yemen because it could now handle it by itself.

The move comes at a time of international outrage over the murder of US-based Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Japan Opens the Borders

Caught in the demographic pincers of a declining birth rate and an ageing population, notoriously immigrant-shy Japan is being forced to open its doors to foreign workers. Its current position on immigration is, at best, tepidly welcoming to highly skilled workers, while sceptical of allowing in job-seekers from lower down the skill chain. Many hoped that more women and more robots would be sufficient to compensate for the lack of more immigrants as a solution to the country's labour crunch.

Earlier this month, however, the Japanese Cabinet approved legislation to potentially allow hundreds of thousands of blue-collar workers legal entry to the country for the first time. The plan is to create two new visa categories. One is designed for unskilled workers, who will only be allowed to stay for up to five years, with no possibility of extension. The second is for more skilled migrants, who will not only be allowed to renew their visas indefinitely, but also to bring their families along.

Ranil Wickremesinghe's Party to Challenge in Court

Ousted Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's United National Party will challenge in court what it termed as the illegal dissolution of parliament by President Maithripala Sirisena a day after he announced a snap election in January.

Nov 10, 2018

Brent Oil Falls below $70

Oil prices fell to multi-month lows as global supply increased and investors worried about the impact on fuel demand from lower economic growth and trade disputes.

Benchmark Brent crude oil fell below $70 a barrel for the first time since early April, down more than 18% since reaching four-year highs at the beginning of October.

Jo Johnson Quits over Brexit Plan

The British government was thrown into a fresh round of turbulence as Jo Johnson, the country's Transport Minister, resigned unexpectedly and lashed out at the direction of government negotiations on Brexit, describing it as the country's worst instance of statecraft since the 1956 Suez crisis.

Sri Lankan Parliament Dissolved

Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena has dissolved the parliament in a gamble that a new election will get backing for his preferred candidate as Prime Minister over an ousted premier who has refused to give up.

Sri Lanka will hold snap election in the first week of January 2019.

Nov 09, 2018

Jeff Sessions Sacked

Donald Trump fired Attorney General Jeff Sessions, replacing him with a loyalist who has echoed the President's complaints about the special counsel investigation into Russia's alleged election interference and will now take charge of the inquiry.

Mr. Sessions delivered his resignation letter to the White House at the request of the President, who tapped Matthew G. Whitaker, Mr. Sessions' chief of staff, as acting Attorney General.

Asia Bibi Remains in government Protection

Asia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman who was cleared last week of blasphemy charges after spending eight years on death row has been released from prison but remains under government protection in Islamabad because of threats to her life.

The Supreme Court acquitted Ms. Bibi in October in an exceptionally rare ruling against a blasphemy verdict. A three-member bench concluded that there was little evidence that Ms. Bibi, a farm worker and mother of three, had spoken against the Prophet Muhammed during a heated argument with Muslim women in 2009.

She was sentenced to death in 2010, a verdict that drew worldwide condemnation and focused attention on Pakistan's blasphemy law, which critics say has been used to persecute religious minorities.

Robyn Denholm to Replace Elon Musk

Tesla Inc board member Robyn Denholm will replace Elon Musk as its Chair, more than a month after the billionaire had to step down as the electric-car maker's Chair as part of a settlement with US regulators.

Denholm is currently chief financial officer at Australian telecoms operator Telstra Corp Ltd and has been an independent director on Tesla's board since 2014.

Nov 08, 2018

Record Number of Women Win Seats

A record number of close to 100 women won seats in the US House of Representatives in the high-stakes 2018 midterm elections, a massive victory for female candidates across the political spectrum.

CNN had projected 98 women would win House races, with 33 women newly elected to the House. This number bests the previous record of 85 representatives, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Imran Khan Summoned

A court in Pakistan summoned Prime Minister Imran Khan to appear before it in December in a case filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief's rival candidate in the July 25 general elections over his alleged relation with a US national, Sita White.

The petitioner said that Khan has a daughter, Tyrian White, from Sita White which he has not mentioned in his nomination papers. Therefore, the petitioner added, Khan does not fulfill the criteria under Article 62 and 63 of the constitution.

Top-level Talks with North Korea Postponed

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo abruptly shelved plans to meet a top North Korean official in New York, the latest twist in diplomatic attempts to secure a potentially landmark peace deal.

The talks between President Donald Trump's top diplomat and the North Korean delegation, which had been due, will now take place at a later date.

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