General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2018

Aug 2018

Feb 02, 2019

U.S. to Pull Out of INF Treaty

According to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the U.S is suspending its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty effective February 2.
The treaty, signed during the Cold War in 1987, bans ground-launched missiles with a range of 500 km-5,500 km.
It was key to ending the arms race between the (then) two superpowers and helped protect the U.S.'s NATO allies in Europe from Soviet missile attacks.
The U.S. will formally give Russia and the other treaty parties a formal notice that it is withdrawing under Article XV of the Treaty.
Article XV mandates a six-month notice period before withdrawal.

Indian Embassy Opens Hotline for Students

The Indian embassy in the US has opened a 24/7 hotline to assist 129 Indian students arrested by the American authorities in the "pay-and-stay" university visa scam.
As many as 129 Indians are among the 130 foreign students arrested for enroling at a fake university allegedly to remain in the US.
The university in Detroit's Farmington Hills was part of an undercover operation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) designed to expose immigration fraud, according to federal prosecutors who announced charges in the case.

Feb 01, 2019

US to stop Complying with Nuclear Pact

As per reports, the United States will stop complying with a landmark nuclear pact with Russia after last-ditch talks with Moscow to save it fell flat.
Washington has long accused Russia of flouting the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), alleging that a new Russian missile, the Novator 9M729, called the SSC-8 by NATO, violates the pact, which bans either side from stationing short- and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe.

Venezuela's Acting President

The European Parliament voted to recognise Venezuela's Juan Guaidó as acting President and urged the European Union (EU) and its member states to follow suit.
The vote joins the growing international pressure on President Nicolás Maduro and his remaining backers to step aside and allow free elections.
It does not change EU policy, but adds to calls for the EU executive and its member states to join the United States, Canada and Brazil in backing Mr. Guaidó.
Four major European member states have told Mr. Maduro to call those elections by the weekend and warned that they will otherwise recognise Mr. Guaidó as leader.

Jan 31, 2019

US Switches to New H-1B System

The United States announced that starting April 1, it will switch to a new system for processing H-1B petitions that will give priority to foreign workers with advanced degrees from an American institution of higher education, over those hired abroad, in India, China and other countries.
The switch in the selection process is expected to increase the number of beneficiaries with advanced degrees from US institutions by an estimated 16% (or 5,340 workers). It is in line with President Donald Trump's repeated assertions in support of merit-based immigration.

MPs Back May to Renegotiate Brexit Deal

As per reports, British Prime Minister Theresa May will return to talks with the European Union (EU), and will attempt to renegotiate Britain's withdrawal agreement, after MPs narrowly voted to endorse a plan to renegotiate the controversial Irish backstop.
However, with the EU firmly insisting that the withdrawal agreement is not open to negotiation, the path ahead remains unclear.
The Labour Party has also agreed to hold talks with the government over Brexit after MPs supported a non-binding resolution that opposes Britain leaving the EU without a deal.

Jan 29, 2019

US, Taliban Agree in Principle to Afghan Peace Framework

American and Taliban officials have agreed in principle to the framework of a peace deal in which the insurgents guarantee to prevent Afghan territory from being used by militant outfits like al-Qaida and Islamic State, and that could lead to a full pullout of US troops in return for larger concessions from the Taliban.
The American envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, said those concessions must include the Taliban's agreeing to a ceasefire and to talk directly with the Afghan government, issues that the insurgents have doggedly opposed in the past.
After nine years of halting efforts to reach a peace deal with the Taliban, the draft framework, though preliminary, is the biggest tangible step toward ending a two-decade war that has cost tens of thousands of lives and profoundly changed American foreign policy.

Jan 28, 2019

British Museums To Relabel Colonial Treasures

Three British museums have embarked on an exercise to confront the colonial legacy of their artefacts by being more transparent about the items' provenance. British Museum, Victoria & Albert Museum and Pitt Rivers Museum are reviewing the labels on thousands of objects, particularly those plundered during colonial times.
In 2017, Victoria & Albert Museum (V&A) appointed its first provenance curator to coordinate V&A's provenance and spoliation research.

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