General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - August 2018

Aug 2018

Dec 26, 2018

Iran Budget to Counter Sanctions

President Hassan Rouhani unveiled Iran's first annual budget since the return of U.S. sanctions, and said that the budget had been adjusted to take account of Washington's cruel measures.
Mr. Rouhani announced a 20% increase in public sector wages in a sign of the economic challenges Iran has faced since the United States pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal earlier this year.

Pet Shops Banned from Selling Puppies and Kittens

Britain has banned third-party sales of puppies and kittens to protect the animals from exploitation.
As per the government, the new law will help crack down on puppy farms and make it harder for unscrupulous dealers who have little regard for animal welfare.
Under the new measure, people wishing to adopt a puppy or kitten would have to deal directly with a breeder or a re-homing center, rather than pet shops or other commercial dealers.
Animal welfare groups praised the government measure as an important step forward.

Marijuana Legalised in Thailand

Thailand`s interim parliament voted to approve marijuana for medical use and research. Recreational use of the drug remains illegal.
This makes Thailand the first country in Southeast Asia to allow the use of medical marijuana. The region is notorious for its hardline approach to drugs and strict penalties for drug-related crimes.
The British government approved medical marijuana earlier this year.

Dec 25, 2018

Israel to Hold Early Elections

As per reports, Israeli coalition leaders agreed to hold early elections in April, seven months before they are due.
Coalition party heads in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government have decided to dissolve Parliament and hold elections in early April.
Mr. Netanyahu's coalition was left with a one-seat majority in Parliament following Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman's resignation in November over a controversial Gaza ceasefire deal.
Mr. Netanyahu is also facing mounting pressure over a series of corruption investigations.

Trump's Visa Policy Changes for Foreign Students

As many as 65 top US universities, including Harvard and MIT, have challenged the Trump administration in a court against its new stringent visa policy for foreign students, warning that the new 'backdating' rule will have a detrimental effect on America's higher education system.
The new policy announced by the Trump administration in August places restrictions on overstaying a visa.
With the new rules, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) can set retroactive start dates for unlawful presence that begins the day after an individual's degree programme is complete or the day after a person's visa expires.

Dec 24, 2018

Ghani Replaced Top Security Chiefs

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani replaced two of the top security chiefs with staunch anti-Taliban officials, in a major shake-up days after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to slash troop numbers in the country.
Amrullah Saleh and Assadullah Khaled, both former heads of the Afghan intelligence agency, have been appointed to the critical posts of Interior Minister and Defence Minister, respectively.

Dec 23, 2018

U.S. Special Operations Forces in Syria

The US is considering using small teams of Special Operations forces to strike the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, one option for continuing a military mission there despite President Donald Trump's order to withdraw troops.
As per the reports, U.S. commandos would be shifted to neighbouring Iraq, where an estimated 5,000 U.S. forces are deployed, and surge into Syria for specific raids.

Dec 22, 2018

US Government Heads for Partial Shutdown

The US government was headed towards a partial shutdown after President Donald Trump`s fellow Republicans in the Senate failed to muster the votes needed to approve $5 billion he has demanded for a border wall fiercely opposed by Democrats.
Trump said that the impending shutdown of key parts of the federal government could last for a very long time, and he sought to blame the Democrats.
They, in turn, put the blame squarely on him for his demand for wall funding after earlier backing bipartisan short-term government funding legislation passed by the Senate without any such money.

Russia Probing BBC

Russia's broadcasting watchdog was probing the BBC in retaliation after a British regulator said that Kremlin-funded RT television broke broadcasting standards.
The crackdown on the BBC is the latest in a series of tit-for-tat moves as RT, which aims to give Russia's view on international events, wrangles with media regulators in the West.

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