General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Jan 29, 2020

Libya could Become New Syria

The head of Libya's national oil corporation has urged the United States, France and Britain to do more to stop outside powers interfering in Libya.
Mustafa Sanalla refused to name the regional powers he was referring to.
But the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia are supporting the forces of Gen Khalifa Haftar, while Qatar and Turkey have backed the UN-endorsed government of national unity in the west.
Mr. Sanalla told the BBC the situation in his country was becoming very dangerous and there was a risk Libya could become like a new Syria.
An oil blockade imposed ten days ago by forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar has limited production to just 72, 000 barrels of oil a day.
Libya had been producing more than a million barrels.

U.S. Top Court Gives Go Ahead to Trump's Green Card Rule

The US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with plans to deny green cards to immigrants who are thought to be likely to make even occasional and minor use of public benefits like Medicaid, food stamps and housing vouchers.
The vote was 5 to 4, with the court's conservative justices in the majority. The court's brief order gave no reasons for lifting preliminary injunctions that had blocked the new program. Challenges to the program will continue to move forward in courts around the nation.
The administration announced in August 2019 that it would revise the so-called public charge rule, which allows officials to deny permanent legal status, also known as a green card, to immigrants who are likely to need public assistance. In the past, only substantial and sustained monetary help or long-term institutionalization counted, and less than 1 percent of applicants were disqualified on public-charge grounds.

Peru Election: Crushing Blow for President's Opponents Popular Force

Peru's once influential conservative Popular Force party suffered a crushing defeat in congressional elections.
The party dominated Congress before the body was dissolved by President Martín Vizcarra in September 2019.
Mr. Vizcarra took the drastic step arguing that lawmakers were obstructing his anti-corruption agenda.
No party won an overall majority but centrist parties have made gains, which could ease the passage of reforms.
The new Congress will be short-lived - it will be replaced in next year's general elections.

Jan 28, 2020

UK to Unveil Fast-track Visa for Scientists Next Month

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that his government will unveil a fast-track visa for scientists, mathematicians and researchers next month, and said that the country was open to the most talented minds in the world.
The Global Talent visa will be open from February 20 to those who work in a qualifying field and have been endorsed by a recognised UK body.
The new visa system will be managed by the UK Research and Innovation Agency (UKRI), which funds government research. This is to ensure that suitable applicants are quickly assessed and fast-tracked.
As per Boris, that is why the UK is leaving the EU (European Union) I want to send a message that the UK is open to the most talented minds in the world, and stand ready to support them to turn their ideas into reality.

Jan 27, 2020

Trump: US Won't Lift Sanctions on Iran

The US will not lift sanctions on Iran in order to negotiate, President Donald Trump tweeted, seemingly in response to an interview of Iran's foreign minister.
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded by tweeting an excerpt from the interview with Der Spiegel, where he said that Iran is still open to negotiations if sanctions are lifted.

Rockets Hit Near US Embassy in Iraq Capital

A volley of rockets landed near the US embassy in the Iraqi capital Baghdad, in the latest unclaimed attack on American installations in the country.

UN Slams Ongoing Libya Arms Embargo Violations

According to the United Nations mission to the North African country, weapons are pouring into Libya in violation of an arms embargo and despite commitments made last week by world powers.
World leaders met in Berlin last weekend and committed to ending all foreign meddling in Libya and to upholding the 2011 UN Security Council weapons embargo as part of a broader plan to end the country''s conflict.
They also agreed to a permanent ceasefire and steps to dismantle numerous militias and armed groups, as well as a political process under the auspices of the UN.
As per the UN mission in Libya, UNSMIL, over the last 10 days, numerous cargo and other flights have been observed landing at Libyan airports in the western and eastern parts of the country providing the parties with advanced weapons, armoured vehicles, advisers and fighters.
Libya has been mired in chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that killed longtime dictator Moamer Kadhafi, with two rival administrations vying for power.
The conflict deepened last year when military strongman Khalifa Hafter, who controls much of the south and east of Libya, launched an assault in April 2019 to seize Tripoli, base of the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.

Palestinians Threaten to Quit Oslo Accords

Palestinian officials threatened to withdraw from the Oslo Accords signed with Israel if President Donald Trump announces his Middle East peace plan this week.
The Palestinian Authority's foreign ministry called for a clear international declaration rejecting 'the deal of the century'" that it said would endanger regional stability.
Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said that the Palestine Liberation Organisation reserved the right "to withdraw from the interim agreement" if Trump unveils his plan.
As per Erekat, the US deal was "an attempt to destroy the two states", and would "open the doors of one person one vote from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean".
The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement, signed in Washington in 1995, sought to put into practice the first Oslo peace deal agreed two years earlier.
Sometimes called Oslo II, the interim agreement set out the scope of Palestinian autonomy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya said that the Middle East peace plan "will not pass" and could lead to renewed Palestinian violence.

Jan 26, 2020

Nepal: Polling To Elect 18 Members of National Assembly Underway

In Nepal, voting to elect 18 members of National Assembly, the upper house of parliament is underway. The polling in all seven provinces began.
According to Election Commission of Nepal, a total 2,056 voters including 550 members from seven provincial assemblies and 1,506 representatives from local bodies are eligible to cast their votes.
A total 45 candidates from six political parties including ruling Nepal Communist Party and main opposition Nepali Congress are in fray.
The two year tenure of 19 lawmakers of 59 members National Assembly is expiring on March 3, 2020. One seat will be filled by the presidential appointment on recommendation of the government.

Netanyahu Urges World to Unite To Confront Iran

Israel's Prime Mnister has vowed that "there will not be another Holocaust" in a speech at a forum in Jerusalem marking the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz death camp.
Benjamin Netanyahu also called on the international community to "join the vital effort of confronting Iran".
It was established to preserve the memory of the six million Jews murdered on an industrial scale by the Nazis and their accomplices during World War Two.
Almost a million Jews were gassed, starved, worked to death and even killed in medical experiments at Auschwitz, which was in Nazi-occupied Poland.
Some 75,000 Polish civilians, 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war, 25,000 Roma and Sinti, as well as Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals and political prisoners were also put to death there.

Jan 25, 2020

Niger Centre Dedicated to Gandhi

A $56-million convention centre dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, the first such structure established in Africa by India, has been inaugurated in Niger by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou. The Mahatma Gandhi International Convention Centre (MGICC) is a "landmark for India-Niger friendship" and a "symbol of India's firm commitment towards Africa.

Trump Plans to Expand US Travel Ban

President Donald Trump plans to add countries to his existing travel ban to bar more foreign nationals from entry into the US.
The current ban - signed by Trump two years ago - closed US borders to citizens from seven countries, most with Muslim majorities.
Libya, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, North Korea and Venezuela are affected.
As per reports, countries from Europe, Africa and Asia are being considered for the expanded order.
The expanded list, first reported by Politico, may include Belarus, Myanmar (also known as Burma), Eritrea, Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria, Sudan and Tanzania. Different versions of this list have been considered among the administration for weeks.

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