Senthil Kumar: World Affairs

Apr 28, 2018

It is a new proposed law in the US state of Texas. The Law’ would make it a felony to leave a child at home alone. The Law would also require that any adult who witnesses or has personal knowledge of an abused child report it to authorities within 48 hours.

The law is drafted in Sherin Mathews’ name. The 3-year-old was found dead last October with her adoptive parents facing charges in her death.

Jan 7, 2016

[CA - Notes] North Korea's defence details

North Korea’s Defence Details

North Korea has a long history of developing lethal weapons, including long-range missiles and nuclear bombs. Here is a look into it:

Year	Events
1970s	North Korea starts working on a version of the Soviet Scud – B (range 300 km); test fired in 1984
1987 – 1992	North Korea begins developing variant of Scud – C (500 km), Rodong – 1 (1, 300 km), Taepodong – 1 (2, 500 km), Musudan – 1 (3, 000 km) and Taepodong – 2 (6, 700 km)
1989	US Satellite pictures reveal a nuclear processing plant at North Korea’s Yongbyon Complex
1998	North Korea test – fires its long range – ballistic missile, a Taepodong – 1
2003	North Korea withdraws from the Nuclear Non – Proliferation Treaty
2005	For the first time, North Korea states that it has nuclear weapons
2006	North Korea test – fires seven missiles, including a long – range Taepodong – 2
2006	North Korea carries out its first nuclear test
2009	North Korea conducts its second underground nuclear test, sparking tougher UN sanctions
2009	North Korea test fires seven ballistic missiles off its east coast
2013	North Korea conducts its third and largest nuclear test
2015	North Korea says it successfully test – fired a submarine launched ballistic missile
2016	North Korea says it has detonated a hydrogen bomb

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Oct 17, 2015

[CA] World Affairs (July - September 2015)

AROUND THE WORLD

Iran & P5+1

· Ending a 12-year stand-off, Iran and P5+1 countries comprising of the United States, the United Kingdom (UK), Russia, China, France and Germany reached an agreement on the Iran nuclear programme

· The agreement called Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPA) or Vienna agreement was reached after 17 days of almost uninterrupted negotiations in Vienna involving foreign ministers of seven countries

USA & Cuba

· The United States and Cuba have reopened embassies in each other’s countries for the first time in 54 year.

· This historical move has restored their full diplomatic ties. Presidents Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro exchanged earlier on agreeing to unfreeze ties, when the embassies could be reopened.

· For the first time since 1961, the Cuban flag will fly over Havana’s newly upgraded embassy in Washington, just a stone’s throw from the White House.

Cuba

· Cuba became the first country to eliminate mother-to-child (vertical) transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and syphilis in the World.

· A validation in this regard was issued by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

USA

· Transgenders allowed in military service

ICC

· ICC began hearing on the Nine-dash line of South China Sea

· Nine-dash line: Demarcation line initially used by China to claim major ports of South China Sea

· This is the first time that the disputed South China Sea came under international legal scrutiny

NATO

· The United States of America (USA) formally designated Tunisia as the 16th Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA).

· Earlier, the decision to confer the MNNA status on Tunisia was announced by the President Barack Obama on 21 May 2015 during Tunisian President Caid Essebsi’s visit to Washington.

· During a 2015 Camp David summit with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the Obama administration considered designating Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Qatar as MNNAs.

· List of MNNAs: Tunisia, Australia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Jordan, New Zealand, Argentina, Bahrain, Philippines, Thailand, Kuwait, Morocco, Pakistan, Afghanistan.

WTO

· General Council of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) approved the membership terms of Kazakhstan, thus enabling it to join the world trade body as 162nd member.

· In order to formally become the member of WTO, Kazakhstan Parliament now has to ratify the deal by 31 October 2015. It will become a member 30 days after it notifies the ratification.

Greece Crisis

· People of Greece rejected the creditor’s demand for more austerity in exchange of extension of bailout package (15.5 billion Euros) in a historic referendum.

· The creditors include the troika of European Central Bank (ECB), European Union (EU) and International Monetary Fund (IMF).

· The referendum asked Greeks a simple question vote Yes or No on a proposal from Euro group leaders to extend financing to the deeply indebted country, 1.7 billion dollar (1.5 billion euro).

· 61.31 percent voted ‘No’ as compared to 38.69 percent ‘Yes’ for the referendum that demanded for more austerity in return for rescue loans.

Baalshamin

· Palmyra's temple of Baalshamin: Baalshamin was one of the two supreme gods of pre-Islamic Palmyra in ancient Syria.

· Islamic State for Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants destroyed Palmyra's ancient temple of Baalshamin in Syria.

Suez Canal

· Egypt unveiled a major expansion of the new Suez Canal.

· It was inaugurated by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in a ceremony held at port city of Ismailiya, located on west bank of canal.

· This new waterway is expected to boost the traffic that passes through the canal.

· Suez Canal connects Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea; opened in 1869

Swift Response 15

· USA launched the largest NATO airborne drills in Europe since the end of the Cold War

· HQ of NATO is at Brussels (Belgium); number of countries in NATO is 28

Nepal – new Constitution

· Nepal on 20 September 2015 adopted its first democratically-framed constitution with the promulgation of the charter by the president Ram Baran Yadav.

· It is called as a democratically-framed constitution as it was conceptualized, developed and adopted by a representative Constituent Assembly

· The new Constitution, which was passed by a 507-25 vote in the 601-seat Assembly, has split the country into seven federal provinces.

· Cow – national animal of Nepal

New President / Prime Minister
Greece	Mr. Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister
Sri Lanka	Mr. Ranil Wickremensinghe, Prime Minister
Australia	Mr. Malcolm Turnbull, Prime Minister
Singapore	Mr. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister

World in 2015 (January - March)

World in 2015 (April - June)