Digest year-ender for international stories for month of April, 2018

Digest year-ender for international stories for month of April, 2018

Press Trust of India

Apr 1: Washington: The process of filing petitions for H-1B, considered as the most sought-after work visa among highly skilled Indian professionals, begins tomorrow amidst unprecedented scrutiny by the Trump administration.

Apr 2: Cairo: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has been re-elected for a second term with over 97 per cent of valid votes, the National Election Authority (NEA) said today.

Apr 3: Washington: President Donald Trump today proposed to deploy military along the US-Mexico border until a wall is built there to prevent entry of illegal immigrants into the country.

Apr 4: Washington: Personal data on as many as 87 million Facebook users was improperly shared with British political consultancy Cambridge Analytica, the company said today, far greater than the 50 million previously estimated.

Apr 5: Geneva: China has launched a World Trade Organisation challenge against Washington's proposal to slap USD 50 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports over Beijing's alleged theft of intellectual property and technology, documents published today showed.

Apr 6: Washington: US President Donald Trump ramps up his trade war rhetoric with China, seeking USD 100 billion in additional tariffs on Chinese products. Apr 7: United Nations: Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue with UN Security Council President, saying the situation in the valley and the "escalation" of tension along the Line of Control pose a threat to international peace and security. Apr 8: Washington, Apr 8 (PTI) US President Donald Trump today warned Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that there would be a "big price to pay" for a chemical attack on a violence-hit town in Syria where dozens of Syrians choked to death.

Apr 9: Dhaka, Apr 9 (PTI) India and Bangladesh today inked six MoUs, including one for the construction of a 129.5-km long oil pipeline between Siliguri and Parbatipur, and discussed the Teesta water sharing issue as well as the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Apr 10: Beijing: India and China held the fifth round of Disarmament and Non-Proliferation Dialogue here, a key platform to discuss international security and disarmament issues amid Beijing's continued efforts to block New Delhi's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). Apr 11: Algiers, Apr 11 (AP) An Algerian military plane carrying soldiers, their families and some refugees crashed soon after takeoff today into a field in northern Algeria, killing 257 people in what appeared to be the North African nation's worst-ever aviation disaster.

Apr 12: Colombo: Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena today suspended Parliament for nearly a month, in a surprise move in the backdrop of the ongoing political turmoil in the country.

Apr 13: Islamabad: Pakistan's deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif becomes ineligible to hold public office for life after the Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the disqualification of two lawmakers, including him was permanent, in a landmark verdict ending the political future of the three-time premier ahead of general elections this year. Apr 14: Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday voiced his "total support" for US-led air strikes against Syria over its alleged use of chemical weapons.

Apr 15: Washington: The United States will impose new sanctions on Russia over an alleged chemical attack by the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said today.

Apr 16: London: British Prime Minister Theresa May opens the Commonwealth Business Forum (CBF) here, marking the start of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) with a message of using the organisation to challenge the forces of protectionism and promote greater trade.

Apr 17: Stockholm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with his counterparts from Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark today vowed to deepen cooperation between India and the Nordic countries, as the leaders deliberated on key issues of security, economic growth and climate change.

Apr 18: London: Prime Minister Narendra Modi told his British counterpart Theresa May there would be no dilution in the importance of the UK to India after it leaves the EU, as the two leaders agreed to infuse new energy into bilateral ties post-Brexit.

Apr 19: London: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today had a series of bilateral meetings, including discussions with his Bangladesh counterpart Sheikh Hasina and Seychelles President Danny Faure on the sidelines of the multilateral Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) here.

Apr 20: New York: Avicii, one of the world's most successful DJs who helped lead the global boom in electronic music, died today in Oman, his representative said. He was 28.

Apr 21: Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un says he would halt nuclear tests and intercontinental missile launches, in a Saturday announcement welcomed by US President Donald Trump ahead of a much-anticipated summit between the two men.

Apr 22: Kabul: An Islamic State suicide bomber carried out an attack at a voter registration center in the capital Kabul today, killing 57 people and wounding more than 100 others, said officials form the Afghan interior and public health ministries.

Apr 23: Kathmandu: Nepalese Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has said that he had spoken to both his Indian and Pakistani counterparts to resume the stalled SAARC process by sorting out their differences.

Apr 24: Washington: French President Emmanuel Macron and his American counterpart Donald Trump called jointly today for a new nuclear deal with Iran, after the US leader denounced the three-year-old accord as "insane." Apr 25: Islamabad/Moscow: The national security advisers of Pakistan and Russia have met in Moscow and discussed the situation in South Asia and the main challenges and threats to global security, media reports said.

Apr 26: Washington: The US Senate voted today to approve former CIA director Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, after a bruising battle by Democrats against President Donald Trump's nominee.

Apr 27: Goyang (South Korea): The leaders of North and South Korea agreed today to pursue a permanent peace treaty and the complete denuclearisation of their divided peninsula at a historic summit laden with symbolism.

Apr 28: Washington: US President Donald Trump said Saturday that "things are going very well" after talking with South Korea's President Moon Jae-in about an upcoming summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Apr 29: Seoul: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told his South Korean counterpart at their historic summit that his country would be willing to give up its nuclear weapons if the US commits to a formal end to the Korean War and a pledge not to attack the North, Seoul officials said today.

Apr 30: Jerusalem: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a televised address today he had new "proof" of an Iranian nuclear weapons plan that could be activated at any time, as the US considers whether to pull out of the atomic accord with Tehran.

(Source PTI)