JUNE

INTERNATIONAL:

MARCH

Ø  INTERNATIONAL    

FEBRUARY

INTERNATIONAL:

MAY

INTERNATIONAL

Ø  Ibrahima Kassory Fofana sworn in as PM of Guinea
Ibrahima Kassory Fofana took charge as the prime minister of Guinea. He replaced Mamady Youla. Earlier, Ibrahima Kassory Fofana was minister in charge of public investment & relations with the Private Sector.

Ø  Former IMF official Carlo Cottarelli nominated as Italian PM
The Italian President nominated Carlo Cottarelli, a former official at the International Monetary Fund, to form an interim government.

Ø  Pakistan Names Former Chief Justice As Caretaker PM
Former Pakistan Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk was appointed as the interim Prime Minister of the country. The decision comes ahead of the dissolution of the current government and parliament.

Ø  Hariri wins third term as Prime Minister
Lebanon’s Saad Hariri has won a new term as Prime Minister after he won the backing of the majority of parliamentarians. It will be 3rd term for Hariri, who has held the position since December 2016 and was also Prime Minister between 2009 and 2011.

Ø  Barbados elects Mia Mottley as 1st female Prime Minister
The Caribbean island of Barbados has elected Mia Mottley as its first female Prime Minister since gaining independence from the UK in 1966. Mottley’s Barbados Labour Party won all 30 seats in the country’s Parliament, coming to power for the first time in a decade.

Ø  Nepal becomes first country in south-east Asia to eliminate Trachoma
World Health Organization (WHO) has validated Nepal for having eliminated trachoma, a contagious bacterial infection of the eye. It makes Nepal first country in WHO’s South-East Asia Region to defeat trachoma, world’s leading infectious cause of blindness.

Ø  Guatemala 2nd Nation to open Embassy in Jerusalem after US
Guatemala has opened its embassy in Jerusalem, following in the footsteps of the United States, which inaugurated its embassy in the city two days prior. Guatemala was one of only a few nations that backed Trump’s decision in December to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and is only the second country to move its embassy to the holy city.

Ø  Hungary’s re-elected PM Orban forms fourth government
Hungary’s new parliament re-elected Viktor Orban as the Prime Minister for his fourth term who won the general elections with 49.42 per cent of the vote, at 81 percent of the votes counted by the National Election office.

Ø  Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro re-elected, opposition cries foul
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro won another six years of term in an election that has been called as a sham by the opposition and other countries including the United States.

Ø  Russia Unveils World’s 1st Floating Nuclear Power Station
Russia unveiled the world’s first floating nuclear power station at a ceremony in the port of the far northern city of Murmansk, where it will be loaded with nuclear fuel before heading to eastern Siberia. Built in Saint Petersburg, the Akademik Lomonosov arrived in Murmansk where it was moored in the port and presented to the media.

Ø  Susheela Jayapal becomes 1st South Asian to be elected in Oregon
Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal’s sister Susheela Jayapal became the first South Asian to be elected in Oregon in the western US State. She won the District 2 seat on the Multnomah County Board of Commissioners with 57% of the vote.

Ø  Malaysia gets oldest prime minister in the World
Mahathir Mohamad was sworn in as Prime Minister of Malaysia. He took the oath at the Istana Negara Palace in Kuala Lumpur. He has replaced Najib Razak.

Ø  Nikol Pashinyan becomes Prime Minister of Armenia
Armenia’s parliament elected Nikol Pashinyan as a new prime minister in a 59-42 vote. His election comes after Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation as Prime minister of Armenia.

Ø  Russia confirms Dmitry Medvedev as its PM
The Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) has given its mandate to Dmitry Medvedev for a new term as the Prime Minister.

Ø  US and Philippines began military exercises
US and Philippine forces have begun their largest annual military exercises named Balikatan. The Balikatan exercises involved combat drills in mock urban settings to train special forces in battling terrorists.

Ø  Carlos Alvarado sworn in as Costa Rican President
Carlos Alvarado was sworn in as the new President of Costa Rica. Alvarado swept to victory against conservative Protestant singer Fabricio Alvarado Munoz. At 39, Alvarado is the country’s youngest president in modern history.

Ø  Royal Navy receives its minesweeping system
Britain’s Royal Navy has taken the delivery of its first unmanned autonomous minesweeping system. It can be operated from a land or ship-based control station & can be deployed from a suitable ship or port.

Ø  Vladimir Putin sworn-in as Russian President for 4th term
Vladimir Putin was sworn-in as the President of Russia for the fourth time, renewing another six-year term in office.

Ø  Indian-American woman appointed Interim Civil court judge in US
Indian-American Deepa Ambekar has been appointed as interim judge to the civil court of New York City, becoming the second Indian-American woman judge in the city after Chennai-born Raja Rajeswari.

Ø  Oscars Academy expels Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski
Bill Cosby and Roman Polanski have been expelled from the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In Polanski’s case, the expulsion comes more than 40 years after he was accused of raping a 13-year-old girl.

APRIL

Ø INTERNATIONAL

Ø  US senate approves Mike Pompeo as Secretary of State

Ø  The US Senate voted to approve former CIA director Mike Pompeo as secretary of state, after a bruising battle by Democrats against President Donald Trump’s nominee.

Ø  Iran bans Banks from using Cryptocurrencies

Ø  Iran banned the use of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies by its banks and financial institutions. As per the central bank of Iran, the ban was necessary since all cryptocurrencies have the capacity to be turned into a means for money-laundering and financing terrorism and in general can be turned into a means for transferring criminals’ money.

Ø  Mario Benitez elected as Paraguay’s president

Ø  Conservative former senator Mario Abdo Benítez has been elected as the president of Paraguay. Benitez garnered 46.44% of the vote, compared with 42.74% for his main rival Efrain Alegre.

Ø  Kyrgyzstan Parliament names Mukhammedkaliy Abylgaziyev prime minister

Ø  Kyrgyzstan’s Parliament named Mukhammedkaliy Abylgaziyev Prime Minister after his nomination by the Social Democratic party which leads the ruling coalition. Abylgaziyev, previously chief of staff in President Sooronbai Jeenbekov’s office, replaced Sapar Isakov whose cabinet lost a no-confidence vote.

Ø  6 Countries suspend Membership in UNASUR Regional Bloc

Ø  Bolivian Foreign Minister Fernando Huanacuni has announced that Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay and Peru had decided to temporarily leave the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), given differences over choosing the secretary general of the group.

Ø  Cuba gets its first non-Castro President

Ø  Cuba has selected First Vice President Miguel Mario Diaz-Canel Bermudez as the sole candidate to succeed Raul Castro as president of Cuba. Miguel is the first leader outside the Castro dynasty to lead the country since the 1959 revolution. Raul Castro will remain head of the Communist party, designated by the constitution as “the superior guiding force of society and the state”.

Ø  US senate narrowly confirms Trump’s new NASA Chief

Ø  Jim Bridenstine, a congressman from Oklahoma, US Navy veteran and former pilot, was confirmed on a 50-49 vote and will become the 13th administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) seven months after Trump named him to lead the agency.

Ø  Swaziland King changes his country’s name to ‘Kingdom of eSwatini’

Ø  Swaziland’s King Mswati III, Africa’s last absolute monarch officially changed the name of his country to the ‘Kingdom of eSwatini’. Accordingly, the country, a member of the Commonwealth, will now be known by its historic name of eSwatini, a Swazi language name that stands for ‘place of the Swazi’.

Ø  Armenia’s Parliament voted to appoint former President Serge Sargisyan as PM

Ø  Armenia’s parliament has voted to appoint the country’s former President Serzh Sargsyan as prime minister, despite pressure from tens of thousands of protesters who accuse him of a power grab. Members of parliament voted 77-17 in favour of Sargsyan’s appointment, as demonstrators rallied in the capital, Yerevan, and several other cities for a fifth day against the move.

Ø  France announces 50 Million Euro Humanitarian aid for Syria

Ø  France will contribute 61.9 million dollars toward urgent humanitarian aid for Syria. The funds will be allocated to NGOs and U.N. agencies working on the ground in Syria, including the U.N. office for humanitarian affairs.

Ø  Pakistan SC disqualifies Nawaz Sharif from public office for life

Ø  The Supreme Court had disqualified Nawaz Sharif as the President of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) under Article 62 of the constitution. The verdict was delivered unanimously by a five-judge bench led by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar. It came against cases involving determination of time duration for disqualification of a lawmaker under the Constitution.

Ø  Bangladesh ends Reservation in Government Jobs

Ø  Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has decided to scrap the quota system in government services after thousands of students marched across the country in protest against a controversial policy of setting aside jobs for special groups.

Ø  UAE approves law on equal wages for men, women

Ø  The Cabinet of United Arab Emirates (UAE) has approved the issuance of law on Equal Wages and Salaries for men and women. The new law will ensure equal pay for men and women working in the country. It will provide women with equal opportunities as partners in the UAE’s development.

Ø  Hungarian PM Orban won election

Ø  Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling Fidesz-KDNP coalition won the general elections in Hungary. Former radical Jobbik party came second with 20% of the vote, and MSZP-P (Socialist-Dialogue) third with 12.13%. The turnout was close to 69%, the second highest since 2002.

Ø  Desert Tiger 5: UAE and Malaysia conclude joint military exercise

Ø  The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Malaysia concluded joint military exercise “Desert Tiger 5” aimed at sharing expertise and enhancing joint military actions in Dubai, UAE.

Ø  Qatar to allow women to volunteer for national service

Ø  Qatar would be introducing national service for women for the first time with immediate effect, under a new law issued by the Gulf nation’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Women aged over 18 will now be able to volunteer for national service under the law, men will have to serve for a year instead of three months.

Ø  Julius Maada Bio wins Presidential election of Sierra Leone

Ø  Julius Maada Bio has been elected as the new president of Sierra Leone. He beat incumbent Samura Kamara, who secured 48.19% of the vote. Sierra Leone is a country in West Africa, on the Atlantic Ocean.

Ø  Carlos Alvarado elected president of Costa Rica

Ø  Carlos Alvarado, the candidate for Costa Rica’s center-left ruling party, was elected as the next president of Costa Rica.

Ø  USA and South Korea begin Joint Military Exercise- ‘Foal Eagle’

Ø  The United States and South Korea began their joint military training exercise named ‘Foal Eagle’. More than 11,500 U.S. troops and nearly 300,000 South Korean forces will take part in the four-week exercises. Foal Eagle, the largest annual joint military exercise in South Korea, usually runs about two months.

Ø  DiCarlo becomes 1st female UN political chief

Ø  American diplomat Rosemary DiCarlo becomes the first woman to head UN political affairs. DiCarlo also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs and director for United Nations.

JANUARY

JANUARY