(General Awareness For Bank's Exams) India & the world
June - 2014

A1 visa

• The U.S. has said the heads of state and government are eligible for A1 visas and no individual automatically qualifies for an American visa ,under the INA (Immigration and Nationality Act). No individual automatically qualifies for a U.S. visa.

• However, the U.S. law exempts foreign government officials, including heads of state and heads of government from certain potential inadmissibility grounds.
  In 2005, the U.S. State Department revoked Mr. Modi’s visa on the ground of alleged human rights violations after the 2002 Gujarat riots.

India-Israel Free Trade Agreement

•  Ambassador of Israel to India AlonUshpiz said that negotiations between India and Israel to forge a free trade agreement (FTA), under way for three years now, are likely to be completed by next year

•  The agreement was a much-needed legal framework to further strengthen ties between the two countries.

•  The bilateral trade of around $5 billion, which by itself was significant given the modest $180 million in 1992, was well below potential.

•  Areas where Israel offered its expertise included water desalination, while affordable healthcare was one where more efforts needed to be put in.
  Then, there was scope for Israel to offer assistance in internal security, from policing to curbing terrorism.

SAARC leaders invited for Modi’s swearing-in

•  Prime Minister-elect NarendraModi has invited the heads of the governments of all South Asian states to attend his swearing-in in a gesture, which diplomats and experts said was without precedent. Though foreign envoys stationed in New Delhi have attended past swearings-in, Ministry of External Affairs sources said, no world leader has been invited to attend what has traditionally been seen as a domestic event.

• The move startled regional diplomats-but also caused surprise in the RashtriyaSwayamsevakSangh, which was not consulted on the decision, BharatiyaJanata Party sources said.

•  Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh, the Ministry of External Affairs said, despatched formal invitations afternoon to the Presidents or Prime Ministers of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Hamid Karzai, Afghanistan’s President, has accepted the invitation but there was no immediate word on which other leaders would attend.

•  Mr. Modi’s surprise outreach was intended to allay regional fears that his rise to power would herald a new hawkishness in Indian foreign policy. The Prime Minister-elect had ruffled feathers in Bangladesh by threatening to expel migrants from India’s north-east, while Sri Lanka was concerned over the influence ethnic nationalists in Tamil Nadu might have over his foreign policy.

Safety of Indians in Thailand

•  India has advised its nationals in Thailand to take precautions for their safety after the military imposed martial law in the troubled South East Asian nation.

•  The Embassy advised Indian nationals staying in Thailand and tourists to avoid certain areas where protesters were camping like around government buildings, parliament building, Royal Thai Police HQ, Interior Ministry,

Defence Ministry in Bangkok.

• Tourists were advised by the Embassy to avoid places of demonstrations, political gatherings and marches. They were also advised to regularly monitor the situation through the local media, hotels and tour operators.

•  Martial law was invoked by Thailand Army in a surprise pre-dawn move to maintain order after six months of anti-government protests that left the country paralysed. A Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) has been set up for public safety and maintenance of peace and order in the country.

Afghanistan's Indian Consulate attacked

• Indian Consulate in Afghanistan’s Herat province was recently attacked by heavily armed gunmen, who were also carrying rocket-propelled grenades.

• Afghan police officials said that three gunmen armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades opened fire on the consulate from a nearby home. Police killed two of them, though one continued to fire on security forces.

• No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

• India has invested in some major infrastructure projects in Afghanistan like Salma hydroelectric dam in Herat province and the Afghan parliament building in Kabul.

• India’s development assistance programme for Afghanistan currently stands at $two billion, making it the leading donor nation among all regional countries.

• Afghanistan has experienced a rise in the Taliban attacks as foreign troops plan to withdraw from the war-torn country by the end of the year.

• In August last year, a failed bombing against the Indian Consulate in Jalalabad city near the border with Pakistan killed nine people, including six children. No Indian officials were hurt.

• The Indian Embassy in Kabul was attacked twice in 2008 and 2009 that left 75 people dead.
  
   

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