Top world events

North Korea’s experimentation with the sixth nuclear test on September 3 invited a row of international criticism on the use of nuclear weapons. Besides this, the country under the authoritarian rule of Kim Jong-un has tried out a series of intercontinental ballistic missiles. On the outset, North Korea has raged the issue of going into a nuclear war against the US. (AP photo)

Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe resigned after the ruling party ZANU-PF fired him as its leader following 37 years in charge. Emmerson Mnangagwa replaced Mugabe, the only leader that south African nations have known since independence from Britain in 1980. This decision sent shockwaves across the world as thousands of parliamentarians flooded on the streets of Harare, singing and dancing in ecstasy to celebrate a political downfall. (AFP photo)

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been elevated to the ranks of Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping with the Communist Party enshrining his political thought in the party constitution. The move that happened in the last week of October also cemented Xi's power base in the party, ensuring him a second term. (Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump recognised Jerusalem as the capital of Israel despite intense Arab, Muslim and European opposition to a move that would revert decades of US policy and risk potentially violent protests. This decision intends to fulfill a key campaign promise of moving US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

In a disputed referendum, Catalonia’s regional parliament proclaimed independence from Spain. Catalans have, for long, said they don’t identify as Spanish and want to secede and form an independent country. The vote to secede came after an October 1 referendum in favour of independence that was eventually deemed illegal by Spain’s constitutional court. (Reuters photo)

In early December, the US Supreme Court finally allowed the Trump administration to enforce a ban on travellers from six Muslim counties- Chad, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. This order came as a move to make US ‘safe from radical Islamic terrorists’, one of Trump’s most controversial campaign promises.

Supreme Court of Pakistan in July found Prime Minister Nawaz Shrarif guilty in the Panama Papers case and disqualified him from holding public office for life. Despite having strong reservations over the verdict, the PM stepped down from the post, following which his brother Shahbaz Sharif was chosen as the successor.

The US House of Representatives introduced a legislation directing that the minimum salary of H1-B visa holders be doubled to $130,000. This reform is expected to encourage the companies to hire more American workers and would prove detrimental to the Indian IT professionals in the US, who are H1-B visa holders.

To tackle the growing unemployment in the country, Australia abolished the 457 visa programme, which allowed businesses to employ temporary foreign workers for a period of up to four years. This will be replaced by another visa programme, which would ensure that foreign workers are brought into Australia to pad up the critical skill gaps and not because an employer finds it easier to recruit a foreign worker than hiring an Australian.