INTERNATIONAL APRIL 2016
- Syria conflict: Obama rules out ground troops for Syria
President Barack Obama has ruled out deploying US ground troops in Syria and says military efforts alone cannot solve the country's problems. According to him it would be a mistake for the United States, or Great Britain... to send in ground troops and overthrow the [Bashar al-] Assad regime.
He also said he did not think so-called Islamic State would be defeated in his last nine months of office. Mr Obama, who has been on a three-day visit to the UK, also warned that Britain could take up to 10 years to negotiate trade deals with the US if it votes to leave the EU in a June referendum.
The US president later arrived in Hannover, Germany, where he hopes to boost support for the controversial Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal. Later, he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are due to open the Hannover Messe, the world's largest industrial technology trade fair.
Mr Obama said the US-led coalition would continue "to strike ISIL (Islamic State) targets in places like Raqqa, and to try to isolate those portions of the country, and lock down those portions of the country that are sending foreign fighters into Europe". - Russia and Syria sign deals worth $850 million to restore Syrian infrastructure
Syria and Russia have signed agreements worth 850 million euros to restore infrastructure in the Arab nation, Russia's RIA news agency quoted Syrian Prime Minister Wael al-Halaki as saying on 25th April. - Yemen conflict: Over 800 al-Qaeda fighters killed in single attack
In Yemen, more than 800 Al-Qaeda fighters were killed on 24th April in a single attack on a southeastern town held by the militant group for the past year.
Military sources told the French news agency AFP, the coalition forces entered Mukalla and were met by no resistance from al-Qaida militants who withdrew west. The source also said an oil terminal was recaptured during the offensive. Several al-Qaida leaders were among those dead, and all militants who were not killed in the attack fled, the coalition command said in a statement.
The military action came as part of an international effort to support the Yemeni government and to exert influence over the Yemeni cities that are under the control of al-Qaida. - Security Council asks UN to submit broad plan on Yemen peace
The United Nations Security Council asked Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to submit a broad plan within 30 days detailing how his Yemen envoy can help the warring Yemeni parties move towards peace. The Yemen civil war has killed more than 6,200 people, displaced more than 2.5 million others and caused a humanitarian catastrophe in one of the world's poorest countries.
The 15-nation Security Council unanimously adopted a statement that called on all Yemeni parties to develop a roadmap for the implementation of interim security measures, especially at the local level, withdrawals, handover of heavy weapons, restoration of state institutions. - WMO retires storm names Erika, Joaquin and Patricia
The organisation that names tropical storms and hurricanes says it will retire the names Erika, Joaquin and Patricia following the 2015 season.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) announced that Elsa and Julian will be used for future storms in the Atlantic, while Pamela will be used in the eastern North Pacific.
The organisation reuses storm names every six years, meaning the new names might first be used in 2021. Names are retired when a storm is so deadly or costly that its future use would be insensitive.
Tropical storm Erika was directly responsible for 30 deaths on the Caribbean island of Dominica and one in Haiti. Hurricane Joaquin took the lives of 34 people, including the 33 crew members of cargo ship El Faro. Hurricane Patricia eventually became the strongest hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere. - Saudi unveils far-reaching plan to move away from oil
Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and Middle East power on 25th April unveiled an ambitious plan to diversify and become one of the 15 biggest economies in the world
Presenting "Saudi Arabia's vision for 2030," deputy crown prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom's huge oil wealth was now holding the country back.
Under the plan, Saudi Arabia wants to boost non-oil revenues six fold to $266 billion by 2030, sell part of national oil company Aramco on the stock market, and create a $1.9 trillion public fund to invest at home and abroad.
The reform programme aims to propel the kingdom from its ranking as the world's 19th largest economy to the top 15. It also includes major structural reforms, privatisations and efforts to increase government efficiency. - China unveils first security Robocop
China's first robot security guard on 27th April made its debut, an electrical anti-riot device that can be activated through remote control in case of a threat. The 1.49-metre-tall, 78-kg "AnBot" unveiled at the ongoing China Chongqing Hi-Tech Fair has a maximum speed of 18 km per hour. It can patrol at a speed of 1 km per hour and has a battery capacity of 8 hours
The security robot is capable of autonomous patrol, intelligent monitoring, emergency calls, auto-recharging and has optional modules for environmental monitoring, biochemical detection and clearing explosives. An electrical anti-riot device can be activated through remote control if a threat is detected. Shouting for help in the patrol area or pushing the robot's emergency button will alert the police immediately. Breakthroughs in low-cost autonomous navigation and positioning, as well as intelligent video surveillance, have contributed to the development of the robot, said Xiao Xiangjiang, director of the Institute of Electromechanical Engineering and Automation of the National University of Defence Technology.
Other highlights of the robot include its ability to react during emergencies, according to Xiao. Wei Quansheng, an officer from Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau, said the robot guard can be used in many public places such as airports, stations and subways to help with police officers' anti-riot missions.
The robot is jointly developed by the National University of Defence Technology and a robotics company in central China's Hunan Province.
The university began researching robotics theory and technology in the 1980s. The school is hoping to continue to build up China's intelligent security service robots to promote the development of the robot industry and upgrades to the country's security industry, Xia said. - Strong earthquake rattles Vanuatu; no threat of tsunami
A strong magnitude-7 earthquake rattled the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu but authorities said there was no tsunami threat and no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the quake hit near Malekula Island. It was centred about 200 kilometres northwest of the capital Port Vila at a depth of 35 kilometres, according to the USGS.
It was the fourth strong earthquake to strike Vanuatu this month, although none have caused problems. Vanuatu sits on the Ring of Fire, the arc of seismic faults around the Pacific Ocean where earthquakes are common. The nation is also prone to volcanoes and cyclones. - South Africa Court Rules President Jacob Zuma Should Face Almost 800 Graft Charges
South African President Jacob Zuma should face almost 800 corruption charges that were dropped in 2009, a judge said on 29th April, piling further pressure on the embattled leader. The charges, relating to a multi-billion dollar arms deal, were dropped by the chief state prosecutor in a move that cleared the way for Zuma to be elected president.
The decision... to discontinue the charges against Zuma is irrational and should be reviewed," Pretoria High Court judge Aubrey Ledwaba said. The prosecutor had justified dropping the charges by saying that tapped phone calls between senior officials in then-president Thabo Mbeki's administration showed political interference in the case.
The recordings, which became known as the "spy tapes", were kept secret but finally released in 2014 to the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), after a five-year legal battle.
The recordings, which became known as the "spy tapes", were kept secret but finally released in 2014 to the main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance (DA), after a five-year legal battle.
The DA called for the National Prosecuting Authority to immediate revive the 783 charges of corruption dating back to 1999. But the legal wrangling is set to continue, with the ruling likely to go to appeal. - Death toll climbs to 262 in Ecuador earthquake
Death toll in the 16th April’s powerful earthquake in Ecuador has risen to 262. More than 2,500 people are reported injured. The latest figures were given by the country’s Vice Interior Minister Diego Fuentes.
Initial reports indicate heavy damage in the coastal city of Manta. Rescue crews struggled to get to sparsely populated fishing ports and tourist beaches.
The city of Pedernales, home to more than 40,000 people in Manabí Province, is destroyed.
Ecuador's President Rafael Correa declared a state of emergency and said the priority is finding survivors. Helicopters and buses are ferrying troops north but have been hampered by landslides. Food and other essentials has been handed out and international aid is also beginning to arrive. - Iran unveils S-300 missile system
Iran used its annual Army Day parade on 17th April to showcase parts of a long-awaited air defence system ordered from Russia, a move likely to irk critics of the arms deal. The S-300 system has been on order since 2007 but Russia postponed the sale three years later after the UN Security Council passed a resolution relating to Iran’s nuclear programme. - Brazil's lower house votes to impeach President Dilma Rousseff
Parliament in Brazil has voted to start impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff over charges of manipulating government accounts. The "yes" camp comfortably won the required two-thirds majority in the vote in the lower house in Brasilia.
The motion will now go to the upper house, the Senate, which is expected to suspend Ms Rousseff next month while it carries out a formal trial. She denies tampering with the accounts to help secure her re-election in 2014.
Her supporters describe the vote as a "coup against democracy" and the ruling Workers' Party has promised to continue its fight to defend her "in the streets and in the Senate". - Migrant crisis: Hundreds feared dead in Mediterranean Sea
Over 400 migrants are believed to have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea on 18th April after four boats capsized and one began to sink while they were heading for Italy. The migrants are said to have left Libya and were heading for Italy when the incident took place. According to reports, most them were Somali migrants
Somalia government initially said that close to 400 migrants had drowned but later on said that 200-300 migrants, mostly of Somali origin had drowned. Officials said that the migrants were trying to illegally enter Europe and hence very little was known of the accident.
The Italian Coastguard, on the other hand, said that they were unaware of the incident. Though several reports suggest that 400 migrants may have drowned, the number remains unconfirmed. - Communist Laos appoints new President, Prime Minister
Laos's National Assembly on 20th April appointed Communist Party chief Bounnhang Vorachit as the country's new President and named Foreign Minister Thongloun Sisoulith as Prime Minister. The 149-member assembly completed the process of nomination and voting for both candidates in around an hour. The picks are seen by many analysts as a continuation of the status quo in secretive Laos, where the communists have ruled since the end of the Vietnam War. One of the fastest-growing economies in East Asia, landlocked Laos has averaged GDP growth of 7 percent over the past decade, according to the World Bank. - Harriet Tubman to be first African-American on US currency
Anti-slavery crusader Harriet Tubman will become the first African-American on the face of US paper currency, and the first woman in more than a century, when she replaces former President Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.
The US Treasury Department said on 20th April that Tubman, who was born into slavery in the early 1820s and went on to help hundreds of slaves escape, would take the center spot on the bill, while Jackson, a slave owner, would move to the back.
Introduced alongside a slew of changes to the $5 and $10 notes as well, the redesign gives the Treasury "a chance to open the aperture to reflect more of America's history," Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said.
A new $10 bill will add images of five female leaders of the women's suffrage movement, including Sojourner Truth and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, to the back, while keeping founding father Alexander Hamilton on the front. The reverse of a new $5 note will show former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., officials said. Former President Abraham Lincoln will remain on the front. - 175 countries sign Paris Agreement
A total of 175 countries, including India, on 22nd April signed the Paris climate agreement at the United Nations, a record for a one-day signing of an international accord, the United Nations said. Fifteen countries, mostly small-island states, have already ratified the agreement on combating global warming. The landmark deal takes a key step toward entering into force years ahead of schedule. Never have so many countries signed an agreement on the first available day. States that do not sign on 22nd April have a year to do so. The agreement will enter into force once 55 countries representing at least 55 per cent of global emissions have formally joined it. The U.S. and China have said they intend to join this year. - World Bank and Ecuador Sign US$150 Million Agreement
The Vice President of the World Bank for the Latin America and the Caribbean Region, Jorge Familiar, alongside the Ambassador of Ecuador in Washington, Francisco Borja Cevallos, signed an agreement on 22nd April to help the people affected by the recent earthquake that devastated the Ecuadorian coast a few days ago.
A damage assessment team of the World Bank went to Ecuador just hours after the earthquake, and part of the agreed support respond to the humanitarian needs identified so far. This assessment and the immediate response of the World Bank have been done in coordination with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the central and subnational government, and other donors. - North Korea tests submarine launched ballistic missile in Sea of Japan
North Korea on 23rd April tested a submarine launched ballistic missile - SLBM in the Sea of Japan. South Korean defence ministry said they are keeping close tabs on the North Korean military and maintaining a full defence posture.
North Korea has been pushing to acquire SLBM capability that would take its nuclear strike threat to a new level, allowing deployment far beyond the Korean peninsula and the potential to retaliate in the event of a nuclear attack. It has conducted a number of SLBM tests, but experts question the claim. - 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocks Afghanistan, Pakistan
A powerful earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale jolted Afghanistan, Pakistan and northern India on 10th April, forcing people to flee their homes. The quake, which hit the region at 4 p.m, lasted for about three minutes. In Pakistan, the tremors were felt in Lahore, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Peshawar.
27 injured people have been admitted to Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital for treatment. The quake was felt for a few seconds in Kabul where some residents evacuated apartment blocks. The quake was also felt in North India including the National Capital. The National Centre for Seismology said that the epicenter of earthquake was in Hindukush mountain range. - Strong quake strike Indo-Myanmar border; Tremors felt in North-East, Eastern India
Strong tremors measuring 6.8 on Richter scale were felt in North East, Eastern and Northern parts of the country at 7.25 pm on 13th April. Preliminary reports said that the epicenter of the earthquake was in Mawlaik in Saigaing Division of Myanmar bordering Churachandpur District of Manipur at a distance of 177 Kilometers to the North-West of Myanmar city Mandalay and at a depth of 134 Kilometers.
The tremors were felt in Guwahati, Shillong, Kolkata and Patna. Shocks were also felt in Delhi NCR. People came out from their houses, shops and office premises in panic. - Earth quake hits Japan
A 6.5 magnitude earthquake struck southern Japan on 14th April killing at least nine people and injuring hundreds others. The quake struck at a depth of 11 kilometres near Kumamoto city on Kyushu island. The quake was followed by aftershocks measuring 5.7 about 40 minutes later, and 6.4 just after midnight local time. No tsunami warning was issued, and nuclear reactors on the island are not reported to have been affected.
However, a number of houses collapsed, and hundreds of calls came in reporting building damage and people buried under debris or trapped inside. Thousands of homes were left without electricity. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that the government has mobilized police, firefighters and self-defense troops for the rescue operation.
Second earthquake: Japanese rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings and mud on 16th April to reach people trapped after a powerful 7.3 magnitude earthquake struck a southern island, killing at least 25 people and injuring more than a thousand. The shallow earthquake hit in the early hours of Saturday, sending people fleeing from their beds and onto dark streets, and follows a 6.4 magnitude quake on 14th April that killed nine people in the area.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the speed of rescue efforts was critical given that wet weather is forecast overnight, which could further damage weakened buildings and cause landslides.
The epicentre of the quake was near the city of Kumamoto and measured at a shallow depth of 10 kms, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said.
There have been more than 230 aftershocks of at least level 1 on the Japanese scale since Thursday's shock, said Japan's meteorological agency.
Japan is on the seismically active "ring of fire" around the Pacific Ocean and has building codes aimed at helping structures withstand earthquakes. A magnitude 9 quake in March 2011 north of Tokyo touched off a massive tsunami and nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima. Nearly 20,000 people were killed in the tsunami The 2011 quake temporarily crippled part of Japan's auto supply chain in particular, but some companies have since adjusted the industry's "Just in Time" production philosophy in a bid to limit any repeat of the disruption. - Yemen ceasefire comes into force
In Yemen, a UN-backed ceasefire has come into force from midnight of 10th April with all sides promising to stick to it. The truce is aimed at giving peace talks scheduled for April 18th in Kuwait a chance to succeed. Saudi-led coalition supporting government forces said, it will respect the ceasefire but reserves the right to respond to any rebel attacks.
Iranian-backed Houthi rebels who are trying to overthrow the government have also said they will respect the truce. More than 6,000 people have been killed and 2 million displaced in more than a year of fighting between the two sides. A further 20 people were reportedly killed in clashes on 10th April, hours before the truce was due to come into effect. - United Nations makes selection of its new chief more transparent
The United Nations took a historic step on 12th April to open up the usually secret process of selecting the next secretary-general, giving all countries the chance to question candidates on such issues as how they would resist pressure from powerful nations, tackle sex abuse by UN peacekeepers, and improve efforts to achieve peace.
Montenegro’s Foreign Minister Igor Luksic was the first of eight candidates to face members of the UN General Assembly, citing his small Balkan nation’s multiethnic and multicultural diversity as well as his experience as a former prime minister and defense minister in seeking the UN’s top diplomatic post.
As the United Nations grapples with multiple crises and the organization deals with some fundamental questions regarding its own role and performance, finding the best possible candidates to succeed Ban Ki-moon is absolutely crucial,” Lykketoft said. “
For the first time since this organization started 70 years ago, the process for selecting and appointing the next secretary-general is being generally guided by the principles of transparency and inclusivity.”
Under the UN Charter, the secretary-general is chosen by the 193-member General Assembly on the recommendation of the 15-member Security Council. In practice, this has meant that the council’s five permanent members — the US, Russia, China, Britain and France — have veto power over the candidates. That will not change in deciding whom to recommend succeeding Ban, whose second five-year term ends on Dec. 31.
But Lykketoft told the assembly that he views the question-and-answer sessions, which will continue through Thursday, “as a potential game-changer for the United Nations.”
By tradition, the job of secretary-general has rotated among regions and Asia, Africa, Latin America and Europe have all held the top UN post. East European nations, including Russia, argue that they have never had a secretary-general and it is their turn.
There has also never been a woman secretary-general and a group of 56 nations are campaigning for the first female UN chief. There are currently four women and four men who have thrown their hats in the ring — six from Eastern Europe, one from Western Europe and one from the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to Luksic, they are: former Macedonian Foreign Minister Srgjan Kerim; former Croatian Foreign Minister Vesna Pucic; former Slovenian President Danilo Turk; UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova from Bulgaria; former Moldovan Foreign Minister Natalia Gherman; former U.N. refugee chief and ex-Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Guterres; and former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark, who heads the U.N. Development Program.
While 12th April session was under way, another candidate announced his entry into the race: former Serbian foreign minister and General Assembly president Vuk Jeremic said in Belgrade that the government will be nominating him.
In his lead-off presentation, Luksic spoke in both English and French — the two working languages of the United Nations — and said thank you in the four other working languages as well, Spanish, Arabic, Russian and Chinese. - Rise in child suicide bombers used by Boko Haram: UN
Use of child bombers by Boko Haram has increased over the last year with one in five suicide attacks now carried out by children, the UN says. Girls, who are often drugged, were behind three-quarters of such attacks committed by the militant Islamist group in Cameroon, Nigeria and Chad.
The change in tactics reflects the loss of territory in Nigeria by the group. The seven-year insurgency, which has mainly affected north-eastern Nigeria and its neighbours around Lake Chad, has left some 17,000 people dead. UNICEF says up to 1.3 million children have been forced from their homes across Cameroon, Chad, Nigeria and Niger. - Brazil Supreme Court upholds Rousseff impeachment vote
Brazil's Supreme Court has rejected a government injunction aimed at preventing an impeachment vote against President Dilma Rousseff. Ms Rousseff, who says her opponents are plotting a "coup", faces claims she manipulated government accounts.
She has vowed to fight to the last minute despite the desertion of three allied parties ahead of 18th April votes in the Lower House of Parliament. The Supreme Court made its decision in an extraordinary session.
The impeachment debate in the Lower House of Parliament is due to start later today and continue until Sunday's vote. If two-thirds of MPs vote for impeachment, the motion will pass to the Senate. An impeachment vote would pave the way for Ms Rousseff to be removed from office. - Azerbaijan announces unilateral ceasefire against Armenian forces
Azerbaijan has announced a unilateral ceasefire in fighting with Armenian forces over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region. But the Armenia-backed Karabakh military said fierce fighting is continuing. Nagorno-Karabakh has been in the hands of ethnic-Armenian separatists since a war that ended in 1994. Fighting had continued into Sunday, after clashes left 30 soldiers dead and caused civilian casualties. - Panama Papers' leak of 11m documents reveals global elite's secret cash havens
A huge leak of confidential documents has revealed how the rich and powerful use tax havens to hide their wealth. Eleven million documents were leaked from one of the world's most secretive companies, Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.
They show how Mossack Fonseca has helped clients launder money, dodge sanctions and evade tax. The company says it has operated beyond reproach for 40 years and has never been charged with criminal wrong-doing.
The documents show 12 current or former heads of state and 61 people linked to current or former world leaders in the data. Gerard Ryle, Director of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, said the documents covered the day-to-day business at Mossack Fonseca over the past 40 years. Meanwhile, Iceland's Prime Minister is under pressure to quit after the leak of the "Panama Papers" tax documents showed he and his wife used an offshore firm to hide million-dollar investments.
A former Prime Minister urged Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson to resign after the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism on Sunday released 11.5 million financial records detailing the holdings of a dozen current and former world leaders.
More than 16,000 Icelanders have also signed a petition demanding his resignation, while the opposition has said it will seek a vote of no confidence in Parliament, likely to be held this week.
Tax authorities across the world begin probes into nationals named in Panama Papers leak. Authorities in Australia and New Zealand are probing local clients of a Panama-based law firm which is at the centre of a massive data leak for possible tax evasion.
Other jurisdictions are likely to follow suit following the leak of details of hundreds of thousands of clients in more than 11.5 million documents from the files of law firm Mossack Fonseca, based in the tax haven of Panama.
The documents are at the centre of an investigation published on 3rd April by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and more than 100 other news organisations around the globe. The German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung said it received the huge cache of documents and shared them with the other media outlets. The leaked "Panama Papers" cover a period over almost 40 years, from 1977 until last December. - South Korea conducts large-scale live fire exercise on East Sea
South Korea conducted a large-scale live fire exercise on 4th April on the East Sea, where North Korea has been upping tensions with a series of missile and rocket launches. The drill involving K-9 self-propelled artillery units and 130mm multiple rocket launchers was held in the coastal county of Goseong, which borders the North.
South Korean defence Ministry spokesman, Moon Sang-Gyun told reporters that the aim of the exercise was to role play the scenario of a possible North Korean maritime provocation. It comes during an extended period of elevated military tensions on the Korean peninsula, triggered by Pyongyang's fourth nuclear test on January 6. - World's first public dengue vaccination programme launched in Philippines
The world's first public dengue vaccination programme was launched in the Philippines on 4th April. Several hundred children aged between 9 and 10 queued in front of government health workers at a public school in eastern Manila for the injections. According to the World Health Organization, Dengue, the world's most common mosquito-borne virus, infects an estimated 390 million people in more than 120 countries each year, killing more than 25,000. - Saudi Arabia unveils its austerity plans
Saudi Arabia has unveiled its austerity plans as the nation prepares to cope with tumbling oil prices - but insists it will not start taxing people's incomes. Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said his proposals would raise $100billion a year by 2020 as part of moves to balance the books.
The amount of non-oil related income would triple through subsidy cuts and new levies, he revealed. It comes days after it emerged that the kingdom was preparing for the end of the oil age be creating a $2trillion investment fund which is set to be 'the largest on earth'.
It may also target expats by introducing a system similar to the US Green Card. The non-oil income went up more than a third to $44billion last year. - World faces unrelenting march of diabetes: WHO
The world is facing an unrelenting march of diabetes which now affects nearly one in 11 adults, the World Health Organization says. In a report, it warned cases had nearly quadrupled to 422 million in 2014 from 108 million in 1980.
High blood sugar levels are a major killer linked to 3.7 million deaths around the world each year. Officials said the numbers would continue to increase unless drastic action was taken.
The report lumps both type 1 and type 2 diabetes together but the surge in cases is predominantly down to type 2 the form closely linked to poor lifestyle. As the world's waistlines have ballooned with one-in-three people now overweight, so too has the number of diabetes cases. - Worldwide executions up by 50 percent
The number of known executions worldwide went up by more than 50 percent last year to at least 1,634, the highest figure recorded since 1989, Amnesty International said on 6th April. The surge was largely fuelled by Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, the London-based human rights organisation said in its annual report on death sentences and executions worldwide.
The 1,634 figure does not include China, which is thought to have killed thousands of its own citizens. Death penalty data is "treated as a state secret" by Beijing, Amnesty said, as it is by Vietnam and Belarus. Recorded executions were up by 54 percent on 2014's figure of 1,061. Some 89 percent of those executions were carried out by Iran, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia alone.
Pakistan lifted a six-year moratorium on the death penalty following the Peshawar school attack in December 2014. It executed 326 people in 2015, while Saudi Arabia put 158 people to death.
Iran executing at least 977 people is at odds with its opening up to the West after striking a deal with world powers last year on its nuclear ambitions, Amnesty said.
For the first time ever, the majority of the world's countries have abolished the death penalty for all crimes. Fiji, Madagascar, Republic of Congo and Suriname fully abolished the death penalty in 2015, taking the total number of countries to do so to 102.
In China, Amnesty said there were signs that the number of executions has decreased in recent years, but it could not verify this. In August, nine crimes were removed from the list of offences punishable by death, bringing the total down to 43.
People were executed in 25 countries in 2015. The methods used were beheading, hanging, lethal injection and shooting. Amnesty said its reports indicated that four people in Iran and at least five in Pakistan were executed for crimes committed when they were aged under 18.
Amnesty recorded a drop in the number of death sentences imposed in 2015 compared to 2014, but this was partly due to difficulties in corroborating data, the charity said. At least 1,998 people were sentenced to death in 61 countries. At least 20,292 people worldwide were under sentence of death at the end of 2015. - World Bank launches ambitious climate action plan
The World Bank has unveiled an ambitious climate action plan that will help developing countries add 30 gigawatts of renewable energy, bring early warning systems to a hundred million people and develop climate-smart agriculture investment plans for at least 40 nations.
World Bank has set the target for achieving this by the year 2020. The Climate Change Action Plan comes just two weeks before world leaders officially sign the landmark Paris Agreement in New York.
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said the bank is moving urgently to help countries make major transitions to increase sources of renewable energy, decrease high-carbon energy sources, develop green transport systems, and build sustainable, livable cities for growing urban populations. - North Korea tests rocket as US talks up missile shield
North Korea said it successfully tested an engine for a new intercontinental ballistic rocket that could be used to carry out nuclear strikes on hostile forces, a day after US Defense Secretary Ash Carter reiterated plans to deploy a missile defence system in South Korea in the face of Chinese opposition.
The trial was a "big success," North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said, according to a statement carried by state-controlled Korean Central News Agency. South Korea's defence ministry confirmed the statement and said it is now closely monitoring the situation. - Iceland govt survives confidence vote
Iceland’s parliament has rejected an opposition motion of no-confidence in the new government, which is struggling to shake off revelations from the leaked “Panama Papers” which have already forced the Prime Minister to step down.
There were no dissenting voices among the majority government’s ranks and the motion was, as expected, rejected by 38 votes to 25 after an hour-and-a-half of debate. Another motion, calling for the immediate dissolution of parliament was similarly defeated.
The country’s new right-wing government took office on 8th April, under fire from the start with the opposition seeking the vote of no confidence and demanding swift elections.
New prime minister Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson replaced Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson, who quit 4th April amid mass protests over a hidden offshore account revealed in the so-called Panama Papers leak of millions of financial records.
Gunnlaugsson became the first major political casualty to emerge from the Panama Papers, resigning after the leak revealed that he and his wife owned an offshore company in the British Virgin Islands and had placed millions of dollars of her inheritance there. - Myanmar swears in first civilian President in five decades
Htin Kyaw has sworn in, Myanmar as President. He is a close aide of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, he is the country’s first civilian President in more than 50 years.
Ms. Suu Kyi has been appointed as a minister in Mr. Htin Kyaw’s government. Until recently, Mr. Htin Kyaw was running a charity founded by Ms. Suu Kyi. His wife, daughter of one of the founders of the National League for Democracy, is an MP.
Apart from controlling the ministries of home, defence and borders affairs, the men in uniform occupy 25 per cent of seats in Parliament. Under the existing Constitution, an 80 per cent majority is required to amend any part of it.
A law enacted by the armed forces debars Suuki from holding this position as her two sons are British nationals.
Powerful govt role for Aung San Suu Kyi
Myanmar's upper house of Parliament on 1st April approved a bill that gives Aung San Suu Kyi a powerful government role, despite opposition from the military. The bill creates the post of state counsellor and would allow her to coordinate ministers and influence the executive.
It would help Suu Kyi circumvent a constitution written under the former junta that prevents her leading the country because her two sons are not Myanmar citizens. Members of Parliament from the military opposed the bill, describing it as unconstitutional. They said the state counsellor position concentrated too much power in the hands of one person and lacked checks and balances. - Bomb attack in Lahore
In Pakistan, at least 53 people were killed and around 100 injured in a blast outside a public park in Lahore. Most of the injured were women and children.
The explosion appears to have been at the main gate to the Gulshan-e-Iqbal park in an area where cars are usually left - and a short distance from the children's swings.
Lahore is the capital of Punjab, Pakistan's largest and wealthiest province and the political powerbase of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Pakistan Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar told local and Western media it was behind the attack. - Nuclear Security Summit 2016
The international Nuclear Security Summit 2016 was unveiled on 1st April. The main points of summit are…
The threat of nuclear and radiological terrorism remains one of the greatest challenges to international security, and the threat is constantly evolving.
The nations gathered in Washington, D.C. on the first day of April, 2016 on the occasion of the fourth Nuclear Security Summit, are observed that the Summits have since 2010 raised awareness of this threat and driven many tangible, meaningful and lasting improvements in nuclear security.
The Summits have also strengthened the nuclear security architecture at national, regional and global levels, including through broadened ratification and implementation of international legal instruments regarding nuclear security.
The nations underline the importance of the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and its 2005 Amendment and the International Convention on the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism and will continue to work toward their universalization and full implementation.
The nations welcomed the imminent entry into force of the 2005 Amendment to the Convention on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Facilities and encourage further ratifications.
The nations reaffirm commitment to shared goals of nuclear disarmament, nuclear non-proliferation and peaceful use of nuclear energy. They also reaffirm that measures to strengthen nuclear security will not hamper the rights of States to develop and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Also the nations reaffirmed the fundamental responsibility of States, in accordance with their respective obligations, to maintain at all times effective security of all nuclear and other radioactive material, including nuclear materials used in nuclear weapons, and nuclear facilities under their control.
More work remains to be done to prevent non-state actors from obtaining nuclear and other radioactive materials, which could be used for malicious purposes. Nations commit to fostering a peaceful and stable international environment by reducing the threat of nuclear terrorism and strengthening nuclear security.
Sustaining security improvements requires constant vigilance at all levels, and we pledge that our countries will continue to make nuclear security an enduring priority. The leaders, are conscious of this responsibility. Actions taken at present can prevent futures nuclear security incidents.
Countering nuclear and radiological terrorism demands international cooperation, including sharing of information in accordance with States’ national laws and procedures. International cooperation can contribute to a more inclusive, coordinated, sustainable, and robust global nuclear security architecture for the common benefit and security of all.
The nations reaffirm the essential responsibility and the central role of the International Atomic Energy Agency in strengthening the global nuclear security architecture and in developing international guidance, and its leading role in facilitating and coordinating nuclear security activities among international organizations and initiatives and supporting the efforts of States to fulfill their nuclear security responsibilities.
The 2016 Summit marks the end of the Nuclear Security Summit process in this format. It affirms that the Communiqués from the 2010, 2012 and 2014 Summits and the Work Plan of the 2010 Summit will continue to guide our efforts as we endeavor to fully implement them.
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