INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2014

INTERNATIONAL JUNE 2014

• Martin Schulz reelected as President of European Parliament
  Members of European Parliament re-elected Martin Schulz as President of the European Parliament on 1st July for another two and a half year term. He will lead Parliament until January 2017. He won 409 out of 612 valid votes cast in the first ballot. Mr Schulz is the first President in the history of the European Parliament to be re-elected for a second two and a half year term.
  European Parliament:
  The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union (EU). Together with the Council of the European Union (the Council) and the European Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU.
  The Parliament is composed of 751 (previously 766) members, who represent the second largest democratic electorate in the world (after the Parliament of India) and the largest trans-national democratic electorate in the world (375 million eligible voters in 2009)
  It has been directly elected every five years by universal suffrage since 1979.
  Prime Minister Cameron is the foremost among Europe’s leaders who are zealous to guard the sovereignty of individual countries, even at the expense of ever-closer integration into the union.
  
  Britain’s conciliatory tone after the nomination of Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission gives reason for hope that the country’s road map for the future may be one that will involve reform from within, rather than exit from, the European Union. It was feared that if a vote was forced on the nomination of the former Luxembourg Prime Minister to the position, London’s further isolation in the bloc of 28 countries would strengthen the Euro sceptic parties into exerting pressure on the government. In the event, British Prime Minister David Cameron’s response to the 26-2 vote has been sober, although he described the latest development as unfortunate for Europe. For her part, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she would work to limit the fallout of the unprecedented election. There were clear indications of her reaching out even before the June 27 summit as the outcome of the vote and its implications for Britain were evident ever since London’s traditional allies decided to back Mr. Juncker’s nomination. London’s real objections in the months-long controversy on the issue pertained in the main to the authority of the European Parliament to appoint the president of the European Commission, the EU’s most important decision-maker. That power had hitherto remained a prerogative of the Council of Europe, the body made up of the elected heads of government of the 28 states. Clearly, the question of the competencies of national legislatures vis-à-vis the bloc’s Parliament may be expected to remain a delicate matter.
  
• The United Nations on 24th June launched a global environment conference at Kenyan capital Nairobi. It was aimed at taking up challenges from poaching to marine pollution and boosting the "green economy". The meeting in Nairobi is the first ever United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA).Organisers said that it would influence policy action on environmental themes, ranging from sustainable consumption and production, and financing the green economy, to the illegal trade in wildlife, and environmental rule of law. Key issues on the agenda are- the issue of plastic contamination, which threatens marine life, tourism, and fisheries on vast scale, the impacts of excess nitrogen and marine aquaculture, as well as dangers posed by air pollution. The five-day event run by the UN Environment Programme. UNEA was set up after suggestions made at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro two years ago.
  
  • UN Environment Programme H.Q is in Nairobi(capital of Kenya)
  • UNEP chief is Achim Steiner.
    
• Mr. Radha Mohan Singh, Minister of Agriculture of India inaugurated the 33rd session of Asia Pacific Fisheries Commission at Hyderabad on 23 June. The Minister said in this context that the ‘Blue growth’ is an important area for sustainable food security. The oceans and the inland waters of their countries offer excellent scope for blue growth. He also said that the Indian government was planning to develop a policy for aquaculture growth in the country. The Minister Mr. Radha Mohan Singh offered India’s cooperation in aquaculture and fisheries to other countries, both for their sustainable development and management. Asia Pacific Fisheries Commission (APFIC) is an important platform for the governments of APFIC members, international and regional fisheries and aquaculture organizations to discuss important and emerging issues related to the development and management of fisheries and aquaculture in Asia and Pacific region.
  
  • India stands world number 2 in global fish production.
  • India stands world number 2 in the sectors of Inland capture and aquaculture.
  • India is number 7 in marine capture production/fisheries.
  • The share of India’s production from aquaculture is 6.3% of the World.
    
• The World Heritage Committee on 23rd June inscribed the Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (GHNPCA), India on the World Heritage List. The Great Himalayan National Park (GHNP) is located in the Kullu District of Himachal Pradesh, India. The concept of environmental conservation in the Kullu Valley is very ancient. The names of many places in this valley commemorate saints who came here to meditate in the great sanctuary of Himalayas. The Great Himalayan National Park Conservation Area (GHNPCA) has GHNP (754.4 sq km), Sainj (90 sq km) and Tirthan (61 sq km) Wildlife Sanctuaries. GHNPCA is home to several Rare and Threatened species including the Western Tragopan, Chir Pheasant, Snow Leopard, Himalayan Musk Deer, Asiatic Black Bear, Himalayan Tahr, Blue Sheep and Serow. Around 25 Threatened IUCN Red-listed plant species are recorded from the park. The GHNP has more than 35 peaks of greater than 5000m and two greater than 6000m.
  
• China has commissioned a preliminary research study to build an international rail link connecting its border province of Xinjiang to Pakistan. It is said to be a contentious project from India's perspective as it runs through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).China has allocated funds for preliminary research on building an international railway connecting its westernmost city of Kashgar in Xinjiang with Pakistan's deep-sea Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea. This 1,800-km China-Pakistan railway is planned to pass through Pakistan's capital of Islamabad and Karachi. China and Pakistan have already signed a multi-billion-dollar deal to construct an Economic Corridor through PoK connecting Kashgar with Gwadar port. Pakistan has already handed over the control of the Gwadar port, which provided an opening for the Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf to Beijing. China is now running the port just opposite the Gulf of Oman, an important route for oil tankers. China plans to build a pipeline network to download the oil from ships and pump it across to Xinjiang through the proposed pipeline network.
  
• Institute for Economics and Peace released Global Peace Index (GPI) 2014 in London on 18th June 2014. Institute for Economics and Peace has measured peace for 162 countries on the basis of 22 indicators. The IEP is a Sydney-based international and independent think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress. India has been ranked 143rd position. In GPI 2013, India was ranked 141st.In the GPI 2014; Syria became the world’s least peaceful nation while Iceland is the most peaceful country in the world.
  • Top 5 most peaceful countries are-1) Iceland 2) Denmark 3) Austria 4) New Zealand 5) Switzerland.
  • Indi’s rank is 143 out of 162.
  • Syria became the world’s least peaceful nation.
    
• The African Union’s Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) on 18th June 2014 restored the membership of Egypt into the African Union. The decision was taken at the meeting of the 15-member states of AUPSC in Addis Ababa, Egypt. With this Egypt became eligible to participate in African Summit that is to be held later in June 2014 in Malabo, the capital of Equatorial Guinea. Egypt was suspended from the 54-nation AU in July 2013 after the ouster of the President Mohamed Morsi by the then Army Chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi who is the country’s current president.
  
• Juan Manuel Santos on 15th June won re-election in Colombia’s presidential contest. Juan Manuel Santos defeated right-wing challenger Oscar Ivan Zuluaga, leading with 53 per cent to 47 per cent of valid votes. Mr. Zuluaga was backed by former two-term President Alvaro Uribe, who many consider the true challenger.
  
• The World Health Organization (WHO) on 19th June said that the number of people killed by the deadly Ebola virus in West Africa has raised to 337.Guinea is worst-affected with 264 Ebola-related deaths. In Sierra Leone, there have been 49 deaths and in Liberia 24.The three countries have been battling to contain the outbreak since February. The outbreak began in southern Guinea's Guekedou region, but then spread to its neighbours.
  • There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola - one of the world's deadliest viruses.
  • It is spread by close contact and kills between 25% and 90% of those infected, depending on the strain of the virus.
  • Symptoms include internal and external bleeding, diarrhoea and vomiting.
    
• Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri Maliki on 10 June asked parliament to declare a state of emergency after Islamist militants effectively took control of Mosul and much of its province of Nineveh. The Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has called upon to United Nations, Arab League, European Union and others to support Iraq in its stand on fighting terrorism. 
  • ISIS was formed in April 2013 and grew out of al-Qaeda’s affiliate organization in Iran. Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi is the leader of the group.
  • It is mostly active in northern and eastern Syria and northern Iraq.
  • Mosul is the second largest city of Iraq.
    
• Russia on 10 June in principle agreed on the Indian nuclear liability law. It paves the way for signing a contract for unit 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in July. India and Russia signed a General Framework Agreement on unit 3 and 4 in April this year after crossing the initial hurdles of the Civil Liability Nuclear Damage Act 2010. The agreement could not be signed in October last year when the then Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited Russia, as Moscow has raised objection over some clauses of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act. Unit 1 of the KKNPP has attained 100 per cent capacity of 1000 MW while the second unit should start generating power from this year. 
  • Units 1 and 2 of Tamil Nadu-based Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) have been built with the help of Russian assistance at the cost of Rs 17,200 crore.
    
• Civil Liability Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act 2010 passed by the Parliament in August 2010 limits the liability of the operator in case of nuclear incident. It secures the operator the right to recourse under certain circumstances. Apart from this, the CLND Act also provided a mechanism to compensate victims of nuclear damage.
  
• The United Nations General Assembly on 11 June elected Sam Kahamba Kutesa of Uganda as President of its upcoming 69th session. Mr. Kutesa, is the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Uganda. Made up of all the 193 Member States of the United Nations, the General Assembly provides a forum for multilateral discussion of the full spectrum of international issues covered by the UN Charter. It meets in regular session intensively from September to December each year, and thereafter as required.
  
• On June 10th, the Israeli parliament elected 74-year-old Reuven Rivlin as Israel’s 10th president. He will succeed 90-year-old Shimon Peres, who has been the Israeli president since July 2007.Rivlin is a former minister of communications and twice speaker of the Knesset. The presidency in Israel is largely ceremonial. Most political power is held by the prime minister, currently Benjamin Netanyahu who was re-elected to a third 5-year term in 2013.The president, however, has the power to pardon prisoners and authority to choose the prime minister after national elections. The newly elected Rivlin will take office on July 24th.
  
• A four-day Global Summit to end Sexual Violence in Conflict was launched in London on 10Th June 2014. The Summit was launched by Hollywood actress and UN Special Envoy Angelina Jolie and UK Foreign Secretary William Hague. The aim of the Summit was to take concrete action to improve lives of victims and to establish best practice for obtaining witness testimony of crime of sexual violence in conflict. As per estimates, about 150 million girls and women are raped every year in conflict around the world. It includes 70 million men and boys. The Summit was attended by high-level foreign delegations from 140 countries.
  
• Nepal on 7th June decided to shift the venue of the 18th SAARC summit in November from its famous tourist destination of Pokhara to Kathmandu due to lack of infrastructure. Official sources said the government is making preparations for holding the next Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) meeting in Pokhara. The meeting of BIMSTEC is held every two years.
  
• The Barak Obama’s government on 2nd June, unveiled historic environment rules cutting carbon pollution from power plants by 30%, for a global deal to end climate change. The new rules, formally announced by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has moved to regulate carbon pollution from power plants – the largest single source of carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change. The EPA said the regulations, which would cut carbon pollution from power plants 30% from 2005 levels by 2030, would fight climate change while supplying America with reliable and affordable power. Power plants are the largest single source of carbon pollution, accounting for nearly 40% of the emissions that cause climate change.
  
• Petro Poroshenko took the oath on 7th June as Ukraine's president. Petro Poroshenko was supported by Western nations. Poroshenko was elected on May 25.Since Poroshenko's election, government forces have begun an intensified campaign against separatist fighters in eastern Ukraine who want to split with Kiev and become part of Russia.
  
• Quebec province of Canada on 5th June 2014 adopted legislation of Right-to-Die. It allows terminally ill patients to kill themselves with a doctor’s help. With legalizing the legislation, Quebec became first province of the country to legalize doctor-assisted death. The bill is labelled as Dying with Dignity or Bill 52
  • Other countries where Euthanasia is legal are-Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg. ·
  • Assisted suicide is allowed in some countries like- Switzerland.
    
• Salvador Sanchez Ceren was sworn-in as the President of El Salvador on 1 June 2014. He is the former left wing rebel leader. He belongs to the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front party (FMLN). Salvador Sanchez Ceren will succeed outgoing Mauricio Funes. He served the country as President from 2009 to 2014. El Salvador is a Central American country.
  
• Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has won a third term in office after securing 88.7% of votes in 3 June presidential election. President Assad's challengers Hassan al-Nouri and Maher Hajjar, received 4.3% and 3.2% of the vote respectively. Bashar belongs to the Ba’ath Party. Tens of thousands of people have died in three years of civil war in Syria, with millions more displaced.
  
• UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 6 June nominated Jordan's envoy Prince Zeid Ra'ad Zeid Al-Hussein as the new High Commissioner for Human Rights. He was replaced Indian-origin Ms. Navi Pillay. Mr Al-Hussein is currently Jordan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations. Mr Al-Hussein will replace Ms navi Pillay, who was appointed High Commissioner for Human Rights in July 2008 and her mandate was renewed for two years beginning September 2012. Ms. Navi Pillay is from South Africa.
  
• The General Assembly of UNO on 6 June established the “United Nations Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela Prize” as a tribute to the achievements and contributions of the late South African leader who inspired not only his own country but the rest of the world. By the terms of the resolution, the Assembly asked the Secretary-General, in consultation with the President of the Assembly, to establish within six months of adoption of the text the criteria and procedures for bestowing the prize. This is to be adopted by the Assembly before 30th November 2014.
  
• Lithuania is going to adopt the Euro on 1 January 2015. Lithuania will become the 19th member of the euro zone out of 28 countries in the European Union, and the last of the Baltic States to join. The UK and Denmark are the only EU states with opt-outs from the euro. All other countries are expected to join. Estonia was the first Baltic state to become a member of the euro zone in 2011, followed by Latvia on 1 January 2014.