INTERNATIONAL MARCH 2017

INTERNATIONAL MARCH 2017

• Al-Qaeda leader Qari Yasin killed in Afghanistan
  The Pentagon announced on 26th March that Qari Yasin, a Pakistani terrorist leader with ties to al-Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban was killed in a U.S. airstrike on March 19 in Afghanistan's Paktika Province. The Pakistani-born top al Qaeda operative is behind the Marriott Hotel bombing in Islamabad in 2008 and the attack on a bus carrying the Sri Lankan cricket team in Lahore in 2009.
  
• Worldwide nuclear ban is simply not realistic
   According to US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley that worldwide nuclear ban is simply not realistic, as nearly 40 countries stayed away from talks on the subject. The US, Britain and France were among the countries that skipped a UN meeting to discuss a new treaty.
  
  More than 120 others endorsed a plan for a legally binding nuclear ban. But Haley said national security required nuclear arms because of bad actors that could not be trusted. The UN conference to negotiate a legally binding nuclear ban treaty was announced in October.
  
  Britain, France, Israel, Russia and the United States voted no to the nuclear ban treaty back then, while China, India and Pakistan abstained. Japan - the only country to have suffered atomic attacks, in 1945 - also voted against the talks.
  
• Montenegro as the newest member of NATO
  The U.S. Senate has voted overwhelmingly to advance the approval of Montenegro's bid to join NATO, paving the way for the Balkan nation to join the military alliance.
  
  Senators voted 97-2 in favor of ending debate and allowing a vote on the ratification of its NATO membership, far more than the two-thirds majority needed. The only two "no" votes came from Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mike Lee.
  
• Britain launched process for leaving EU
  Britain has formally launched the process for leaving the European Union on 29th March just days after EU's 60th formation day. Nine months since the referendum vote to leave the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the bloc's Lisbon Treaty, meaning Britain is set to leave in 2019.
  
• Scottish Parliament backs referendum call
  Scottish lawmakers have voted to seek a new referendum on independence, to be held within the next two years. The Edinburgh-based legislature voted 69-59 to back First Minister Nicola Sturgeon's call to ask the British government for an independence vote. Outside, several dozen independence supporters bearing Scottish and EU flags broke into cheers as the news broke.
  
  Sturgeon says Scots must be given the chance to vote on their future before Britain leaves the European Union. Britain as a whole voted to leave the bloc in a referendum last year, but Scots voted by a large margin to stay. Scottish voters had earlier rejected independence in a 2014 referendum.
  
• UN denies India preventing UNMOGIP from presenting reports
  The UN today denied that India was preventing the UN observer group, monitoring the ceasefire line between India and Pakistan, from presenting its reports on the ground situation. It also rejected claims that the role of United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) was being constrained by India.
  
  India has maintained that UNMOGIP has outlived its utility and is irrelevant after the Simla Agreement and the consequent establishment of the LoC. The observer group is headed by Major General Per Lodin of Sweden. It currently has 38 military observers and 73 civilian personnel.
  
• Trump signs twin executive orders targeting trade 'cheaters
  Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking a comprehensive review of the massive trade deficit totaling more than $500 billion per annum with 16 countries, including China and India. He also signed a second order that seeks to strictly enforce anti-dumping laws.
  
  It would ensure that the US fully collects all duties imposed on foreign importers, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. The announcement, which comes just days ahead of Trump's first meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, is widely seen as targeting China, even though US officials have insisted that it does not single out that country.
  
• Depression main reason for ill health, disability: WHO
  Accordng to World Health Organization, depression is now the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide, with more than 300 million people suffering. Rates of depression have risen by more than 18 per cent since 2005, but a lack of support for the mental health combined with a common fear of stigma means many do not get the treatment they need to live healthy, productive lives.
  
  Depression also increases the risk of major diseases and disorders including addiction, suicidal behaviour, diabetes and heart disease, which are themselves among the world's biggest killers. WHO expressed concern that in many countries there is little or no support for people with mental health disorders, and only around half of people with depression get treatment in wealthier nations.
  
• N. Korea tests powerful rocket engine
  North Korea has tested a powerful new rocket engine according to state media said on 19th March. The test was apparently timed to coincide with the visit of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to Beijing on March 18th. Rocket engines are easily re-purposed for use in missiles.
  
  North Korea is banned by the United Nations from conducting long-range missile tests, but it claims its satellite programme is for peaceful use, a claim many in the U.S. and elsewhere believe is questionable.
  
• Japan launches satellite to monitor North Korea
  Japan on 17 March 2017 launched a new satellite to track land and maritime movements in North Korea. The satellite will also be able to conduct surveys on the weapons programme of the secretive nuclear-armed state.
  
  The launch project was conducted jointly by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the aerospace manufacturer. The move comes shortly after North Korea launched four banned ballistic missiles into the sea off Japan's north-west coast, alarming both Japan and the United States.
  
• Norway is happiest place on earth: United Nations
  According to a United Nations agency report, Norway is the happiest place on earth. It has toppled neighbor Denmark from the number one position. Denmark, Iceland, Switzerland and Finland secured the top five spots, while the Central African Republic came last. Western Europe and North America dominated the top of table, with the US and UK at 14th and 19th.
  
  The World Happiness Report was released to coincide with the United Nation's International Day of Happiness on 20th March. India ranked at 122 out of 155 countries in the World Happiness Report 2017, four notches below its previous rank of 118. The report was released on 20th March at the United Nations at an event celebrating International Day of Happiness.
  
  The happiness rankings are based on six factors: GDP per capita, healthy years of life expectancy, social support (as measured by having someone to count on in times of trouble), trust (as measured by a perceived absence of corruption in government and business), perceived freedom to make life decisions, and generosity (as measured by recent donations).
  
• UK PM May to trigger Brexit on March 29
  Britain said it will trigger its exit from the European Union on March 29, nine months after the country voted to leave the bloc. Triggering Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty, the formal procedure for leaving the bloc, will open a two-year timetable for difficult negotiations, meaning Britain could be out of the EU by 2019.
  
  The latest announcement comes just days before the European Union celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome which created the bloc. The European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier will spearhead the talks with London represented by Brexit minister David Davis.
  
• Earthquake rocks Indonesia’s Bali Island
  The United States Geological Survey says an earthquake with the magnitude of 5.5 has hit Indonesia’s resort island of Bali. Its epicentre was located 2 kilometers northeast of Banjar Pasekan, a town on the southeastern part Bali, at a depth of 118 kilometers.
  
  Officially there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. Indonesia is prone to the seismic upheaval due to its location on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire.
  
• Terror attack on British Parliament in London
  Five people have been killed and about 40 injured in a terror attack near the British Parliament in London. The attack started when a car was driven on Westminster Bridge, hitting people and police officers, before crashing into railings just outside Parliament. The House of Commons session was suspended and the members in the chamber were evacuated.
  
• UNHRC gives Colombo 2 more years
  Sri Lanka was on 23rd March given two more years to set up its accountability mechanism to probe alleged war crimes committed during the 37-year civil war in the UNHRC resolution adopted in Geneva. Titled “Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka” the resolution gives Sri Lanka two years to show more progress on the transitional justice process.
  
  Sri Lanka was granted 18 months by a UNHRC resolution in October 2015 to initiate a credible investigation into the nearly three decades long civil war. Sri Lankan government has resisted the call by UN Human Rights chief Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein to set up an international hybrid court.
  
• IS Claims Responsibility for Britain Parliament Attack
  Islamic State has claimed responsibility for 22nd March attack near the British Parliament in London, which killed three people and ended when an officer shot dead the attacker. British police have arrested eight people in connection with the attack.
  
• UN rights council approves fact-finding mission in Myanmar
  In Geneva, UN-backed Human Rights Council has approved a resolution by consensus to dispatch urgently an international fact-finding mission to Myanmar to probe alleged abuses by military and security forces, particularly in Rakhine State.
  
  The 47-member body threw its weight on 24th March behind existing efforts to investigate alleged abuses including torture, rape, arbitrary killings and forced displacement of the country's Rohingya minority.
  
• China's population to peak to 1.45 billion by 2030
  China's population is expected to peak to 1.45 billion in 2030, then drop to 1.4 billion by 2050 and 1.1 billion by the end of this century. According to the, deputy head of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, Wang Peian, in Beijing that China's working age population between 15 and 64 years is still a little over one billion and accounts for 73 per cent of the total population.
  
  The working age population will gradually drop to 985 million in 2020 and to around 800 million by 2050. Last year, China had relaxed its decades-old rigid 'one child policy' amid concerns over rapidly ageing population which has already touched about 220 million and was expected to climb sharply in the coming year.
  
• Pakistan inducts Chinese-built air defence system to its arsenal
  Pakistan on 12th March inducted a China-made advanced surface-to-air missile defence system to boost its aerial defence and combat emerging threats. LY-80 is a Chinese mobile air defence system, capable of tracking and destroying variety of aerial targets at longer ranges flying at low and medium altitude.
  
• 2016 was the worst year yet for Syrian children: UNICEF
  UNICEF has said, last year was the worst for Syrian children. In a report released two days before the sixth anniversary of the uprising that escalated into a civil war, United Nations' child relief agency said, at least 652 children were killed in Syria in 2016, making it the worst year yet for the country's rising generation.
  
  The report said 1.7 million youngsters are out of school and one of every three schools in Syria is unusable. UNICEF's Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa, Geert Cappelaere said in Homs that millions of children come under attack on a daily basis and six million are now relying on humanitarian aid.
  
• UK parliament gives final approval for Brexit bill
  In UK, the House of Lords has passed the Brexit bill, paving the way for the government to trigger Article 50 so the UK can leave the EU. Peers backed down over the issues of EU residency rights and a meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal after their objections were overturned by MPs. The bill is expected to receive Royal Assent and become law on 14th March.
  
  The Prime Minister could theoretically invoke Article 50, which formally starts the Brexit process, as early as 15th March. The EU Withdrawal Bill was passed un-amended after peers voted by 274 votes to 118 not to challenge the Commons again over the issue of whether Parliament should have a veto on the terms of exit.
  
• European Union court rules workplace headscarf ban legal
  European companies can ban employees from wearing religious or political symbols including the Islamic headscarf, the EU's top court ruled on 14th March in a landmark case. The European Court of Justice (ECJ) said it does not constitute "direct discrimination" if a firm has an internal rule banning the wearing of "any political, philosophical or religious sign".
  
  The ECJ said European Union law does bar discrimination on religious grounds, but G4S's actions were based on treating all employees the same, meaning no one person was singled out for application of the ban. However, in a related case in France, the ECJ ruled that a customer could not demand that a company employee not wear the Islamic headscarf when conducting business with them on its behalf.
  
• Federal Judge in Hawaii blocks Trump’s latest travel ban
  In the United States, a Federal judge in Hawaii has blocked President Donald Trump's new travel ban, a day before it was due to begin from 16th March. The ruling by US District Judge Derrick Watson stops the executive order from going into effect.
  
  The directive would have placed a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations and a 120-day ban on refugees. The White House has not yet commented on the latest legal ruling. President Trump had said it would stop terrorists from entering the US but critics say it is discriminatory.
  
• UN warns against 'abrupt funding cuts' stemming from US budget
  United Nations has warned that its operations could suffer if the United States were to slash funding to the world body as called for in President Donald Trump's first budget proposal. According to Spokesman Stephane Dujarric, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is totally committed to reforming the United Nations and ensuring that it is fit for purpose and delivers results in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
  
• H-1B premium processing suspended to handle huge rush: US
  US has said the premium processing of H-1B visas, which are popular among Indian IT firms and professionals, has been suspended temporarily to handle the huge rush of applications for the work visas in the first week of April.
  
  According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) acting Director, Lori Scialabba members of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight and Management efficiency that US will start accepting applications for H-1B work visas from April 3 for the fiscal 2018.
  
• US, China to cooperate on 'dangerous' North Korea situation
  The US and China pledged on 18th March to work together in addressing the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear programme, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned regional tensions had reached a "dangerous level."
  
  Tillerson arrived in Beijing earlier on 18th March after visits to US allies Japan and South Korea where he said the US would no longer observe the "failed" approach of patient diplomacy, warning that American military action against the North was an option "on the table."
  
• Trump signs revised travel ban
   US President Donald Trump administration issued a new executive order on 6th March, temporarily banning travel from six Muslim-majority countries to the U.S, after an earlier order ran afoul of the country’s judiciary. The new order will not come into effect until March 16, in contrast to the earlier order that became effective immediately.
  
  The new executive order bans travel from six countries — Sudan, Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen, leaving out Iraq among countries that was in the earlier order’s list. In an attempt to pass the judicial scrutiny, the order says that current visa and green card holders from these countries will not be affected.
  
  There will be a 90-day ban on the issuance of new visas for citizens of these six countries, and the refugee programme will be suspended for 120 days. The number of refugees to be admitted this year has been reduced to 50,000 from the 1,10,000 cap set by the Obama administration.
  
• Republicans unveil Obama care replacement plan
  In the United States, House of Republicans has unveiled a plan to replace, "The Affordable Care Act", known as Obama care. The proposed legislation would repeal penalties for those who do not buy health insurance. It would also replace income-based subsidies to help with the cost of premiums with age-based tax credits.
  
  The plan would reduce the role of the federal government in helping Americans afford healthcare. The proposal unveiled on 6th March would preserve some popular elements of the existing law, including allowing young people to remain on their parents' insurance plans until the age of 26. The plan is expected to cover fewer people than those who gained insurance under Mr. Obama.
  
• US starts to deploy THAAD anti-missile defense system in South Korea
  The United States has started to deploy the first elements of its advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system to South Korea following North Korea's test of four ballistic missiles, U.S. Pacific Command said on 7th March.
  
  The announcement came as North Korean state media said leader Kim Jong Un personally supervised missile launches, stepping up threats against Washington as U.S. troops conduct joint military exercises with South Korea.
  
• World’s oldest fossils discovered in Canada
  Scientists have claimed that they have discovered oldest fossils on Earth in rocks from Quebec, Canada. Carbon dating techniques suggest that these rocks are at least 3.8 billion years old and might even be 4.3 billion years old.
  
  The fossils are tiny and consist of tubes and filaments up to half a millimetre in length and around half the width of a human hair. The fossils are thought to be the remains of bacteria that lived on iron and dwelt around hydrothermal vent systems i.e. mineral rich hot springs on the seafloor.
  
  They’re made of haematite, a type of iron oxide (known as rust). Some of the filaments are branched, some resemble loose coils and others appear to be joined to knobs of haematite. These structures were found to contain graphite as well as the minerals apatite and carbonate which are basically associated with biological matter.
  
• Open to new ideas on U.N. reform: G4
  In a bid to get the U.N. reform process moving India and other G4 nations have said they are open to innovative ideas and willing to not exercise veto as permanent members of a reformed Security Council until a decision on it has been taken.
  
  In a joint statement delivered by India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. Syed Akbaruddin at an inter-governmental negotiations meeting on 7th March, the G4 nations — India, Brazil, Germany and Japan — emphasised that an overwhelming majority of the U.N. member-states supported the expansion of both permanent and non-permanent membership in a reformed Security Council.
  
• Iran successfully tests ballistic missile
  Iran's Revolutionary Guard has successfully tested a ballistic missile, according to Iran's semi-official Fars news agency report. The missile destroyed a target from a distance of 250 kilometers (155 miles). The sea-launched ballistic missile dubbed Hormuz 2 was tested in the 1st week of March, 2017. The Hormuz 2 is capable of hitting floating targets with high accuracy within a range of 300 kilometers (186 miles).
  
• Commonwealth launches Peace in the Home programme to stamp out domestic violence
  The Commonwealth of Nations has launched “Peace in the home” programme to help member states tackle domestic violence which still remains a “stubborn stain” on communities, disproportionately impacting women.
  
  The programme was launched on Women’s Day (March 8) and will continue through till 2018 when there is expected to be an accord on ending domestic violence in the Commonwealth. It will build a coalition of governments, businesses, human rights institutions, civil society and individual citizens to choral our efforts to address domestic violence.
  
• South Korean Judges Uphold President Park Geun-hye's Impeachment
  South Korean judges have upheld President Park Geun-hye's impeachment, removing her from office. She was impeached by parliament in December over her involvement in a corruption scandal involving her close friend Choi Soon-sil. Ms. Park's dismissal from office means South Korea must now elect a new president by early May.
  
  She also loses her presidential immunity and can be prosecuted. She and Ms. Choi have denied wrongdoing. This dismissal means she is South Korea's first democratically elected leader to be forced out from office.
  
• World's first robot table tennis tutor sets Guinness record
  FORPHEUS (Future Omron Robotics Technology for Exploring Possibility of Harmonised Automation with Sinic Theoretics) world's first robot table tennis tutor has officially been given the Guinness title for its unique technological intelligence and educational capabilities.
  
  According to the project's lead developer Taku Oya, from Omron Corporation, the goal of FORPHEUS is to harmonise humans and robots, by way of teaching the game of table tennis to human players. The machine is easily able to act as a coach thanks to cutting edge vision and motion sensors it can use to gage movement during a match.
  
• Iran and Russia agree to jointly produce nuclear fuel
  Iran's Atomic Energy Organization has said that Russia and Iran have reached an agreement to jointly produce nuclear fuel. According to the Head of the Organisation Ali Akbar Salehi a preliminary agreement with Russia on the joint production of nuclear fuel was reached during the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the major world powers in 2015.
  
  Salehi also announced a Tehran-Astana deal to buy 950 tons of yellow cake from Kazakhstan, which is part of Iran's international nuclear deal.
  
• Venezuela, Libya again lose UN vote rights
  Venezuela and Libya have been suspended from voting in the UN General Assembly for the second time in two years because of millions of dollars in unpaid dues to the world body. The Assembly decided this week that six countries would lose their votes in the 2016-2017 sessions because they're over two years in arrears. Dues vary according to factors including national income.
  
  As of January, the most recent figures available, Venezuela would have to make a minimum USD 24 million and Libya's is in USD 6.5 million due to get under the two-year threshold and get its voting rights restored.
  
• Yemen faces "serious risk of famine": UN
  According to UN humanitarian aid Chief Stephen O'Brien, the war-torn and impoverished country Yemen faces "serious risk of famine" unless international donors step up their response. 19 million of Yemen's 26-million people now needed humanitarian aid, and "seven million Yemenis don't know where their next meal is coming from. The report was released on 27th February.
  
• Bangladesh officially recognises Kosovo as independent state
  Bangladesh cabinet in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 27th February recognised the Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state, in turn becoming the 114th country to do so.
  
  So far 113 countries including the United States, UK, France and 36 Organisation of Islamic Corporation (OIC) countries out of 57 have recognised the republic. Kosovo was a disputed territory in south eastern europe for a long time which declared freedom from Serbia in February 2008 as the Republic of Kosovo.
  
• Russia, China veto UN resolution on Syria sanctions
  Russia and China on 28th February vetoed a UN resolution that would have imposed sanctions on Syria over chemical weapons use. The measure drafted by Britain, France and the US won nine votes in favour at the Security Council while three countries opposed it- China, Russia and Bolivia. Kazakhstan, Ethiopia and Egypt are the countries that abstained from voting.
  
  UN resolutions require nine positive votes and no veto to be adopted. It was the seventh time that Russia, Syria's top military ally, has used its veto power to shield the Damascus regime. China, also one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council, has joined Russia in vetoing six resolutions on Syria.
  
• Trump's 'merit-based' immigration system could benefit Indian professionals
  US President Donald Trump on 1st March called for adopting a merit-based immigration system that could benefit high-tech professionals from countries like India, modifying his hard-line campaign rhetoric with a promise to revive the 'American spirit'.
  
  Trump, during his first address to Congress, noted that such a system will save countless dollars and raise workers' wages. On terrorism, Trump said US will work with its allies, including friends in the Muslim World, to extinguish the Islamic State terror group from the planet.
  
• Both sides committed war crimes in Syria: UN
  The United Nations investigators said both the sides in Syrian conflict have committed War Crimes. The three-member Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, said in its report that Syrian civilians fell victim to war crimes committed by all parties during the battle for Aleppo last year.
  
  The report released on 1st March has documented brutal tactics employed by the parties to the conflict in the country. The Commission was established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate and record all violations of international law since March 2011.
  
• Islamic State chief Baghdadi admits defeat in Iraq
  The chief of Islamic State Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has acknowledged the group's defeat in Iraq and ordered his non-Arab fighters to either return to their countries or detonate themselves.
  
  Baghdadi, who had declared himself as Caliph, issued a statement titled 'farewell speech' which was distributed among Islamic State preachers and clerics, as Iraqi army tightened noose around the group's last remaining territory in Mosul.
  
  Baghdadi, who has reportedly been wounded multiple times, carries a $10 million bounty on his head. It is not clear if he is in the besieged city, where he declared his Caliphate in 2014 after the Islamic State seized territory covering much of eastern Syria and northern Iraq.
  
• World Wildlife Day being observed
  World Wildlife Day is being observed on 3rd March, the day is celebrated on 3rd of March every year to mark the signing of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The theme for this year is Listen to the young voices'. In the national capital, the day was observed by destroying confiscated animal body parts and items made from animals' bone, skin, tusk and horn.
  
• Speed up address of wartime crimes: UN to Sri Lanka
  Reports of abuses including torture remain widespread in Sri Lanka eight years after the end of a decades-long civil war, the UN said on 3rd March, criticising the government’s slow progress in addressing wartime crimes.
  
  At least 1,00,000 people died in the conflict between Tamil separatists and government forces that ended in 2009. The UN has been pushing for a special court to investigate allegations that government forces killed up to 40,000 Tamil civilians in the final months of fighting.
  
  Mr. Sirisena had agreed to a UN Human Rights Council resolution in October 2015 which called for special tribunals and reparations for victims and gave Sri Lanka 18 months to establish credible investigations.
  
• US Temporarily suspension of H-1B visas
  The US has said it is temporarily suspending the premium processing of H-1B visas from 3rd of April. This will eliminate the option of shorter waiting period for the programmes that helped highly skilled foreigners work at American firms.
  
  According to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services the suspension effective from 3rd of next month could last up to six months. The H-1B visas are widely used by Indian IT majors. Under the current system, companies submitting applications for H-1B visas for potential employees can pay extra for expedited processing, which is known as premium processing.
  
• North Korea using Africa to give sanctions the slip: UN
  The annual report by a UN panel of experts on North Korea, obtained by The Associated Press, illustrates how Pyongyang evades sanctions imposed for its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes to cooperate “on a large scale”, including military training and construction, in countries from Angola to Uganda.
  
  Among the findings was the “largest seizure of ammunition in the history of sanctions” against North Korea, with 30,000 rocket-propelled grenades found hidden under iron ore that was destined for Egypt in a cargo vessel heading toward the Suez Canal.
  
  It was the second time military-related items had been caught being exported from North Korea to Eritrea “and confirms ongoing arms-related cooperation between the two countries.” Discovering such evasions is challenging because Africa has the world’s lowest rate of reporting on monitoring UN sanctions on North Korea.