INTERNATIONAL NOVEMBER 2017
- Israel hints to continue military strikes across its frontier with Syria
Israel on 12th November signalled that it would keep up military strikes across its frontier with Syria to prevent any encroachment by Iranian-allied forces, even as the United States and Russia try to build up a ceasefire in the area.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed joint efforts to stabilise Syria as its civil war wanes, including with the expansion of a July 7 truce in the southwestern triangle bordering Israel and Jordan.
A U.S. State Department official said, Russia had agreed to work with the Syrian regime to remove Iranian-backed forces a defined distance from the Golan Heights frontier with Israel, which captured the plateau in the 1967 Middle East war. Moscow did not immediately provide details on the deal.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Gaza militants against attacking Israel after the Islamic militant group vowed revenge for the demolition of one of its attack tunnels. - India, Australia, Japan, US hold talk on peace, stablity in Indo-Pacific region
India, Australia, Japan and the United States discussed cooperation based on their converging vision and values for promotion of peace, stability and prosperity in an increasingly inter-connected Indo-Pacific region.
The ministry officials of the four countries held consultations in Manila on 12th November. They agreed that a free, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific region serves the long-term interests of all countries in the region and of the world at large.
The officials also exchanged views on addressing common challenges of terrorism and proliferation linkages impacting the region as well as on enhancing connectivity.
The Indian side highlighted India’s Act East Policy as the cornerstone of its engagement in the Indo-Pacific region. - 31st ASEAN summit in Manila, Philippines
World leaders gathered in Manila on 13th November to attend the 31st ASEAN Summit at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
The Summit, with the theme "Partnering for Change, Engaging the World," was packed with business conferences and meetings between world leaders.
Some of the highlights of the first day of the Summit were the meeting between President Rodrigo Duterte and US President Donald Trump, the signing of an agreement between ASEAN member-countries and China on the drafting of a South China Sea code. - China proposes inclusive dialogue with Indo-Pacific nations
China on 13th November proposed an inclusive dialogue among all countries in the Indo-Pacific area, following fledgling attempts to form a quad group comprising India, the United States, Australia and Japan.
Rejecting a Cold War mindset, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that all relevant parties can put forward their vision and proposal on how to develop cooperation between the countries and regions. During a visit to China last week, U.S. President Donald Trump had rejected the doctrine of ‘containment’ of China, and signalled that Washington and Beijing will be the main pillars of a more inclusive international system. - Southeast Asia summit issues statement skipping Rohingya crisis
A draft of the statement issued after a Southeast Asian summit makes no mention of the exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar’s Rakhine state following a military crackdown that has been described by the United Nations as ethnic cleansing.
One paragraph of the communiqué mentions the importance of humanitarian relief provided for victims of natural disasters in Vietnam and a recent urban battle with Islamist militants in the Philippines, as well as “affected communities” in northern Rakhine state.
The statement was drawn up by the Philippines, current chair of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) - which includes Myanmar.
The draft did not give any details of the situation in northern Rakhine or use the term Rohingya for the persecuted Muslim minority, which Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked foreign leaders to avoid. The government in mostly-Buddhist Myanmar regards the Rohingya as illegal migrants from Bangladesh and does not recognize the term.
Well over 600,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh to find shelter in refugee camps after military clearance operations were launched in response to attacks by Rohingya militants on security posts on Aug. 25.
The plight of the Rohingya has brought outrage from around the world and there have been calls for democracy champion Suu Kyi to be stripped of the Nobel peace prize she won in 1991 because she has not condemned the Myanmar military’s actions.
In September, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the situation in Rakhine was best described as ethnic cleansing.
Some members of ASEAN, particularly Muslim-majority Malaysia, have voiced concern. However, in keeping with ASEAN’s principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of one another, the issue appears to have been put aside at the summit.
In September, Malaysia disavowed a statement issued by the Philippines on behalf of ASEAN’s foreign ministers as misrepresenting “the reality” because it did not identify the Rohingya as an affected community in Rakhine state.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wound up his three-day official visit to the Philippines capital Manila, with his participation in three major summits and five bilateral meetings with world leaders.
In his address in the 15th ASEAN-India Summit, Mr Modi called for intensified cooperation in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. He said the countries in the region have individually striven hard to fight the scourge of terrorism, adding a joint effort is now necessary.
Mr Modi highlighted that India’s Act East Policy is shaped around the ASEAN. He added that the bloc is at the centrality in the regional security architecture of the Indo-Pacific region. - Yemen records 925,000 suspected cholera cases, nearly 2,200 deaths: UN
United Nations has said there were more than 925,000 suspected cholera cases with over 2,200 associated deaths in Yemen as of 12th November. UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on 15th November said Aid workers continue to respond to the outbreak, but fuel to run hospital generators and to pump clean water will run out in less than three weeks, as key ports for humanitarian shipments remained closed.
It also warned that vaccines needed to treat diphtheria will also run out in two weeks. The agency said ships and planes carrying humanitarian supplies have been unable to reach Yemen since the start of a blockade on 6th of November.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has said, the coalition would reopen seaports and airports in areas controlled by the Yemeni government. However it said those in rebel-held areas, including Hudaydah and Sanaa, would remain closed unless a stricter UN verification and inspection mechanism is in place over cargo transferred through those ports.
According to UN, more than two-thirds of people in need and more than 80 percent of all cholera cases are located in the areas closest to Hudaydah and Saleef ports. - India has highest number of people without basic sanitation: Report
India, the world's second-largest country by population, has the highest number of people without basic sanitation, according to a report.
The report says despite immense progress through the Swachh Bharat (Clean India) Mission, more than 732 million people still suffer fear and indignity of relieving themselves in the open or in unsafe or unhygienic toilets- a situation that is worse for women and girls.
In India, a staggering 355 million women and girls are still waiting for a toilet; if they were all to stand in a queue, it would stretch around the Earth more than four times!" Water Aid's State of the World's Toilets 2017 report says.
The report, quoting government data, says there has undoubtedly been immense progress made in improving access to sanitation by working with the Swachh Bharat Mission- with 52 million household toilets built between October 2014 and November 2017.
According to the report, after India, China, the world's most populous country, comes in second, with 343 million people without decent toilets. However, it too has made a lot of progress since 2000, when 40 per cent of the population lacked basic sanitation. Africa's most populous country, Nigeria, is in the third place.
The report says globally, one in three people still have nowhere decent to go to the toilet, and demonstrates how women and girls bear the brunt of this global crisis.
For more than 1.1 billion women and girls, this injustice results in an increased risk of poor health, limited education, lost opportunities, vulnerability and embarrassment of having to go out in the open.
According to VK Madhavan, Chief Executive for WaterAid India, India is making rapid progress in improving sanitation under the ongoing Swachh Bharat Mission. - Russia casts 11th UN Syria veto, again blocking inquiry
Russia has again cast a veto to block a UN Security Council resolution that would have extended an international inquiry into chemical weapons attacks in Syria. Russia rejected a Japanese draft resolution to prolong by 30 days the Joint Investigative Mechanism (JIM), whose mandate ended at midnight on 17th November.
But Russia used its veto power to prevent the adoption of the resolution after 12 council members voted in favour of the measure.
China abstained, while Bolivia also voted no. It was the 11th time that Russia has used its veto power to stop Security Council action targeting its ally Syria.
The JIM was set up in 2015 to identify perpetrators of chemical attacks. It is the only official mission investigating the use of chemical weapons in Syria. Moscow strongly criticised the inquiry when it blamed the Syrian government for a deadly nerve agent attack on the town of Khan Sheikhoun in April, which left more than 80 people dead. - 11 princes and 4-ministers in Saudi Arabia detained by anti-corruption body
Saudi Arabia has arrested dozens of senior figures including princes, ministers and a top business tycoon, with authorities pledging fair justice after a sweeping purge seen as consolidating the crown prince's hold on power.
After a new anti-corruption commission headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was established by royal decree that prominent billionaire Al-Waleed bin Talal was among the princes arrested late on 4th November.
Separately, the head of the Saudi National Guard, once a leading contender to the throne, as well as the navy chief and the economy minister were replaced in a series of high-profile sackings.
Saudi-owned Al Arabiya television reported that 11 princes, four current ministers and dozens of ex-ministers were arrested as the commission launched a probe into old cases such as floods that devastated the Red Sea city of Jeddah in 2009.
The suspects are being granted the same rights and treatment as any other Saudi citizen, attorney general Sheikh Saud al-Mojeb said in a statement, adding that a number of investigations had been initiated. - UNSC drops plans to adopt resolution demanding end to violence in Myanmar
In the face of strong opposition from China, the United Nations Security Council has dropped plans to adopt a resolution demanding an end to the violence in Myanmar and instead opted for a statement.
The statement calls for an end to the violence, full access for humanitarian aid workers to the Rakhine state and for the return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who have fled to Bangladesh. It does not threaten sanctions against Myanmar's military.
Britain and France had circulated a draft resolution in October, 2017, but diplomats said veto power China, a supporter of Myanmar's former ruling junta, had argued that a resolution was not the appropriate response to the crisis.
Since late August, more than 6 lakh Rohingya Muslims have been driven from their homes by an army campaign in Rakhine that the United Nations has denounced as ethnic cleansing. - 64 cities join the UNESCO creative cities network
64 cities from 44 countries have been designated as UNESCO Creative Cities by Director-General, Irina Bokova. They join a Network at the frontline of UNESCO’s efforts to foster innovation and creativity as key drivers for a more sustainable and inclusive urban development. This network attracts growing interest from local authorities. The UNESCO Creative Cities Network now counts a total of 180 cities in 72 countries.
While differing geographically, demographically or economically, all Creative Cities commit to develop and exchange innovative best practices to promote creative industries, strengthen participation in cultural life, and integrate culture into sustainable urban development policies.
Chennai, often called as cultural capital of South India, joined the elite club of world cities on 8th November when it was included in Creative Cities Network of UNESCO for its contributions to music. The city joins two other cities in India - Jaipur and Varanasi - to have figured in the prestigious list for their contributions to music and folk arts. The dossier to nominate Chennai for the CCN was submitted a few months back to the UNESCO by the Union culture Ministry. - JeM chief Masood Azhar is bad guy and should be declared as a global terrorist: US
According to US, Pakistan-based JeM chief Masood Azhar should be declared as a global terrorist. The JeM, founded by Azhar, has already been in the UN's list of banned terror outfits. China for the fourth time had blocked a proposal backed by the US, France and Britain to list Azhar as a global terrorist.
China is the only country opposing the designation of Azhar by the Security Council as a terrorist. All other 14 of the 15 members of the UN Security Council were supporting the bid to place Azhar on the sanctions list that would subject him to an assets freeze and travel ban. Azhar is accused of several terrorist attacks in India, including one on the Pathankot air force station in January last year. - 201 people arrested in anti-corruption swoop, says Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia says 201 people are being held so far for questioning over an estimated 100 billion US dollars in embezzlement and corruption, after the biggest purge of the kingdom's elite in its modern history.
Quoting attorney general Sheikh Saud al-Mojebthe, Saudi information ministry said in a statement in Riyadh that total of 208 individuals were called in for questioning of which seven have been released without charge.
Princes, ministers and a billionaire business tycoon were among dozens of high-profile figures arrested or sacked at the weekend, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman consolidated power.
The purge comes amid heightened regional tensions, with Saudi Arabia and Iran facing off over a missile attack from Yemen and a political crisis in Lebanon after Prime Minister Saad Hariri's shock resignation announced from Riyadh. - Trump, Putin issue joint statement on fighting ISIS in Syria
Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump agreed on a joint statement on Syria on 11th November that said there was no military solution to the conflict and political one was needed.
Kremlin which published the text of the joint statement on its website said the statement on Syria was coordinated by the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov and the US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson.
According to the Kremlin website, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin approved the statement on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in the Vietnamese resort of Danang.
Russian officials said Putin and Trump had a conversation before the group photo ceremony for APEC leaders in Danang. The White House did not immediately respond to questions about the Kremlin announcement or the conversation the Kremlin said took place.
In their joint statement, the two world leaders repeated the urgency of destroying the Islamic State. They agreed to maintain open military channels of communication among army professionals to help ensure the safety of both U.S. and Russian forces.
Trump and Putin also confirmed their commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and called on all parties involved in the Syrian conflict to use the Geneva process to find a resolution. - Cuba announces new immigration policies
Cuba has announced changes to the island's immigration policies, seeking to strengthen ties with the 8 lakh Cubans living outside the country.
Speaking to a group of Cubans residing in the United States, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the new rules go into effect as of first January.
Rodriguez said the foreign ministry will authorise the entry and exit of expatriate Cubans through two tourist ports and allow the return of nationals who left the country illegally.
He also said the children of Cubans residing outside the country and those born in foreign countries will be able to obtain Cuban citizenship and identification documents. - Kenya president wins 98% of vote in repeat of disputed election
Kenya's incumbent president Uhuru Kenyatta won 98 per cent of the vote in a repeat presidential election in Kenya, although only 39 per cent of voters turned out due to an opposition boycott, the country's electoral commission said on 30th October. - US court largely blocks Trump's military transgender ban
A US court has largely blocked President Donald Trump's controversial ban on transgender people serving in the military. Mr Trump had, in August, signed an executive order banning transgender people from serving openly, reversing former President Barack Obama's directive allowing them to do so.
The move prompted a flood of lawsuits, many of them filed on behalf of transgender service members or veterans. US District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly sided in part with a group of transgender service members who sued to block the change, halting Mr Trump's ban on service.
It, however, upheld the Trump administration's move to block the military from paying for gender reassignment surgery. The order by Kollar-Kotelly temporarily prevents the Pentagon from enacting the ban. - Spain court suspends Catalan independence declaration
Spain’s Constitutional Court on 31st October ordered the suspension of last week’s declaration of independence by the Catalan parliament
The court plenary has just provisionally suspended the independence declaration” while it examines an appeal by the Spanish government, indicating the latest in a series of measures by Madrid to stifle the region’s independence drive.
Spain's Supreme Court has called on the speaker for Catalonia's parliament Carme Forcadell as well as five other senior lawmakers from the region to testify on Nov. 2 and 3, a court spokeswoman said
The country's State prosecutor on 31st October called for rebellion and sedition charges to be brought against Catalan leaders over their push to separate from Spain. - World’s third largest book fair opens in Sharjah
World’s third largest book fair opened on 1st November at Sharjah.
It began with a glittering opening ceremony at Expo Centre, in the presence Dr Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, other shaikhs and guests.
The theme of this year’s Sharjah International Book Fair, SIBF is ‘A World inside My Book’.
The India Pavillion saw the participation of more than 120 publishing Houses including Publications Division, National Book Trust, National Council for Promotion of Urdu Language, Malyalam Manorama, Mathrubhoomi , DC Publishing etc.
Indian Pavilion was jointly inaugurated by Sadhna Rout, Director General of the Publications Division, Vikas Swarup, Indian High Commissioner to Canada and Neeraj Aggarwal, Head of Chancery at the Indian Consulate in Dubai. - China blocks bid to list Masood Azhar as global terrorist
China on 2nd November blocked another bid by the US, France and the UK to list Pakistan-based Jaish e Mohammad Chief and Pathankot terror attack mastermind Masood Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN. China said it has rejected the move as "there is no consensus". A veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council, China has repeatedly blocked India's move to put a ban on the Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief under the Al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee of the Council.
China had in August extended by three months its technical hold on the US, France and UK-backed proposal to list Azhar as a global terrorist by the UN after having blocked the move in February this year at the United Nations.
The comment came as the China's technical hold on a proposal by the US, France and Britain to list Azhar as a global terrorist was set to lapse on 2nd November. - Bangkok hosted the 7th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable
The 7th Asian Ministerial Energy Roundtable (AMER7) was held in Bangkok from 1st November to 3rd November. The event was organized by the Government of Thailand together with the United Arab Emirates. India is the current chair of International Energy Forum (IEF) which is promoting the AMER - a biennial event bringing together Energy Ministers and experts from Asian countries.
This year the meeting was entitled “Global energy markets in transition: from vision to action” and was focused on the current state and prospects of Asia’s oil and gas markets in the context of security challenges, new investment opportunities and emerging breakthrough energy technologies that are all being generated in a world in transition.
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