INTERNATIONAL SEPTEMBER 2015
- Leaders Pledge Money, Clout to Achieve Women's Equality
World leaders pledged money and political clout to achieve equality for women by 2030 at a U.N. meeting on 27th September co-chaired by China's President Xi Jinping, who has faced strong criticism for cracking down on women's rights activists.
Leaders from about 80 countries and dozens of diplomats attended the meeting to mark the 20th anniversary of the U.N. women's conference in Beijing and press for implementation of its 150-page action plan for gender equality — which remains one of the 17 new development goals adopted by world leaders on 25th September. - Russia launches airstrikes against Islamic State in Syria
Russian military jets carried out airstrikes on September 30th against the Islamic State group in Syria for the first time - a move that came after President Vladimir Putin received parliamentary approval to send Russian troops to Syria.
The airstrikes targeted positions, vehicles and warehouses that Russia believes belong to IS militants. Russian lawmakers voted unanimously to allow Putin to order airstrikes in Syria, where Russia has deployed fighter jets and other weapons in recent times. The Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian parliament, discussed Putin's request for the authorization behind closed doors, cutting off its live web broadcast to hold a debate notable for its quickness.
Putin had to request parliamentary approval for any use of Russian troops abroad, according to the constitution. The last time he did so was before Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014. Putin insisted that Russia is not going to send troops to Syria and that its role in Syrian army operations will be limited. - Nepal adopts secular Constitution amid celebrations and protests
Nepal on 20th September adopted a secular Constitution amid celebrations and protests. The new Constitution was unveiled at a special ceremony in Parliament in Kathmandu by Nepalese President Ram Baran Yadav. The statute was framed after seven years of painstaking deliberations marking Nepal's transition into a fully secular and democratic republic from a Hindu monarchy. Meanwhile, minority Madhesi groups are protesting over a seven province federal structure enshrined in the new constitution while demanding the retention of country's Hindu character. - Constitution crisis: Nepal agrees to hold talks with protesters, withdraws army from Terai
Nepal Government on 24th September agreed to hold decisive talks with parties agitating over the new Constitution and withdraw army from violence-hit Terai region bordering India, one of the major pre-conditions for talks set by the protesting groups.
The decision was taken after three major political parties Nepali Congress, CPN-UML and UCPN (Maoist) held a meeting.
UCPN-Maoist spokesperson Dinanath Sharma said, it was decided in the meeting to recall soldiers on condition that the Madhesi groups will stage peaceful protests. The Madhesi parties are opposed to the new Constitution adopted through the Constituent Assembly.
Madhesis are Indian-origin people living on the foothills of Nepal's Terai region. More than 40 people have died in southern and western Nepal where Madhesi parties and Tharu ethnic groups have been protesting for more than a month over splitting the country into seven provinces.
They are demanding more rights and representation to the marginalized communities as well as reforms in the current citizenship regulations. - Iran hands IAEA samples from Parchin site
Environmental samples have been taken at a sensitive military site in Iran, the head of the U.N. nuclear agency said on 21st September, citing "significant progress" in its investigation of Tehran's past activities.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is investigating whether Iran's past nuclear activities were linked to developing atomic weapons, and is due to provide an assessment on the issue by the end of the year.
The report is crucial to the implementation of a landmark agreement between Iran and world powers in July under which restrictions will be placed on Tehran's nuclear energy programme in exchange for a lifting of sanctions.
IAEA Director-General Yukiya Amano said he and the head of the agency's Department of Safeguards, which carries out inspections, visited a building at the Parchin site that the agency had previously only observed in satellite imagery.
The Vienna-based U.N. watchdog has come under criticism over a confidential agreement with Iran that critics say restricts its ability to investigate at the sprawling Parchin complex.
Under that arrangement, the samples would be taken by Iranian technicians while IAEA experts present at Parchin would observe and oversee the process. - UN appoints heads of working groups for Syria talks
The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has appointed the heads of four working groups on Syria, signaling a step towards talks where warring parties are expected to discuss how to implement a roadmap for peace.
According to UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, 2012 road map for Syria was agreed by world powers. It is hoped that their outcomes could eventually set the stage for a Syrian agreement to end the conflict on the basis of the Geneva Communique.
The groups will be divided on different issues such as; Safety and Protection Group, Political and Legal Issues, Military, security and Counter terrorism working group and Group on continuity of public services, reconstruction and development. The United Nations has said that some 250,000 people have been killed and an estimated 7.6 million are internally displaced. Another 4 million people are refugees in Syria's neighbours. - International Migration Outlook report released
One in 10 new immigrants to developed countries in 2013 was from China, show new data on international migration released on 22nd September.
International Migration Outlook 2015 of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development says that flow of people from India was comparatively low, despite being the next largest country after China, India contributed only 4.4 per cent of the new migrants and was in the fourth position after Poland and Romania.
Immigration flows are on the rise to most OECD countries, and preliminary data for 2014 suggest that permanent migration flows increased sharply for the first time since 2007 and are back to their pre-financial crisis level, with 4.3 million permanent entries to the OECD.
Germany is now second only to the United States in the number of migrants it receives. India’s expatriation rate — the number of outward-bound immigrants per million population — in 2013 was just 192, the second lowest among the top 50 countries of origin for immigrants into OECD countries.
The difference between India’s share of the world’s population and its share of OECD immigrants is the lowest among these 50 countries. Overall Indian immigration to OECD countries rose between 2012 and 2013 to 2.4 lakh new immigrants after having declined in the previous year.
In several countries, including the U.S., Australia and Canada, Indian immigration in 2013 declined in comparison to the 2003-12 annual average.
Indian remains the world’s top supplier of emigrant doctors (87,000 as of 2010-11) and the second-largest origin country of nurses (70,000). The U.S. is the main destination for both Indian-origin doctors and nurses, followed by the United Kingdom. - Unaccompanied minor refugees on the rise in Europe: OECD
The increasing number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum in Europe is a “particularly striking and worrying characteristic” of the current refugee crisis, according to a new report on migration trends in 2015 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The responsibility for children falls on the state where they first arrive and are identified.
Many of the children who arrive at 16 or 17 years old come with no formal schooling. With no knowledge of the language of the host nations, the challenge of integrating them is different and difficult than for adults as they need housing, schooling and specialised support services. Many children vanish from reception centres shortly after arrival.
The diversity of origin nations of asylum-seekers is challenging. The situation is unlikely to change in the future, the report concludes. On 22nd September, EU interior ministers approved a plan to relocate 120,000 refugees across the bloc, but only after fierce opposition from central and eastern European nations. - EU splits exposed over Migrant crisis
Splits within the European Union on the relocation of 120,000 migrants have been further exposed as leaders gathered for an emergency meeting in Brussels. Slovakia is launching a legal challenge to mandatory quotas that were passed in a majority vote on 22nd September.
Hungary defended its democratic rights and proposed a radical budgetary revamp to raise funds. The meeting will focus on tightening EU borders and aiding neighbours of Syria, from where many migrants come. British Prime Minster David Cameron and French President Francois Hollande held talks on the eve of the meeting, saying that finding a solution to the Syrian conflict would be key to resolving the migrant crisis. - World leaders adopt UN goals to end poverty in 15 years
World leaders on 25th September pledged to end extreme poverty within 15 years, adopting an ambitious set of UN goals to be backed up by trillions of dollars in development spending.
Billed as the most ambitious anti-poverty plan ever, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets were adopted at the start of a summit that capped three years of tough-going negotiations. They will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that expire this year, but apply to both developing and developed countries.
The new UN agenda aims to end poverty, ensure healthy lives, promote education and combat climate change, at a cost of between $3.5 and $5 trillion per year until 2030.
Billions of dollars in development aid will be redirected to meet the targets but the United Nations also wants to tap into local sources of financing through improved revenue collection.
But the new goals have come under criticism for being ill-defined in some instances and far too broad in scope, undermining prospects for achieving measurable success.
The goals are non-binding, but the United Nations is planning to roll out 300 indicators to track progress and pile pressure on governments that fail to make the grade.
It is unlikely that all countries will achieve all of the goals, but aid groups say they will provide benchmarks for governments in every area of development.
The global goals call for improved transparency in oil-producing countries to clamp down on corruption and ensure that revenues from natural resources are used to improve the lives of citizens.
International financial institutions such as the African Development Bank and the World Bank will step up with financing support for major infrastructure projects that would have a knock-on effect in combating poverty. - Sustainable development a national responsibility for all countries: PM at UN
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that sustainable development is a national responsibility for all countries. Addressing the Sustainable Development Summit at the UN Head Quarters in New York, he said international cooperation should be at the core of our efforts for development and climate change.
The Prime Minister said:
Elimination of poverty is a must for ensuring a peaceful world, Just order and sustainable development.
The path chosen by India has lot of similarities with the proposed Sustainable Development Goals of the UN.
Housing, electricity, water and sanitation are a must for a life with dignity and the government has formulated schemes for achieving these targets in a time bound manner.
In addition to public and private sectors for economic development, India is now concentrating on personal sector which is individual enterprise with innovation.
Instead of talking of climate change concentration on climate justice which can give the poor a chance to survive against natural calamities.
Called for a new global partnership for making clean and renewable energy affordable by technology innovation and finance.
Hoped that the developed countries will fulfill their financial commitment for development and climate change without in any way putting under the same head.
Recalled the concept of Antodaya espoused by Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay on his 100th birth anniversary saying that the 2030 agenda borrows from this concept of upliftment of the poorest of poor. - G4 pitches for urgent UNSC reform
India, Japan, Germany and Brazil have declared themselves as legitimate candidates for permanent membership of the UNSC as they pushed for its reform in a fixed timeframe, with PM Narendra Modi saying the task should be accomplished immediately.
Hosting a summit of leaders of Germany, Japan and Brazil under the G-4 format in New York, he said the UNSC "must include the world's largest democracies, major locomotives of the global economy, and voices from all the major continents" to carry "greater credibility and legitimacy".
He said the four countries are ready to assume global responsibilities as he pressed for change, saying the world body reflects the mindset of a century we left behind and is not in tune with "new concerns" like terrorism and climate change.
In a joint statement later, the G-4 leaders stressed that "a more representative, legitimate and effective Security Council is needed more than ever to address the global conflicts and crises, which had spiraled in recent years."
They strongly emphasized that the process underway in the UN to bring about the reform of the Security Council should be conducted, given its urgency, in a fixed timeframe.
The leaders emphasized that the "G-4 countries are legitimate candidates for permanent membership in an expanded and reformed Council and supported each other’s candidature."
The summit came together as an event only after the 14th September consensus adoption by the General Assembly of a negotiating document and the decision to commence text-based negotiations on UNSC reforms in the current session. The G-4 summit assumes significance in the backdrop of the UNGA decision. - Indian PM calls for World without poverty
Indian PM Narendra Modi invokes Mahatma Gandhi in his UN speech, says poverty eradication must for world peace, just systems and sustainable development; PM underlines the need for ensuring climate justice.
Presenting his government's domestic development agenda as completely in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals, Prime Minister Narendra Modi drove home the point that poverty elimination is a pre-requisite for achieving sustainable development. He also pitched for reform of the United Nations Security Council.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the UN summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda with a simple message that poverty elimination in all forms is a pre-condition to achieving sustainable development, world peace and a just world.
The Prime Minister has called upon developed nations to live up to their financial commitments to the goals of development and climate change under separate heads. The concept of Personal sector as a driver of growth also figured in the Prime Minister's address. - Prioritize child-related Sustainable Development Goals: Satyarthi
Indian Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi has made a strong call to world leaders to give priority to child-related Sustainable Development Goals in their national legislation. He warned that the international community will fail to accomplish most of the goals if child labour and violence against children continue.
In his address to the UN Summit on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in New York, Mr Satyarthi said governments must prioritise child-related SDGs in their legislation and planning and also invest fully in education, health and child protection. He added that SDGs provide a new opportunity for civil society, faith organisations, governments and businesses, to build genuine and innovative partnerships to make child slavery history. - Islamic State gaining ground in Afghanistan: United Nations
The Islamic State group is making inroads in Afghanistan, winning over a growing number of sympathizers and recruiting followers in 25 of the country's 34 provinces, a UN report said 25th September. The jihadist group, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, has been trying to establish itself in Afghanistan, challenging the Taliban on their own turf.
Afghan security forces told UN sanctions monitors that about 10 percent of the Taliban insurgency are IS sympathizers, according to the report by the UN's al-Qaeda monitoring team.
Afghan government sources said "sightings of the groups with some form of ISIL branding" or sympathy were reported in 25 provinces in the war-torn country, it added.
The IS-backed groups "regularly engage" Afghan military forces, but fighting with other parts of the insurgency are rare, except in Nangarhar province where they are battling the Taliban for control of the drug trade.
Among the prominent IS fighters, the report singled out Abdul Rauf Khadem, a former Taliban adviser to Mullah Omar, who visited Iraq in October 2014 and has since formed his own group in Helmand and Farah provinces. Khadem allegedly has been recruiting followers by paying out large sums of money. - Sri Lanka to co-sponsor the US draft resolution
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka has decided to co-sponsor the US draft resolution ‘Promoting Reconciliation, Accountability and Human Rights’ in the island nation.
Along with the United States, the main sponsor of the draft resolution, Macedonia, Montenegro, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland have co-sponsored the resolution titled ‘Promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka’.
Permanent representative in Geneva has already handed in the relevant documentation in this regard to the Council, the Prime Minister said.
Prime Minister Wickremesinghe said the Government had reached a compromise with sponsors of the resolution on prosecuting allegations of serious human rights violations and potential war crimes under a Sri Lankan judicial mechanism that will include local, foreign and Commonwealth judges and lawyers instead of the international judges proposed by the OHCHR report.
Following extensive negotiations, the Government has managed to include several clauses in the document recognizing the progress made on reconciliation since January 2015 and LTTE crimes highlighted in the UN investigation report.
The PM has also announced that the Government had agreed to implement a political solution to the island’s ethnic problem and bring the necessary constitutional measures to address the issue. - Both Koreas agree for brief reunion of families
South and North Koreas made an agreement to hold family reunions. The agreement will ensure families in both the countries to meet their separated family members and relatives. The agreement to hold reunions, which would be the first since 170 families embraced in emotional scenes in February last year, follows the negotiated end to a recent armed confrontation across the border.
The tour was organised by the country's national railroad operator Korail to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Liberation Day. (2105). The reunions will take place from October 20 to 26 at Mount Kumgang resort near heavily fortified border of North and South Korea, where previous reunions have been held, with 100 participants from each country.
The two countries also called for more talks to pave the way for further reunions beyond those scheduled for next month. (2104)
Seoul and Pyongyang have remained technically in a state of war since the 1950-53 war ended in a truce, but not a peace treaty. Nearly 130,000 South Koreans looking for family members in the North have registered with the government in Seoul since 1988, but only about 66,000 are still alive. - UNHRC commissioner says Sri Lanka war crimes of ‘most serious nature'
The report of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC)-mandated investigation on alleged war crimes committed in Sri Lanka in 2009 has said the crimes were of the “most serious nature”.
Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, told the 30th session of the UNHRC on 14th September that the Council has been deeply engaged with the need for accountability, as a necessary step towards reconciliation in that country. Its findings are of the most serious nature.
This Council owes it to Sri Lankans – and to its own credibility – to ensure an accountability process that produces results, decisively moves beyond the failures of the past, and brings the deep institutional changes needed to guarantee non-recurrence
The High Commissioner will formally release the report to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) report on September 16.
The OHCHR was mandated in March 2014 to investigate allegations of war crimes and violations of human rights at the peak and the final stages of civil war in 2009 committed by both parties in Sri Lanka.
The OHCHR was due to present this report in the March session this year but was deferred as a goodwill gesture towards the Maithripala Sirisena government who had taken over in January succeeding the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, the incumbent when the war crimes were committed.
The Sri Lankan war crimes issue is a particularly tricky terrain for the Indian government since the DMK chief M Karunanidhi has reportedly requested India not to support the draft resolution sponsored by the US, which has been watered-down seeking a domestic inquiry instead of an international independent probe.
While India had supported US-sponsored resolutions on Sri Lanka in 2012 and 2013, it abstained from voting in 2014 stating that it is "India's firm belief that adopting an intrusive approach that undermines national sovereignty and institutions is counter-productive." The OHCHR report will be discussed at the HRC by the member-states at the end of this month. - U.N. adopts council reforms
The U.N. General Assembly on 14th September adopted a negotiating text by consensus for the long- pending Security Council reforms, setting the stage for talks on the issue at its 70th session beginning on Tuesday, boosting India’s bid for a permanent seat in the revamped world body.
The adoption of the document, saying the decision puts the Inter- Governmental Process formally on an “irreversible text-based negotiations path” and changes the “dynamics” of the negotiations on achieving UNSC reforms.
There was no voting on the decision to continue text- based UNSC reforms in the 70th session of the General Assembly and it was adopted by consensus.
The draft decision contains a negotiating text which has positions of U.N. member states on Security Council reforms and how the powerful 15-nation body should be expanded in its permanent and non-permanent categories. - Nepal to stay secular, proposal for Hindu nation rejected
In Nepal, the Constituent Assembly rejected the proposal to declare Nepal a Hindu state and reaffirmed to remain secular. Pro-Hindu National Democratic Party Nepal made the proposal to amend the Constitution to make the country a Hindu state. The proposal to amend the constitution received the support of only 21 lawmakers in the 601-seat Constituent Assembly.
The erstwhile Hindu state, Nepal was declared a secular state in 2007 after the success of the People's Movement of 2006.
Nepal entered the final phase of promulgating its new Constitution with the three major parties going ahead with clause-wise voting on the final draft of the statute despite a boycott by Madhesi parties and violent protests that have claimed nearly 40 lives. - Migrant crisis: Hungary declares emergency in areas near Serbian border
Hungary has declared a state of emergency in two southern counties as tough new laws to stop migrants entering illegally came into force. Police can now detain anyone trying to breach a razor-wire fence built on the border with Serbia. The EU is facing a huge influx of migrants, many fleeing conflict and poverty in countries including Syria.
The new Hungarian laws came into effect on 14th September. Police sealed a railway crossing point that had been used by tens of thousands of migrants, and many slept out in the open on the Serbian side of the border. The state of emergency gives police more powers, and allows for the deployment of troops, pending parliamentary approval.
Police buses will now take asylum applicants to registration centres, but if their applications are refused they will now be returned to Serbia rather than being given passage through Hungary. - North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear site resumes operation
North Korea says its main nuclear facility, the Yongbyon complex, has resumed normal operations. The country was improving its nuclear weapons in quality and quantity. Yongbyon's reactor was shut down in 2007 but Pyongyang vowed to restart it in 2013, following its third nuclear test and amid high regional tensions.
The reactor has been the source of plutonium for North Korea's nuclear weapons programme. - World's Longest Continental Volcano Chain Found in Australia
Scientists have just found the world's longest chain of volcanoes on a continent, hiding in plain sight. The newly discovered Australian volcano chain isn't a complete surprise, though: Geologists have long known of small, separate chains of volcanic activity on the island continent. However, new research reveals a hidden hotspot once churned beneath regions with no signs of surface volcanism, connecting these separate strings of volcanoes into one mega chain.
That 1,240-mile-long (2,000 kilometers) chain of fire spanned most of eastern Australia, from Hillsborough in the north, where rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef, to the island of Tasmania in the south.
The track is nearly three times the length of the famous Yellowstone hotspot track on the North American continent.
Scientists had long known that four separate tracks of past volcanic activity fringed the eastern portion of Australia, with each showing distinctive signs of past volcanic activity, from vast lava fields to fields awash in a volcanic mineral called leucitite that's dark gray to black in color. Some of these regions were separated by hundreds of miles, leading geologists to think the areas weren't connected.
The team found that the same hotspot, likely from a mantle plume, was responsible for all of the volcanic activity crossing eastern Australia. The new volcanic chain, which the team dubbed the Cosgrove volcanic track, was formed between 9 million and 33 million years ago. (None of the volcanoes on Australia's mainland have been active during the recent past). - UN calls for special courts, international judges to probe Sri Lanka war crimes
The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner’s Report on Sri Lanka released on 16th September, has found a pattern of grave rights violations in the country between 2002 and 2011. The report says that available evidence strongly indicates the possibility that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed by both the government forces and the LTTE during this period.
In a hard hitting report published in Geneva, UN body documents serious human right violations including unlawful killings, gender and sexual violence, enforced disappearances and torture. The report notes that human right violations also occurred at the government run camps for internally displaced people.
The report has strongly recommended establishment of a special court that would include international judges, prosecutors, lawyers and investigators to investigate and try the allegations of abuse. It also recommends several steps to prevent a recurrence of right violations in the country including ensuring accountability for crimes, judicial reforms, review of Prevention of Terrorism Act and cases of detainees under it, instituting a policy for reparations, a witness and victim protection programme, permitting office of UN Human Right Commissioner in the country and establishing a credible mechanism for handling cases of missing persons.
Sri Lankan government has resisted international mechanism to address the allegations and has spoken of a domestic mechanism with only technical assistance from international experts.
Responding to the UN report on human right violation in the country, Sri Lankan government said that it will put in place mechanisms and measures that will facilitate the right to know, right to justice, reparations and will guarantee non-recurrence of the grim events of the past by achieving reconciliation and durable peace. - 70th UNGA session begins with new President
The landmark 70th session of the UN General Assembly began with its new President assuring that he would continue the work of his predecessor on Security Council reforms, following the adoption of a negotiating text on the long-pending process.
Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark has succeeded Uganda's Sam Kutesa and will be the President of this session which runs from September 2015 to September 2016. Kutesa achieved a breakthrough in the long-pending Security Council reform process when the assembly adopted a negotiating document by consensus on 14th September, boosting India's bid for a permanent seat in the revamped body and setting the stage for talks to start on the basis of the text for the first time in seven years of the inter-governmental process. - Nepal passes new charter
Nepal’s Parliament passed a new national Constitution on 16th September, weeks after political leaders reached a historic agreement to create a federal state following an earthquake that killed nearly 9,000 people. In all, 507 of the young republic’s 598 lawmakers came out in favour of the bill in the marathon vote, which began on Sunday and continued late into Wednesday night.
The new charter will replace an interim constitution in place since the end of a decade-long civil war that led to the abolition of the Hindu monarchy, and is due to come into force on Sunday after a ceremony at the Constituent Assembly, or parliament. It will divide the nation of 28 million people into seven federal provinces. - Earth quake in Chile
A powerful 8.3-magnitude earthquake has struck off Chile, forcing the evacuation of a million and sparking warnings that tsunami waves could reach Japan. It was the sixth most powerful quake in the history of geologically volatile Chile and the strongest anywhere in the world this year. Strong aftershocks followed the first quake, and a tsunami alert was imposed for hours for the Chilean coast.
Tsunami warnings were issued in New Zealand and other countries in the Pacific. Central Choapa province, which is closest to the epicentre, was declared a disaster zone and placed under military rule. - Malaria deaths worldwide have fallen by 60 per cent: UN
United Nations said on 17th September that malaria deaths worldwide have fallen by 60 per cent since 2000. It attributed the dip to improved diagnostic tests and massive distribution of mosquito nets aiding dramatic progress against the disease.
Fifteen years ago, an estimated 262 million malaria cases killed nearly eight lakh 40 thousand people. According to a joint report by World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations children's agency, UNICEF, projections for 2015 indicate that some 214 million cases are likely to cause four lakh 38 thousand deaths. - Japan Parliament nod for Military to fight overseas
Japan's Parliament has voted to allow the military to fight overseas for the first time since the end of World War II, 70 years ago. The bills have already passed through the government-dominated Lower House. The government says that the changes in defence policy are vital to meet new military challenges such as those posed from a rising China. The governing coalition has a majority in both chambers of the Diet, meaning that ultimately the opposition camp was powerless to stop the measure becoming law. Masaaki Yamazaki, the President of the Upper House said the bills were passed with 148 lawmakers voting in support and 90 against.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said that the changes are a normalisation of Japan's military status, which has been restricted to self-defence and aid missions by a pacifist constitution imposed by the United States after World War II. He and his backers said the laws are necessary because of threats from China and North Korea. However, the opponents argued laws go against both the constitution and the national psyche, and could see Japan dragged into American wars in far-flung parts of the globe. - Egypt Swears in New Government
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi has sworn in a new government on 19th September, a week after the previous cabinet resigned in an unanticipated move amid allegations of corruption against some officials. The new government will be led by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, who formerly held the petroleum portfolio. Most of the key posts, including finance, investment, foreign affairs and interior, remained unchanged as the Arab country prepares to hold long-delayed parliamentary elections starting next month.
Ibrahim Mehleb, the former prime minister, submitted his resignation on Sept. 12 amid a corruption scandal that saw the arrest of the then agriculture minister, who was detained on allegations he accepted cash and properties in exchange for his help in securing some 2,500 acres of land for a businessman.
The new cabinet includes 15 new ministers and consists of 34 portfolios, down from 36, as several ministries were merged.
The country is fighting to contain an increasingly active extremist insurgency that has swelled beyond its roots in the eastern province of Sinai, claiming operations along the populous delta and, more recently, the Western Desert. - G-20 Foreign Ministers launch W20 for gender inclusive global economic growth
World's 20 largest economies, including India, on 6th September launched W20, an engagement grouping of women leaders, to push for gender inclusive global economic growth. The W20 group having 20 women leaders from G20 nations would host its first summit next month in Istanbul after all member countries appoint their nominees.
At the official launch event Ankara, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the prosperity of a country can be best understood by the smile of women from that country and it is very important to empower them in the economic growth process. W20's newly appointed President Gulden Turktan said it would work as an outreach group and seek to promote gender inclusiveness in economic growth process by empowering women. - China, Pakistan launch joint air drill
Chinese and Pakistani forces on 6th September launched a joint air drill. The Chinese contingent includes fighter jets, fighter bombers and early warning planes while Pakistan has dispatched fighter jets and early warning planes for the military exercise.
The joint exercise called "Shaheen (Eagle)-4" is part of a series of military exchange programmes between the two air forces, Shen said, adding that China's air force was willing to expand the scope of cooperation with various countries. The first such drill was held in Pakistan in March 2011, the second in China's western Xinjiang Uygur region in September 2013. - World’s largest children’s museum displays Hindu Lord Ganesh
The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (CMI), said to be world's largest children's museum, in partnership with National Geographic, is displaying a statue of Hindu Lord Ganesh in its current Sacred Journeys exhibition. This large Lord Ganesh statue was custom made for the Museum and shipped from India recently.
Other areas of the “National Geographic Sacred Journeys” exhibition that focus on Hinduism, include Ganges River where they talk about Kumbh Mela, which includes a Ganga Jumna Lota pot and shows some contemporary items that people who go to the Kumbh Mela might purchase; Ganesh Chaturthi Festival; and Diwali Festival, which contains many Diwali hanging lanterns and diyas.
This 7,000-square-foot exhibition will continue till February 21 and is funded through a $1.25 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. - UN: North Korea continues developing its nuclear capabilities
The head of the UN atomic energy agency on 7th September said that satellite imagery of North Korea's main nuclear site indicates that the country is expanding its atomic programme. Yukiya Amano spoke this at the opening of a 35-nation board meeting of his International Atomic Energy Agency. Amano says construction at the Yongbyon site observed through satellite photos appears to be consistent with North Korea's statements that it is further developing its nuclear capabilities.
The agency is trying to keep tabs on North Korea, where it has had no presence since the country told its inspectors to leave after withdrawing from the Nuclear Nonproliferation treaty 12 years ago. Since then Pyongyang has test-exploded three nuclear weapons. - Rate of global forest loss halved: UN report
A major UN report said on 7th September that the rate at which the world is losing its forests has been halved, but an area of woodland the size of South Africa has still been lost since 1990.
According to a surprisingly upbeat Forest Resources Assessment (FRA), which is released every five years, improvement has been seen around the globe, even in the key tropical rain forests of South America and Africa.
It points out that since 1990, the world had lost forests covering some 129 million hectares - an area the size of South Africa. The report by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said the rate of net forest loss has been cut by over 50 per cent.
The assessment was released at the World Forestry Congress in the South African port city of Durban, host to the 14th edition of the conference. - Japan reopens radiation-hit town
Japan has invited residents to return to a town evacuated in 2011 after the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Naraha is the first town to allow people to return permanently, following several years of decontamination work. The Fukushima Daiichi plant suffered a series of meltdowns following a massive earthquake and tsunami. After the disaster, over seven thousand residents of Naraha moved out.
The town, about 20km south of the nuclear plant, is seen as a test case for the return of evacuated residents. Some 100,000 people in the area are still unable to return to their homes.
Authorities in Naraha are issuing people with devices to check radiation levels and have been rebuilding local services, including shops and clinics. - 30,000 migrants now on Greek islands, 20,000 on Lesbos: UN
The United Nations said on 8th September there are currently some 30,000 refugees and migrants amassed on the Greek islands, with 20,000 of them on the island of Lesbos alone. It seems that over the weekend the numbers (of arrivals in Greece) surged and then died down.
More than 4,500 others were on the island of Kos, which has previously seen clashes between migrants and Greek police, who last month used heavy-handed tactics to control crowds. Many of those who arrive in Greece seek to head north in hopes of resettling in wealthier European countries, especially Sweden and Greece. Tensions have therefore mounted on the border between Macedonia and Greece, with police deployed in an attempt to keep order. - Child mortality falls by more than 50 % since 1990: Report
A report by the World Health Organization and UN children's agency Unicef says Child mortality has fallen by more than 50 per cent since 1990. It says that 25 years ago 12.7 million children under five died, but this year the figure is projected to drop below six million for the first time. - Migrant crisis: EU announces refugee quota plan
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has announced plans that he will offer a swift, determined and comprehensive response to Europe's migrant crisis. Under the proposals, 120,000 additional asylum seekers will be distributed among EU nations, with binding quotas.
Mr Juncker told the European Parliament it was not a time to take fright. Germany, the main destination for many migrants, supports quotas, but some EU countries oppose a compulsory system. France welcomed the first of 1,000 migrants it has pledged to take from Germany, having committed to receive 24,000 migrants over two years.
In a separate development Australia, which has been under pressure to do more to help displaced people, has announced plans to take in 12,000 Syrian refugees. - UN warns Hungary it faces a wave of 42000 more migrants
With the ongoing refugee crisis, the United Nations refugee agency has warned that Hungary faces a bigger wave of 42,000 asylum seekers in the next 10 days and will need international help to provide shelter on its border. Newcomers flocking Hungarian border everyday are complaining bitterly about being left to sleep in frigid fields.
According to Officials from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, it was sending tents, beds and thermal blankets to Hungary's border with Serbia, where for the past two days frustrated groups from the Middle East, Asia and Africa have ignored police instructions to stay put and instead have marched on a highway north to Budapest.
The UN body Commissioner has accused the entire European Union of failing to see the crisis coming or take coordinated action. - Palestinian flag at UN buildings
The UN General Assembly has voted in favour of a motion allowing the Palestinian flag to be flown in front of UN buildings. India was among 119 nations that voted in support. Israel and the US were among the eight countries that voted against. - Crane collapse kills 107, injures 238 at Mecca's Grand Mosque ahead of haj
A massive construction crane crashed into Mecca's Grand Mosque in stormy weather on 11th September, killing at least 107 people and injuring 238.
The Kaaba is a massive cube-shaped structure at the centre of the mosque towards which Muslims worldwide pray and which has a major role in the haj.
The incident occurred as hundreds of thousands of Muslims from all over the world gather for the annual haj pilgrimage expected to begin on September 21.
A massive project is underway to expand the area of the mosque by 400,000 square metres (4.3 million square feet), allowing it to accommodate up to 2.2 million people at once. - Singapore election: Governing party secures decisive win
Singapore's governing People's Action Party (PAP) has won a decisive victory in the general election. Results showed the PAP had secured 83 of 89 seats, winning nearly 70% of the ballots cast. The party has won every election since independence in 1965. The opposition, running in all constituencies for the first time, had hoped to challenge the PAP's dominance.
But the results were a marked improvement over the 2011 vote for the PAP, when it took 80 of the 87 seats but saw its share of votes drop to an all-time low of 60%.
The turnout was 93.56% among 2.46 million voters, the Elections Department said. Voting is mandatory in Singapore, with few exemptions allowed. - US asks Pakistan to intensify efforts to counter terrorist sanctuaries
In a blunt message, the US has asked Pakistan to intensify efforts to counter terrorist sanctuaries inside its borders and take concrete steps against the dreaded Haqqani network responsible for major attacks on American installations in Afghanistan. The tough message was conveyed by US National Security Advisor Susan Rice to the top Pakistani leadership including.
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and army chief Gen Raheel Sharif has spoken during her day-long visit to the country. - Tallest mountain in North America to be renamed
The tallest mountain in North America, Mount McKinley, is to be renamed. US President Barack Obama has said the 20,000 feet peak will revert to the original name given to it by Native Alaskan's, Denali.
He made the announcement on the eve of a visit to Alaska for a conference of Arctic Nations. The central Alaska Mountain has officially been called Mount McKinley for almost a century. - Switzerland move against black money
In a move that may help India's fight against black money, Switzerland on 2nd September proposed amending its laws to share information with foreign countries probing tax crimes on the basis of 'stolen data', provided details have come from administrative channels or public sources.
A bill in this regard was on 2nd September approved by the Swiss Federal Council, the top-most policy making body of the Swiss government, and it would be discussed in Parliament after a public consultation process. The proposal assumes significance for India because it is probing hundreds of its citizens for suspected hoarding of alleged black money in Swiss banks and their names are part of a much longer list of account holders in HSBC's Geneva branch which was 'stolen' by a former bank employee. The list later found its way to the French government, which shared the relevant names with its Indian counterpart.
As domestic laws in Switzerland do not allow 'mutual assistance' to the requests based on stolen data, the Swiss authorities have been refusing to share details with India about these account holders despite a bilateral treaty being in place between the two countries. - Russia rejects French proposal to limit UN veto
Russia on 2nd September dismissed as "populist" a French proposal to limit the use of the veto at the UN Security Council and said it would oppose it. France has launched an initiative to persuade the other four Security Council permanent members -- Britain, China, Russia and the United States -- to refrain from using their veto when action is required to address a mass atrocity.
It was the first time that Russia had come out so clearly in opposition to restricting the use of the veto, which some blame for the lack of effective measures to end the war in Syria. The veto power accorded to the P5 dates back to the UN's foundation, but calls for re-thinking its use have mounted as the world body celebrates its 70th anniversary this year.
The French proposal gained traction after Russia and China used their veto power last year to block a resolution asking the International Criminal Court to investigate crimes committed in Syria.
Russia in July blocked two resolutions by resorting to its veto power, one that would have declared the Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia to be a genocide and another on setting up a tribunal to try those responsible for the downing of Flight MH17 over Ukraine.
France's idea has been welcomed by some 70 non-veto wielding member-states at the United Nations. China and the United States however have also expressed reservations.
France will host a meeting on September 30 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session to discuss its proposal, one year after it launched the idea. - China will downsize military by three lakh personnel: Xi Jinping
China will reduce its military personnel by three lakh. China’s President Xi Jinping made the announcement on 3rd September at a massive military parade at Tiananmen Square to commemorate the 70th anniversary of China's victory against Japan in the 2nd World War. The Chinese President described the cut as a gesture of peace. China has presently more than than 20 lakh military personnel.
In an unprecedented show of its military might, China displayed long-range "aircraft carrier-killers" and its latest weaponry to mark the 70th anniversary of its victory over Japan in the World War II. At the sprawling Tiananmen Square in Beijing, 2.3 million strong Chinese military put up a well coordinated show rolling out its latest armaments. Ballistic missiles, main battlefield tanks, amphibious assault vehicles, drones and other military equipment were part of the parade.
Troops from 17 countries, including Pakistan and Russia, formed part of 1,000 foreign soldiers took part in the parade. The cynosure of the parade was Dongfeng-21D missile, the anti-ship ballistic missile described as the "carrier killers" which could blow up aircraft carriers from a distance of upto 1,700 kms. The unprecedented display of military might comes at a time when China is in a stand off with its neighbours over south China Sea and East China Sea.
More than 40 thousand spectators, including Chinese officials, citizens and foreign guests took part in the event. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Russia President Vladimir Putin were among 30 world leaders who attended the parade besides special envoys of governments which included India's Minister of State for External Affairs General V K Singh. - UN criticizes global failure to protect Syrian refugees
A UN inquiry into the conflict in Syria has criticized the global failure to protect the country's refugees, saying it has fuelled Europe's migrant crisis.
Chairman Paulo Sergio Pinheiro urged the international community to act with humanity and compassion by creating legal channels of migration. The inquiry's latest report says 2,000 Syrians trying to reach Europe have drowned in the Mediterranean Sea.
And the Syrian war, it warns, continues to intensify with no end in sight. More than 240,000 people have been killed since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad erupted in March 2011.
A further 4 million Syrians have fled abroad and 7.6 million are displaced internally. The Commission of Inquiry on Syria was established by the UN Human Rights Council to investigate alleged violations of international human rights law. - G 20 countries call for moving towards market-determined currency rates
World's 20 big economies, including India, have called for moving towards market-determined currency rates and resisting competitive devaluation. A communiqué, issued at the end of the two-day meeting of the G20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors in Turkish capital Ankara, said that the grouping will also resist all forms of protectionism.
The communiqué did not name China but it came against the backdrop China's recent devaluation of Yuan that triggered shocks in the global economy. It added that G20 expects that monetary policy tightening is possible in some advanced economies.
The G20 leaders also pledged to act decisively to shore up stuttering global growth. They said, global growth is falling short of expectations, despite strengthening activity in some economies. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Cevdet Yilmaz said the issue would be discussed at the G20 Leaders summit in Antalya in November. - Finance Minister Arun Jaitley calls upon developed countries to allow greater mobility of skilled work force
India favoured greater mobility of skilled professionals besides increased movement of goods and capital opining that it would help the developed nations that are having issues of aging population.
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the efforts for goods movement and capital liberalisation should be complemented by skilled labour mobility.
He has spoken at the G20 meeting of Finance Ministers and the Central Bank Governors in Ankara on 'Framework for strong, sustainable and balanced growth'.
This will be of considerable help to countries that are having demographic challenges due to ageing populations. Mr. Jaitley said that it would also address the requirement of skilled professionals in the developed countries.
He said that the Framework Working Group (FWG) of G20 provides an opportunity to discuss on the issue of decreasing potential output in the economy. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley along with Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan are participating in the two day conference of G20 finance ministers and Central bank Governors
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley mentioned about global safety nets to address volatility in currency movements and markets. Mr. Jaitley spoke about a well-designed and safety nets like strengthening of liquidity arrangements via. Multilateral swap arrangements between the member countries. Mr. Jaitley said that he believe that ad hoc, individual, reponse measures can contain the adverse effect only for a limited period. He said that these cannot provide a sustainable solution which can happen only by global policy coordination.
Considering the potential of infrastructure investment to simultaneously address the demand side and supply side constraints, Mr. Jaitley mentioned about the need for better policy coordination at international level for stable macroeconomic environment and improved business climate.
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