INTERNATIONAL SEPTEMBER 2016
- Swiss endorse new surveillance powers
Swiss voters have given a strong approval to a law on new surveillance powers for the intelligence agencies. The new law will allow the authorities to tap phones, snoop on email and deploy hidden cameras and bugs.
Supporters said it will help Switzerland catch up with other countries. Opponents have feared it could erode civil liberties and put Swiss neutrality at risk by requiring closer co-operation with foreign intelligence agencies.
The big vote in favour of new powers for the intelligence services shows just how concerned the Swiss have become about a possible militant attack. The Swiss government says the powers would be used about once a month to monitor the highest-risk suspects.
The new surveillance law was passed last year but has not yet been enacted after opponents collected enough signatures to force a referendum under Switzerland's system of direct democracy. - Cuba, Russia Sign Agreement on Peaceful Nuclear Cooperation
Russia and Cuba on 27th September signed an agreement on cooperation in the field of peaceful atomic energy use. The deal, laying the basis for further cooperation in different fields from agriculture to training nuclear specialists, was signed by Russian state nuclear agency Rosatom and Cuba's Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment in Vienna. Special coordinating committees and bilateral working groups will be created to facilitate the implementation of the agreement. The 60th IAEA General Conference kicked off yesterday in Austria's capital Vienna. - Pakistan lawmakers adopt landmark Hindu marriage bill
In a historic move, Pakistan's parliament has passed the much-delayed bill to enable the country's minority Hindu community to register their marriages. The first ever national law was passed on 27th September after the draft was presented in the lower house or National Assembly by minister for human rights Kamran Micheal.
The Nation newspaper reported that the law bill sets the minimum age for marriage for Hindus at 18. The minimum legal age for marriage for citizens of other religions is 18 for men and 16 for women.
Breaking the law regarding the minimum age would result in six months' jail and a Rs 5,000 fine. UNICEF estimates 21 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 in Pakistan were first married before age 18, with three per cent married before age 16.
The new law legalises remarriage for a widow six months after her husband's death. It also grants Hindus the right to divorce, with women having the additional right to do so on grounds of negligence, bigamy or having been married before 18.
The National Assembly passed the bill after 10 months of deliberations. Now it needs to be passed by the Senate where it is expected to be cleared without any significant delay. Hindus make up approximately 1.6 per cent of Pakistan's Muslim-majority 190 million population, but they have not had any legal mechanisms to register their marriages since independence in 1947.
Christians, the other main religious minority, have a British law dating back to 1870 regulating their marriages. - Pakistan announces postponement of 19th SAARC Summit in Islamabad
Pakistan on 30th September has postponed the 19th SAARC Summit after India and four other countries announced their decision to boycott the Summit which was to be held on November 9th and 10th. According to the Office of Pakistan Foreign Ministry a new set of dates for holding the summit at Islamabad will be announced soon by Nepal, the Chair of SAARC.
In a synchronized effort, India and three other countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Bhutan had informed the SAARC Secretariat that their leaders will not attend the Summit in Islamabad.
The move by the five countries means the Summit cannot go ahead as the SAARC charter states all decisions must be made unanimously. The absence of even one member-state leads to the automatic postponement or cancellation of a Summit.
Sri Lanka has joined other SAARC nations in refusing to attend the SAARC summit scheduled at Islamabad in November. A statement issued by its foreign office said, Sri Lanka condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and stressed the need to deal with it in a decisive manner.
It said peace and security are essential elements for the success of meaningful regional cooperation and regretted that the prevailing environment in the region is not conducive for holding the Summit.
The statement said, Sri Lanka hoped that the steps required to ensuring the region’s peace and security will be taken to create an environment that is conducive for pursuit of regional cooperation. It added that the General Provisions of the SAARC Charter require that decisions at all levels shall be taken on the basis of unanimity, and this applies to the convening of meetings of Heads of State or Government of SAARC Member States as well. - China and Russia carry out joint naval exercises
China and Russia have carried out joint naval exercises in the resource-rich South China Sea off China's southern Guangdong province. Vessels including a missile destroyer, anti-submarine vessels, missile frigates, ship-based helicopters and conventional submarines among others took part in the exercise.
The vessels were divided into two fleets and confrontations were staged off the eastern waters of Zhanjiang in Guangdong which is close to Chinese coast. Chinese and Russian navies are currently holding the "Joint Sea-2016" drill from September 13 to 19. - Pro-Putin party wins landslide victory in Russian electionRussia's ruling party supporting President Vladimir Putin has won a landslide in the country's parliamentary election. 450 seats in the Lower House of Parliament, or State Duma, were up for grabs in 18th September election.
The central election commission says that with 93 percent of the ballots counted in the proportional representation segment, the ruling United Russia party has won 54.3 percent of the vote.
The Communists have won 13.5 percent, the Liberal Democratic Party 13.2 and the Just Russia party 6.2. These opposition parties support Putin's foreign policies. Candidates from United Russia are also ahead of their rivals in 90 percent of the electoral districts.
In total, United Russia is expected to win around 340 seats. That's well above the 238 it held before the poll and more than two-thirds of seats in the lower house, which is sufficient to change the constitution.
After the polls closed, Putin and the party's leader, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, declared victory. The victory apparently gave Putin momentum for the Presidential election in March of 2018. - Leaders from 193 countries on 19th September adopted a "breakthrough" declaration to save lives of over 65 million refugees and migrants and share responsibility as the world grapples with the unprecedented refugee crisis. The declaration is not legally binding and lacks concrete commitments but calls on countries to protect refugees' human rights, boost humanitarian aid and work on their resettlement.
World leaders adopt breakthrough declaration on refugees at UN
By adopting the declaration, Member States are making bold commitments including: to start negotiations leading to an international conference and the adoption of a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration in 2018; to develop guidelines on the treatment of migrants in vulnerable situations; to achieve a more equitable sharing of the burden and responsibility for hosting and supporting the world's refugees by adopting a global compact on refugees in 2018.
As called for in the declaration, Ban also launched a new campaign called 'Together - Respect, Safety and Dignity for All' to 'respond to rising xenophobia and turn fear into hope'. The secretary general and the director general of the International Organization for Migration on signed the new agreement by which IOM becomes a related organisation of the UN, thus strengthening the comprehensive global approach to migration. - In the latest Times Higher Education world rankings index, Oxford topped the list as the world's leading university, followed by the California Institute of Technology, Stanford and Cambridge. The United States had 63 institutions in the top 200, while the UK had 32 and Australia had eight. Asian universities, with more rising up the list in 2016, the region's top institution National University of Singapore was ranked 24th. Six Australian universities have been ranked among the best 100 in the world, all improving on their 2015 results.
Oxford tops the list as the world's leading university
No Indian educational institution has find place in the top 200 list. Indian Institute of Science of Bengaluru has been placed in the rank segment of 201 to 250 while IIT Bombay is in the 301 to 350 segment. The annual rankings comprise the top 980 universities worldwide, judging them across the categories of teaching, international outlook, research, citations and industry income. - Bill in US against Pakistan-backed terrorUnited States Congressman Ted Poe, introduced Pakistan State sponsor of terrorism designation act on 20th September. Ted said not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the United States for years. He said that Pakistan's reckless behavior is a serious security risk to its neighbors, & India unfortunately pays price all too often. He further added that it is time we stop paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is "a state sponsor of terrorism.
- UN Chief rejects Pakistan's repeated pleas to resolve Kashmir issueUN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on 22nd September rejected Pakistan's repeated pleas to the UN to resolve the Kashmir dispute. Bani Ki Moon told Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that Pakistan and India should address their outstanding issues, including Kashmir, through dialogue. Ban met with Sharif in New York on the sidelines of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly.
His remarks came as Sharif handed over to him a dossier about alleged human rights violations by Indian forces in Kashmir. UN spokesperson said, Secretary-General stressed the need for Pakistan and India to address their outstanding issues, including Kashmir, through dialogue, saying it is in the interest of both countries and the region as a whole.
Sharif has been mounting massive efforts to internationalise the Kashmir issue. However, his repeated calls to the UN to help resolve the Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan appear to be gaining no traction as Ban made no reference to Kashmir and the situation in the Valley in his final speech to the UNGA as UN Chief.
Ban's office has earlier repeatedly said that the UN Chief's good offices are available on helping resolve the Kashmir dispute only if both India and Pakistan request for it, a clear message that the Kashmir issue is a bilateral one between the two nations and should be solved by them only. - Russia joins Pakistan in ‘anti-terror drillRussia and Pakistan conducted on 23rd September for their first-ever joint military exercise called 'Friendship 2016'. A contingent of Russian ground forces arrived in Pakistan for the first Pak-Russian joint exercise scheduled from September 24 to October 10.
The Russian defence ministry said the exercise was aimed at strengthening and developing military cooperation with Pakistan aimed at, among other things, "eliminating illegal armed groups", the Russian defence ministry said. - G4 issues urged for UN reformsThe G4 group, i.e. India, Germany, Japan and Brazil will continue to push for comprehensive reform of the UN Security Council, Foreign Ministers of the four countries who met on the sidelines of General Assembly resolved.
The group exclusively formed to help with each other to secure permanent seat in the United nations Security Council.
India was represented by Minister of State for External Affairs M.J. Akbar. The Group of 4 (G4) wants permanent membership of the Security Council for themselves, and wide and far-reaching reform of the UN. More than 70 years after the founding of the UN, the Security Council also has to adapt in order to cope with the ever growing global challenges, a joint statement by the four countries issued. - Philippine drama wins Venice Film Festival's top prize
Philippines film The Woman Who Left, a black and white drama by director Lav Diaz, has won the Golden Lion for best film at the Venice Film Festival. It tells the story of a schoolteacher's thirst for revenge and her feelings of forgiveness after 30 years in jail for a crime she did not commit. Diaz said the film was a testimony to the struggles of the Philippines after centuries of colonial rule. Twenty movies competed in the 73rd edition of the film festival
Other awards included:- Grand jury prize for fashion designer Tom Ford for his thriller Nocturnal Animals
- Best director shared between Russia's Andrei Konchalovsky for the Holocaust drama Paradise (Rai) and Mexico's Amat Escalante for The Untamed (La Region Salvaje)
- Best actor to Argentina's Oscar Martinez for his role in the comedy-drama The Distinguished Citizen (El Ciudadano Ilustre)
- Best actress to American Emma Stone for the musical La La Land
- Marcello Mastroianni Award for best young performer to German actress Paula Beer for her role in post-war drama Frantz
- Best screenplay to Noah Oppenheim for his work on Pablo Larrain's Jackie
- Special jury prize to Ana Lily Amirpour's The Bad Batch
- Growing number of countries refusing to cooperate on rights: UN
Countries are increasingly refusing to cooperate with the UN on human rights, the world body warned on 13th September, voicing alarm at situations in dozens of states, including Syria, Iran and Venezuela.
According to UN rights chief Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, an emerging pattern in which a growing number of states were refusing access to his staff and other UN representatives tasked with investigating allegations of rights violations in their countries. Zeid voiced alarm at the situation in war-ravaged Syria, where no UN human rights monitors have been allowed in since the deadly conflict erupted in March 2011. Zeid also criticized Venezuela, which for the past two and a half years has refused to even issue a visa to his representative in the region.
Among his concerns he listed arbitrary arrests, excessive use of force against peaceful protests, and a dramatic decline in economic and social rights that have sparked widespread hunger.
Iran, meanwhile had blocked all access to his staff since 2013, which he said was "particularly regrettable given the reports we continue to receive of fundamental problems with the administration of criminal justice" in the country.
Belarus, Eritrea and North Korea have also flatly refused all access by UN rights monitors, while Israel has repeatedly refused to cooperate with probes into the situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, he said. - Somalia hosts heads of state summit for 1st time in 30 years
Somalia hosted regional African heads of state on 13th September for a summit that was the first of its kind in the Somali capital since the Horn of Africa nation plunged into conflict in 1991. Streets were shut down to traffic in Mogadishu, which regularly faces attacks from the Islamist al Shabaab militants, for the one-day meeting of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, IGAD, a grouping that includes Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Djibouti, Sudan, Uganda and Somalia. The regional leaders were due to discuss Somalia's upcoming vote for a new Parliament and President, as well the situation in South Sudan, where fighting in July has further destabilised the five-year-old nation. - India raises human rights violation issue in PoK at UNHRC
India on 14th September raised the issue of human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir during the 33rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. According to the Permanent Representative of India to the UN body, Ajit Kumar India made it clear that J&K is an integral part of India and it represents all sections of the society, unlike PoK which is illegal territory occupied by Pakistan. - UK approves EDF's 18-billion euros nuclear power station
British government has approved a new 18-billion euros nuclear power station in the UK after imposing significant new safeguards to protect national security. The new plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset is being financed by the French and the Chinese. In exchange, China wants to use its design for new UK nuclear stations. - India is now the second-largest internet market
China is by far the largest internet market in the world with 721m users, but India has now overtaken the US to become the world's second largest market with 333m, according to a new report from the United Nations.
India also recently overtook the US to become the second-largest smartphone market in the world, with estimated 260m mobile broadband subscriptions, said the UN Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development.
The UN report, entitled "The State of Broadband 2016", also confirmed that the top ten countries for household internet penetration are all located in Asia or the Middle East.
South Korea continues to have the world's highest household internet penetration, at 98.8%, followed by Qatar (96%) and the United Arab Emirates (95%).
Meanwhile, the Asia-Pacific region accounts for nearly half (48%) of all active mobile broadband subscriptions with Singapore (142 subscriptions per 100 people) second only to Finland (144) in the world.
However, European countries lead the world in terms of the highest percentage of individuals using the internet and also the extent of fixed broadband penetration.
Iceland (98.2%) continues to have the highest percentage of individuals who use the internet, closely followed by Luxembourg (97.3%), while six out of the top seven nations where fixed broadband penetration exceeds 40% are all European, with South Korea the only non-European country among them.
In total, the report revealed that there are now 91 countries where over 50% of the population is online. The top ten for internet use in 2014 were all located in Europe, but now Bahrain (#7) and Japan (#9) have joined the top group.
The report went on to forecast that India and Indonesia will drive the future growth of internet penetration, but it found that an estimated 3.9bn people around the world are still not using the internet.
Just six nations – China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nigeria – account for 55% of the total global population that is still offline and the UN put this down to the sheer size of their populations.
These findings suggest that targeted efforts in just a few key markets could help enormously in redressing the gaping 'digital divide' between those who are online and those still offline
While India may have overtaken the US in terms of internet population, the value of its online ad market is still 20 times smaller - G-20 Summit begins in China
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for an action oriented agenda of collective, coordinated and targeted action from G 20 members. Speaking at the opening session of the G20 Summit in Hangzhou, China on 4th September he said, this will require strong network of partnerships. Mr Modi said, the current global situation faces complex political and economic challenges. He laid out an agenda for structural reforms to revive global growth. He asked for creating an environment for free flow of goods, services and human resource.
The Prime Minister said, policies of member nations need to be people centric and inclusive and also allow easy access to digital technologies and promote development of skill set.
Mr Modi said, connected machines, digital revolution and new technology is laying foundation for the next generation global growth. The prime Minister said countries should refrain from competitive devaluation of their currencies.
He also stressed on reducing external imbalances and keep the exchange rates stable.
Meanwhile, G-20 summit began in Chinese city of Hangzhou,declaring the summit open, Chinese President and Chairman of the summit Xi Jinping urged partnership among the members to tackle challenges and realize shared goal of economic growth.
Chinese President also met US President Barack Obama. During the meeting US President urged Beijing to uphold its legal obligations in the disputed waters of the South China Sea. He also stressed the commitments of the US to its regional allies. While Xi said China would continue to safeguard its sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea. - South Sudan agrees to accept 4,000 more UN peacekeepers
The government of South Sudan agreed on 4th September to accept 4,000 extra peace-keepers in a bid to avoid an arms embargo threatened by the United Nations Security Council, but said the details of the deployment were still being discussed.
The announcement came after a meeting in the South Sudanese capital, Juba, between President Salva Kiir and the UN Security Council, led by US Ambassador Samantha Power.
The 15-member council in August authorized the deployment of a 4,000-strong regional protection force as part of the UN peacekeeping mission already on the ground. It threatened to consider an arms embargo if Kiir's government did not cooperate.
South Sudan Minister of Cabinet Affairs, Martin Elia Lomoro, said the government had no objection to who contributes soldiers. - Newly found fish species named after Obama
Scientists have named a small maroon and gold fish species, which was discovered 300 feet deep in the waters off Kure Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, after U.S. President Barack Obama.
The fish, of the genus Tosanoides, was named in honour of Mr. Obama for his commitment to protecting nature through the expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, researchers said. It was discovered in June this year during a research trip to Kure, the world’s northernmost atoll. The fish is found only within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. - World Health Organisation declares Sri Lanka malaria free
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared Sri Lanka free of malaria. According to WHO's South East Asia Director, Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Sri Lanka's achievement is truly remarkable. In the mid-20th century it was among the most malaria-affected countries. Sri Lanka has become the second country in the region to eliminate the mosquito-borne disease after Maldives.
The WHO attributed the South Asian country's success to a strategy that deployed mobile clinics, boosted public health awareness campaigns and intensively targeted the parasite, as well as the mosquito. Almost half the world's population is at risk of malaria.
The disease is both preventable and curable, yet hundreds of thousands of children die of it every year. Globally, there were 214 million cases of malaria and more than 438,000 deaths in 2015. - UN Security Council condemns North Korean missile tests
The UN Security Council has issued a strong condemnation of North Korea's latest missile tests and threatened to take further significant measures against North Korea, which test-fired three ballistic missiles on 5th September as world powers gathered for a G20 meeting in China. The 15-member Council said in a statement, these launches are in grave violation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's international obligations and UN Security Council resolutions.
It called on North Korea to refrain from further actions, including nuclear tests, in violation of the relevant Security Council resolutions and comply fully with its obligations under these resolutions. The document was adopted unanimously, including by Pyongyang's only ally China.
North Korea has conducted a series of missile tests this year in defiance of UN sanctions imposed after its fourth nuclear test in January. - About 50 million children 'uprooted' worldwide: UNICEF
War and poverty have forced around 50 million children around the world from their homes. A UNICEF report said, up to 28 million of the children have been uprooted by violent conflict, with nearly as many abandoning their homes in search of a better life.
The report, titled 'Uprooted - The Growing Crisis for Refugee and Migrant Children', also said, the number of child refugees has more than doubled in the past 10 years from four million to 8.2 million. The UN agency said, the children are some of the most vulnerable people on earth and has warned that if governments do not act, the numbers are likely to grow. The report said, children make up about a third of the world's population as of 2015 and accounted for nearly half of all refugees. - Fighting displaces 100,000 in central Syria in 8 days: UN
Intense fighting between Syrian government troops and insurgents in Syria's central Hama province displaced some 100,000 people over eight days between late August and early September, according to the the UN humanitarian agency.
In the September, 2016, insurgents pushed northward in Hama province, surprising government troops and dislodging them from areas they controlled around the provincial capital, also called Hama, including a military base and towns and villages near the highway to Damascus.
The offensive, led by an ultraconservative Islamic group, Jund al-Aqsa, and also involving several factions from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army, incurred an intense government bombing campaign that killed dozens of people. The fighting and the aerial bombardment sent tens of thousands of people fleeing for safety, creating the latest wave of displacement, part of a pattern that has left nearly half of the Syrian population displaced since the war began in 2011.
In a "flash update" on 6th September, OCHA said figures from a camp coordination group show nearly half of the displaced from Hama arrived in the neighboring rebel-held Idlib governorate. Others fled toward government-controlled Hama city, where four mosques were converted into temporary shelters, OCHA said. Dozens of schools in rural areas of Hama province were also turned into shelters.
A shortage of shelter space means many displaced families are sleeping outdoors in parks in Idlib, the UN agency said.
Most of those fleeing left towns and villages in government areas as the rebels advanced. They feared a violent government response to the insurgent offensive, according to Ahmad al-Ahmad, an activist from Hama.
An estimated 11 million Syrians have fled their homes since the outbreak of the civil war, now in its sixth year. Of those, 4.8 million are refugees with nearly 7 million displaced internally. - 58 % of Pakistani refugees are children: UNICEF
United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that children make up 58 per cent of all refugees from Pakistan, the highest proportion in the South Asian region. UN Agency, in its report released on 7th September, said out of about 3 lakh refugees originated from Pakistan last year, children accounted for 58 percent.
Report said insecurity and conflicts in various parts of the country have forced them to leave. However, Pakistan continues to host about 1.6 million from other countries.
The report, entitled “Uprooted”, also says conflicts in many Asian countries, high susceptibility to natural hazards and a large population all contribute to the huge toll of internal displacement within the continent. - North Korea carries out 'biggest ever' nuclear test
North Korea is believed to have conducted a fifth nuclear test, its most powerful to date, according to South Korea's military after monitors detected a 5.3-magnitude "artificial earthquake" near its main nuclear site
A confirmed test by the isolated North would send tensions soaring over its nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions, which have already earned international condemnation and United Nations sanctions.
The quake was detected near North Korea's Punggye-ri nuclear test site as the country celebrates Foundation Day, which marks the anniversary of the founding of the nation in 1948.
The North's third nuclear test, staged in February 2013, was previously considered the most powerful to date, with a yield of six to nine kilotons.
Authorities in Japan and South Korea said the tremor, measured at 5.3 by the US Geological Survey, showed every sign of another test, the latest since a January 6 test at Punggye-ri.
North Korea has been hit by five sets of United Nations sanctions since it first tested a nuclear device in 2006. Since the January test concern has also grown over a series of provocative ballistic missile launches. North Korea test-fired three missiles 5th September as world powers gathered for a G20 meeting in China, with leader Kim Jong-Un hailing the tests as "perfect", and US President Barack Obama warning it would only up the pressure. - North Korea faces new UN sanctions after nuclear test
The UN Security Council condemned North Korea's fifth nuclear test on 9th September as a clear threat to international peace and security and said it will start discussing new "significant measures" against Pyongyang.
Security Council members "had previously expressed their determination to take further significant measures in the event of another nuclear test," said Gerard van Bohemen, New Zealand's ambassador to the UN, speaking in his capacity as president of the council. "The members of the Security Council will begin work immediately on appropriate measures."
The test may have shown North Korea overcoming what had been seen as hurdles to the further development of its nuclear weapons capabilities. The official Korean Central News Agency said the detonation showed the regime was now able to produce miniaturised nuclear arms and attach atomic weapons to rockets.
Beyond the UN, the test drew opprobrium from world leaders including South Korean President Park Geun Hye and US President Barack Obama. - Russia, US agree to coordinate air strikes against IS militants in Syria
Russia and the US have agreed to coordinate air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria, part of a detailed agreement to reduce the violence there. The plan will begin with a cessation of hostilities from 12th September. Syrian forces will end combat missions in specified opposition-held areas. Russia and the US will then establish a joint centre to combat jihadist groups, including so-called Islamic State (IS).
A Syrian opposition coalition has cautiously welcomed the agreement. The announcement follows talks in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov. - WHO regional meeting for South East Asia in Sri Lanka adopted the Colombo Resolution
In Sri Lanka, two important resolutions were adopted to address the challenges posed by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like heart diseases and diabetes.
The WHO regional meeting for South East Asia at Colombo which concluded on 9th September, adopted the Colombo Resolution for NCDs which called for prevention through strengthening of primary health care system and allocating adequate resources.
According to the WHO Regional Director for South East Asia Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, providing access to essential medicines, experience sharing and adopting a multi- sectoral approach are part of the resolution.
Another important meeting of health professionals held at Colombo endorsed the Colombo Declaration demanding urgent action to address the link between maternal health and diabetes as a public health priority. Over 300 delegates representing South Asian countries resolved to focus on hyperglycemia in pregnancy to improve mother and new born health and address prevention of NCDs at a later stage. - Earthquake strikes Tanzania killing 11, over 200 injured
At least 11 people were killed and over 200 others injured on 10th September in an earthquake measuring 5.7 on the Richter scale struck northwestern Tanzania. The earthquake jolted regions of Kagera and Mwanza on the shores of Lake Victoria, Xinhua news agency reported. The quake was recorded at a depth of 10 km and located 44 km from Bukoba. - Russia holds large-scale military drills in Crimea
Russia has deployed cruise missiles, multiple rocket launchers, tanks and its latest anti-aircraft system at massive military drills in Crimea. Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in April 2014 and since then has sent thousands of troops and heavy weaponry there.
The defense ministry invited dozens of journalists on 9th September to a remote firing range at the Black Sea coast to display elaborate war games which involved paratroopers, tanks, cruise missiles launched from a submarine and the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system.
The drills, which began across southern Russia and Crimea involve over 120,000 troops, are some of the largest exercises Russia has held for years. - Powerful 7.1 quake jolts New Zealand
The east coast of New Zealand was hit by a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake on 1st September, generating a small tsunami, but officials said there was no significant damage or injuries. A swarm of aftershocks, several of nearly 6.0 magnitude, rocked the region for many hours after the initial jolt as coastal residents made their way to high ground by torchlight. But less than three hours later they were advised they could return home after a 30-centimetre (one foot) tsunami was detected.
- Supreme Court urged to bar Dilma Rousseff from politics
Brazil’s Supreme Court has been asked to overturn a contentious Senate decision allowing former President Dilma Rousseff to remain politically active following her removal from office in an impeachment trial happened in first week of September, 2016.
The Senate voted on 1st September to oust Rousseff for manipulating the federal budget to hide the real state of Brazil’s ailing economy in the run-up to her re-election in 2014.
In an unexpected separate vote, lawmakers spared the leftist leader from an eight-year ban on running for public office or holding any position in government, as provided for in Brazil’s constitution.
They did a last-minute legal trick and guaranteed the former president’s political rights,” Senator Jose Medeiros, of the Social Democratic Party, said on 2nd September. He spoke after filing a request to annul the second vote, which he said was unconstitutional.
Brazil’s new President Michel Temer, who was sworn in after Rousseff was dismissed, has played down the twist in her final removal.
The Senate decision, which garnered support from several members of Temer’s fractious PMDB, appeared to reflect unease over whether the doctoring of budget figures that Rousseff was convicted of was truly an impeachable offense.
Rousseff herself appealed to the Supreme Court on 2nd September to annul the decision to oust her, a request that is unlikely to succeed.
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