January, 2014

Iran and P5+1 Group of Nations clinched Nuclear Deal

Iran and P5+1 group of Nations reached a breakthrough deal on 24 November 2013 to curb Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief. An agreement to this effect was signed at UN Headquarters in Geneva on 24 November 2013 between the Chief negotiator for the six nations, Catherine Marie Ashton and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Jawad Zarief. The interim deal for six months is intended to give time and space to the international community to work towards a comprehensive agreement. After four days of negotiations, representatives o f P5+1 group of nations - the US, the UK, Russia, China, France and Germany - reached an agreement with Iran. The deal is intended as the first step in a six month process aimed at a permanent resolution to the decade-old global impasse over Iran’s nuclear programme, and heading off the
threat of a new war in West Asia. The Geneva deal also makes the way for releasing over 4 billion Dollars in Iranian oil sales revenue from frozen accounts, and suspends restrictionson the country’s trade in gold, petrochemicals, and car and plane parts.

In return, Iran undertakes to restrict its nuclear activities. Over the next six months Iran has agreed to:

1. Stop enriching uranium above 5 per cent, reactor-grade, and dilute its stock of 20 per centenriched uranium or convert it to oxide, which makes it harder to enrich further.

2. Not to increase its stockpile of low-enrichment uranium.

3. Freeze its enrichment capacity by not installing any more centrifuges, leaving more than half of its existing 16000 centrifuges inoperable.

4. Not to fuel or to commission the heavy-water reactor it is building in Arak or build a reprocessing plant that could produce plutonium from the spent fuel.

5. Iran will give greater access to inspectors including daily access at the Natanz and Fordo nuclear sites.In return, there will be no new nuclear-related sanctions for six months if Iran sticks by the accord.

Geneva II Syria Peace Conference

General on 25 November 2013 announced the Geneva-II peace conference is to be held on 22 January 2014. The international conference is aimed at a democratic political transition in Syria, which will bring the Government and the opposition to a negotiating table for the first time, since the conflict that started in March 2011. The decision was taken at a meeting of the UN special envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Mikhail Bogdanov and Gennady Gatilov along with the US under Secretary for political Affairs, Wendy Sherman in Geneva on 25 November 2013. The Geneva-II conference was termed as the mission of hope by Ban Ki Moon in which, the fighting has killed more than 100000 and driven almost nine million from their homes, left countless missing and detained and terrible violations of human rights. The goal of Geneva II would be to achieve a political solution to the conflict through a comprehensive agreement between the Government and the opposition for the full implementation of the Geneva communiqué, adopted after the first international meeting on the issue on 30 June 2012. The communiqué, which has been endorsed by the UN Security Council, lays out key steps in a process to end the violence. Among these, the establishment - based on mutual consent - of a transitional governing body with full executive powers, including over military and security entities.

Nepal Constituent Assembly elections

Nepali Congress (NC) emerged as single largest Party in the second Constituent Assembly elections which are held on 19 November 2013. The Communist Party of Nepal (Unified Marxist-Leninist) stood a close second position and the UCPN (Maoist) party is in a distant third position. Elections to the Constituent Assembly were held under two categories — first-past-the post and proportional representation. A total of 240 seats were allocated in the first category and 365 seats in the proportional representation category. The remaining 26 seats in the 601-member will be nominated by the Cabinet later. A total of 301 seats are needed for majority and to form a government. Nepali Congress Party wins 105 of the 240 directly elected seats followed by Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) with 91 and the United Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) with 26. The NC has also emerged a clear front-runner in both the electoral formats. It won 105 seats under the direct election of candidates and has so far bagged 26 per cent under the PR system. The CPN (UML) is a close second with 91 seats and 25 per cent, respectively. The largest party in the last assembly- the UCPN (Maoist) is in a distant third position. The previous assembly - elected in 2008 after the abolition of the monarchy - was won by the former rebels. But the Constituent Assembly (CA) was bitterly divided and failed to write a new constitution.

Shinawatra declared Emergency Law for Bangkok

Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra on 25 November 2013 declared a special emergency law for Bangkok after riot police and anti-government protesters scuffled in the capital city. The decision came after hundreds of anti-government protesters stormed into the finance ministry compound and later forced their way into the foreign ministry building. Anti-government protesters want Prime Minister to step down amid claims that her government was remote-controlled by her older brother Thaksin Shinawatra , who was forced to quit as prime minister in 2006. He has since lived in exile toavoid jail on a corruption conviction. The current political crisis is the most serious confrontation in Thailand since the 2010 bloody protests in which over 90 people were killed.

US exempted India and China from Iranian Sanctions

United States of America on 29 November 2013 exempted some countries, including India and China, from the tough Iranian sanctions for reducing their dependence on Iranian oil. Secretary of State, John Kerry announced in a statement in Washington that other countries which have significantly reduced the purchases of Iranian crude oil are the Republic of Korea, Turkey, and Taiwan and these have qualified for an exception to sanctions under the National Defence Authorisation Act. This move came after the decision made by US President Barack Obama that there is sufficient supply of non- Iranian oil for countries to continue to reduce import of oil from Iran. This is the fourth time that these countries have qualified for an NDAA exception as a result of their continued significant reductions in the volume of crude oil purchases from Iran or their end to such
purchases.

Abdulla Yameen sworn in as the President of Maldives

Abdulla Yameen has been sworn in as the 6th President of the Maldives on 17 November 2013. The Chief Justice of Maldives, Ahmad Faiz at a special session of the Parliament in Male administered the oath of office to Abdulla Yameen. Mohammad Jameel was sworn in as vice-President. Yameen (54) a candidate of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) secured 51.39 percent of votes, whereas the opposition leader and the former
President Mohamed Nasheed received 48.61. Election Commission of Maldives, declared the results of the election on 16 November 2013 in which it declared Yameen, the half-brother of former autocratic ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom as the President elect. Abdulla Yameen’s sworn in has ended the two years of political turmoil that was threatened to isolatethe country internationally. The Maldives was witnessing the political
turmoil, since Nasheed resigned under pressure in February 2012because of a controversial transfer of power.

China Set up Air Defence Zone over East China Sea

China on 23 November 2013 announced that it was set up an Air Defence Identification Zone over an area in the East China Sea. The Zone includes Senkaku islands that are controlled by Japan but claimed by China. In this regard, the Chinese Defense Ministry issued a map of an East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone including a chain of disputed islands. The zone came into effect from 10:00 local time from 23 November 2013. China also issued a set of rules for the zone, saying all aircraft must notify Chinese authorities and are subject to emergency military measures if they do not identify themselves or obey orders from Beijing. It stated it would identify, monitor, control and react to any air threats or unidentified flying objects coming from the sea.

China-Japan islands row

The islands, known as Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, that lie in the East China Sea are a source of rising tension between China and Japan. The eight uninhabited islands with a total area of about 7 sq km are lie northeast of Taiwan, east of the Chinese mainland and southwest of Japan’s southern-most prefecture, Okinawa. They matter because they are close to strategically important shipping lanes, offer rich fishing grounds and are thought to contain oil deposits. The islands are controlled by Japan

13th Council of Ministers Meeting of the Indian Ocean Rim Association was held in Australia

Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) held its 13th Council of Ministers meeting in Perth, Australia on 1 November 2013. On the occasion, India handed over the chair of the IORA to Australia. India chaired the IORA, since 2011. The Perth reviewed the process made by IORA since 2012 meeting in Gurgaon, India. The future directions and initiatives to advance were considered then for the interests of the IORA and its members. The
thirteenth Council of Ministers’ Meeting was visited by the member states Foreign Ministers namely Australia, Bangladesh, Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

Perth Principles

• Reiterating that IORA is the apex pan-regional organisation for the Indian Ocean.

• Recalling the six priority areas of cooperation agreed at the eleventh COMM (Council of Ministers’ Meeting) in Bengaluru, namely: Maritime Safety and Security; Trade and Investment Facilitation; Fisheries Management ; Disaster Risk Management; Academic and Science and Technology Cooperation; and Tourism and Cultural Exchanges.

• Recalling Also our desire to promote the sustainable growth and balanced development of the Indian Ocean region and IORA Member States, and to create common ground for regional economic cooperation.

• Committed to promoting cooperation and collaboration between IORA and other Indian Ocean regional stakeholders including Dialogue Partner States and other regional and international forums.

• Reaffirming our commitment to the Charter of the United Nations, to the Charter of IORA, and to the applicable principles of international law.

• Reaffirming Also our commitment to ‘The Future We Want’, as adopted at the 2012 United Nation as Conference on Sustainable Development, and to the protection, restoration, health, productivity and resilience of the Indian Ocean and its resources.

• Recognising that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea provides the legal framework for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and their resources and plays a vital role in maintaining peaceful cooperation and stability across the Indian Ocean.

About the IORA

The IOR-ARC was formally launched at the first Ministerial Meeting in Mauritius on 6 – 7 March 1997. This meeting adopted the IORARC Charter, and determined a number of administrative and procedural matters. The apex body of the IOR-ARC is the Council of (Foreign) Ministers (COM). The meeting of the COM is preceded by the meetings of the Indian Ocean Rim Academic Group (IORAG), Indian Ocean Rim Business Forum (IORBF), Working Group on Trade and Investment (WGTI), and the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO). The Coordinating Secretariat of IORARC is located at Ebène, Mauritius.Apart from a Secretary-General, its present staff strength at the executive level includes two Directors and eight local staff. IORA was formerly known as IOR-ARC (Indian Ocean Rim Association for Regional Cooperation).

Members of IORA (IOR-ARC)

The Indian Ocean Rim- Association for Regional Cooperation (IOR-ARC), initially known as the Indian Ocean Rim Initiative, is an I n t e r n a t i o n a l / D i p l o m a t i c Organization with 20 Member States namely Australia, Bangladesh,  Comoros, India, Indonesia, Iran, Kenya, Madagascar, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Thailand, Arab Emirates and Yemen. Whereas the China, Egypt, France, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States of America are Dialogue Partners of the IOR-ARC. The Indian Ocean Tourism Organisation (IOTO) and Indian Ocean Research Group (IORG) have been granted Observer Status.

Agreement to provide financial assistance to Egypt

European Union on 28 November 2013 signed an agreement to provide the financial assistance worth 122 million dollar (•90 million) to Egypt to tide over the financial crisis. The funds under the assistance finance will be used to increase the children’s access to education, social and reaching out to the most impoverished areas and improvements in unplanned housing. An agreement to this effect was signed between the EU foreign policy chief Catherine Marie Ashton and Deputy Prime Minister Ziad Bahaaeeddin of Egypt at Brussels. Apart from this, the two sides have also discussed about the implementation of Egypt’s political roadmap. This calls for an elected Parliament and president by summer.

Afghan-US Bilateral Security Agreement got nod

The Loya Jirga, Afghanistan’s Grand Assembly of tribal elders and elite persons on 24 November 2013 gave its consent on the issue of signing the Afghan-US Bilateral Security Agreement that would pave the way for the continuation of some US troops in the country after 2014. 2500 member traditional Loya Jirga after three days of deliberations adopted a 31-point resolution approving the proposed agreement and called upon Afghan President to sign the document by the end of the 2013. However, Afghan President put forward conditions for signing the agreement with the United States. The United States wants the agreement to be signed before the
end of the 2013, but the Afghan President has been saying that it may be signed after the presidential elections in Afghanistan in April 2014. The US is to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan next year (2014).

About Loya Jirga

The Afghan constitution of 2003 constituted a Loya Jirga, made up of both houses of parliament and elected heads of regional administrations, with the power to amend the constitution, impeach the president and decide matters of national sovereignty.

‘’Cyber Coalition 2013'’ launched

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on 26 November 2013 launched a threeday cyber defence exercise ”Cyber Coalition 2013"in Estonia. The defense exercises are based at the NATO’s cyber defense centers in Estonia, Russia and will be held from 26 to 28 November 2013. The Cyber Defence Exercise is aimed at training technical personnel and their leadership as well as testing the capability of NATO and its partners to coordinate their efforts in foiling multiple simulated cyber attacks. The exercises involve participants from more than 30 countries across Europe, including five non-NATO nations: Austria, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and
Switzerland. New Zealand and the European Union have observer status. According to NATO, around 300 cyber defense experts will take part in the operation from their home countries and partner nations while an additional 80 experts will work from the military training facility in the Estonian city of Tartu.

About NATO

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, is an intergovernmental military alliance of 28 European and North American countries, ranging from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Canada to Albania, Bulgaria and Turkey. It was formed in 1949 as deterrence against the Soviet bloc armed forces in Eastern Europe.

State of National Calamity declared in Philippines

President of Philippines, Benigno Aquino on 11 November 2013 declared a state of national calamity to speed relief efforts for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. Leyte and Samar are the much suffered provinces of the country as it suffered massive destruction and loss of life. About 10000 people were killed in Philippines. Tacloban is one of the worst affected cities, as more than thousands of people have been displaced after the high winds and
floodwaters.

About the Typhoon Haiyan

Super Typhoon Haiyan is a category-5 super typhoon to hit Philippines on 8 November 2013 leaving behind many people dead. It also injured many people in the city of Tacloban on Leyte Island. This was one of the most powerful typhoons to hit Philippines. It pushed winds up to 300 kilometers an hour. The typhoon forced millions of people to flee to safe places.

Russia Successfully Launched Proton-M Rocket

Russia on 12 November 2013 successfully launched the Proton-M rocket carrying a defense satellite, Raduga-1M from its Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It is important to note that Russia restarted the launch of Proton rockets in September 2013 after a small gap in order to check why a Proton rocket launched on 2 July 2013 exploded while taking off. The Proton-M rocket is the most popular rocket of Russia for the commercial satellite launches.

About the Raduga-1M Defense Satellite

• Raduga-1M is primarily a defense satellite of the third generation.

• It is a part of the Stage Two Unified Satellite Telecommunications System.

• It is equipped with the multichannel transponder equipment, which enables it to establish reliable communications with mobile geo-service stations.

What is a Proton-M rocket?

Proton-M rocket is a Russian carrier rocket which is derived from Soviet-developed Proton. Proton is actually an expendable launch system which is used for commercial as well as Russian Government space launches. Proton-M rocket is built by Khrunichev and launched from sites 81 and 200 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The commercial launches of Proton-M rocket are marketed by International Launch Services (ILS). First Proton-M launch took place on 7 April 2001. All the Protons are built at the Khrunichev plant in Moscow. These are then transported for the launchto Baikonur Cosmodrome from where they are raised into the vertical position for the purpose of launch.

Voting Rights of US and Israel over Palestine row suspended

UNESCO on 8 November 2013 suspended the voting rights of the United States (US) and Israel. The suspension happened as the two countries stopped paying the dues to the United Nations (UN’s) cultural
arm from two years in the protest over the grant of full membership to the Palestinians.

The funding to UNESCO started in October 2011 because of the laws of US, which prohibits it to pay the dues to any UN agencies giving recognition of the Palestinians demand for their own state. The fund from Israel was pulled out because it objected the one-sided attempts of Palestinians to be recognized of its statehood. The voting rights of the two nations were suspended as they both failed to provide a justification for non-payments of the dues within deadline.

UNESCO

In 1945, UNESCO was created in order to respond to the firm belief of nations, forged by two world wars in less than a generation that political and economic agreements are not enough to build a lasting peace.
Peace must be established on the basis of humanity’s moral and intellectual solidarity.

UNESCO strives to build networks among nations that enable this kind of solidarity, by:

• Mobilizing for education: so that every child, boy or girl, has access to quality education as a fundamental human right and as a prerequisite for human development.

• Building intercultural understanding: through protection of heritage and support for cultural diversity. UNESCO created the idea of World Heritage to protect sites of outstanding universal value.

• Pursuing scientific cooperation: such as early warning systems for tsunamis ortrans-boundary water management agreements, to strengthen ties between nations and societies.

• Protecting freedom of expression: an essential condition for democracy, development and human dignity

Malta to Host Next Commonwealth Summit in 2015

Malta, a Southern European country was on 17 November 2013 unanimously chosen as the host of the next Commonwealth summit in 2015.  The decision was made at the retreat session of the Commonwealth Heads
of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Colombo, Sri Lanka after Mauritius  withdrew as host of the 2015 Commonwealth summit as a result of its prime minister’s boycott of the Colombo summit over Sri Lanka’s human rights concerns. This is second time for Malta to host the Commonwealth summit. Before this, Malta hosted a Commonwealth Summit in 2005.

About Malta

Malta is a southern European country in the Mediterranean Sea. The country covers just over 316 km2 (122 sq mi), making it one of the world’s  smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta is Valletta which is also the smallest capital in the EU. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English. Malta comprises an archipelago of six islands and islets in the middle of the  Mediterranean Sea, 93km south of Sicily and 290km from the coast of North Africa. Malta, Gozo and Comino are inhabited; the other islands are Cominotto, Filfla and St Paul’s Island.  Malta got independence from theUnited Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974 and joined the European Union in May 2004. Malta  joined the Commonwealth of Nations in 1964. Malta is a member of the Council of Europe, European Union, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, United Nations and World Trade Organization.

About CHOGM 2013

The 22nd Commonwealth  Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) held in Colombo, Sri Lanka,from 15-17 November 2013 on the theme Growth with Equity: Inclusive Development. The event concluded with the adoption of the independent declarations - on Youth, International Trade and Inclusive Development and the release of Summit Communiqué.

Pakistan Successfully Test Fired Hatf IX (Nasr)

Pakistan on 5 November 2013 successfully test-fired Hatf IX (Nasr) missile, a surface-to-surface missile with a range of 60 km. The test fire was conducted with successive launches of 4 x missiles (Salvo) from a state of the art multi tube launcher.  Nasr, with a range of 60 Kilometer and in-flight maneuver capability is a quick response system, with shoot and scoot attributes. It contributes to the full spectrum deterrence against threats in view of evolving scenarios.

Facts related to Hatf IX (Nasr)

• Nasr is designed specifically to defeat Anti-Tactical Missile Defence Systems of all kinds.

• The test firing of short range surface-to-surface missile Hatf IX (Nasr) was a part of mediumrange ballistic missiles [MRBM] and short-range surface-tosurface ballistic missile [SRBMs].

• The missile has the capability to carry nuclear weapons.

Largest Nuclear Power Project in Pakistan Launched

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on 26 November 2013 launched the construction of the country’s biggest Nuclear power project. The 2200-MegaWatt- Karachi Coastal Power Project, comprising the K-2 and K-3 nuclear plants, is being built at Paradise Beach, located 40 km from the Karachi. The nuclear power plant is to be built with Chinese technical assistance on the Arabian Sea coast. Pakistan already has three operational nuclear plants generating a total of around 740 MW of power. The World Nuclear Association has estimated the cost of the new project at nearly 10 billion Dollars. Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission engineers will work on the project with help from the China Atomic Energy Authority. As Pakistan is not party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty it is excluded from the international trade in nuclear materials and technology, and can rely only on its neighbour China for help.

UN Court ruled for Cambodia

The UN’s International Court of  Justice ruled on 11 November 2013 that the area around a flashpoint ancient temple on the Thai border belongs to Cambodia. The  International Court of Justice interpreted a 1962 ruling saying that “Cambodia had sovereignty over the whole territory of the promontory  o f Preah Vihear temple”.In 2012, the ICJ ruled that both  countries should withdraw forces from around the ancient Khmer temple, which is perched on a clifftop in Cambodia but is more easily accessed from the Thai side. Thailand  does not dispute Cambodia’s ownership of the temple, a UNESCO World Heritage site, but both sides laid claim to an adjacent 4.6-squarekm piece of land. At least 28 people  have been killed in outbreaks of violence since 2011 over the ownership of the patch of land next to the 900-year-old Preah Vihear temple.

About Preah Vihear Temple

The Preah Vihear Temple is a Khmer Hindu temple situated atop a 525-meter cliff in the Dângrêk  Mountains of Cambodia. The temple complex runs 800m along a northsouth axis. It was built mainly during the 11th and 12th centuries during the reigns of the kings Suryavarman I (and Suryavarman II). Ownership of the temple by Cambodia has been under dispute from neighbouring Thailand. In 1962 the International Court of Justice in The Hague ruled that it belonged to Cambodia. The Preah Vihear temple was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2008.

NASA Launched MAVEN Mission to study Mars Atmosphere

The US space agency NASA on 18 November 2013 launched its MAVEN orbiter Mission to Mars planet. The orbiter mission was launched on an Atlas V rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 18:28 GMT.

The probe will have a 10-month cruise to the Red Planet- Mars. MAVEN is going to study Mars’ atmosphere. During the course of the long cruise, Maven will perform four trajectory corrections, with the first scheduled to occur on 3rd December 2013.

About MAVEN Mission

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) mission is part of NASA’s Mars Scout program. The mission will explore the Red Planet’s upper atmosphere, ionosphere and interactions with the sun and solar wind. The trip to Mars takes 10 months, and MAVEN will go into orbit around Mars in September 2014. MAVEN will be the NASA’s first spacecraft mission dedicated to exploring the upper atmosphere of Mars.
Scientists will use MAVEN data to determine the role that loss of volatile from the Mars atmosphere to space has played through time, giving insight into the history of Mars’ atmosphere and climate, liquid water,
and planetary habitability. The entire MAVEN mission cost 671 million US Dollars.

Roadmap for destruction of Syria’s Chemical Weapons adopted

Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), the UN Chemical weapons watchdog on 15 November 2013 started its work on the final roadmap for the destruction of chemical arsenals of Syria. In the plan, Syrian chemical weapons will be transported for destruction outside its territory to ensure their destruction in the safest and soonest manner, and no later than 30 June 2014. The deadline of OPCW to agree on the destruction milestones of more than 1000 tonnes of dangerous chemicals in Syria expired on 15 November 2013. The plan was adopted during the meeting of its 41-member Executive Council in The Hague. The UN
Security Council gave its mandate to the agency to destroy the weapons of mass destruction by mid-2014. As per the reports, OPCW will send the resource for packaging and handling the chemical materials to 12 chemical storage sites by December 2013, under a tentative plan. Subsequently, the chemicals would be taken to Syria’s Latakia port from where they would be shipped out by 5 February 2013.

About Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is the implementing body of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) that entered into force in 1997. As of today the OPCW has 190 Member States, who are working together to achieve a world free from chemical weapons. They share the collective goal of preventing chemistry from ever again being used for warfare, thereby strengthening international security.

Agreement for the Development of Dara-Suf to Yakawlang Highway

The Government of Afghanistan on 10 November 2013 signed an agreement with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the development of road network in the country at a cost of 220 million US dollar. The agreement was signed between Afghan Finance Minister Dr. Hazrat Omar Zakhilwal and the ADB Country Director Joji Tokeshi in Kabul.

Major Highlights of the Agreement

• The agreement envisages reconstruction of 178 kilometer north-south corridor road joining northern Balkh province with the central Bamyan province of Afghanistan. This connectivity will play an important role in joining Afghanistan to the other regional countries.

• The agreement includes reconstruction of the 178km Dara-Suf to Yakawlang highway, preliminary survey of Gardan Diwal to Cheghcharan road and preliminary survey of Kabul’s ring road.

• It is important to note that the northern and southern parts of Afghanistan are linked by the Asian Highway which passes through the Salang Pass situated at an altitude of nearly 12000 foot in the Hindukush Mountains. However, due to the snowfall during winters, the highway gets blocked leading to the obstacle in connecting northern and southern Afghanistan.

• The proposed north-south corridor will provide an alternative route between the two reagions of the country.

• The Asian Development Bank (ADB) also facilitated execution of the Turkmenistan- Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) project, which is actually an opportunity for the regional cooperation at an unprecedented scale, linking the four countries economically.

It is worth noticing that the Asian Development Bank (ADB) had earlier decided to support  Afghanistan and commit to the economic development after the year 2014.

UN urged Myanmar to grant Rights to Rohingya Muslims

The UN General Assembly’s human rights committee on 19 November 2013 passed a resolution urging Myanmar to give the stateless Rohingya minority equal access to citizenship. The committee also asked Myanmar to crack down on violence against them and other Muslims in Myanmar. The resolution also expressed “concern about remaining human rights violations, including arbitrary arrests and detentions of political activists and human rights defenders, forced displacement, land confiscations, rape and other forms of sexual violence and torture and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.” In the resolution, the 193-nation committee reiterated its serious concern about communal violence and other abuses of the Rohingya minority in Rakhine State of Myanmar. The UN resolution, which will move to the full UN General Assembly, acknowledged “the scale of the reform effort undertaken” so far in Myanmar.

Background

Myanmar emerged from a halfcentury of military rule in 2011, but its transition to democracy has been marred by sectarian violence that has left more than 240 people dead and sent another 240000 fleeing their homes, most of them Rohingya Muslims. In 1982, Myanmar passed a citizenship law recognising eight races and 130 minority groups — but omitted the nation’s 800000 Rohingya, among Myanmar’s 60 million people. Many Myanmar Buddhists view the Rohingya as interlopers brought in by British colonialists from modern-day Bangladesh, but many Rohingya say they have lived in the country once known as Burma for hundreds of years.

Egypt Panel approved New Draft Constitution

An Egyptian constitutional panel on 1 December 2013 approved a new draft constitution for Egypt Government.50-member constitution drafting panel headed by Amre Moussa approved draftconstitution, which contains 247 Articles. According to the country’sofficials, the referendum on the draft constitution is to be held in January 2014.

Key provision in the new draft Constitution

Presidential powers

• President to only serve two four-year terms.

• Candidates must be at least 40 years old.

• President appoints prime minister.

• President can dismiss the government with the approval of the majority of parliament.

Military Powers

• It gives more power to military, including an article that allows trial of civilians in martial courts.

• Military budget to be discussed by a national defence council.

• The defense minister must be appointed in agreement with the military.

Religion

• Islamic law, or sharia, the main source of legislation.

• Political parties may not be formed on the basis of religion. Freedom and rights

• Political parties cannot be formed on the basis of gender, race, sect or geography.

• Parties must not have military or paramilitary components.

• Citizens have the right to organise public meetings and demonstrations and all forms of peaceful protests.

Background

1. Egypt is witnessing a political crisis since the resignation of the long-serving leader Hosni Mubarak in February 2011(During the Arab spring).

2. The country is deeply divided between Islamist and seculargroups, while the Egyptian military remains the country’s chief decision-maker.

3. The first democratic elections held for Egypt in December 2011, and won by the Islamist- Muslim Brotherhood group. But Egypt’s first democratically elected parliament was dissolved in June 2012.

4. The Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammed Morsi won the presidential elections in June 2012.

5. In July 2013, Egyptian army ousted Morsi’s government, suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament and army appointed Mansour as the new interim president.

6. The interim authorities suspended the previous constitution written under Morsi’s government and appointed new panel for new constitution in September 2013.

New Army Chief of Pakistan Appointed

Nawaz Sharif, the Prime Minister of Pakistan appointed Lt Gen Raheel Sharif as the new Chief of Army Staff and Lt Gen Rashad Mahmood as the Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Lt Gen Raheel Sharif and
Lt Gen Rashad Mahmood have been promoted to the rank of four-star general. The generals will take up the new posts from 27 November 2013, the day when the 61 year old Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani will retire from
the post of Army Chief. Lt Gen Raheel is currently serving as Inspector General, Training and Evaluation, whereas Lt Gen Mahmood is serving as Chief of General Staff. The names of the two commanders were recommended by Sharif after endorsement by the President Mamnoon Hussain. Both were promoted to the General rank from Lt. Generals by the President. The prior appointments of Lt General Sharif include Commander, Gujranwala XXX Corps, Commandant of Pakistan Military Academy Kakul and General Officer Commanding Lahore. Lt Gen Mahmood has served as the Corps Commander of Lahore as well as the military secretary to former President Rafiq Tarar.Mahmood belongs to the Baloch Regiment and had served under General Kayani as ISI deputy director general.

Silvio Berlusconi expelled from Italian Parliament

The Italian Senate on 27 November 2013 expelled ex- Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi from Parliament over his tax fraud conviction. The Senate declared Berlusconi ineligible for parliament after he was convicted of
masterminding a complex system of illegally inflated invoices to cut the tax bill for his Mediaset television empire.

About Silvio Berlusconi

• He was born on 29 September 1936.

• Berlusconi, 77, is an entrepreneur, media tycoon and politician.

• In 1993, Berlusconi founded his own political party, Forza Italia - Go Italy - named after a chant used by Italian football fans.

• Berlusconi as Italian politician dominated for two decades and he served three times as Prime Minister (In between 1994-2011). He was the member of Italian senate.

• He was involved in many scandals during his political career, like charges of abuse of office and corruption.

Venezuela President got Special Powers

Nicolas Maduro, the President of Venezuela on 19 November 2013 got the final approval to special powers by Venezuela National Assembly. Because of this approval, Maduro will be able to govern without consulting the congress for 12 years. The new powers assigned to the power will help him to tackle corruption and the economic crisis of the country. Presently, Venezuela is facing the shortages of food and other essential goods, power cuts and inflation about 54 percent. As the economic sabotage activity, the retailers of the country have been forced to slash the prices up to 60 percent. Strict controls over the sale of the foreign currency have been
introduced by the government to control the growing black market of dollars.

Dubai to host World Expo 2020

Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) on 27 November 2013 voted in favour of Dubai to be the host city for the World Trade Fair or EXPO 2020. This was decided after the third and the final round of voting in Paris on 27 November 2013. Four cities including Dubai in UAE, Yekaterinbergh in Russia, Sao Paulo in Brazil and Izmir in Turkey were competing to host the prestigious event. The theme of Dubai for the EXPO 2020 is Connecting Minds, Creating the Future. A Wor ld Expo in Dubai in 2020 would be the first to be held in the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa and South Asia) region, which takes place every five years. The
yearlong event is considered a major event since the award of the EXPO brings home more number of visitors and adds to the trade, economy, tourism and hospitality sectors in the host city. The focus is on attracting
25 million people and through word of mouth may be 100 million over three to four years. This will give a boost to the local economy, trade, realty, tourism and retail sectors in the long run.

About World Expo

World Expos is a meeting point for the global community to share innovations and make progress on issues of international importance such as the global economy, sustainable development and improved quality of life for the world’s population.The first world expo was held in London in 1851. This Expo will be held every five years in different cities across the world. The last world expo took place in 2010 at Shanghai, China and the next
World Expo takes place in Milan, Italy, in 2015. The focus: “Feeding the Planet, Energy for Life”.

About Bureau International des Expositions

The Paris-based Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) is the international body responsible for overseeing the calendar, bidding, selection and organisation of World Expos. It has a total of 167 member countries.

Iran Unveiled New Biggest Drone

Iran on 18 November 2013 unveiled a biggest missile-equipped drone with a range of 2000 km, which would enable it to cover much of the Middle East, including Israel. The drone named Fotros has an operational range of 2000 kilometres and can fly at an altitude of 25000 feet, with a flight time of 16 to 30 hours. The drone could carry out reconnaissance missions or launch air-to-surface missile strikes. In September 2013, Iran announced the mass production of the Shahed 129 drone, which it said has a range of 1700 kilometres, is capable of carrying eight missiles and can fly for 24 hours. In the same month, Iran unveiled a reconnaissance drone named Yasseer, which was said to be capable of flying for eight hours with a range of 200 kilometres and at an altitude of 4500 meters. Yasseer was based on the US Scan Eagle drone, a model of which Tehran
claimed to have captured in December 2012 and reproduced since then. The Iranian army also recently claimed that it was producing a series of drones called Rad-85.