INTERNATIONAL

US will help India to develop three smart cities

•  In a boost to India's 100 smart city programme, the US will help India in developing three such cities apart from joining hands with civil society and authorities to provide clean water and sewage facilities in 500 cities in the country.

•  The three cities are Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam.

•  This announcement was made after the talks between Prime Minister NarendraModi and US President Barack Obama. The Indian government plans to develop 100 smart cities and in this regard an allocation of Rs 7,060 crore was proposed in the Union Budget.

•  Winding up his whirlwind five-day US visit on 30th september, Prime Minister NarendraModi "thanked" America and called his trip a highly "successful and satisfactory".

Afghanistan U. S. signed security pact to let troops stay

•  Afghanistan and the United States signed a security pact to allow U.S. forces to remain in the country past the end of year, ending a year of uncertainty over the fate of foreign troops supporting Afghanis as they take over responsibility for the country’s security.

•  Afghan, American and NATO leaders welcomed the deal, which will allow about 10,000 American troops to stay in the country after the international combat mission ends on December 31.

•  Former Afghan President Hamid Karzai had refused to sign it despite U.S. threats of a full withdrawal in the absence of legal protections for American forces. U.S. officials have said that the delay in the deal’s signing does not affect plans for next year.

•  President Ashraf GhaniAhmadzai, who was sworn into office a day earlier, told a crowd assembled at the presidential palace in the capital Kabul for the signing ceremony that the agreement signalled a fundamental shift for the positive in the country’s relations with the world.

•  “This agreement is only for Afghan security and stability,” he said in comments broadcast live on state television. “These agreements are in our national interest. The Bilateral Security Agreement will pave the ground for Afghanistan to take control,” he added.

Australia to launch airstrikes in Iraq

•  Australia’s prime minister said that the nation’s air force will launch airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Iraq.

•  The announcement has been widely anticipated since six F/A-18F Super Hornet jet fighters were pre-deployed to the United Arab Emirates in response to a formal request from the United States for specific contributions to the international coalition.

•  The seven cabinet ministers who make up the government’s National Security Committee approved the deployment after an official request was received from Iraq overnight.

•  Two unarmed Australian air force planes an E-7A Wedgetail surveillance and communications jet and a KC-30A refuelling plane joined operations over Iraq from the al-Minhad Air Base outside Dubai for the first time in support roles.

•  The Australian deployment also includes a 200-strong ground force, including special forces, to advise security forces inside Iraq, plus 400 air force personnel.
  Tensions broke out in Hong Kong

•  Fresh scuffles broke out between Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters and opponents of the week-long demonstrations, reigniting concerns that the Chinese-controlled city's worst unrest in decades could take a violent turn.

•  The protests have been largely peaceful since police fired tear gas at crowds demanding Beijing grant Hong Kong the unfettered right to choose its own leader. But the mood turned ugly at the most volatile protest site, in the teeming suburb of MongKok where some criminal gangs are suspected to be based.

•  Police intervened to prevent a violent escalation, but a rowdy crowd of around 2,000 filled a major intersection and the atmosphere was highly charged as police in riot gear tried to keep them under control.

Hurricane Simon formed off Mexico's Pacific coast

•  Hurricane Simon formed off Mexico's Pacific coast, bringing further heavy rain and strong swells to Baja California, which was battered by heavy rains last month.

•  The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Simon was about 445 km south-southwest of the southern tip of Baja California, which suffered record damage from hurricane Odile in September.

•  Simon, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph was moving toward the west-northwest and expected to continue in that direction before weakening and turning away from the coast.

•  Odile hit the popular beach resorts of Baja California two weeks ago, stranding thousands of tourists and knocking out power.

China tests ‘Dongfeng’ nuclear missile

• China has flight-tested an upgraded version of its 10,000-km range Dongfeng missile which could reach most of the U.S. and European cities, days before its National Day on October 1, 2014 to demonstrate its nuclear capability, media reports said.

•  The People’s Liberation Army launched a Dongfeng-31B on September 25 from the Wuzhai Missile and Space Test Centre also known as the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported quoting U.S. media reports.

•  The first flight-test of an upgraded mobile intercontinental ballistic missile in the lead up to National Day aimed to show the world that China was reinforcing its nuclear deterrent, it quoted military experts as saying.

•  The DF-31B is an upgraded version of the DF-31A and the launch was at least the second time the PLA’s Second Artillery Corps had tested a DF-31 missile in the past three months.

•  The mobile missiles are designed specifically for travel over rugged terrain and in difficult road conditions.

IS progress toward Syrian town slowed by fresh strikes

•  Kurdish fighters backed by U.S.-led air strikes battled Islamic State (IS) jihadists for control of a key Syrian town and Turkey evacuated some border areas as mortar fire spilled over.

• IS fighters seized part of a strategic hill overlooking the town of Kobane, a monitor said, but their progress was slowed by new strikes from the coalition of Washington and Arab allies.

•  A Syrian Kurdish official said IS fighters were just one km from Kobane and air strikes are not enough on their own to stop them.

•  The dusty border town has become a crucial battleground in the international fight against IS, which sparked further outrage this weekend with the release of a video showing the beheading of Briton Alan Henning.

Underwater search for Malaysian airliner

•  The hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 resumed in a desolate stretch of the Indian Ocean, more than six months after the jet vanished.

•  The GO Phoenix, the first of three ships that will spend up to a year hunting for the wreckage far off Australia’s west coast, is expected to spend 12 days hunting for the jet before heading to shore to refuel.

•  Crews will use sonar, video cameras and jet fuel sensors to scour the seabed for the Boeing 777, which vanished for reasons unknown on March 8 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

•  The search has been on hold for four months so crews could map the seabed in the search zone, about 1,800 km west of Australia. The 60,000-square km search site lies along what is known as the “seventh arc” a stretch of ocean where investigators believe the aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed. Officials analyzed transmissions between the plane and a satellite to estimate where it entered the water.

•  Two other ships being provided by Dutch contractor Fugro are expected to join the Malaysian-contracted GO Phoenix later this month.

Britain-Ireland signs visa deal to benefit Chinese, Indian travelers

•  Britain and Ireland inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on visa cooperation to allow Chinese and Indian visitors to travel to the two island nations on a single visa.

•  The landmark visa deal will help Britain and Ireland share data and exchange information to inform and determine immigration decisions and allow visitors from India and China to travel more easily between the two countries, Xinhua reported citing the British Home Office.

•  “This agreement will make it easier and more attractive for travellers to visit both Ireland and Britain, while at the same strengthening Common Travel Area borders,” British Home Secretary Theresa May said.

•  The British-Irish Visa scheme will start in China by the end of October and in India soon afterwards, the Home Office noted.

•  China and India are both key markets for British and Irish tourism and more than 10,000 visitors are expected to use the scheme.

Turkey- Syrian border town about to fall to Islamic State

•  Turkey’s president says the Syrian border town of Kobani is about to fall to militants from the Islamic State group.

•  RecepTayyipErdogan made the comments during an address to Syrian refugees at a camp in Gaziantep province, near the border with Syria.

•  Erdogan said aerial bombardments alone may not be enough to stop the Islamic State group and called for support of opposition forces.

•  “There has to be cooperation with those who are fighting on the ground.”

Hong Kong “one country-two systems” protests

•  Hong Kong has been rocked by a spate of student-led protests that have swept across the city’s sensitive financial, administrative and shopping hubs. The agitation has sharply brought into focus the “one country-two systems” policy that defined Hong Kong’s transition from an erstwhile British colony to a Special Administrative Region (SAR) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

•  The protesters are clamouring for full democracy that includes open nomination of candidates for the post of Chief Executive (CE) of the territory in the elections scheduled for 2017. Their protests have acquired a sharp and emotive edge after Beijing was accused of reneging on its commitment to premise the entire electoral process from 2017 on universal suffrage, including the choice of candidates for Hong Kong’s highest office.

•  The high-profile protests that could, if they get prolonged, threaten Hong Kong’s status as one of Asia’s premier financial centers need to be analysed in their fuller context. During the entire period of British rule — a full 155 years following the Opium Wars — democratic advancement in the territory was minimal.

•  Post-1997 under Chinese sovereignty, the democratic reform process has begun to take shape, based on the Basic Law adopted by China in 1990. Under its terms, the CE would be elected by universal suffrage in 2017; but a committee would also be formed that would supervise nominations. While the agitating students, seeking unconditional democracy, may be unhappy with this law, the accusation that Beijing has reneged on its legal obligations is entirely flawed.

•  It is highly unlikely that despite the considerable force of the social media at their command and the sizeable mobilisation on the streets, the protesters will manage to persuade Beijing to change its mind on the fundamentals of its “one country-two systems” policy, which allows the people of Hong Kong to retain their distinctive legal and political system.

Canadian Parliament authorises air strikes in Iraq

•  Following a request from the U.S., Canada’s Parliament has voted to authorise airstrikes against the Islamic State militant group in Iraq

•  Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s Conservative Party introduced the motion last week and it was debated this week. Mr. Harper has a majority of seats in Parliament so the vote was all but assured. The motion authorises air strikes in Iraq for up to six months and explicitly states that no ground troops be used in combat operations.

•  The combat mission includes up to six CF-18 fighter jets, a refuelling tanker aircraft, two surveillance planes and one airlift aircraft. About 600 airmen and airwomen will be involved.

•  Canada is among dozens of countries that have joined the U.S.-led coalition fighting the Islamic State militant group.

•  “The threat posed by ISIL is real,” Mr. Harper said in a statement, referring to the Islamic State by one of its acronyms.

•  “If left unchecked this terrorist organisation will grow and grow quickly. They have already voiced their local and international terrorist intentions and identified Canada as a potential target.”

Resolve issues through talks: UN

•  Amid escalation of ceasefire violations along the Line of Control, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has asked India and Pakistan to resolve their issues diplomatically and through dialogue.

•  “The Secretary-General would call on both countries to resolve their issues diplomatically and through discussions,” Mr. Ban’s spokesperson StephaneDujarric told reporters in response to a question on whether the U.N. chief can play a role in bringing about peace between the two countries.

•  In escalating ceasefire violations, Pakistani troops targeted over 40 Border Out Posts and 25 border hamlets with heavy mortar shells in Jammu sector and LoC areas in Poonch district, leaving 12 people injured

•  It came a day after five villagers were killed and 34 injured in one of the worst ceasefire violations by Pakistan.

•  Meanwhile, Pakistan has also lodged a protest with India on the alleged ceasefire violations and has even approached the U.N. Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) office over the situation.

World’s oldest rock art discovered in Indonesia

•  Australian scientists have found what could be the world’s oldest figurative art in a cave in Indonesia, a report released said.

•  The team’s discovery of cave art on the island of Sulawesi, estimated to be about 40,000 years old, challenges the idea that the oldest artwork had originated in Spain and France, Xinhua reported.

•  The team’s study dates the earliest image, a hand stencil, to be at least 39,900 years old, 900 years prior to the world’s oldest known cave painting, a red disc in Spain.

•  The series of Indonesian images discovered also includes pig-like animals painted more than 35,400 years ago, possibly older than the earliest known figurative rock art in western Europe - a painted rhinoceros in France, estimated to be between 35,300 and 38,800 years old.

•  The report said the sheer volume of ancient cave art in Europe had pointed to the theory that the human capacity for abstract thinking originated there, but the new discovery makes the case that this development was occurring in Asia at the same time.

China-Russia strategic gas project takes off

•  China and Russia have begun implementing their $400 billion mega-gas deal — a strategic project that would allow Moscow to lower its dependence on the European market, and open prospects of tapping the growing energy demand in the Asia-Pacific, with Beijing as the star consumer.

•  Russia’s eastward shift is anchored by the agreement to supply China 38 billion cubic meters of gas every year for 30 years. Gas flows will commence in 2018 after the lengthy Siberia Power Pipeline, having both Russian and Chinese components, gets completed.

•  The Chinese side froze the design and construction plan on its side for the pipeline, which will start in northeast China’s Heilongjiang province and terminate in Shanghai, China’s premier commercial and industrial hub. Construction is expected to start next year, covering three main segments before the pipeline terminates in Shanghai three years later.

•  Work on Russian segment of the pipeline, linking Siberia’s Kovyktin and Chayandin gas fields with the eastern port city of Vladivostok — a distance of 4,000 km — commenced last month.

•  Russian President Vladimir Putin has underscored the importance of the project by pointing out that Moscow and Beijing were now “launching a large-scale strategic project on the global level”.

•  Underscoring the energy deal’s larger geopolitical fall-out, he said that the “new gas pipeline will significantly strengthen [Russia’s] economic cooperation with the governments of the Asia-Pacific region and, first and foremost, with our key partner China”.

Hong Kong student leaders vow to continue protests

•  Thousands of pro-democracy supporters took to Hong Kong’s streets after protest leaders implored them to dig in for the long haul following the collapse of talks with the government.

•  But crowd numbers were below the tens of thousands seen during a series of mass rallies last week as protest leaders struggle to maintain their momentum. Crunch negotiations between protesters and Beijing-backed city officials were slated for 10th, but fell apart after the government pulled out blaming protesters for threatening to expand their campaign.

•  Student leaders blamed the government for pulling out of talks, and insisted they were still open to finding a middle ground. But they vowed no let up in their occupation of parts of Hong Kong despite growing public anger over the disruption they have caused.

G20 urges U.S. to support IMF reform

•  Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from G20 countries had sharp words for the U.S. Congress, with the Group Treasurer describing Capitol Hill as being a “very difficult… obstacle” in their bid to pass internal reform of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

•  Issuing the Group’s statement during the annual fall meetings, Australian Finance Minister Joe Hockey, whose nation currently holds the Group’s presidency said,

•  “It does affect the U.S. and their reputation, when there is global agreement and in fact agreement from the White House to undertake IMF reform… For domestic reasons the U.S. Congress might not be moving on this issue but for global reasons the U.S. should move on this issue.” More broadly, the Ministers and Governors said regarding the world economy, “While some key economies are recovering, others face renewed weakness.”

•  Their statement also emphasised an agreement regarding a Global Infrastructure Initiative, and a Global Infrastructure Hub to support the Initiative, to be finalised before the Group leaders’ summit in November.

•  The issue of reforming the Bretton Woods institutions has been a long-standing one, particularly for emerging economic powers such as India and China, who have consistently argued that the changing global dynamics favours their economies and it is high time that the institutions’ constituent structure reflected this new reality.

•  In 2011, shortly before the announcement of the candidacy of current IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde, its Executive Directors from the BRICS economies had openly revolted against the prospect of the top role remaining with a European.

Taliban criticises awarding of Nobel Peace Prize to Malala

•  A breakaway faction of Pakistan Taliban, whose militants had pumped bullets into her two years ago, has criticized the choice of Malala Yousafzai for the 2014 Nobel Peace prize, calling her "an agent of non-believers".

•  Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, which had separated from Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in August, posted on Twitter that Malala was being used by non-believers for propaganda.

Pak writes to U.N. chief on loC issue

•  Stepping up its attempts to internationalise the Kashmir issue, Pakistan has written to U.N. Secretary-General Ban ki-moon on the security situation along the Line of Control and the International Border, and sought the world body’s intervention.

•  In the letter, Adviser to the Pakistan Prime Minister Sartaj Aziz accused India of “deliberate and unprovoked violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

•  Asking the U.N. Secretary-General to circulate the letter as an official document of the Security Council, Mr. Aziz said Islamabad believes that the world body has an important role to play in promoting the objective of peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue.

U.S. pressed Turkey to play stronger role against IS

•  Kurdish fighters engaged in fierce clashes with jihadists on the Turkish border near Kobane, as Washington pressed Ankara to play a stronger role in the campaign against the Islamic State (IS) group.

•  Turkey denied allowing the United States to use its bases against IS, after U.S. officials said access had been granted and that Ankara would also host training for “moderate” Syrian rebels.

•  American and Saudi warplanes carried out seven new strikes around Kobane, the U.S. military said, including on ARE staging posts used in its bid to cut the town off from the outside world.

•  A Kobane politician who is now a refugee said IS fighters had surrounded Kobane to the south, east and west, and warned of a “massacre” if they take the northern front bordering Turkey.

•  Fighting spread to less than a km from the barbed wire frontier fence, with the jihadists carrying out two suicide car bomb attacks in the border zone, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

•  With the jihadists advancing on its doorstep, NATO member Turkey has come under intense pressure to take action as part of the U.S.-led coalition that has been carrying out air strikes in both Syria and Iraq.

•  Iraqi forces are reported to be under intensifying pressure in Anbar province between Baghdad and the Syrian border, where a roadside bomb killed the police chief.

British House of Commons votes in favour of Palestinian state

•  In a political development that will have enormous symbolic importance for the cause of Palestine, the British House of Commons voted overwhelmingly in favour of recognising Palestine as a state alongside Israel.

•  Although it is the government and not the House of Commons that recognises states, the voting result at 274 to 12 will strengthen the moral case for Palestine internationally while simultaneously isolating Israel for its illegal occupation of Palestine.

•  Indeed, even though less than half the Members of Parliament (MPs) took part in the voting and Ministers abstained, the debate in the House was sharply critical of Israel’s methods of keeping Palestine under its control.

•  The United Kingdom does not recognise the state of Palestine, and was one of the 41 countries that abstained from voting at the U.N. General Assembly in 2012 when a majority voted to upgrade the status of Palestine to that of a ‘non-member observer state.’ Its current policy on Palestine “reserves the right to recognise a Palestinian state bilaterally at the moment of our choosing and when it can best help bring about peace.”

•  The full motion, submitted by Grahame Morris (Labour) with the support of Sarah Teather (Liberal Democrat) and Crispin Blunt (Conservative) stated: “That this House believes that the government should recognise the state of Palestine alongside the state of Israel as a contribution to securing a negotiated two-state solution.”

13 agreements sign between India & Norway

•  As many as 13 agreements were signed between Indian and Norwegian entities on the second and concluding day of President Pranab Mukherjee’s visit to this Scandinavian nation.

•  The agreements, which range from a statement of intent between the Defence Research & Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment and setting up a state-of-the-art fish farming unit outside Delhi, also had IIT, Kanpur, Hyderabad University and several other educational institutions reaching accord with their Norwegian counterparts.

•  The President, in his address to a joint business gathering, announced that Norwegian tourists would soon be given the visa-on-arrival facility even as Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that Oslo would open a new consulate in Mumbai to enhance its business outreach in India.

•  As President Mukherjee suggested that Norway’s $900 billion-worth pension fund would increase it’s exposure to India given the new Modi government’s intent to create an enabling business climate, Ms Solberg said pension fund decisions were made independently of the government.

•  “Norway’s sovereign wealth [pension] fund decisions are made on the perception of the business environment,” she stressed. “They will invest where they feel they should.”

•  The President hoped that there would be an “early conclusion” to ongoing talks for a free trade and investment agreement between India and the four-nation European Free Trade Association, of which Norway is a key member.

US wins WTO case against India

•  In a setback, India lost a case filed by the U.S. in the WTO against restrictions it imposed on poultry imports from America.

•  Giving its ruling, the World Trade Organisation’s dispute panel said restrictions imposed by India on imports of poultry from America were “inconsistent” with international norms.

•  In March 2012, the U.S. dragged India to the WTO against India’s ban on imports of certain American farm products, including poultry meat and eggs. India had banned imports of various agricultural products from the U.S. in 2007, as a precautionary measure to prevent outbreaks of avian influenza in the country.

Canada supports India in its fight against terror

•  Canada is deeply troubled by the recent LoC violations, and supports India in its fight against terror; Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird told Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

•  Speaking in a telephonic interview after his meetings, Mr. Baird said terrorism was a “central theme” of his conversations with the Indian leadership.

•  Asked specifically about the Indian government’s allegation that the violations came from Pakistan, in an effort to push militants across the LoC, Mr. Baird said, “Canada lends its support to India in its fight against terror. India has had to pay too heavy a price on terror over the past few decades, and we appreciate all that it has done despite that. We were particularly impressed by Prime Minister Modi’s decision to reach out to Pakistan after he was elected this year.”

•  Mr. Baird said the issue of radical anti-Indian, primarily Khalistani groups operating in Canada had been raised during his talks in the Indo-Canadian security dialogue. Accepting the problem of such groups, he said: “I assured the Indian leadership that we are keen to work with them on intelligence sharing and anti-terror cooperation, and that only the odd member of the Sikh population may be involved.”

•  He had known a schoolmate who died in the Kanishka plane bombing in 1985, and had seen the effects of terrorism India faces “up close.”

EU expresses disappointment over Serbia-Albania drone clash

•  The EU expressed disappointment over the “provocation” that forced the cancellation of a Serbia-Albania football match, and praised Belgrade for its handling of the incident.

•  Players clashed after a drone carrying a pro-Albanian flag was flown over the Belgrade stadium where the two sides were playing a Euro 2016 qualifier.

•  “We are disappointed with the disruption... following an act of provocation,” said European Commission spokeswoman Maja Kojicancic. She also said the EU rejected suggestions by “some of the Serbian media” that it had played a role in stirring the unrest.

Pakistan court stops work on two nuclear plants

•  A Pakistani court has restrained the government from initiating work on two proposed nuclear power plants to be built with Chinese help unless environmental safeguards are adhered to, media reports said.

•  The two-judge bench at the Sindh High Court restrained the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission on Thursday to carry out work at the proposed sites in Karachi without adhering to environmental laws.

• The court directive was issued on a petition challenging the environmental impact assessment report of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, which approved the two plants. The petitioner’s counsel said the reactors would be built by China on a design known as ACP-1000 that has not been operational even in China.

Nobel laureates to speak in India for the first time

•  For the first time, “a more extensive programme” of Nobel Prize-related events will take place in India in less than a fortnight from now, a posting on the official website of the prestigious prize, Nobelprize.org, said.

•  Between October 30 and November 6, 2014, a number of events are being organised in New Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai and Pune.

•  The schedule of events will include a seminar, besides university lectures and round-table discussions with the Nobel Laureate in Physics (2006), Prof. George Smoot and Prof. Finn Kydland, Nobel Laureate in Economics (2004), says the release.

•  Also, New Delhi will host a travelling exhibition, ‘The Nobel Prize: Ideas Changing the World.’ It will be open to the members of the public from October 31 to December 11.

•  A seminar in New Delhi on the subject, ‘How can scientific creativity deliver the greatest benefit to humankind’, will have an opening speech by the former President of India, A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Prof. George Smoot will deliver the keynote address. A couple of lectures exploring the topic, ‘Mapping the Universe and its History’ will also be delivered during the India programme by Prof. George Smoot.

WHO declares Nigeria free of Ebola

•  The World Health Organization declared that Nigeria is free of Ebola, a rare victory in the months-long battle against the fatal disease.

•  Nigeria’s containment of the lethal disease is a “spectacular success story,” WHO Country Director Rui Gama Vaz told a news conference in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. Nigeria reported 20 cases of Ebola, including eight deaths. One of those who died was an airline passenger who brought Ebola to Nigeria and died soon after.

•  The WHO announcement came after 42 days passed twice the disease’s maximum incubation period since the last case in Nigeria tested negative.

•  “The outbreak in Nigeria has been contained,” Mr. Vaz said. “But we must be clear that we only won a battle. The war will only end when West Africa is also declared free of Ebola.”

•  WHO said Nigeria had traced nearly every contact of Ebola patients in the country, all of whom were linked to the country’s first patient, a Liberian man who arrived with symptoms in Lagos and later died.

•  For an outbreak to be declared officially over, WHO convenes a committee on surveillance, epidemiology and lab testing to determine that all conditions have been met.

•  Mr. Vaz warned that Nigeria’s geographical position and extensive borders makes the country, Africa’s most populous, vulnerable to additional imported cases of Eebola.

•  “Therefore there is need to continue to work together with states to ensure adequate preparedness to rapidly respond, in case of any potential re-importation,” he said.

U.N. Women launches a campaign in India

•  U.N. Women here launched a campaign, aiming at ensuring greater participation of men in promoting women’s rights and gender equality.

•  “We need boys and men to work with us. ‘HeForShe’ is a global solidarity movement to end gender inequality by 2030. It was launched by Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi

•  The goal is to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change in the effort to achieve equality. When women are empowered, the whole of humanity benefits,” U.N. Women Representative, Rebecca Tavares, said.

•  Emphasising the need for sensitising the youth on issues related to gender equality, Ms. Gandhi said: “The WCD ministry has started many initiatives over the last four months to empower women including: the one—stop crisis centres for women, the national mission on malnutrition, and the ‘betibachayobetipadhayo’ campaign.”

•  U.N. Women is partnering with MenEngage, an acclaimed international forum that mobilises men and boys from around the world, to advocate for gender equality.

UN Secretary-General seeks more efforts for Millenium Development Goals

•  UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on the scientific community to invest more talent and resources to research that would contribute to UN’ s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

•  Ban made the remarks at the United Nations Economic and Social Council Special Event that marks the 60th anniversary of the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), Xinhua reported.

•  Calling CERN’s work “groundbreaking”, Ban noted “whether we are trying to address climate change, stop the Ebola virus, deal with cyber security threats, or curb nuclear proliferation, we need scientists with a clear vision and a commitment to work together to find solutions.”

•  CERN, founded in 1954 in Geneva, owns the Large Hadron Collider, the world’s largest particle accelerator which is used to study the fundamental constituents of matter and forces between them. CERN is also the birthplace of the World Wide Web.

•  MDGs are eight development goals set up by the UN in 2000 to form a blueprint for the international community to meet by 2015.

US, Iraqi defense chiefs discuss ways against Islamic State (IS)

•  US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has reassured US support for Iraq’s anti—Islamic State (IS) efforts during a phone conversation with newly appointed Iraqi Defence Minister Khaled al Obeidi.

•  Mr. Hagel emphasised on the importance of rebuilding the Iraqi security forces in a way that builds trust and confidence among the armed forces and the Iraqi people.

•  “The minister was quite clear on more than one occasion that he has every intention of going on the offence against (IS) and making sure that the Iraqi security forces are properly resourced, trained and equipped to do that,” Xinhua quoted Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby as saying in the statement.

•  Mr. Kirby added the two leaders also discussed ways to prepare Iraqi security forces for upcoming offensives against IS, noting that Mr. al Obeidi expressed his appreciation for US advisors and airstrikes.

•  Mr. Hagel and Mr. al Obeidi promised to continue to work closely together to pursue mutual security objectives, Mr. Kirby said, adding that Iraq’s defence minister seeks to ensure that the country’s security forces represent the interests of all its citizens.
   

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