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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - March 2016

Mar 2016

Aug 02, 2020

Barakah Nuclear Power Plant in UAE Successfully Starts up its First Reactor

The oil-rich United Arab Emirates announced the start-up of its Barakah nuclear power plant, scoring another first for the Arab world.
The announcement, coincided with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, comes on the heels of the UAE's launch of the Arab world's first probe to Mars.
The UAE started loading fuel rods into the reactor at Barakah in February, after regulators gave the green light for the first of the plant's four reactors, opening the way for commercial operations.
The plant had been due to go online in late 2017 but faced a number of delays that officials attributed to safety and regulatory requirements.
The UAE has substantial oil and gas reserves, but with a power-hungry population of 10 million it has made huge investments in developing clean alternatives, including solar energy.
Barakah, which means "blessing" in Arabic, is a regional first -- Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter, plans to build up to 16 nuclear reactors.
Barakah was built by a consortium led by the Korea Electric Power Corporation at a cost of some $24.4 billion.
When fully operational, its four reactors have the capacity to generate 5,600 megawatts of electricity, around 25 per cent of the nation's needs. The remaining three reactors are almost ready for operation.

England All-rounder Ian Botham Made Member of House of Lords

Legendary England all-rounder Ian Botham was made a member of the House of Lords of the British Parliament.
Botham, a former captain, was among 36 new peers announced by the government to join the unelected House.
Botham, who played 102 Test matches for England between 1977 and 1992, is a prominent Brexit supporter. He was knighted in 2007 in recognition of his services to charity and cricket.
He will sit as a crossbench – independent – peer.
He is the first cricketer to be awarded a peerage since former England women's team captain Rachael Heyhoe-Flint in 2011. David Sheppard, Colin Cowdrey and Learie Constantine were the others who were honoured with House of Lords seats earlier.
After retirement, he has been involved in charity campaigns, including raising funds for research into leukaemia, besides doing commentary of cricket matches.

Nepal to Send Revised Map to India in August

As per reports, the K. P. Sharma Oli-led Nepal government plans to send its recently revised map to India, by the middle of August. The revised map includes Indian territories of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani. The map will also be sent to Google and other international communities.
The Department of Measurement has printed on 25,000 copies of the latest version of the map, which have been distributed around the nation. Provincial and all other public offices will be given copies free of cost while people can buy it at Nepali Rupees 50.
India has been continuously opposing Nepal for including its three territories in its revised map. India also said that the move is contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue and "such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India.
Meanwhile, the United Nations have refrained from using the new map and said that it will neither use nor officially endorse the new Nepal map.

Aug 01, 2020

Australia to Make Google and Facebook Pay for News Content

The conservative government is pushing ahead with the changes after the pandemic created an advertising revenue crisis for many Australian media companies
The Australian government said that it plans to give Google and Facebook three months to negotiate with Australian media businesses fair pay for news content.
The government has released a draft mandatory code of conduct that aims to succeed where other countries have failed in making the global digital giants pay for news siphoned from commercial media companies.
If the U.S.-based platforms could not agree with the Australian media businesses on pricing after three months, arbitrators would be appointed to make a binding decision.

UK Offers Grace Period for Visa extensions until End August

The UK government issued fresh guidance offering a one-month grace period for all expiring or expired visas of foreign nationals, including Indians, unable to return to their home countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, until August 31.
The extension, initially announced until May 31 and then extended to July 31, has been extended by another month and will apply to anyone whose leave to remain in the UK expired after January 24 and they are still unable to leave the country because of travel restrictions or self-isolation.
Right across the immigration system, this government has introduced measures to help those who have been impacted by global travel and health restrictions throughout this pandemic. This has included providing over 40,000 visa extensions for those whose visas had expired between January 24, 2020, and July 31, 2020, and relaxing the rules on switching in the UK.
The Home Office said that it would also keep in place the relaxation of the visa switching rules to enable those who wished to stay in the UK to submit an application to enable them to do so during the grace period.

Jul 31, 2020

China Halts Hong Kong Extradition Pacts with Canada, Australia and the U.K.

China announced the suspension of Hong Kong's extradition treaties with Canada, Australia and Britain in a tit-for-tat move following similar decisions by those countries over a controversial new security law.
Western nations have angered Beijing over their responses to the law imposed on Hong Kong which they see as an erosion of the civil liberties and human rights the city has enjoyed since its handover from Britain in 1997.
Canada, Britain and Australia are part of the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance. The other members are New Zealand, which suspended its extradition treaty with Hong Kong earlier on Tuesday, and the United States, which has signalled it is preparing to do the same.
China has accused the countries of interfering in its internal affairs and defended the security law as crucial to restore order in Hong Kong following a wave of pro-democracy protests marred by violence.

Jin Liqun Gets Second Term as President of AIIB

Jin Liqun was elected to a second term as President of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) by the Bank's Board of Governors. The election result was announced by the Chair of AIIB's Board of Governors during the Bank's fifth annual meeting.
President Jin's second five-year term will begin from January 2021.
Under President Jin's leadership, AIIB has grown from 57 founding members to over 100 approved members from around the world. The Bank has also maintained the highest credit ratings with a stable outlook from the largest credit rating agencies—Standard & Poor's, Moody's and Fitch. Permanent Observer status was also granted by the United Nations (UN) in recognition of AIIB's relevance and contribution to the UN's development mandate.

Ivory Coast President Names New Prime Minister

Ivory Coast's President Alassane Ouattara has named Defence Minister Hamed Bakayoko as Prime Minister.
Mr. Bakayoko had acted as interim Prime Minister when his predecessor Amadou Gon Coulibaly was being treated in France and after his sudden death.
The President said that Mr. Bakayoko will keep his defence role.
The ruling party asked President Ouattara to run for a third term, but the 78-year-old leader said he would announce his decision next week.
The opposition has insisted that the president would be violating the Constitution if he runs for a third term.

Pakistan's Senate Approves Two FATF-related Bills

Pakistan's Senate unanimously approved two Bills related to the tough conditions set by the global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog FATF, a day after they were passed in the National Assembly amidst vociferous protest from the Opposition parties.
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Amendment Bill, 2020, and the Anti-Terrorism Act Amendment Bill, 2020, were presented by Advisor to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Senator Babar Awan.
The Bills include measures of freezing and seizure of assets, travel ban, and arms embargo on the entities and individuals, who are designated on the sanctions list of the United Nations and impose heavy fine and long term jails for those facilitating militancy.
The two Bills passed by the National Assembly fulfil various requirements of the Paris-based Financial Action Task Force (FATF) which put Pakistan on its grey list in June 2016 after Islamabad agreed to implement a 27-point plan of action to improve its legal regime to curb money laundering and terror financing.

Jul 30, 2020

UK Names New MI6 Spy Chief to Tackle Challenges from China and Russia

Britain named career diplomat and intelligence officer Richard Moore as the new chief of the MI6 spy service as the West seeks to bolster its defences against hostile espionage from China and Russia. Moore joined the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) in 1987, just four years before the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
An accomplished intelligence officer, Moore served in various diplomatic and security roles before winning one of the most powerful jobs in Western intelligence. Alex Younger, the current chief of MI6 - or plain "C" - will step down in the autumn.
Moore served as British ambassador to Turkey from January 2014 to December 2017 and has also served as deputy national security adviser.

Turkey Approves Social Media law with New Powers

Turkey's parliament approved a law that gives authorities greater power to regulate social media despite concerns of growing censorship.
The law requires major social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter to keep representative offices in Turkey to deal with complaints against content on their platforms. If the social media company refuses to designate an official representative, the legislation mandates steep fines, advertising bans and bandwidth reductions.

Jul 29, 2020

Iran Holds Annual Gulf Drill Amid Rising Tensions with US

Iran`s elite Revolutionary Guards launched a military drill in the Gulf at a time of high tension between Tehran and Washington. There have been periodic confrontations in the Gulf in recent years between the Guards and the U.S. military, which has accused the Guards` navy of sending fast-attack boats to harass U.S. warships as they pass the Strait of Hormuz.
Tehran, which opposes the presence of U.S. and Western navies in the Gulf, holds annual naval war games in phases in the strategic waterway, the conduit for some 30% of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea. "The final stage of the drill called `Great Prophet 14` with the participation of the Guards Navy and Air Force has started in the areas of land, air, sea and space in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf.

Malaysian Ex-PM Najib Gets 12-year Jail

Malaysia's former leader Najib Razak was found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 12 years in jail in the first trial over a multi-billion-dollar scandal at state fund 1MDB that stretched to the Gulf states and Hollywood.
In a case widely seen as a test of the nation's resolve to stamp out corruption and which could have big political implications, high court judge Mohamad Nazlan Mohamad Ghazali sentenced Najib to 12 years and a fine of 210 million ringgit ($49 million) on a charge of abuse of power.
Najib, 67, also received 10 years in jail on each of three charges of criminal breach of trust and three charges of money laundering for illegally receiving nearly $10 million from SRC International, a former unit of the state fund.
The judge allowed a request by Najib's lawyers to delay the jail sentence and the financial penalty, but asked Najib to post additional bail and report to a police station twice a month.

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