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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - December 2016

Dec 2016

Oct 15, 2022

Aparajita Sarangi Elected Asia Pacific Group's Inter-Parliamentary Union Panel Member

Lok Sabha MP from Odisha Aparajita Sarangi was elected as a member of the executive committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) from Asia Pacific Group (APG) countries.
Sarangi bagged 12 out of the total 18 available votes in the election to the post. The election was held in Kigali, Rwanda.
Sarangi thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for nominating her for the post.
Sarangi would represent India on the 15-member executive committee of the union.

Vladimir Putin Suggests Turning Turkey into Gas Hub for Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin doubled down on his proposal to turn Turkey into a gas hub for Europe after deliveries to Germany through the Baltic Sea's Nord Stream pipeline were halted.
Putin floated the idea of exporting more gas through the Turk Stream gas pipeline running beneath the Black Sea to Turkey as he met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the sidelines of a regional summit in Kazakhstan.
It's the second unlikely energy proposal that Putin has pitched in as many days, with European leaders calling Russia's cuts in natural gas a political bid to divide them over their support for Ukraine.

Oct 14, 2022

The US and Mexico Make Deal to Ease Venezuela Migration

The US and Mexico agreed to a plan that allows some Venezuelan migrants to enter the US - but those who arrive illegally will be sent back to Mexico.
It is hoped the deal would ease pressure at the US-Mexico border, where a steady flow of Venezuelans continues to arrive as they flee the crisis-hit nation.
Starting immediately, flights would be arranged for 24,000 migrants to arrive in the United States.
More than six million people have left Venezuela in the past five years.
The exodus is one of the largest migrations in the world, fuelled by violence, food, fuel and medicine shortages, and repression by the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
It has seen people desperate to improve their lives walking thousands of miles along dangerous routes to try to reach the US-Mexico border, where they then try to enter illegally or claim asylum.

Oct 13, 2022

Venezuela, South Korea, Afghanistan Lose Vote for UN Rights Body

Venezuela, South Korea and Afghanistan lost contested races for seats on the top UN human rights body by the General Assembly, which faced criticism for electing countries like Vietnam and Sudan, which have been accused of having abysmal human rights records.
The 193-member assembly voted by secret ballot to fill 14 seats on the 47-member Human Rights Council. Seats are allocated to regions to ensure geographical representation, a rule that has regularly led to many regions putting forward uncontested slates as Africa, Eastern Europe and Western nations did this year.
In this year's election, the most hotly watched race was in the Latin America and Caribbean regional group, where Chile, Costa Rica and Venezuela were vying for two seats. The result saw Chile get 144 votes, Costa Rica 134 and Venezuela 88.
The other closely watched race was in the Asia-Pacific region, where Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, South Korea and Vietnam contested four seats. Bangladesh, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives and Vietnam were declared the winners.

India up Six Places for Reducing Inequality, Ranks 123 Globally: CRII

India moved up six places to rank 123 out of 161 countries for reducing inequality but continues to be among the lowest performers in health spending, according to the latest Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index (CRII).
The 2022 CRII looked at government policies and actions in 161 countries to fight inequality during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Norway leads the CRII followed by Germany and Australia.

Oct 12, 2022

Belarusian President Announces Formation of a Joint Unit of Belarusian Forces with Russian Army

The Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced the formation of a joint unit of Belarusian forces with the Russian army. Lukashenko said that the move was due to growing tensions on Belarus's border with Ukraine. He said that it was necessary to bolster security.
However, he did not elaborate on where the troops would be deployed. The Belarusian President also claimed that Ukraine was planning an attack on his country. He said that Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine were training Belarusian radicals to carry out terror attacks.

UN World Geospatial Congress in Hyderabad

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the United Nations World Geospatial Congress (UNWGIC) 2022 in Hyderabad. The goal of this year's (2022) UNWGIC is to promote a broad dialogue on global geospatial information management with all relevant governments, non-governmental organisations, academia, and the private sector.
Geospatial technology can be used to create intelligent maps and models which help to collect geographically referenced data. Decisions based on the value and importance of resources, most of which are limited, can become easy through geospatial technology, according to the UNWGIC website.
The theme of UNWGIC 2022 is 'Geo-Enabling the Global Village: No one should be left behind', which focuses on building a community for human data and geography against the three pillars of sustainable development for a shared future and a better world, leaving no one behind within an inclusive and equitable global society.
The United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) convened the conference on UNWGIC 2022 and was organised by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. It was hosted by the ministry of science and technology of the government of India.

Tulsi Gabbard Quits Democratic Party

Former Congresswoman and the first Hindu American to run for the White House in 2020, Tulsi Gabbard, left the governing Democratic Party, denouncing it as an "elitist cabal of warmongers".
Gabbard retired from the House of Representatives last year.
Gabbard was the first-ever Hindu to be elected to the US House of Representatives in 2013 from Hawaii, and she was subsequently elected for four consecutive terms.
She quit the party ahead of next month's crucial mid-term elections.

Oct 11, 2022

In UNGA, India Votes to Reject Russia's Demand for Secret Ballot on Draft Resolution on Ukraine

India for the first time voted at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) against Russia's demand for a secret ballot on a draft resolution to condemn its annexation of four regions of Ukraine.
India voted against Russia in August at the UN Security Council (UNSC) on the issue of inviting President Zelenskyy to speak virtually at a debate on Ukraine. The Foreign Office had then said "we have not voted against anyone," terming the vote as procedural.
This time, too, the vote is procedural – on the question of whether the division at the end of a forthcoming debate in UNGA should be open or by secret ballot.
Albania moved a motion seeking to condemn Russia's "illegal so-called referendums" and "attempted illegal annexation" of Ukraine's Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
With 107 countries at UNGA, including India, rejecting Russia's demand for a secret ballot, Russia has appealed against the ruling by the chair and this year's UNGA President Csaba Korosi.
Only 13 nations voted in favour of Russia's call for a secret ballot and 39 abstained. Russia and China were among the countries that did not vote.
Russia then sought reconsideration of the decision to adopt the motion submitted by Albania for a recorded vote. The UNGA decided not to reconsider the motion after 104 nations, including India, voted against, 16 voted in favour and 34 abstained.

Malaysian PM Ismail Yaakob Dissolves Parliament, Calls for Early Elections

Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri Yaakob dissolved the Parliament, paving the way for general elections that are expected to be held in early November.
The elections would come nine months before Parliament's term expires, following calls for early polls from Ismail's United Malays National Organisation.
UMNO, the biggest party in the ruling coalition, was feuding with its allies and is aiming for a big win on its own.
The Election Commission is expected to meet within the week to announce a date for the vote.

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