India, Iran and Uzbekistan Hold Discussion on Chabahar Port
India, Iran and Uzbekistan discussed the further development of the transit and transportation corridor centred round the Iranian port of Chabahar during a trilateral meeting on the joint use of the port on the Gulf of Oman.
This was the second virtual meeting of the trilateral working group on the joint use of Chabahar Port, and it was held exactly a year after the first meeting.
The participants underlined the important role played by Chabahar Port during humanitarian crises as well as in enhancing regional connectivity. They also took note of the increase in transit traffic between Central Asia and South Asia through the Shahid Behesti Terminal, Chabahar Port and discussed further development of transportation corridor.
Nicholas Burns is US Envoy to China
The US Senate confirmed veteran diplomat Nicholas Burns as ambassador to Beijing, filling a position vacant for more than a year despite Washington's growing focus on China.
The Senate reached the key 50-vote threshold to approve Burns in an ongoing confirmation that took place after Senator Marco Rubio lifted objections. The final vote was 75-18.
Burns, a former US ambassador to Greece and NATO, at his Senate hearing in October called China an "aggressor" in the region and vowed to "compete vigorously," while also seeking cooperation on areas such as climate change.
Dec 17, 2021
IAEA, Iran Agree to Replace Surveillance Cameras at Karaj Nuclear Site
As per reports, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will soon install new surveillance cameras at Iran's Karaj nuclear facility under an agreement between the two sides.
The agreement was concluded by IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi and the Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, Mohammad Eslami.
The agreement with Iran is an important development for the IAEA's verification and monitoring activities in the country.
EU Leaders Consider New Sanctions against Russia to Deter Attack on Ukraine
The European Union is being assaulted on multiple fronts by Russia and must unite behind new economic sanctions, Baltic and central European leaders said, with Lithuania citing possible Russian military strikes from Belarus.
The warnings at an EU summit were some of the most direct in recent weeks as the United States and its NATO allies seek to deter any possible Russian attack on Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said that Russia submitted draft documents outlining security arrangements it wants to negotiate with the United States and its NATO allies.
Nepal Defence Minister Minendra Rijal Exits after Defeat in Party Election
Nepal's Defence Minister Minendra Rijal resigned after he was defeated by younger leaders in the election to the post of general secretary of the ruling Nepali Congress party.
The Nepali Congress (NC) delegates elected its youth leaders Gagan Kumar Thapa and Bishwa Prakash Sharma as general secretaries during the 14th General Convention of the country's largest democratic party.
The election came a day after Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba was re-elected as the president of the party for a consecutive second four year term after defeating his rival Shekhar Koirala in a run-off.
Dec 16, 2021
Nepal PM Sher Bahadur Deuba Secures Second Tenure as Party President
Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba secured a comfortable majority securing the post of party president for the second consecutive term after the second round of voting in the ongoing General Convention of the ruling Nepali Congress.
The leader, who has become Prime Minister five times, secured 2733 votes leaving his contender Dr Shekhar Koirala behind with 1855 votes, as per the final results published by the election committee.
Dec 15, 2021
Tunisian President Kais Saied Announces Constitutional Referendum
Tunisian President Kais Saied he would call a constitutional referendum next July, a year to the day after he seized broad powers in moves his opponents call a coup, and that parliamentary elections would follow at the end of 2022.
Laying out the timeline for his proposed political changes in a televised speech, Saied said that the referendum would take place on July 25, following an online public consultation that will start in January.
Saied's announcement of a road map out of the crisis has been awaited since he suspended parliament, dismissed the prime minister and assumed executive authority.
Dec 14, 2021
Joe Biden's Advisor Catherine Russell is director of UNICEF
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced the appointment of Catherine Russell, an assistant to U.S. President Joe Biden, as the next head of the U.N. children's agency UNICEF.
Ms. Russell also heads the White House Office of Presidential Personnel and served as the State Department's Ambassador-at-large for global women's issues from 2013 to 2017.
She will succeed Henrietta Fore, who resigned in July because of a family health issue.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced the Secretary-General's appointment of Ms. Russell following consultations with UNICEF's executive board.
Elon Musk is Time's 2021 'Person of the Year'
Tesla (TSLA.O) Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk was named Time magazine's "Person of the Year" for 2021, a year that saw his electric car company become the most valuable carmaker in the world and his rocket company soar to the edge of space with an all-civilian crew.
Musk is also the founder and CEO of rocket company SpaceX, and leads brain-chip startup Neuralink and infrastructure firm The Boring Company.
Last year (2020), U.S. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were jointly given the "Person of the Year" title. Time began this tradition in 1927. Facebook (FB.O) CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon (AMZN.O) founder Jeff Bezos have also received the title in the past.
Dubai First in World to Go 100% Paperless
Dubai became the world's first government to turn 100 per cent paperless, the Emirate's Crown Prince, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, announced, pointing at savings of 1.3 billion Dirham (USD 350 million) and 14-million-man hours.
All internal, external transactions and procedures in the Government of Dubai are now 100 per cent digital and managed from a comprehensive digital government services platform.
The achievement of this target marks the beginning of a new stage in Dubai's journey to digitise life in all its aspects - a journey rooted in innovation, creativity, and a focus on the future.
The US, UK, Europe and Canada have expressed plans to digitise government operation on a larger scale, which encompass government procedures and citizen identifications. However, sceptics have argued its vulnerability to cyber-attacks.
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