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INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

May 22, 2019

British PM Sets Out New Brexit Deal

British Prime Minister Theresa May set out what she called a new Brexit deal, with safeguards and legal assurances on aspects of her controversial withdrawal agreement in the hope of getting cross-party backing for the bill when it returns to the House of Commons in June.
In a major compromise to a demand from the Opposition benches, she promised to include the option of a parliamentary vote on holding a second referendum on her deal if it clears the Commons.

Bangladesh Halts Visas for Pakistani Nationals

The Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad has stopped issuing visas to Pakistani nationals for one week over a fresh diplomatic row, amid strained bilateral ties since 2013 when Dhaka decided to hang several of the 1971 war criminals.
Dhaka denied visa to the Pakistan High Commissioner in 2018.
The Foreign Office in Dhaka, however, is yet to make any formal confirmation and no official notification has been issued on the halting of visas to the Pakistani nationals.

May 21, 2019

JVP to Move Trust Vote

As per reports, Sri Lanka's Janata Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) will move a 'no-confidence motion' against President Maithripala Sirisena, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Cabinet.
The move was sparked by government's neglect of prior warnings on the Easter attacks, and the security lapse that resulted in the loss of over 250 lives in April.
The party's parliamentary group will submit the motion to the Speaker.

Volodymyr Zelensky Calls Snap Elections

Ukraine's new President Volodymyr Zelensky used his inaugural speech to call snap parliamentary polls after shooting to power in a country wracked by a separatist conflict and severe economic problems.
Mr. Zelensky announced his first priority was ending the five-year conflict with Moscow-backed separatists in the industrial east that has claimed over 13,000 lives.
He announced he would dissolve Parliament in order to call early elections, originally scheduled for October.

US Sanctions Hit India-Kazakhstan Plans

Kazakhstan's efforts to forge greater connectivity with India via an eastern expansion of the North-South corridor running through Iran have hit a speed bump because of US sanctions.
Despite the hiccup, Astana continues to be hopeful of building closer trade and transit ties with New Delhi through Iran's Bandar Abbas Port and even extending connectivity to the strategic Chabahar Port once a new railway link is built.
Kazakhstan is focusing on India to attract investments and to access the country's market of more than one billion people.
Bilateral trade was worth almost $1 billion in 2017.
Kazakhstan is the largest supplier of uranium to India and both sides have strong defence and strategic ties.
India has been keen on the eastern expansion of the International North-South Trade Corridor (INSTC), and there are plans to connect Gujarat's Mundra port to Bandar Abbas and then link it to the Iran-Turkmenistan-Kazakhstan railway link to cut the time for transporting goods from Central Asia and to access markets in the landlocked region.

May 20, 2019

Iraq Slams U.S. Company

Iraq slammed as "political" a decision by U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil to evacuate staff from a southern oil field after Washington ordered personnel to quit its Baghdad Embassy.
The temporary withdrawal of employees has nothing to do with security in southern Iraqi oil fields or any threats.
He called the move to pull out staff from the West Qorna oil field west of the southern port city of Basra unacceptable and unjustified.

May 19, 2019

Zarif Rules out Prospect of War

Iran's Foreign Minister discounted the prospect of a new war in the region because Tehran opposed it and said that no party should be under the illusion that the Islamic republic could be confronted.
Tensions between Washington and Tehran have been on the rise as the U.S. has deployed a carrier group and B-52 bombers over what it termed Iranian threats.

New U.S. Immigration Rules

As per K.V. Kumar, chairman and CEO, Indian American International Chamber of Commerce (IAICC), Indian professionals with specialised skills will be the biggest beneficiaries of U.S. President Donald Trump's proposed immigration policy.
The IAICC represents over six lakh small and medium Indian or Indian-origin enterprises around the globe.
He insisted that the proposed immigration scheme, which will focus on a points-based system that prioritises the admission of immigrants with certain education and employment qualifications, would definitely help Indian professionals who are seeking U.S. visas/green cards.
It proposes to consider 57% of immigrants for skill-based green cards. That's over a fourfold increase from the existing 12%.
A large population of Indians, who are currently on H-IB visas are going to benefit from it.

Trump Lifts Tariffs on Canada and Mexico

US President Donald Trump announced an agreement to lift US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Canada and Mexico that had created friction between the neighbours and blocked a new North American free trade agreement.
Trump's statement came moments after Canada released the text of the agreement between Ottawa and Washington in which they agreed to eliminate US tariffs on steel and aluminium, and Canada's retaliatory measures, within no more than two days.

Australia's Ruling Conservative Coalition Wins

Australia's ruling conservative coalition won a surprise victory in the country's general election, defying opinion polls that had tipped the centre-left opposition party to oust it from power and promising an end to the revolving door of national leaders.
Opposition leader Bill Shorten had earlier conceded defeat as the coalition came close to a majority in the 151-seat House of Representatives, where parties need a majority to form a government.

May 18, 2019

Cross-party Brexit Talks

Hopes that cross-party talks could navigate a way through the Brexit stalemate were dashed as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn announced that these negotiations had gone as far as they could do and would now end without an agreement.
The talks, which began in March after the European Union (EU) agreed to push the Brexit deadline to October 31, had been widely seen as giving Prime Minister Theresa May an option to get the Parliament on board her Withdrawal Agreement.
The end of the talks will exacerbate concerns that Britain could be heading towards another Brexit cliff edge.
This is all the more so as Ms. May has started the countdown to the end of her premiership as she agreed to set a timetable for her departure after the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, due to go before MPs in the first week of June.

Taiwan Legalises Same Sex-Marriage

Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage. Lawmakers from the majority Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) backed the bill, which passed 66 to 27, though the measure could complicate President Tsai Ing-wen`s bid to win a second term in presidential electionsin 2020.
The bill, which offers same-sex couples similar legal protections for marriage as heterosexuals, will take effect after Tsai signs it into law.

Peace Pact with Taliban

According to a leader of the High Peace Council of the country, a peace agreement with the Taliban is unlikely to materialise before the September election in Afghanistan.
Addressing a gathering at the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), Mohammad Umer Daudzai, Chief Executive of the Afghan High Peace Council, said that Afghanistan would not compromise on fundamental issues with the Taliban, stating that the rebels would have to come clean about ties with Pakistan.

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