(Current Affairs) International Events | January: 2017

International Events

China to invest in Pakistan's power sector

  • China’s State Grid Corporation is set to build a $1.5-billion power line across Pakistan to enable the transmission of 4,000 megawatts of electricity from the country’s north to south.
  • Pakistani and Chinese officials signed an investment agreement in Beijing to build the country’s first high-voltage, direct current line, according to a government statement.
  • The power transmission line would link the national grid between the southern Pakistani town of Matiari and easternmost city of Lahore, some 1,000 km apart.
  • Pakistan has been struggling to provide enough power to its nearly 200 million citizens, and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has vowed to solve the crisis by 2018.

A nationwide ceasefire deal came into effect across Syria

  • Russia President Vladimir Putin announced a nationwide ceasefire deal to come into effect across Syria from midnight and that the warring parties had agreed to sit down for peace talks.
  • The deal brokered by Russia and Turkey could represent a major breakthrough in nearly six years of war in Syria and comes a week after rebel resistance was crushed in the second city of Aleppo.
  • Although on opposing sides in the conflict, Turkey and Russia have been working intensively to find a ceasefire after the fall of Aleppo, in a process that conspicuously does not include the United States.
  • Syria’s Army said it would halt all military operations from midnight, and the opposition National Coalition also said it backed the truce.
  • Mr. Putin also said he would reduce Moscow’s military contingent in Syria, which has been flying a bombing campaign in support of President Bashar Al-Assad since last year.
  • Mr. Putin, however, said that Russia would continue to fight “terrorism” in the war-torn country and maintain its support for the government in Damascus.
  • Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the seven opposition groups, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham, that have signed up to the agreements after months of talks comprise some 62,000 fighters and control a large portion of territory in central and northern Syria.
  • Syria’s political opposition and rebels confirmed their backing for the truce, saying it applied to all parts of the country.
  • The United States called the ceasefire deal a “positive development”, saying it hoped it would lead to fresh talks on the country’s political future.

Colombia’s Congress passed a law granting amnesty to Marxist FARC rebels

  • Colombia’s Congress passed a law granting amnesty to Marxist FARC rebels as part of the country’s peace deal, a development the government hailed as “historic”.
  • The measure grants special legal treatment, amnesty and pardons to members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) accused of political and related crimes.
  • The Senate passed the bill 69-0, after the House of Representatives approved it 121-0.

Israel defaint after UNSC vote

  • Undeterred by a defeat at the UN, Israel’s government said that it would move ahead with thousands of new homes in disputed areas and warned nations against further action, declaring that Israel does not “turn the other cheek”.
  • Jerusalem’s municipal government signalled that it would not back down: The city intends to approve 600 housing units in the predominantly Palestinian eastern section of town.
  • The defiant posture reflected anger among Israel’s pro-settlement political leaders, who not only blamed the United States for failing to block the council resolution.
  • Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lashed out at Security Council countries by curbing diplomatic contacts, recalling envoys, cutting off aid and summoning the U.S. Ambassador for a scolding.
  • He cancelled a planned visit this week by Ukraine’s Prime Minister even as he expressed concern on Monday that Mr. Obama was planning more action at the United Nations before his term ends next month.
  • Mr. Netanyahu defended his retaliation. “Israel is a country with national pride, and we do not turn the other cheek,” he said.
  • Palestinian leaders made clear that they would use the resolution in international bodies to press their case against Israel.
  • With the imprimatur of a UN finding of illegality, they said they would campaign to require that other countries not just label products made in the settlements, but ban them.
  • Mr. Trump publicly pressed for a veto of the resolution and has chosen a settlement advocate as his administration’s Ambassador to Israel.

China has tested fifth generation stealth fighter

  • China has tested the latest version of its fifth-generation stealth fighter, as it tries to end the West's monopoly on the world's most advanced warplanes.
  • The test comes as the nation flexes its military muscles, sending its sole air-craft carrier the Liaoning into the western Pacific in recent days to lead drills there for the first time.
  • The newest version of the J-31 — now renamed the FC-31 Gyrfalcon — took to the air for the first time.
  • The so-called “fifth-generation” twin-engine jet is China's answer to the U.S. F-35, the world's most technically advanced fighter.
  • The new FC-31 has “better stealth capabilities, improved electronic equipment and a larger payload capacity” than the previous version which debuted in October 2012.
  • AVIC has said that the FC-31 will “put an end to some nations' monopolies on the fifth-generation fighter jet”, the China Daily reported.
  • China is aggressively moving to develop its domestic weapons industry, from drones and anti-air-craft systems to home-grown jet engines.
  • In the past it has been accused of copying designs from Russian fighters, and some analysts say the FC-31 bears a close resemblance to the F-35.
  • When completed, the FC-31 will become the country’s second fifth-generation fighter after the J-20, which put on its first public performance at the Zhuhai Air Show in November.

China believes it is better go soft on India for CPEC

  • A focus on establish-ing “soft borders” between India and Pakistan, rather than a final settlement of boundaries in Kashmir, can lead to New Delhi's rapid integration into an expanded CPEC, says a top Chinese academic.
  • An endorsement of “soft borders” by New Delhi and Islamabad would address India's core objection to the CPEC — its passage through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
  • The concept of “soft borders” as a pragmatic solution to the Kashmir dispute is not new. In 2005, shortly after a bus service from Srinagar and Muzafarabad had star-ted.
  • Prof. Li has ex-tended the idea of “soft borders” to both Kashmir and Afghanistan in order to impart regional inclusiveness to China's ‘Belt and Road' connectivity project, manifested in the CPEC.
  • Prof Li also highlighted that Pakistan and Afghanistan should accept ‘soft borders' as the touchstone for resolving their differences along the Durand Line. The Chinese scholar stressed that Afghanistan is the “heart of Asia”.
  • Chabahar, which is being jointly developed by Iran, India and Afghanistan, and Gwadar, are separated from each other by only around 100 km.

UNSC vote against settlements in Palestinian territory

  • Israel scrambled to contain the fallout from the UN Security Council vote to halt settlements in Palestinian territory after lashing out at U.S. President Barack Obama over the “shameful” resolution.
  • The council passed the measure on Friday after the United States abstained, enabling the adoption of the first UN resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy.
  • By deciding not to veto the move, the U.S. took a rare step that deeply angered Israel, which accused Obama of abandoning its closest West Asia ally in the waning days of his administration.
  • The text was passed with support from all remaining members of the 15-member council, with applause breaking out in the chamber.
  • The landmark vote came despite intense lobbying efforts by Israel and calls from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump to block the text.
  • While the resolution contains no sanctions, Israel is concerned it couldwiden the possibility of prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
  • They are also worried it could encourage some countries to impose sanctions against Israeli settlers and products produced in the settlements.
  • The U.S. has traditionally served as Israel's diplomatic shield, protecting it from resolutions it opposes. But the Obama administration has grown frustrated with settlement-building in the WestBank, which Israel hasoccupied for nearly 50 years.
  • Settlements are built on land the Palestinians view as part of their future state and seen as illegal under international law.

Italian police shot Berlin attack suspect

  • Italian police shot dead the prime suspect in the Berlin Christmas market attack, ending a frantic four-day hunt for Europe's most wanted man.
  • But just as German Chancellor Angela Merkel expressed relief that suspected attacker Anis Amri no longer posed a threat, she pledged a "comprehensive" analysis of how he was slipped through the net in the first place.
  • Amri, a 24-year-old Tunisian, is believed to have hijacked a lorry and used it to mow down holiday revellers at the market on Monday, killing 12 and wounding dozens more.
  • The Islamic State jihadist group has claimed responsibility and released a video on Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
  • He had been missing since escaping immediately after the attack, but his time on the run was cut short thanks to a combination of luck and the quick reflexes of rookie Italian police officer Luca Scata.

China open to Indian participation in CPEC

  • Chinasignalled that it was ready to consider India's participation in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) after a Pakistani general counselled New Delhi to shed enmity and join the project.
  • The CPEC is an important part of China's Belt and Road initiative and it is an open proposal, and we are willing towork with Pakistan to dis-cuss the participation of any third country, (on the) principle of wide consultation and joint contribution.
  • The CPEC links the Pakistani port of Gwadar with Kashgar in China's Xinjiang province.
  • Pakistan's Southern Army Commander, Lieutenant General Aamir Riaz, based in Quetta, said India should “shunenmity” with Pakistan and join the $46-billion CPEC along with Iran, Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries and enjoy its bene-fits.
  • Chinese academics are also actively debating on how to prevent the emergence of rivalry between India-supported port of Chabahar in Iran and Gwadar, which is a short distance away.

Trump calls for expansion of nuclear weapon capabilities

  • U.S. President-elect Donald Trump called for the country to expand its nuclear weapons capabilities until the world “comes to its senses” — a signal he may support costly efforts to modernise the ageing U.S. nuclear arsenal.
  • His comments came on a day Russian President Vladimir Putin called for his country to reinforce its military nuclear potential.
  • “We need to strengthen the military potential of strategic nuclear forces, especially with missile complexes that can reliably penetrate any existing and prospective missile defence systems,” the Russian leader said
  • During the next decade, U.S. ballistic missile submarines,bombers, and land-based missiles — the three legs of the nuclear triad - are expected to reach the end of their useful lives.
  • Maintain-ing and modernising the arsenal is expected to cost about $1 trillion dollars over 30 years.
  • Next year four additional S-400 anti-missile de-fence systems will be de-livered to the army, and Russia would pay particular attention to its Western flank and the Arctic.

Nepal will hold first ever joint military exercise with China

  • Beginning a new level of bilateral military engagement, Nepal will hold its first ever joint military exercise with China on February 10.
  • The focus of the military exercise, named Pratikar-1, will be on training Nepali forces in dealing with hostage scenarios involving international terror groups.
  • Nepal has conducted exercises with India earlier. Analysts say that though the military drill with China does not violate the 1950 India-Nepal treaty of peace and friendship, it does appear unconventional.
  • Reports suggested that the exercise will firm up Kath-mandu's preparedness to deal with hostage situations like the one that caused large number of deaths in Dhaka's Holey Artisan bakery in July.

US puts more sanctions on Russia over Ukraine conflict

  • The United States targeted more Russian businessmen and companies over Russia's annexation of Crimea and the conflict in Ukraine, slap-ping them with U.S. sanctions in a move Moscow criticised as hostile.
  • The measures come a month before U.S. President Barack Obama hands over power to President-elect Donald Trump, who has praised Russian President Vladimir Putin and said it would be good if the two countries could get along.
  • Mr. Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of State, Exxon Mobil Corp CEO Rex Tillerson, has opposed U.S. sanctions on Russia, which awarded him a friendship medal in 2013.
  • The United States introduced sanctions on Russia after it annexed the Crimean peninsula fromUkraine in 2014 and expanded them over its support for separatist rebels.
  • But it is un-clear if the United States will maintain the sanctions on Russia under Mr. Trump.
  • The U.S. Treasury also sanctioned several companies and government enter-prises for operating in Crimea, including two Russian firms it said were help-ing to build a multi-billion-dollar bridge to link the Russian mainland with the peninsula, a project import-ant to Mr. Putin.

Germany’s refugee policy under attack after Berlin attack

  • The bloody carnage at a Berlin Christmas market immediately emboldened right-wing populist critics of Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal refugee policy.
  • Ms. Merkel has been under fire over her decision in September last year to let in tens of thousands fleeing war and poverty from mostly Arab and Muslim nations.
  • The arrival of around a million people over the past two years has deeply polarised society, and the German leader has said next year's election would be “more difficult” than any other she has contested.
  • The Islamophobic and anti-immigration populist party AfD wasted no time in laying the blame on Merkel.
  • “The milieu in which such acts can flourish has been negligently and systematic-ally imported over the past year and a half,” the group's co-leader FraukePetry saidin a statement.
  • Ms. Merkel's popularity has waned over the refugee influx, although her decision to seek a fourth term in next year's elections was greeted with approval from 64 per cent of the population as measures to curb the refugee influx began to show results.
  • In a worldupended by Brexit and the surprise election of Donald Trump, questions are flying on how she plans to counter rising populism. For now, most mainstream politicians have been adopt-ing a cautious stance.

Russian Ambassador shot dead in Turkey

  • The Russian ambassador to Turkey was shot in the back and killed while giving a speech at an art gallery. Turkish security sources said the gunman, who shouted “Don't forget Aleppo”, was an of-duty police officer.
  • Turkey has struggled with a string of at-tacks by Islamist and Kurdish militants but the killing of a Russian envoy could have resonance throughout the region.
  • Russia is a close ally of Syrian President Bashar al-As-sad and its air strikes were instrumental in helping Syrian forces end rebel resistance in the northern city of Aleppo.
  • Turkish President RecepTayyip Erdogan, however, has been a vociferous opponent of Mr. Assad.

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