(Current Affairs) International Events | June : 2017

U.S. President called on Middle East to combat a Islamic extremism

• U.S. President Donald Trump called on Middle Eastern leaders to combat a “crisis of Islamic extremism” emanating from the region, casting the fight against terrorism as a “battle between good and evil”, not a clash between the West and Islam.
• Mr. Trump’s address was the centrepiece of his two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, his first stop overseas as President.
• During a meeting of more than 50 Arab and Muslim leaders, he sought to chart a new course for America’s role in the region, one aimed squarely on rooting out terrorism, with less focus on promoting human rights and democratic reforms.
• Even as the President pledged to work alongside Middle Eastern nations, he put the onus for combating terrorism on the region.
• Bellowing into the microphone, he implored Muslim leaders to aggressively fight extremists — “Drive them out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your communities.”
• Sitting alongside Mr. Trump, Saudi King Salman declared: “The Iranian regime has been the spearhead of global terrorism.”
• Mr. Trump’s welcome in the region was also put on display during a series of individual meetings with Arab leaders.
• Reinforcing his theme of U.S. economic deals, the U.S. President told Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani they would discuss “lots of beautiful military equipment because nobody makes it like the United States”.
• For Mr. Trump the visit has been a welcome escape from the crush of controversies that have consumed his administration in recent weeks.
• The President’s trip to Saudi Arabia also served as something of a reset with the region following his presidential campaign, which was frequently punctured by bouts of anti-Islamic rhetoric. He once mused that he thought “Islam hates us”.
• That ban was blocked by the courts. A second order, which dropped Iraq from the list, is tied up in federal court and the federal government is appealing.
• That speech was denounced by many Republicans and criticised by a number of the United States’ Middle East allies as being a sort of apology.

Swiss referendum to withdraw the country from nuclear power

• Swiss voters are supporting a referendum to withdraw the country from nuclear power in favour of renewable energy.
• A projection from referendum shows a majority of cantons (States) voted for the plan. Under Switzerland’s direct democracy system, initiatives need a majority of both cantons and votes to pass.
• The projection for SRF public television showed 58% of voters in favour and 42% against the proposal.
• The government wants to ban the construction of new nuclear power plants and decommission the country’s five existing ones at the end of their technically safe operating lives.

Rouhani promises to keep moderate policies

• It was a referendum on Hassan Rouhani’s more moderate political policies, which paved the way for the landmark 2015 nuclear deal that won Iran relief from some sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme.
• His resounding victory suggests that Iranians largely approve of the President’s policies.
• Mr. Rouhani has come to embody more liberal and reform-minded Iranians’ hopes for greater freedoms and openness at home, and better relations with the outside world.
• “Great nation of Iran, you are the winner of the election. I humbly bow down before you. I will remain loyal to my promises to you,” he wrote.
• Iran’s President is the second-most powerful figure within the country’s political system. He is subordinate to the supreme leader, who is chosen by a clerical panel and has the ultimate say over all matters of state.
• Although considered a moderate by Iranian standards, Mr. Rouhani was nonetheless the favourite pick for those seeking more liberal reforms in the conservative Islamic Republic.
• One of the first world leaders to congratulate Mr. Rouhani was Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose government is backed by Tehran.
• Iran’s President oversees a vast state bureaucracy employing more than 2 million people, is charged with naming Cabinet members and other officials to key posts, and plays a significant role in shaping both domestic and foreign policy.

Japan approved a one-off Bill allowing ageing Emperor Akihito to step down

• The Japanese government approved a one-off Bill allowing ageing Emperor Akihito to step down from the Chrysanthemum Throne, in the first such abdication in two centuries.
• The Bill will now be sent to Parliament for debate and likely receive swift final approval, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Cabinet signed off on the legislation.
• Abdication must take place within three years of the Bill becoming law.
• Earlier this year reports suggested that 83-year-old Akihito could step down at the end of December 2018 and be replaced by Crown Prince Naruhito on January 1, 2019.
• Reports of his desire to retire surprised Japan when they emerged last July. In August he publicly cited age and declining health, which was interpreted as his wish to hand the crown to his eldest son.
• But current Japanese law has no provision for abdication, thus requiring politicians to craft legislation to make it possible.
• The status of the Emperor is highly sensitive in Japan given its 20th century history of war waged in the name of Akihito’s father Hirohito, who died in 1989.
• Revered as a demigod before and during the conflict, Hirohito was reduced to a mere figurehead as part of postwar reforms.
• Akihito has won plaudits for seizing upon the constitutionally-prescribed role of national symbol and there is wide sympathy for his wish to retire.

China reinvoked doctrine of Panchsheel to remove India’s concern

• China re-invoked the doctrine of Panchsheel — or the five principles of peaceful co-existence — as the template for addressing India’s concerns over the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Belt and Road Initiative.
• India had decided to skip the summit hosted by China on grounds that the economic corridor infringed New Delhi’s sovereignty as it passed through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
• Ms. Hua stressed that “we would like to follow the five principles of coexistence in developing friendly relations with other countries, including our efforts in promoting regional connectivity”.
• Ms. Hua reiterated that the CPEC did not contradict the “five principles” as China has not changed its original position on the territorial status of Kashmir.
• Regarding the status of Kashmir, she reiterated that “as we said before, it is an issue between India and Pakistan and the Belt and Road Initiative will not change China’s position on the Kashmir issue”.
• In his keynote address at the summit, President Xi highlighted that China “will enhance friendship and cooperation with all countries in the world on the Belt and Road Initiative.
• Panchsheel lists mutual respect for each other’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, mutual non-aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality and mutual benefit and peaceful co-existence, as the touchstones for international conduct.

Relations between China and Japan improved through Belt and Road forum

• The recently concluded Belt and Road Forum in Beijing has triggered a cycle of diplomacy between China and Japan, which could yield a summit between Chinese President Xi and Japanese PM, as well as Tokyo’s participation in the AIIB.
• Japan reported that China’s top diplomat, Yang Jiechi, is heading for Tokyo next month to lay the groundwork for a possible summit between the two leaders. Mr. Abe said he hoped to meet Mr. Xi on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
• But there are also fresh signals that a dialogue between the two could materialise in their respective capitals. Japan decided to send a delegation, notwithstanding contested sovereignty with China over a set of reefs in the East China Sea.
• The Global Times reported that in his meeting with Mr. Nikai, President Xi said Tokyo is welcome to discuss cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative

Pakistan under fire in its own country for CPEC

• Opposition leaders slammed Pakistan govt after the Dawn daily disclosed the “master plan” of theCPEC, which will link the port city of Gwadar in Balochistan to China’s Xinjiang province via a network of highways and railways.
• Member of Parliament from the Opposition Pakistan Peoples Party, said the government must come clean on the long-term plan for the corridor.
• Dawn reported it had acquired exclusive access to the original document that discloses what the Chinese priorities are in Pakistan for the next decade and a half.
• The master plan, drawn up by the China Development Bank and the National Development Reform Commission of China, states that thousands of acres of agricultural land to be leased out to Chinese enterprises to set up projects in areas ranging from seed varieties to irrigation technology.
• The Pakistani government challenged the report, saying the details were quoted from one of the working papers prepared to be discussed with the Chinese leadership during the recently-held Belt and Road Forum in Beijing.
• The report states that Chinese enterprises will also operate their own farms, processing facilities for fruit and vegetables and grain, while logistics companies will operate a large storage and transportation system for agrarian produce.
• China’s plan is to gradually create a favourable industry image and reputation for Pakistan by relying on domestic demand, states the document.
  In the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces of the CPEC, the focus is on mineral extraction, with potential in chrome ore and gold reserves and diamonds

Chinese investments related to the Belt and Road initiative have totalled $60 billion

• Chinese investments related to the Belt and Road initiative have totalled $60 billion since 2013, and Beijing plans to invest $600 billion to $800 billion in the next five years.
• Chinese investments were expected to touch $120 billion to $130 billion a year over the next five years.
• “This will be a big driving force for a steady recovery in the global economy, and for free trade and investment,” he said. The scrutiny of outbound investments by Chinese regulators will not affect the Belt and Road projects, Mr. Ning said.
• China Development Bank and the Export-Import Bank of China have extended $110 billion in loans for the Belt and Road projects by the end of 2016 and China has signed currency swap deals with the countries along the Belt and Road routes totalling 900 billion yuan.

China wants Dalai Lama to be isolated

• China urged the United States to isolate the Dalai Lama following a meeting in Dharamsala between a U.S. congressional delegation and the Tibetan leader.
• U.S. Congressional delegation, led by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, visited the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala.
• The meeting took place amid signs that warming ties between Washington and Beijing, after Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump met.

Tamil issue to come up during PM’s visit

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Colombo on to participate in the international UN Vesak Day hosted by Sri Lanka.
• During the two-day visit, he will address thousands of upcountry Tamils of the country, shining the spotlight on the 1.6 million-strong community inhabiting the island’s Central and Southern provinces.
• Mr. Modi will speak at a public meeting in Norwood, in the island’s hill country, which is likely to draw tens of thousands of upcountry Tamils, most of them descendants of Indian-origin labourers brought in by the British.
• This is the first time that an Indian Premier will travel to the Central Province, where the country’s famed tea estates are located, to address Sri Lankans of recent Indian origin.
• India has always expressed concern for our Tamil brothers and sisters from the north and east. This visit is only an extension of that to include Tamils from other parts of the island.
• While TPA hopes to revive a 2014 MoU and seek Indian support in housing, education and vocational training, the CWC too wrote to Mr. Modi in April, requesting for assistance in the same areas.
• India is currently building 4,000 houses for estate workers. Mr. Modi will inaugurate a hospital in the area built with Indian assistance.
• For the first time, Sri Lanka is hosting an international conference and celebrations around UN Vesak Day. Nearly 750 people from 85 countries will participate in the event.

Donald Trump has approved a plan to arm Syrian Kurds

• President Donald Trump has approved a plan to arm Syrian Kurds so they can participate in the battle to retake Raqqa from the Islamic State, a strategy that has drawn deep opposition from Turkey, a NATO ally.
• U.S. military commanders have long argued that arming the YPG, a Kurdish militia fighting alongside Syrian Arab forces against the Islamic State, is the fastest way to seize Raqqa, the capital of the militants’ self-proclaimed caliphate.
• And Mr. Trump, who made fighting Islamist militants a priority during his campaign, again showed the high regard he has for Pentagon generals by endorsing their advice when faced with a policy dilemma.
• Turkey has objected vociferously to such a move, raising fears of a backlash that could prompt the Turks to curtail their cooperation with Washington in the struggle against the Islamic State.
• The President’s decision also comes as his top advisers recommended sending 3,000 to 5,000 more U.S. troops to try to break a stalemate in another hot spot — the 15-year war in Afghanistan.
• The Turkish governmentconsiders the Kurdish force to be terrorists.

Modi to visit Sri Lanka on UN Vesak day

• Modi arrives in Sri Lanka, and will inaugurate the UN Vesak Day celebrations in Colombo, being held to mark Buddha Poornima.
• He would go to the Central Province, which is home to thousands of upcountry Tamils, descendants of Indian-origin tea estate workers brought down to Sri Lanka by the British.
• Apart from inaugurating an India-funded hospital facility nearby, Mr. Modi will address a public meeting in the estates, in which President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe are expected to participate.
• Wasps are commonly found insects in tropical Sri Lanka and are known to have a formidable sting. Wasp attacks are often reported in the island’s tea estates, where workers are most vulnerable.

Despite Macron’s win EU still faces challenges

• France’s choice of pro-EU Emmanuel Macron over eurosceptic Marine Le Pen has sparked euphoria in Brussels, but analysts warn his ambitions for profound change in the European Union will prove challenging.
• Praise for Mr. Macron poured in from Brussels, with top EU officials hailing his win as a much needed check to a populist wave that delivered Brexit and the election of Donald Trump in U.S.
• Despite widespread doubts, analysts agreed that the sheer scale of his victory gave one of the EU’s most powerful member States a small window to change the bloc.
• The first and crucial step will be to get Germany, the bloc's most powerful member, onside. To do that, Macron is banking on delivering to Germany what it has always wanted from France: meaningful pro-market reforms.
• But Mr. Macron's willingness to placate Germany has led critics at home to portray him as the puppet of Chancellor Angela Merkel.
• Mr. Macron will get his first taste of the challenges ahead when the European Commission delivers it economic forecasts for EU states

Obama’s flagship program ,Obamacare, could be dismantled

• Protections available to older, poorer and sicker Americans under the country’s existing healthcare system could be curtailed if a bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives is approved by the Senate.
• The Republicans who control the White House and both chambers of legislature celebrated the passage of the bill as they moved a step closer to dismantling the existing Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.
• As the Republican leadership conceded more and more demands by extreme conservative lawmakers, the bill in its current version makes health insurance costlier for older and sicker people, while restricting the scope and reach of the state-run Medicaid programme for the poor.
• Republicans have a 52-48 majority in the Senate, and several Senators have said they would not support the bill in its current form. The bill had a narrow victory in the House, 217-213, even as 20 moderate Republicans voted against it.
• The bill as passed by the House moves in the opposite direction, but Mr. Trump presented it differently. Flanked by Republican members of the House, the President said he was “confident” the Senate would also vote to repeal Obamacare.
• Mr. Trump has earlier been a supporter of a universal health care system modelled after Australia and Canada, but has never put out any detailed plans.
• As President, he has moved along with the Republican legislative leadership that is ideologically against subsidies.
• If the new proposals become law, the younger and richer cohorts will gain as they would not be cross-subsidising others.
• The proposals could, however, exclude 24 million people from insurance coverage over the next decade, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated. Taxes on richer segments that supported part of the subsidies in Obamacare have been removed

Deal signed for creating safe zones in Syria

• Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey signed a memorandum on a Moscow-backed plan to create safe zones in Syria to bolster a fragile truce.
• An AFP reporter at peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana saw the heads of the delegations, representing the three countries sponsoring the negotiations, sign the document.
• However, a member of the rebel delegation left the room, shouting against regime ally Iran. The Syrian government and rebel delegations are not signatories.
• The Kremlin has been touting a plan to create safe zones in Syria that is aimed to “further pacification and cessation of hostilities”.
• “As a result the guarantor countries agreed to sign a memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria.”
• The aim is to “put an immediate end to the violence” and “provide the conditions for the safe, voluntary return of refugees” as well as the immediate delivery of relief supplies and medical aid, the document said.
• But issues including which countries could police any safe zones remain unclear. Russian President Vladimir Putin said ways to monitor the zones would be an issue for separate talks.
• Syrian rebels said earlier that they had resumed participation in the talks after having suspended their involvement a day earlier over air strikes against civilians

US says it may impose more sanctions on Venezuela

• The Trump administration is warning that it might impose more sanctions on Venezuelan officials over President Nicolas Maduro’s push to rewrite the Constitution amid an escalating political crisis with near-daily demonstrations calling for his ouster.
• The warning comes as pressure is building on the Trump administration from the U.S. Congress to act more forcefully to rein in Mr. Maduro.
• Bipartisan group of senators said it will introduce legislation providing humanitarian assistance to Venezuela while toughening sanctions against corrupt officials, according to Senate aides who spoke on condition of anonymity.
• The legislation also instructs the intelligence community to prepare a partly unclassified report on Venezuelan government officials’ involvement in corruption and drug trafficking.\
• Two people were killed overnight when the bus they were travelling in flipped when it tried to avoid a barricade set up by protesters, according to opposition activists who live near the accident site in Carabobo state.
• The deaths bring to 32 the number of people who have died in the unrest over the past month.

ASEAN focussed on a regional trade pact

• Steering clear of blaming China for the maritime disputes in the South China Sea, the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) has focussed on a regional trade pact and shoring up economies of some of the lesser developed countries in the grouping.
• A statement issued at the end of the Manila summit took note of the improving cooperation between ASEAN and China. It welcomed the progress to complete a framework of the code of conduct in the South China Sea by mid-2017.
• The code is a non-binding document that urges self-restraint and resolution of disputes through direct negotiations
• The document welcomed the operationalisation of the Guidelines for Hotline Communications among senior officials of the ministries of foreign affairs of ASEAN countries and China in response to maritime emergencies.
• The leaders focused on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations, pointing out that the giant free trade pact will boost global trade.
• The RCEP is a proposed free trade agreement between ASEAN and six other states — Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.
• The document highlighted a commitment to assist Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam to enable them to bolster regional integration.
• The grouping reaffirmed its aspiration to play a bigger role in the global economy and reiterated their full support for the denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula, and for concerned parties to explore all avenues for dialogue.

First U.S. Govt satellite blasted off by Spacex

• SpaceX blasted off a secretive U.S. government satellite, known only as NROL-76, marking the first military launch for the California-based aerospace company.
• The payload for the National Reconnaissance Office, which makes and operates spy satellites for the United States, soared into the sky atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 1115 GMT.
• SpaceX has already made multiple successful landings — some on land and others on floating ocean platforms, known as drone ships.

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