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Current Affairs for IAS Exams - 29 June 2014

Government began planning for the possible evacuation Indians from Iraq

Days after the government began planning for the possible evacuation of 10,000 or more Indians who may be in Iraq, Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj is seeking help from other Gulf countries as well.
Ms. Swaraj along with Minister of State for Overseas Indian Affairs Gen. V.K. Singh chaired a meeting of Indian envoys to six Gulf countries: Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, UAE, Oman, Saudi Arabia to discuss assistance to Indians in Iraq.
Later Ms. Swaraj met Ambassadors of the Gulf states in India, where she requested them to suggest ways to evacuate Indians, especially if the conflict in Iraq worsens.
Meanwhile, the government has stepped up efforts to ensure that all Indians working in Iraq are registered, in case they need to be evacuated at short notice. Camp offices have been set up in Najaf, Karbala and Basra, cities that haven’t seen the spread of violence.

Israel is “ready” to expand its operations in Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned after the air force struck 12 targets overnight following a surge in militant rocket fire.
Speaking to ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting, the Israeli Premier said the almost-nightly military strikes on Gaza could be expanded should the need arise.
Israeli warplanes struck Gaza 12 times overnight, with Palestinian officials saying two people had been lightly injured.

Nepal President Dr. Ram Baran Yadav presented the government’s programmes and policies for the fiscal year 2014-15 in the Parliament.
Dr. Yadav emphasised the importance of promulgating the Constitution in time through consensus. The coalition government’s road map also talks about adopting zero tolerance to corruption. On foreign aid, the government aims to channelise it into the national system and mobilise in areas of national priority.
The road map reiterates the government’s commitment to form the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission on Investigation of Disappeared Persons as per the Interim Constitution. Legislation passed by the Parliament on formation of these two transitional justice bodies faces challenge in the Supreme Court.

Ahead of Monday’s trade talks in Beijing — the first at the ministerial-level between the new government in New Delhi and China — Commerce and Industry Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has said the Narendra Modi government would underline its intent to create a more open investment environment for foreign firms — from China and elsewhere — starting with a landmark agreement to set up at least four Chinese industrial parks in India.
Ms. Sitharaman and her counterpart Gao Hucheng will sign an MoU that will for the first time establish a formal framework for Chinese companies to invest in dedicated industrial parks.

China has invited India to participate in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) — Beijing’s brainchild to steer development along the ancient “silk route” free from the influence of western-backed lenders such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
China had sought India’s participation during the visit to New Delhi by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi soon after the Modi government assumed office. “It is clear that the Chinese will not tie the lending from the investment bank to non-economic issues, such as human rights, which western-backed lenders have often leveraged as instruments of political influence and control.
India is yet to make up its mind on Beijing’s offer, though partnership in the bank could, eventually, facilitate New Delhi’s access to infrastructural funding.