CURRENT AFFAIRS 2010

International Current Affairs & Events

• Current Affairs of January 2010
• Current Affairs of February 2010
• Current  Affairs of March 2010
• Current Affairs of April 2010
• Current Affairsof May 2010
• Current Affairs of June 2010
• Current Affairs of July 2010
• Current Affairs of August 2010
• Current Affairs of September 2010
• Current Affairs of October 2010
• Current Affairs of November 2010
• Current Affairs of December 2010

International Current Affairs of January 2010

Commonwealth Speakers’ Conference, 20^th

The 20th Commonwealth Speakers’ Conference was held in New Delhi from January 5, 2010. It was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Describing the growth of regional parties as a challenge for governance and conduct of parliamentary democracy, Mr Manmohan Singh said: “Though the aspirations of smaller parties may often be anchored in narrow considerations, they carry great weight for their constituents. In the end, democracy must respond to everyday concerns of the common man and Parliament should be the forum to address such concerns.” The remark was in obvious reference to the growing influence of sub-regional parties in coalition politics and Parliament.

Presiding officers from 42 Commonwealth nations were present (some in traditional Speaker robes). The Conference discussed, among other things, the Speaker’s role as a mediator and administrator of Parliament and use of technology in disseminating information on Parliamentary proceedings.

The forum also saw India voicing the aspirations of developing nations on climate change.


London Declaration

A one-day international conference on Afghanistan was held on January 27, 2010 in London. Seventy Foreign Ministers and officials of international organisations attended the convention at the 185-year-old Lancaster House.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, hosting the conference with Afghan President Hamid Karzai and UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, announced in his opening address the establishment of a $500 million 'trust fund' to buy "peace and integration" with warriors who are engaged in violence for economic rather than ideological reasons. A whopping $140 million has been pledged already for 2010.

During his pre-conference discussion with the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, External Affairs Minister of India, S.M. Krishna, specifically said, “there should be no distinction between a good Taliban and a bad Taliban.” But this clearly fell on deaf ears. The participants rejected India's argument that there were no degrees of Talibanism.

It was also unclear whether remnants of Afghanistan's Northern Alliance, once cultivated by India, would be accommodated in any way. There was also no reference to the erstwhile Foreign Minister, Abdullah Abdullah, who put up a spirited fight in the first round of the recent controversial Presidential election and exposed fraud before withdrawing from the contest.

Pakistan supports a differentiation between Taliban segments, including being generally soft towards the Afghan Taliban, which was sponsored by the Pakistani Army's Inter-Services Intelligence.

As a goodwill gesture, the conference was preceded by a lifting of United Nations sanctions on five leaders of the obscurantist Taliban regime, which was ousted by armed forces led by the United States after the 9/11 attack on New York by the Afghanistan-based Al Qaida. Among the beneficiaries is a former foreign minister Wakil Ahmad Muttawakil.

In keeping with United States President Barack Obama's plan to start withdrawing American troops in a little over 18 months, Brown also declared that to fill the breach the strength of the Afghan army would be increased to 134,000 by October 2010 and to 171,600 by October 2011. Corresponding enlargements would also occur in respect of the Afghan police. The template for Afghanistan is similar to the one utilised in Iraq.

The Taliban central leadership rejected the London declaration on Afghanistan while several top Pakistani leaders said they support dialogue with the Taliban to end the conflict.

The statement by the Leadership Council of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan issued in Pashto said: “The US and its allies should have freed all prisoners from jails in Guantanamo Bay, Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere, removed the names of all Taliban members from the UN ‘blacklist’ and refrained from sending more troops if they really meant to take the proper steps for ending the Afghan conflict.”

The statement argued that the ‘Mujahideen’ were not fighting for money or to grab power. Describing as baseless that most Taliban fighters were not ideologically committed, it claimed that nobody compelled the ‘Mujahideen’ to take up arms and fight the invaders.

Accusing President Obama and Prime Minister Brown of trying to deceive their people by organising conferences on Afghanistan like the one in London to win public support for a failed war, the statement reminded that such conferences did not work in the past and would not succeed this time as well.
Arguing that the only solution of the conflict was the withdrawal of foreign forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban statement also tried to reassure the West and rest of the world about their future plans in case they returned to power.

Rajapaksa re-elected President

On January 27, 2010, Mahinda Rajapska emerged victorious in the bitterly-fought first post-LTTE era Presidential elections. He won fighting against former army chief Sarath Fonseka, securing nearly 60 per cent of the total votes polled.

On 59-year-old Fonseka's charges of poll rigging, the sources said it was "absolutely untrue" and pointed out that even former Prime Minister and opposition UNP chief Ranil Wicremasinghe had given a clean chit on the issue.

Biodiversity protocol divides rich and developing world

An international protocol on biodiversity has become the new bone of contention between the developed and developing countries. The rich countries are opposing an international legal framework for use ofbiological resources.

The agreement will deal with the issue of bio-piracy, which is a cause of concern for countries like India. Negotiations are on to finalize the protocol that is expected to be adopted at Nagoya, Japan, in October 2010.

India and other developing countries are pushing for a protocol on access and benefit sharing (ABS). Bio-piracy is an important issue for India, which is keen on the adoption of the Nagoya Protocol.

The Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, is the first comprehensive global agreement addressing all aspects of biodiversity. The convention reaffirms sovereign rights of nations over their biological resources. It has three main goals — the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and fair and equitable sharing of the benefits from the use of genetic resources.

While an international legal framework appears to be a distant possibility, India has been taking steps at the national and bilateral level to protect its biodiversity. Besides the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the national Biodiversity Authority, India has also put in place a traditional knowledge database — the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL). Managed by the CSIR, TKDL is a computerised database of documented information available in Indian texts, relating to Indian systems of medicine. Over 10 years, more than 2 lakh formulations of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Yoga have been documented under the TKDL.

Natural disasters not linked to global warming

The United Nations climate science panel, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), faces a new controversy for wrongly linking global warming to a rise in natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods. It based the claims on an unpublished report that had not been subjected to routine scientific scrutiny and ignored warnings from scientific advisers. The report's author later withdrew the claim because the evidence was too weak.

The link was central to demands at Copenhagen climate summit by African nations for compensation of $100 billion from the rich nations blamed for creating the most emissions. According to The Sunday Times the IPCC knew in 2008 that the link could not be proved but did not alert world leaders.

The latest criticism came less than a week after IPCC was forced to retract claims that the Himalayan glaciers would be largely melted by 2035. It turned out the claim had been lifted from a news report published in 1999 by New Scientist magazine.

Two scientific reviewers who checked drafts of the IPCC report urged greater caution in proposing a link between climate change and disaster impacts, but were ignored.

The paper at the centre of the latest questions was written in 2006 by Robert Muir-Wood, head of research at Risk Management Solutions, a London consultancy, who became a contributing author on the IPCC report on climate change impacts. In the research, Muir-Wood looked at a wide range of hazards, including tropical cyclones, floods and hurricanes. He found from 1950 to 2005 there was no increase in the impact of disasters once growth was accounted for. For 1970 to 2005 he found a 2% annual increase that "corresponded with a period of rising global temperatures," but said almost all of it was due to strong hurricane seasons in 2004 and 2005. Despite such caveats, the IPCC report used the study in its section on disasters and hazards, but cited only the 1970-2005 results.

Google, China face-off over Internet

On January 13, 2010, Google threatened to shut down its operations in China after uncovering “highly sophisticated” hacking attempts into e-mail accounts of Chinese human rights activists.

“These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered, combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web, have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China,” David Drummond, senior V-P of corporate development and chief legal officer, said in a blog post.

“We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all,” he said.

Evidence indicated that the attackers were trying to get access to mail accounts of Chinese human rights activists, according to Drummond. At least 20 other large companies, including finance, Internet, media and technology were similarly attacked, according to Google.

Taliban attack on match in tribal Pakistan

A northwest Pakistani village that tried to resist Taliban infiltration mourned on January 2, 2010 the victims of an apparent revenge suicide bombing that killed 96 residents during a volleyball game. The attack on the outskirts of Lakki Marwat city was one of the deadliest in recent Pakistani history and sent a bloody New Year’s message to Pakistanis who dare take on the armed Islamic extremists.

Lakki Marwat district is near South Waziristan, a tribal region where the army has been battling the Pakistani Taliban since October 2009.

Across Pakistan’s north-west, where the police force is thin, underpaid and under-equipped, various tribes have taken security into their own hands over the past two years by setting up citizen militias to fend off the Taliban. The government has encouraged such “lashkars”, and in some areas they have proven to be a key to reducing militant activity. Still, tribal leaders who face off with the militants do so at high personal risk. Several suicide attacks have targeted meetings of anti-Taliban elders, and militants also often go after individuals. One reason militancy has spread in Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal belt is because insurgents have slain dozens of tribal elders and filled a power vacuum.

Af-Pak strategy unveiled

In a candid assessment of the fragile relationship of USA with Pakistan, a US State department policy paper has admitted that there is a degree of mistrust between Washington and Islamabad, but democratic rule in Pakistan has created a window of opportunity. The report makes a point of noting that while the US military presence in the region is not open-ended, its non-military commitment would be a long-term one.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled the Obama administration's strategy to stabilise Pakistan and Afghanistan, noting that the challenge in both countries is immense.

US officials have expressed concern over Pakistan's selective war on extremists within its borders, noting the Pakistani army's offensive ignores deadly terrorist groups such as the Haqqani network, responsible for attacks against US troops in Afghanistan.

The State department report outlines US objectives in Pakistan and Afghanistan. "While our combat mission in Afghanistan is not open-ended, we will remain politically, diplomatically and economically engaged in Afghanistan and Pakistan for the long-term to protect our enduring interests in the region," it says. On Pakistan, it lays out the intention of USA to lead the international community in helping Pakistan overcome the political, economic and security challenges that threaten its stability, and in turn undermine regional stability. "And we seek to build a long-term partnership with Pakistan based on common interests, including a recognition that we cannot tolerate, a safe haven for terrorists whose location is known and whose intentions are clear," it added.

"Achieving progress will require continued sacrifice not only by our military personnel, but also by more than the 1,500 US government civilians serving in Afghanistan and Pakistan," Clinton said, pointing out that for the first time since this conflict began, the US has a true whole-of-government approach. She said the Obama administration's policy, rather than being an exercise in nation-building, was aimed to achieve realistic progress in critical areas, and that Afghan and Pakistani governments had endorsed this strategy.

Asia free-trade zone

On January 1, 2010, China and 10 South-east Asian nations ushered in the world’s third-largest free-trade area. While many industries are eager for tariffs to fall on things as diverse as textiles, rubber, vegetable oils and steel, a few are nervously waiting to see whether the agreement will mean boom or bust for their businesses.

Trade between China and the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, also known as ASEAN, has soared to $192.5 billion in 2008, from $59.6 billion in 2003. The new free-trade zone, which will remove tariffs on 90% of traded goods, is expected to increase that commerce still more.

The zone ranks behind only the European Economic Area and the North American Free Trade Area (NAFTA) in volume. It encompasses 1.9 billion people. The free-trade area is expected to help ASEAN countries increase exports, particularly those with commodities that resource-hungry China desperately wants.

The China-ASEAN free trade area has faced less vocal opposition than the European and North American zones, perhaps because tariffs were already low and because it was unlikely to alter commerce patterns radically. However, some manufacturers in Southeast Asia are concerned that cheap Chinese goods may flood their markets, once import taxes are removed, making it more difficult for them to retain or increase local market shares.

International Current Affairs of February 2010

Chile hit by 8.8 magnitude earthquake

On February 27, 2010, more than two million people were affected in some way and more than 300 people were killed as an 8.8-magnitude earthquake hit coastal Chile. Santiago, capital of Chile, is 200 325 km northeast of the epicentre.
    The quake was 700 to 800 times stronger, but at a greater depth—35 km—compared to the shallow 14 km depth of the Haiti quake, which contributed towards much of the damage there.

Coastal Chile has a history of deadly earthquakes, with 13 quakes of magnitude 7.0 or higher since 1973. As a result, experts said that newer buildings are constructed to help withstand the shocks. Still, the damage from Chile's earthquake was widespread. A 15-story high rise near the southern city of Concepción collapsed; the country's major north-south highway was severed at multiple points; and the capital city's airport was closed after its terminal sustained major damage.
    The epicentre was just a few kilometres north of the largest earthquake recorded in the world: a magnitude 9.5 quake in May 1960 that killed 1,655 and unleashed a tsunami that crossed the Pacific.

US Fed signals end to emergency liquidity

On February 20, 2010, the US Federal Reserve Board sent its most explicit signal yet that the emergency supply of liquidity to financial markets is done and the most aggressive monetary policy easing in its 96-year history will eventually reverse. Chairman Ben S Bernanke and his colleagues at the Board of Governors raised the rate charged to banks for direct loans by a quarter-point to 0.75 per cent. It was the first increase in the discount rate since June 2006.

The Fed portrayed the decision as a “normalization” of lending that would have no impact on monetary policy. The assurances didn’t stop investors from increasing bets that the Fed would tighten policy in the fourth quarter. The dollar rose and US stock futures fell after the announcement.
    US central bankers closed four emergency lending facilities in February 2010 and are preparing to reverse or neutralize the more than $1 trillion in excess bank reserves they have pumped into the banking system. The discount-rate increase will encourage banks to borrow in private markets rather than from the Fed. In any case, financial institutions have reduced their reliance on the Fed window. Banks had borrowed $14.1 billion as of February 17, 2010, representing less than 1 per cent of the central bank’s $2.28 trillion in total assets. A year ago, borrowing stood at $65.1 billion.

Greek debt crisis tests euro zone

The euro, the single currency that 16 EU (European Union) countries share, is usually highlighted as one of the main achievements of the European project; a rare example of “success” in what has increasingly become a beleaguered tale of EU infighting and lack of vision. But, a threatening debt crisis, with Greece as the main offender, has put the euro-zone to test like never before in its 11-year-long history. February 2010 saw the euro coming in for a pummelling, sending ripple across global markets.

However, it is the political crisis that is posing a question mark before the very future of the EU. The result is a monetary union that features a common currency without a matching fiscal or political union. Thus, although the European Central Bank sets interest rates for the euro-zone, it does so in a vacuum, with constituent governments retaining control over fiscal and economic policy.

The large disparities between euro-zone nations have been thrown into sharp relief by the global economic crisis. On the one hand, you have the unflatteringly named PIGS (Portugal, Ireland, Greece and Spain), all of whom are finding accruing debt increasingly expensive, leading to the spectre of State bankruptcy. The worst of the lot is Greece. Its economy shrank by 1.2 per cent in 2009. Having been found out to be cooking its books for years, Greece’s public debt is expected to break 120 per cent of output.

The poor economic condition of the PIGS, in particular Greece, has thrown up a conundrum for the large, surplus economies of the euro-zone like France, Germany and the Netherlands.

There are three options on the table, none of which are finding immediate takers. The first is to issue a common euro-zone bond, which would be placed at Greece’s disposal. But countries with good credit, like Germany, are opposed to the idea because of the higher interest rates that would result.

An alternative is giving bilateral financial aid with economically healthy countries in the euro-zone taking out loans on the financial market at good rates and passing these on to Greece.

The final option is an old-style IMF bailout, perhaps the most sensible of the choices. But, for the IMF to come to Greece’s rescue would be a slap in the face of EU, implying that it cannot take care of its own house and requires an institution that has always been sceptical of the euro to act as saviour.

Basic Capabilities Index 2009

The Basic Capabilities Index (BCI), 2009, has found that South Asia will get 80 points on the index by 2015, 10 points higher than the present value of 70. India received 68 points in the index, an increase of meagre four points since 2004.

The global NGO Social Watch’s index of 130 countries says 100 points defines well-being of the citizens based on children getting education till primary level, child mortality rate and percentage of births attended by skilled labourers. The BCI does not use income as an indicator.

According to the index, South Asia, a region with worst BCI in 2004, has been making fast progress, but the situation is still “extremely critical”.  Since 2004, the report said, one-third of the countries failed to raise their BCI value by more than one per cent and only one out of six countries showed significant progress.

The index also tells about the increasing gap in living standards of rich and poor in the world. The highest BCI is 97 of Iran and lowest is 44 of Chad in Africa, followed by Afghanistan, Ethopia, Bangladesh and Nepal.

Japan still world’s second largest economy

Retaining its position as the world's second largest economy, the Japanese economy grew at a faster-than-expected pace of 1.1 per cent in the last three months of 2009.

China, the fastest-growing large economy, clocked a growth of 10.7 per cent in the December 2009 quarter, bringing it at a sniffing distance to surpass Japan as the second largest economy in the world.

Japan’s economy, which is primarily exports-driven, rose 1.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2009. On an annual basis, GDP expanded a much higher pace at 4.6 per cent. For the whole of 2009, the Japanese economy shrank 5 per cent and is valued at 474.92 trillion yen (about $5.1 trillion). The better-than-expected Japanese growth in the December 2009 quarter was mainly driven by better exports and effects of stimulus measures. To bolster the recession-hit economy, Japan had unveiled stimulus measures worth over $130 billion.

Iranian President declares Iran a nuclear State

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared on February 11, 2010, that Iran had produced its first batch of 20 per cent enriched uranium, amidst a growing view in the West that Tehran is bluffing.

“Iran was now a nuclear State,” Ahmadinejad told a huge rally of supporters on the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution. Experts say that once Iran can enrich uranium to 20 per cent it should move relatively quickly toward 90 per cent purification, weapons-grade fuel.

Former U.S. officials and independent nuclear experts say continued technical problems could delay—though probably not halt—Iran’s march towards achieving nuclear-weapons capability, giving the US and its allies more time to press for a diplomatic solution.

While Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful, Western nations suspect that the country is intent on developing an atomic bomb.

International Current Affairs of March 2010

Law on healthcare passed

On March 23, 2010, US President Barack Obama signed into law the landmark Health Care Bill that introduces sweeping reforms in the USA’s healthcare system, capping a historic legislative victory that had eluded several of his predecessors. It will take four years to implement fully many of the reforms.

Obama said that henceforth insurance companies will no longer be able to drop people's coverage, when they get sick or they won't be able to place lifetime limits or restrictive annual limits on the amount of care they can receive.

The President said once this reform is implemented, health insurance exchanges will be created, a competitive marketplace, where uninsured people and small businesses will finally be able to purchase affordable quality insurance.

Obama said this legislation will also lower costs for families and for businesses and for the federal government, reducing deficit by over $1 trillion in the next two decades.


IMF paints grim picture of fiscal tightening needs

Developed countries with big budget deficits must start now to prepare public opinion for the belt-tightening that will be needed starting 2011, says John Lipsky, the International Monetary Fund’s first deputy managing director. He added that the scale of the adjustment required was so vast that it would have to come through less-generous health and pension benefits, spending cuts and increased tax revenues.

Policy-makers should already be making it clear to their citizens why a return to prudent policies is a necessary condition for sustained economic health, Lipsky said.

The IMF estimates that, by raising real interest rates, maintaining public debt at its post-crisis levels could reduce potential growth in advanced economies by as much as half a percentage point annually.

Second, fiscal institutions must be strengthened to withstand adjustment fatigue. Options include reinforcing fiscal responsibility legislation and improving tax collection.

Third, entitlement reforms such as increases in the retirement age would have favourable long-term fiscal effects but do little near-term damage to aggregate demand.


RBI to buy IMF notes worth $10 bn

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has signed an agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to purchase notes worth up to $10 billion to improve the ability of the international lender to provide timely and effective balance-of-payment assistance to member countries. IMF will issue the notes in the special drawing rights (SDR)-denominated form. The pact is a temporary bilateral arrangement for one year, which might be extended to two years.

The pact is part of the international effort to support IMF’s lending capacity following the decision of the Group of 20 nations at its London Summit (held in April 2009) to treble IMF’s resources to $750 billion.

Generally, IMF will give a five-day notice to RBI about its intention to issues notes, including the amount. It will restrict issuance to a principal amount not exceeding SDR 500 million in any calendar week.

At the beginning of each quarter, IMF will also provide estimates for the amount for which notes will be issued during a three-month period.

Permanent increases in IMF’s resources are expected to take place through an increase in quotas and standing borrowing arrangements currently under negotiation.


India and China Okay Copenhagen Pact

On March 9, 2010, India and China formally backed the Climate Change Accord hammered out in Copenhagen in 2009, calling for voluntary cut in greenhouse gas emissions. Both the countries submitted official letters to the UN Climate Change Secretariat saying that they agreed to being listed in the preamble of the Accord, subject to certain conditions.

India made it clear, however, that the accord is a political document and not a legally binding one.


Google leaves China

Late on March 23, 2010 night, the Internet giant Google shut its Chinese website and shifted its search engine services to uncensored Hong Kong after two months of confrontation with Beijing over censorship and alleged hacking attacks. But those re-routed to Hong Kong still couldn’t access sensitive websites as these were blocked by Chinese filters.

Google’s bold censure of the business environment in the world’s number three economy—and the biggest online market of 384 million netizens— had left the fate of its future China operations in doubt.

Soon after Google’s announcement, Beijing lashed out by calling the action “totally wrong” and saying it “violated the written promise” it made four years ago, when it arrived, promising to self-censor online services as required by Chinese law.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said the exit would not affect Sino-US relations unless someone politicised the issue.

China believes its citizens need strict censorship. It blocked YouTube after the Tibet riots in March 2008, fearing the spread of mass unrest through the Internet. Facebook and Twitter were blocked after the Xinjiang riots in July 2009.


US President Obama’s visit to Afghanistan

On March 28, 2010 US President Barak Obama sneaked into Afghanistan under the cover of darkness, to avoid being targeted by militants. This was his first visit to the country since taking office. For security reasons, the trip was cloaked in secrecy.

Obama met Afghan President Karzai in the palace’s outdoor grounds and stood under a pavilion for a brief welcoming ceremony. The President spent roughly six hours in the country.
During their meeting the Afghan leader was invited to the White House on May 12, 2010. Mr Obama also tackled Mr Karzai on his failure to make any meaningful reforms since he narrowly won a second term in fraud-ridden polls in 2009.

Mr Karzai made grandiose promises in his inauguration speech but so far he has failed to deliver. At the time, US officials said he had six months to reform or risk losing American support.

Mr Obama also addressed 2,500 US troops at Bagram air force base, nine miles from Kabul. He praised them for their courage, sacrifice and focus, and warned of tough days ahead.


US, Russia seal N-arms cut deal

US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sealed a landmark arms-control treaty on March 28, 2010 to slash their countries’ nuclear arsenals by a third.

After months of deadlock and delay, a breakthrough deal on a replacement for the Cold War-era START pact marked Obama’s most significant foreign policy achievement since taking office and also bolsters his effort to “reset” ties with Moscow.

Russia made clear, however, that it reserved the right to suspend any strategic arms cuts if it felt threatened by future US deployment of a proposed Europe-based missile defence system that Moscow bitterly opposes.

The agreement replaces a 1991 pact that expired in December 2009. Each side would have seven years after the treaty takes effect to reduce stockpiles of their most dangerous weapons—those already deployed—to 1,550, from the 2,200 now allowed, and also cut their numbers of launchers to half.


Chechen insurgency re-surfaces in Russia

During the six years since the last suicide bomb attack on the Moscow subway, Muscovites came to think of themselves as insulated from the guerrilla warfare. Terror, however, returned to the heart of Russia on March 30, 2010, with two deadly suicide bombings on the Moscow subway at rush hour, including an attack at the station beneath the headquarters of the secret police. At least 40 people were killed and more than 60 wounded in the blasts.

Russian police had killed several Islamic militant leaders in the North Caucasus recently, which raised fears of retaliatory strikes and escalating bloodshed by the militants. The bombings showed that the beleaguered rebels are still strong enough to inflict harm on an increasingly assertive Russia, and they followed a warning in February 2010 from Chechen rebel leader Doku Umarov that “the war is coming to their cities.”

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who built much of his political capital by directing a fierce war against Chechen separatists a decade ago, promised to track down and kill the organizers of what he called a “disgusting” crime.


Headley pleads guilty to all 12 charges

In a volte-face, Pakistani-American LeT operative David Coleman Headley, accused of plotting the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and conspiring to target a Danish newspaper, has pleaded guilty before a US court. Charged on 12 counts, he admitted guilty in all of them.

Headley (49), who was arrested by FBI's joint terrorism task force on October 3, 2009, told US District Judge Harry Leinenweber that he wanted to change his plea to guilty, in an apparent bid to get a lighter sentence than the maximum death penalty.

Headley, son of a Pakistani diplomat and a Philadelphia socialite, admitted to using his friend Tahawwur Rana's immigration company as a cover for surveillance activities in India and Denmark on behalf of Pakistan-based terrorist groups, including LeT.

Headley admitted guilty in all six counts of conspiracy involving bombing public places in India, murdering and maiming persons in India and providing material support to foreign terrorist plots and LeT; and six counts of aiding and abetting the murder of US citizens in India.

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InternationalCurrent Affairs of April 2010

Interim government formed by Opposition in Kyrgyzstan

Opposition alliance headed by former Foreign Minister Ms Roza Otunbayeva formed an interim government in Kyrgyzstan on April 8, 2010, dissolving Parliament and asked the toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiyev to quit as they shored up global diplomatic support for the new regime. Announcing that they would run the turbulent Central Asian nation for six months, Ms Otunbayeva said the new alliance proposed to hold new elections within this period.

In her first action, Ms Otunbayeva, designated the head of the interim government, said that a US airbase outside the capital Bishkek, which is seen vital to the NATO campaign in nearby Afghanistan would remain open despite the shift in power.
Historic Bill to clip powers of Pakistan’s President

On April 19, 2010, President Zardari signed into law sweeping constitutional reforms relinquishing key powers designed to bolster parliamentary democracy weakened by military rule. The 18th Amendment had earlier been cleared by Pakistan’s Parliament and sent to him for his signature.

The amendment removes the head of State’s power to sack the Prime Minister and dissolve Parliament. It also removes many of the sweeping powers amassed by military dictators Pervez Musharraf and Zia-ul-Haq. The Bill also abolishes a clause barring the election of a Prime Minister for more than two terms. This would allow the Nawaz Sharif, who was toppled by Musharraf in 1999, to become Prime Minister again.

The amendment effectively makes the President of Pakistan a titular head of State who can only formally appoint heads of the armed forces, dissolve the National Assembly and appoint Provincial Governors on the advice of the Prime Minister. The law also takes away the President’s power to appoint and dismiss the heads of the Election Commission and the Public Service Commission.
UPFA returns to power in Sri Lanka

President Mahinda Rajapaksa's UPFA impressively returned to power on April 9, 2010, bagging 117 of 225 seats in the first post-LTTE era Parliamentary polls in Sri Lanka, with its closest rival UNF securing just 46 and detained ex-army chief Sarath Fonseka's DNA failing to touch even a double digit mark.

In Sri Lanka, the general elections directly decide 196 seats while the remaining 29 members are chosen based on the percentage of votes secured by each party.

The UPFA, which campaigned to get a two-third majority in the House, fell short of just six members to get the magic figure which is needed to bring about constitutional changes that the President wants to put in place. These changes include the scaling down of the executive powers vested with the President, as well as a change in the country’s proportional representation (PR) system of elections.
The main opposition United National Party (UNP) saw much of its voter base eroded in the poll, the first since the defeat of the Tamil Tigers, winning only 60 seats, down from the 82 it had won in the 2004 general election.

A third party led by detained former Army Commander Sarath Fonseka won seven seats, including one for the retired general, while the majority of the seats in the north and east were won by the Tamil National Alliance.
Civil strife in Bangkok

Thailand has been sliding to anarchy for the last few months with the capital Bangkok turning out to be a virtual battlefield. The current violence is the culmination of a political strife that has been brewing ever since Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra was overthrown in a military coup in September 2006.

The protests looked like they had ended when Democrat Party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva became the Prime Minister in December 2008. But in March, the pro-Thaksin group launched a new wave of protests to bring down the government.

The tension has escalated in recent months as the protesters laid siege to the capital Bangkok. As security forces launched a crackdown, violence escalated, leaving many dead.

Apart from the pro-Thaksin angle, the protests are also seen as an initiative to bring in more participation for the common people—read rural mass—in government formation.

In the December 2007 elections, held 18 months after the coup, Thaksin's vote bank remained loyal, though he was in exile. His allies came to power but fell following sustained protests by Yellow Shirts and unfavourable court rulings. In March 2009, Thaksin's supporters in red shirts poured into the streets of Bangkok, forming the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship.

Though it was mostly made of the rural poor, students and pro-democracy activists joined them. Claiming that the judiciary was biased against Thaksin, they question the legitimacy and credibility of the current government. What began as innocuous sit-in protests outside government offices quickly turned violent when they stormed the venue for ASEAN summit, forcing its cancellation.

The Yellow Shirts, called the Peoples' Alliance for Democracy, who are bitterly opposed to Thaksin, were behind the street protests that led up to the military coup of September 2006. They were also instrumental in forcing Thaksin's allies out of power in 2008.

If the Red Shirts are mostly rural poor, the Yellow Shirts comprise royalists, businessmen and the urban middle-class. They wear yellow because it is the Thai King's colour. Media-baron Sondhi Limthongkul and General Chamlong Srimuang are seen as the leaders of this outfit. In 2006, as the Yellow Shirts shut down the capital, the army ousted Thaksin.
US, Russia ink pact to cut N-arsenal

On April 8, 2010, the United States and Russia signed a landmark strategic nuclear disarmament treaty. Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev signed the pact at a ceremony in the mediaeval Prague Castle after talks that covered nuclear security, Iran's atomic programme and an uprising in the Central Asian State of Kyrgyzstan, where both major powers have military bases.

The treaty will cut strategic nuclear arsenals deployed by the former Cold War foes by 30 per cent within seven years, but leave each with enough to destroy the other.

Obama said the agreement had “ended the drift” in relations between Moscow and Washington and sent a strong signal that the two powers that together possess 90 per cent of all atomic weapons were taking their disarmament obligations seriously.
Icelandic Volcano causes air travel mess in Europe

Europe saw air traffic chaos in April 2010 as a plume of ash from the Icelandic volcano that erupted under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier, made northern Europe a no-fly zone. An estimated 63,000 flights were cancelled, effecting more than five million passengers who were trying to get in and out of major cities of Europe. The eruption of the volcano caused the greatest air travel chaos since the Second World War II.
Goldman Sachs, another US financial behemoth in trouble

Goldman Sachs, the most profitable securities firm in Wall Street history, released more than 70 pages of email and other documents on April 25, 2010, ahead of a US Senate sub-committee hearing on the firm’s actions throughout the mortgage meltdown. The firm disputes the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC’s) claim that Goldman Sachs misled investors in a 2007 collateralised debt obligation (CDO) about the role played by hedge fund Paulson & Co, which bet the CDO would collapse.

SEC has accused Goldman Sachs of “making materially misleading statements and omissions” in connection with a synthetic collateralised debt obligation (CDO)—Abacus—that the firm structured and marketed to investors.

Goldman Sachs is said to have created marketing material about Abacus and invited its clients—investment managers of banks, insurance companies, pension funds, etc—to invest in the CDO. It is said to have given an impression to the investors that the residential mortgage-backed securities that made up the CDO were hand-picked by ACA Management—then seen as a reputable fund manager, looking after dozens of CDOs. Goldman clients invested in the CDO, believing these loans were of good quality.

SEC claims Goldman deliberately hid from its clients John Paulson’s involvement, which was a huge conflict of interest. Since Paulson was looking to short the sub-prime market, he was most likely to have picked the worst possible bonds.

Within a year, 99 per cent of the assets within Abacus were downgraded. Paulson, who was by this time betting against Abacus by buying $15 million worth of credit default swaps (CDS) on Abacus, earned around $1 billion from the trade.
Bonn climate talks

Delegates to the first UN climate talks after Copenhagen met in April 2010 in Bonn and agreed to intensify their negotiations on curbing greenhouse gases before 2010’s decisive ministerial conference in Cancun. As representatives of the 192 countries that are party to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), they had a messy task. In the end, the parties to the UNFCCC merely “noted” the existence of the accord, as some were utterly opposed to it.

The aim of the negotiators was to pick up the broken pieces of the Danish meeting and see what could be salvaged and turned into a proper global agreement at the next UNFCCC conference, in Cancun, Mexico in December 2010.

The United States seems to be the only country that still sees the Copenhagen accord as having a life of its own. Almost all the rest, including countries that have “associated” themselves with the accord have insisted that the UNFCCC remains the only agreed decision-making forum. Hence the discussions in Bonn revolved around which bits of the accord could be brought into the UNFCCC and how.

The Bonn talks were mainly about procedures—for example, which texts to start with, how many meetings to hold before Cancun, whether to mandate the chair to prepare draft text, and so on—but there was also much informal stock-taking about which pieces could be put together by Cancun.

While some countries continued to call for an all-or-nothing approach, most feel that it is more realistic to aim for a number of less ambitious, partial agreements on several elements. These include ways to transfer climate-friendly technologies and funds for adaptation to climate change from rich to poorer countries, as well as a deal that would compensate countries for keeping their forests intact.

This would mean delaying the more difficult decisions on ambitious targets for countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and an overall legally binding agreement to the conference in South Africa at the end of 2011 or beyond.
Over 110 nations back Copenhagen climate deal

More than 110 nations, including top greenhouse gas emitters led by China and the United States, back the non-binding Copenhagen Accord for combating climate change, according to a first formal UN list.

The list, of countries from Albania to Zambia, helped to end weeks of uncertainty about support for the deal, agreed at an acrimonious summit in the Danish capital in December 2009. The list was compiled by the UN Climate Change Secretariat.

The accord, falling short of a binding treaty sought by many nations, sets a goal of limiting global warming to below 2 degrees Celsius. But, it does not spell out what each nation has to do.

It also promises almost $10 billion a year in aid for poor nations from 2010-12, rising to at least $100 billion from 2020, to help them slow emissions growth and cope with impacts such as floods, droughts and rising sea levels. Apart from China and the United States, the list also includes top emitters such as the European Union, Russia, India and Japan.

The accord was merely “noted” by the 194-nation summit after objections by a handful of developing nations, including Venezuela, Nicaragua, Cuba and Sudan. The United Nations then asked all countries to say if they wanted it to be listed. Many big emerging economies were initially reluctant to sign up after the deal failed to gain universal support, even though the original text was worked out by President Barack Obama with leaders of China, India, Brazil and South Africa.

Nations not on the list include many Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries nations such as Saudi Arabia, which fear a loss of oil revenues if the world shifts to renewable energies, and some small island States which fear rising sea levels.
BASIC countries seek environment treaty by 2011

India, China, Brazil and South Africa, jointly called BASIC countries, have said that the legally binding climate treaty on reduction of carbon emission should be finalised latest by 2011 as the “world could not wait indefinitely”.

The third meeting of BASIC ministers concluded in Cape Town April 25, 2010.

The statement also said that the developing countries strongly support international legally-binding agreements, as the lack of such agreements hurts developing countries more than developed nations.

The ministers said that negotiations should follow a two-pronged approach. One track is on long-term cooperative action to combat climate change. The other is for developed countries to commit to what extent they will reduce their greenhouse gas emissions after 2012, when the current commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol runs out.

The next BASIC ministerial meeting will be held at the end of July 2010 in Brazil, followed by one hosted by China at the end of October 2010.
International Conference on Nuclear Disarmament

Iran hosted an international conference on nuclear disarmament on April 17, 2010. Delegates from more than 60 countries, including as many as 25 foreign ministers or deputy foreign ministers, attended the conference, ignoring attempts by the West to dissuade them from attending the meet.

The presence of so many countries came as a pleasant surprise to Iran itself. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said the response to the conference was overwhelming. He said the conference would go a long way in achieving the goal of nuclear disarmament and presenting to the international community the true nature of his country’s nuclear programme.

Even as the US was making a strong pitch for further sanctions against Iran, China and Russia, two permanent members of the UN Security Council, attended the meet. India, another key global player, was also present at the conference, though it was only represented by the Joint Secretary (Disarmament) in the External Affairs Ministry.

Iran showcased the two-day event to demonstrate that its nuclear programme was aimed at meeting its growing energy needs and that it has no military agenda.

Iran moots establishment of independent global group under the UN to plan nuclear disarmament and suspension of membership of the US and others which from the board of governors.

India opposes sanctions against Iran and feels that Tehran should enjoy all rights to develop N-energy for peaceful purposes.
Plot to sell Uranium foiled by Georgia

Georgian security forces have foiled a criminal plot to sell weapons-grade uranium in the black market, the country’s President told a gathering of world leaders on April 13, 2010.

The revelation brought a sense of urgency to the Washington summit on nuclear security, where Barack Obama called on the rest of the world “not simply to talk, but to act” to destroy vulnerable stockpiles of nuclear material, or to safeguard them against theft by terrorists.

Georgian sources said the highly-enriched uranium HEU was intercepted in a sting operation carried out by the Tbilisi authorities in March 2010. They said the uranium was more than 70 per cent enriched and appeared to have been pure enough to use in a crude nuclear weapon.

The amount seized was small, but Georgian officials said the gang was offering the HEU as a sample of a bigger quantity available for purchase.

“The Georgian ministry of interior has foiled eight attempts of illicit trafficking of enriched uranium during the last 10 years, including several cases of weapons-grade enrichment. Criminals associated with these attempts have been detained,” the Georgian President said.
Visit of Chinese President to USA

Chinese President Hu Jintao, during his visit to USA in April 2010, told US President Barack Obama that their two nations should defuse economic strains through negotiations, but neither leader touched on the yuan dispute. Hu also covered the Iran nuclear dispute and China’s demands over Tibet and Taiwan, two areas that recently flared as sore-spots in US-China relations.

The potentially touchy issue of China’s currency, the yuan, did not appear in either country’s public account of the chat. Domestic US political pressure has been building on the Obama administration to label China a “currency manipulator”.

The relationship between Beijing and Washington has been dragged down in recent months by disputes spanning China’s currency and internet controls, US arms sales to the self-ruled island of Taiwan, and Obama’s meeting with exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama.

Both leaders agreed to work hard to ensure positive results at a second round of their Strategic and Economic Dialogue in May.

The United States welcomed Hu’s decision to attend the nuclear security summit, saying it would allow them to address a “shared interest in stopping nuclear proliferation and protecting against nuclear terrorism”.
SAARC Summit, 16^th

The 16th SAARC summit began at Thimpu, Bhutan, on April 28, 2010, with India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and leaders of seven other member nations pledging to combat extremism and terrorism, launch joint initiatives to deal with climate change and boost intra-regional trade.

The Summit ended on April 29, 2010, with leaders adopting the ‘Thimphu statement’ on climate change, signing an agreement on trade in services and expressing their firm resolve to stamp out terrorism from the region. The next summit would be held in the Maldives in 2011.

Facing criticism for the slow pace of development in the region, the SAARC leaders reiterated their commitment to implement the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) in letter and spirit to boost intra-regional economic cooperation for the prosperity of their people. The closing ceremony of the summit was attended by leaders from all the eight SAARC countries—India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Representatives of nine observer countries—Mauritius, South Korea, China, Japan, Iran, the US, the EU, Australia and Myanmar—were also present.

The seven-page ‘Thimphu Silver Jubilee Declaration-Towards a Green and Happy South Asia’’ emphasised the importance of reducing dependence on high-carbon technologies for economic growth and hoped promotion of climate resilience will promote both development and poverty eradication in a sustainable manner.

In line with India’s position, the SAARC countries underlined that global negotiations on climate change should be guided by the principles of equity, and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities as enshrined in the UN framework convention and conducted in an open, transparent and inclusive manner. They also underscored the need to initiate the process to formulate a common SAARC position for the Mexico conference on climate change in December.

The SAARC leaders agreed to establish an inter-governmental expert group to develop clear policy directions for regional cooperation as envisaged in the SAARC Plan of Action on Climate Change. The leaders directed the SAARC Secretary-General to commission a study aimed at accreditation of SAARC with the Kyoto Protocol’s Adaptation Fund as a regional entity for undertaking adaptation projects in South Asia.
IBSA Summit

The 2nd India-Brazil-South Africa (IBSA) Summit was held in Brasilia on April 15, 2010. Speaking at the Summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the grouping of leading developing economies must speak against the protectionist policies, “which are only short-sighted and self-defeating in the long run”. IBSA can contribute to the shaping of the global agenda and highlighting the issues of concern to developing countries, he added.

Underlining that the world must ensure that “we do not repeat the mistakes of the past”, the Prime Minister said for the global economic recovery to be sustainable, it must be anchored in the real economy.

He also underlined the need for the IBSA to coordinate its positions in the G-20 and continue to pursue the early conclusion of the Doha round of trade negotiations “because a fair and rule-based multilateral trading system is in our interest”.
Nuclear Security Summit

World leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, attending the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington D.C., on April 12, 2010, set a stiff four-year target to secure all vulnerable nuclear material in the world to prevent terrorists from laying their hands on any of them.

In a communiqué issued at the end of the summit, the leaders emphatically stated: “Nuclear terrorism is one of the most challenging threats to international security” and agreed that “strong nuclear security measures are the most effective means to prevent terrorists, criminals or other unauthorised actors from acquiring nuclear material.” Another summit would be held in 2012 in South Korea to review the progress.

At a press conference after the summit, US President Barack Obama, under whose initiative the summit was convened, acknowledged that the task was tough but had to be done. Obama said: “This is an ambitious goal, and we are under no illusions that it will be easy. But the urgency of the threat, and the catastrophic consequences of even a single act of nuclear terrorism, demand an effort that is at once bold and pragmatic. And this is a goal that can be achieved.”

Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh said he was satisfied with the outcome of the summit and that it had endorsed what India had been pressing for at various international forms in the past several years.

The summit also recognised that even as nations fulfil their national responsibilities these could not addressed by countries working in isolation. What was needed was a sustained, effective programme of international cooperation. The leaders agreed that at the international level the need was for compliance with existing key conventions and initiatives.

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International Current Affairs of May 2010

Hung House in Britain after 36 years

On May 7, 2010, Britain woke up to a hung Parliament, an election outcome that this country last experienced in 1974 when the then Prime Minister Edward Heath tried and failed to persuade the Liberal Party to join him in a coalition.

The Conservatives under David Cameron emerged as the single largest party with 306 seats in the 650-member House of Commons, while Labour bagged 258 and Lib Dems 57.

Eight NRIs won elections, four each from the Labour Party and the Conservatives. Likewise four Pakistani-origin MPs, Sadik Khan, Khalid Mahmood, Anas Sarwar and a woman lawyer Shabana Mahmood, were successful on behalf of the Labour Party.

The LibDems play an extremely important role in the formation of the next government, although they have not been able to attract as many votes as they hoped for. They were expecting to win more than 100 seats, but they had to be satisfied with less than 60. However, despite the poor show, they still hold the trump card and are destined to play the role of king-makers.

On May 11, Conservative leader David Cameron (43), who favours a ‘new special relationship’ with India, took charge as Britain’s youngest Prime Minister in nearly 200 years, heading a coalition with the support of centrist LibDems, and vowed to put aside party differences and provide a strong and decisive government. He made Liberal Democrats leader Nick Clegg Deputy Prime Minister.


EU steps to halt economic crisis

On May 10, 2010, European policy makers unveiled an unprecedented loan package worth almost $1 trillion and a program of bond purchases to stop a sovereign-debt crisis that threatened to shatter confidence in the euro. Following the announcement, stocks surged around the world, the Euro strengthened and commodities rallied.

The 16 Euro nations agreed in a statement to offer as much as 750 billion Euro ($962 billion), including International Monetary Fund backing, to countries facing instability and the European Central Bank said it will buy government and private debt. The rescue package for Europe’s sovereign debtors came little more than a year after the waning of the last crisis, caused by the US mortgage-market collapse, which wreaked $1.8 trillion of global credit losses and write-downs. Under US and Asian pressure to stabilise markets, Europe’s governments bet their show of force would prevent a sovereign-debt collapse and muffled speculation the 11-year-old Euro might break apart.

The new war chest would be used for countries like Portugal or Spain in case their finances buckle. Deficits are set to reach 8.5 percent of gross domestic product in Portugal and 9.8 percent in Spain in 2010, above the Euro region’s 3 percent limit. Both countries pledged “significant” additional budget cuts in 2010 and 2011.

The vow to push budget shortfalls below the Euro's 3 percent limit echoes promises that have been regularly broken ever since governments in 1999 set a three-year deadline for achieving balanced budgets. The Euro region’s overall deficit is forecast at 6.6 percent of gross domestic product in 2010 and 6.1 percent in 2011.

Britain, the EU’s third-largest economy, won’t contribute to a Euro rescue fund, though it backs efforts to restore stability.


Now Spain struggles

Spain’s socialist government is seeing its political power erode as it struggles to chart a path out of deep financial trouble, failing so far to satisfy conflicting demands to cut its budget and stimulate job creation.

The coming months could bring far more problems as Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero reforms the country’s labour market, risking national strikes and the loss of support from trade unions, a core source of his centre-left party’s strength.

Zapatero’s minority government is already running into serious trouble, although there appears to be no immediate threat of it falling.

A package of austerity measures was passed by only one vote in the Parliament’s lower chamber on May 27, 2010. Opposition parties have called for new elections.
 
The austerity package aims to cut spending by Euro 15 billion ($18.4 billion) over two years by freezing pensions and cutting civil servants’ wages.

But investors and lenders such as the International Monetary Fund are demanding that Spain reform its labour market, overhauling hiring and firing rules and moving to find jobs for the long-term unemployed and the young.

Europe’s top job creator only two years ago, Spain now has the highest unemployment rate—just over 20 per cent—of the 16 nations that share the Euro currency.

The resulting austerity package, nicknamed the “scissors action” by Spanish media, was welcomed by the European Union and the IMF, which said Spain’s “ambitious fiscal consolidation is under way to reach the three percent GDP deficit target by 2013”.


US asks Pak, China to follow NSG rule

The US administration has said that civil nuclear cooperation between Pakistan and China must be in compliance with rules of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) if China proceeds with plans to set up two new nuclear reactors in Pakistan.

China’s decision to sell nuclear reactors to Pakistan, which has not signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, is proving to be a litmus test for President Barack Obama, who has championed the cause of curbing the spread of nuclear technology.

China has helped Pakistan set up nuclear reactors since 1991 when China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) entered into a contract with the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) to build Chashma-1, a 325 MW nuclear power reactor. When it joined the NSG in 2004, China cited a Sino-Pakistan framework agreement that committed it to set up a second reactor, Chashma-2, for Pakistan.

CNNC and PAEC have also worked out a deal to set up two separate 650 MW reactors—Chashma-3 and Chashma-4.

Analysts say the Obama administration is reluctant to press China on the matter in case Beijing responds by dropping its tentative support for sanctions on Iran.

NSG rules prohibit the sale of sensitive nuclear technology and materials to nations that have not joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and do not allow international monitoring of their nuclear activities.

Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, says the agreement between China and Pakistan is “deeply troubling because we have China engaging in civil nuclear trade with a country that does not meet the requirements of the NSG for such trade.” He said the Obama administration should insist at the NSG that the Chashma -3 and -4 projects be discussed and it be determined that they not be permitted.


Iran ready for nuke fuel swap

It’s being regarded as a major diplomatic coup that could spell the beginning of the end of the isolation of Iran from world affairs. On the sidelines of the G-15 summit in May 2010, Iran dramatically announced that it has arrived with Brazil and Turkey a deal that could possibly break the nuclear stalemate, stave off sanctions being contemplated by the UN and the US against Iran and bring the contentious issue back to the negotiating table.

Under the agreement Tehran will ship 1,200 kg of low-enriched uranium (LEU) to Turkey in exchange for fuel for a research reactor. Turkey will keep Iran’s LEU and the IAEA and Iran can monitor the fuel.

Iran is a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty regime (NPT) which had enabled it to received nuclear technology for civilian use from other NPT signatories, including the US in return for committing that it would not be diverted or misused for military purposes. In 2002, Iran was discovered to have clandestinely set up a uranium enrichment plant and a heavy water unit without informing the IAEA. Since then major powers led by the US have got the UN to impose severe sanctions and refuses to lift them till Tehran's comes clean and puts an end to all clandestine use.

Apart from curbs on banking and trade, heavy sanctions had been imposed on some key public sector enterprises of Iran and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Council, the striking arm of the current regime.

Currently Iran is estimated to have 1,500 kg of 3.5 per cent (low) enriched uranium. For running research reactors like the Tehran facility for medical purposes, the uranium needs to be medium enriched to 20 per cent. According to a deal, Iran would swap 1,200 kg of its stockpile of low-enriched uranium in exchange for 120 kg of medium-enriched uranium that is to be supplied by the Vienna Group.

For making weapons grade material, uranium has to be enriched to at least 90 per cent. At least 300 kg of this highly enriched uranium is needed to develop an atom bomb. By keeping Iran’s low enriched uranium stockpiles to around 3,000 kg, the world hopes that it would prevent it from crossing the threshold of nuclear material needed to make a bomb.

Reacting to the Iran’s deal with Brazil and Turkey, the US pointed out that Tehran’s decision to continue with some enrichment of nuclear fuel is a direct violation of UN Security Council and that the details of the agreement must be conveyed to the International Atomic Energy Agency before it can be considered by the international community.

UK responded by saying that Iran’s actions remain a serious cause for concern. “There is a need for a continued effort to impose sanctions.”

EU responded by saying that “this is a right direction but it does not answer all the concerns raised over Iran’s nuclear programme.


Tension between Koreas escalates

On May 24, 2010, South Korea announced steps to tighten the vice on the North’s already stumbling economy in punishment for sinking one of its navy ships, with both sides stepping up their war-like rhetoric.

The United States, which backs Seoul, warned that the situation was “highly precarious”. China, the North’s only major ally, urged calm. The mounting tension followed report by international investigators accusing the North of torpedoing the Cheonan corvette in March 2010, killing 46 sailors in one of the deadliest clashes between the two since the 1950-53 Korean War.

The United States, which has 28,000 troops on the peninsula, threw its full support behind South Korea and said it was working hard to stop the situation from escalating.

Few analysts believe either Korea would dare go to war. The North’s military is no match for the technically superior South Korean and US forces. And for the South, conflict would put investors to flight.

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International Current Affairs of June 2010

    Hatoyama resigns as Japan’s PM

Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama, who ended five decades of single-party rule when he swept to power in August 2009, but stumbled when he confronted a long-time ally, the United States, resigned on June 2, 2010. Hatoyama quit at a meeting of leaders of the Democratic Party of Japan in Tokyo, becoming the fourth straight Japanese leader to leave after a year or less in office.

“Since last year’s elections, I tried to change politics in which the people of Japan would be the main characters,” he said later at a nationally broadcast news conference. But he conceded that his efforts weren’t understood.

Hatoyama ran for the premiership on a campaign platform of maintaining a more equal relationship with the United States, which still enjoys enormous support among most Japanese. His decision to challenge Washington over the details of a massive military base relocation plan on the island of Okinawa befuddled Japanese and American analysts and government officials alike.

Hatoyama also called for Japan to become more of an “Asian nation,” which sparked concern in Washington that he wanted to move away from the country’s pro-US stance and closer to China.

Finance Minister Naoto Kan succeeded Hatoyama as the new Prime Minister.


Maoists force Nepal PM to resign

Nepal’s Prime Minister announced his resignation on June 31, 2010, bowing to pressure from opposition Maoists who had been demanding his ouster in Parliament and on the streets. Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said in a televised speech that he decided to resign to end political deadlock and shore up the peace process.

Mr Madhav Kumar had taken over the post in May 2009 after the previous government led by the Maoists resigned following differences with the President over the firing of the army chief. He had the support of 22 political parties in Parliament and more than half of the 601 members in the Assembly. However, the Maoists, who have the largest number of seats in the Assembly, refused to support his government and instead staged protests to demand disbanding the government.

In May 2010, the Maoists had shut down the nation for more than a week, imposing a general strike. The protests also delayed the writing of a new constitution, which was supposed to be complete by May 2010. The deadline has now been extended by one year.


Landmark US Financial Reform Bill

On July 1, 2010, the US House of Representatives approved a landmark overhaul of financial regulations. The Bill would impose tighter regulations on financial firms and reduce their profits. It would boost consumer protections, force banks to reduce risky trading and investing activities and set up a new government process for liquidating troubled financial firms.

However, the Republicans say the Bill would hurt the economy by burdening businesses with a thicket of new regulations. They also point out that it ducks the question of how to handle troubled mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, which Democrats plan to tackle in 2011.


Ethic Riots in Kyrgyzstan

Russia sent hundreds of paratroopers to Kyrgyzstan on June 13, 2010 to protect its military facilities as ethnic clashes spread in the Central Asian State, bringing the death toll from days of fighting to 97. Ethnic Uzbeks in a besieged neighbourhood of Kyrgyzstan’s second city Osh said gangs, aided by the military, were carrying out genocide, burning residents out of their homes and shooting them as they fled. Witnesses saw bodies lying on the streets.

The interim government in Kyrgyzstan, which took power in April 2010, after a popular revolt toppled President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, appealed for Russian help to quell the riots in the south.

Led by Roza Otunbayeva, the interim government sent a volunteer force to the south and granted shoot-to-kill powers to its security forces in response to the deadly riots, which began in Osh, before spreading to Jalalabad.

Renewed turmoil in Kyrgyzstan has fuelled concern in Russia, the United States and neighbour China. Washington uses an air base at Manas in the north of the country, about 300 km from Osh, to supply its forces in Afghanistan.


G-20 Summit meeting

A Summit meeting of Leaders from the Group of 20 economic powers was held in Toronto, Canada on June 28, 2010. The leaders have agreed to halve deficits by 2013 and stabilise or reduce the government debt-to-GDP ratio by 2016. At the same time, the bloc left it to individual countries to decide on levying taxes on banks or adopting other means to fund future bailouts.

Along the way, the G-20 leaders who completed their fourth meeting since the global financial crisis of 2008, also diluted their position on a number of problems they had decided to fix earlier. For instance, while reinforcing their desire to move to a more stringent capital structure, the communiqué issued after two days of discussions said countries would “aim” to put in place a new framework by the end of 2012, which was earlier the target date. Members will also get flexibility in phasing the new rules.

The good news is that once these rules are implemented banks will have more capital to deal with crises as the ratio of core Tier-I capital of a bank to its risk-weighted assets is expected to double from the present level of 2 per cent.

On trade, too, there was dilly dallying. The G-20 leaders, who had earlier said that the Doha Round of trade liberalisation talks should be concluded in 2010, have not mentioned any deadline now. All that has been said is that they will now deliberate on the ways to take forward the talks when they meet in Seoul in November 2010.

G-20 members have also decided against erecting any new trade and investment barriers.
The decision to increase the quotas for developing countries in the International Monetary Fund by the Seoul summit was touted as another gain.

While many elements in the 19-page statement were a reiteration of the earlier pledges, these were at least two new elements. One of them was a proposal to set up a working group on development. The other was the desire to focus on issues related to corruption with members urging to ratify and implement the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

However, the move by some developed countries to insert another new element — a levy on bank transactions — did not find a mention in the final text as the focus of the deliberations remained on reducing fiscal deficit levels. A key demand of European countries, was resisted by the US and developing countries such as India and Brazil.

Along with deficit reduction, G-20 leaders also agreed on ushering in structural reforms by emerging surplus economies, such as China. These countries, which can tailor their reform moves to strengthen social safety nets, should increase infrastructure spending and enhance exchange rate flexibility to reflect underlying economic fundamentals.


G-20 meeting of Finance Ministers

Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors of G-20 countries met in Busan, South Korea on June 4, 2010.

At the top of the agenda was Europe’s debt crisis. The Ministers also discussed medium-term growth framework and how to solve economic imbalances which caused the global financial crisis. Canada, the current G-20 President, hopes to secure an agreement in Toronto on the broad suite of policies needed to reduce these imbalances. Individual countries would then commit themselves to specific policies at the next G-20 summit in Seoul.

Building on progress to date, the leaders affirmed their commitment to intensify efforts and to accelerate financial repair and reform. They also agreed that further progress on financial repair is critical to global economic recovery and requires greater transparency and further strengthening of banks’ balance sheets and better corporate governance of financial firms.

The leaders also committed to reach agreement expeditiously on stronger capital and liquidity standards as the core of our reform agenda and in that regard fully supported the work of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.

The leaders also emphasized the need to reduce moral hazard associated with systemically important financial institutions and reinforced their commitment to develop effective resolution tools and frameworks for all financial institutions on the basis of internationally agreed principles.

The G-20 was established in 1999, in the wake of the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, to bring together major advanced and emerging economies to stabilize the global financial market. Since its inception, the G-20 has held annual Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Meetings and discussed measures to promote the financial stability of the world and to achieve a sustainable economic growth and development.


China announces plans to make its currency more flexible

Equity markets across the world made handsome gains on June 21, 2010, after China announced plans to make its currency, the yuan, more flexible against the dollar. India’s benchmark equity index, the Sensex, and the broad-based Nifty today touched their highest levels in more than two months.

Market analysts said China’s move would go a long way in lifting the global economic sentiment that was under the weather due to the Euro crisis. China’s decision would result in a higher growth rate, especially for countries that have a significant trade relation with the Asian behemoth, as currency appreciation would make imports comparatively cheaper in China.

According to Barclays Commodities, there is a thinking that a stronger yuan will “increase Chinese purchasing power” leading to an increase in its “purchases of base metals”. “This coincides with a strong set of Chinese trade data for May 2010, which showed that the country turned a net importer of aluminium and lead, while copper and zinc imports remained strong”.


UNSC slaps sanctions on Iran

On June 9, 2010, the UN Security Council slapped sanctions on Iran over its controversial nuclear programme, targeting the powerful Revolutionary Guard, ballistic missiles, and nuclear-related investments, despite opposition from Brazil and Turkey.

In the 15-member Council, 12 countries, including the US and Britain, voted in favour of the resolution, with Lebanon abstaining and Brazil and Turkey voting against.

The new resolution, which is fourth against Iran to be adopted by the UNSC, creates new categories of sanctions like banning Iran's investment in nuclear activity abroad, banning all ballistic missiles activities, blocking Iran's use of banks aboard and asset freezes for members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The resolution blacklists entities that includes 15 enterprises of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, three entities owned by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and 23 industrial companies. The international community accuses Iran of seeking to develop an atomic weapon. But, Tehran has been maintaining that its uranium enrichment program is for peaceful civilian purposes.

India has been maintaining that it is opposed to such kinds of sanctions as it will affect the common people more than the establishment. Russia and China, which have previously raised objections against such sanctions, supported the resolution and said they were happy with the text of the resolution as long as it did not have any negative impact on the people.

Iran voiced defiance, saying it would not halt uranium enrichment and suggesting it may reduce cooperation with the UN nuclear agency.


SAARC nations pledge coordinated action to tackle terror

Members of SAARC have pledged to step up coordinated action against the common menace of terrorism, including steps to apprehend or extradite persons connected with acts of terrorism and facilitate real-time intelligence sharing.

The meeting of the Interior Ministers of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, held on June 27, 2010 in Islamabad, Pakistan, also resolved to step up cooperation in real time intelligence-sharing and to consider Pakistan’s proposal for creation of SAARCPOL, an institution on the lines of Interpol.

The ministerial statement on cooperation against terrorism adopted at the meeting said the SAARC member States had underscored their “commitment to apprehend and prosecute or extradite persons connected, directly or indirectly, with the commissions of acts of terrorism”. They also reiterated their commitment to strengthen SAARC’s regime against terrorism.

The ministers resolved to ensure that “nationals and entities” of SAARC States who commit, facilitate or participate in commission of terror acts are “appropriately punished”.

The SAARC members—Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka—also acknowledged that linkages between terrorism, illegal trafficking of drugs, human trafficking, smuggling of firearms and threats to maritime security remained a “serious concern” and said these problems would be addressed in a comprehensive manner.


US-Russia ties improve

On June 25, 2010, US President Barack Obama declared he had succeeded in “resetting” the US-Russia relationship, which he said had reached its lowest point since the Cold War at the end of George W. Bush’s term in office. Obama was speaking to reporters in the East Room of the White House following meetings with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

Medvedev, meanwhile, agreed to allow a resumption of US poultry exports to his country which Russia had banned earlier in 201, claiming that a chemical used in the US violated its food safety rules.

But despite the bonhomie between the two leaders, who have met seven times since Obama took office, both Obama and Medvedev acknowledged that they had differences over certain issues, including Georgia. Relations between the two countries deteriorated after the Russian invasion of Georgia in 2008.

The US and Russian Presidents said they had resolved a majority of the obstacles in the path to Russia’s entry into the WTO. They have instructed their negotiators to work as quickly as possible to wrap up what Obama said were “difficult issues” that will require “some significant work”, but Medvedev described as “minor problems”.

The two sides released 11 joint statements at the end of their meeting. These covered promotion and implementation of open government; Kyrgyzstan; energy efficiency; strategic stability; counter-terrorism cooperation; inter-country adoption; Afghanistan; people-to-people connections; strategic partnership in innovation; Russia’s accession to the WTO; US-Russia Presidential Commission.


Canada government blamed for Kanishka crash

A long-awaited inquiry into the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing, which killed 329 persons, mostly of Indian origin, has blamed the Canadian government for its failure to prevent the tragedy and recommended the appointment of a powerful security czar to resolve disputes between conflicting interests among security agencies.

“The government needs to take responsibility to avoid further failure and to prevent a return to a culture of complacency,” Justice John Major, the head of the Kanishka bombing inquiry commission, recommended on June 17, 2010, nearly 25 years after Canada's worst terrorist attack.

In the much-awaited final report from the commission that investigated the bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985, he observed that the national security continues to be badly organised between the RCMP and Canada's spy agency. He also recommended radical transformation in prosecution.
Meanwhile, Candian Prime Minister Stephen Harper assured the family members of the victims of the 1984 Air India Kanishka bombing that the government would respond “positively” to the recommendations made by an inquiry committee and said compensation would be offered to all.

Years of criminal investigation have yielded just one conviction, for manslaughter, against a British Columbia mechanic Inderjit Singh Reyat, who assembled bomb components.


G-8 leaders drop commitment to complete Doha round in 2010

On June 27, 2010, G-8 leaders met in Totonto, Canada for their annual Summit meeting. The leaders decided to drop a commitment to complete the troubled Doha trade round in 2010 and vowed to push forward on bilateral and regional trade talks until a global deal could be done.

In 2009, a G-8 summit in Italy and a Pittsburgh meeting of the Group of 20 both had committed to a 2010 end date that now looks impossible to meet.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who chaired the 

Cluster ammunition treaty comes into force

A landmark UN-sponsored treaty banning cluster munitions came into force from August 1, 2010, but all major powers, the US, China, Russia, Israel and India have shunned it. The new instrument is expected to be a major advance for global disarmament and humanitarian agenda.

The convention has been signed by 107 States and entered into force six months after 37 countries ratified the treaty, which was concluded in 2008.

Cluster bombs are both air dropped and used by artillery guns, and the shells open before impact and scatter hundreds of shrapnel, causing widespread casualties over a wide area. Many of such ammunition fail to explode and lie dormant for years killing or maiming hundreds of civilians, long after the conflicts have ended.

From Asia only five countries—Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Laos and Philippines—are the signatories.


Global community commits to peace initiative in Afghanistan

An international conference on Afghanistan was held on July 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The international community reiterated its commitment to continue to support peace and reintegration and said it looked forward to the local peace jirgas that included men and women at district and provincial level to discuss elements of an enduring peace.

The government of Afghanistan is to engage with the UN Security Council and the international community for de-listing Taliban elements from the sanctions list in accordance with agreed procedures and common Afghan and international responsibility.

The international community expressed its support for Karzai’s objective that the Afghan national security forces should lead and conduct military operations in all the provinces by the end of 2014.

On the issue of security, the meeting recognised that civilian casualty and protection of civilians are of great concern and noted that most civilian casualties are caused by insurgent attacks. They also reiterated that the international military forces remain committed to the objective of a steady reduction in the rate of civilian casualties.


Kyrgyzstan vote for parliamentary democracy

In a development that could have far reaching political impact in the region, Kyrgyzstan is all set to become Central Asia’s first parliamentary democracy, with an overwhelming 90.55 per cent voters backing a new constitution which strips the President’s wide ranging powers.

After publishing the official results of the June 27 referendum, the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission (CEC), on July 1, 2010, declared Roza Otunbayeva as the transitional President till December 31, 2011.

It also formally dissolved the Presidential parliament, which was in jeopardy in the wake of violent ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s regime in April 2010.

In line with the new constitution, the 120-strong Kyrgyz Parliament, after October 2010 elections, will appoint the Prime Minister and the government.

The referendum, the first step towards legitimacy of the present regime, took place in the midst of inter-ethnic violence in the southern regions of Osh and Jalalabad and exodus of hundreds of thousand refugees to neighbouring Uzbekistan.


Fresh US sanctions on North Korea

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on july 21, 2010 that Washington would impose new sanctions on communist North Korea in a bid to stem the regime's illicit atomic ambitions.

The UN Security Council has imposed stiff sanctions on North Korea in recent years to punish the regime for defying the world body by testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, and illegally selling arms and weapons.

With few allies and diminishing sources of aid, the impoverished North Korea is believed to be turning to illicit ventures to raise the much-needed cash. Pyongyang also walked away in 2009 from a disarmament-for-aid pact with five other nations that had provided the country with fuel oil and other concessions.

Pakistan, China ink six pacts

Pakistan and China reiterated their resolve to further strengthen strategic relationship between the two countries, increase the level of economic cooperation and take concrete measures to further bring their people closer, during the visit of Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari to China in July 2010. The two countries pledged to make joint efforts to fight terrorism, and signed six deals of cooperation in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, justice, media, economy and technology.


US slaps toughest sanctions on Iran

On July 1, 2010, even as he signed into law the toughest sanctions against ever passed by the US Congress at the White House, US President Barack Obama said the doors of diplomacy are still open for the regime in Tehran.

The Iran Sanctions Act affects the gasoline, financial, insurance and shipping sectors, among others, as it seeks to impose a heavy economic cost on Iran for continuing with its nuclear programme.

The sanctions bar foreign countries from exporting refined petroleum to Iran, as well as restrict access to US financial institutions for any entities that help Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Also, it prevents investment, transfer of technology and development of Iran’s energy sector, and makes it easier for States and localities to divest from companies that do business with Iran.

Japan Elections

Democratic Party of Japan suffered a heavy blow in the elections for the upper house of Japan’s Diet (parliament) when it won ten seats fewer than expected thus loosing its majority. DPJ will now have to look for new coalition partners to restore its majority in the upper house and enable it to easily pass laws through the Diet legislature. After breaking the 55 year period of dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party and naming Naoto Kan the new prime minister just a month back the results have baffled the DJP.

July 15th Summit, Islamabad

Failed talks between Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna and the Pakistani counterpart Mr. Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s have once again proved that whenever efforts were initiated by India to improve the relations between the two countries. The Pak leaders and officials took deliberate steps to derail the process conveying a clear message to India that the talks can continue only on its terms.

Gulf of Spill

More than three months after the April 20 explosion aboard the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil platform, which killed 11 workers and sank the rig gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the most severe US environmental disaster ever is close to coming to an end. In an operation called “static kill” 2,300 barrels of mud was forced down into the well’s opening overnight pushing the crude back down to its source. A cap over the wellhead has shut in leaking oil since July 15 and the static kill — also known as bull heading — probably would not have worked without the cap in place.

Genocide

Omar-al-Bashir, President of Sudan has been charged with three counts of genocide over the Darfur Conflict, he was convicted by the International Criminal Court at The Hague. It is for the first time that a court has accused anyone of genocide.

Jacob Lew the new Budget Director

President Barack Obama has chosen Mr. Jacob Lew as his new budget director. This is Mr. Lews second stint with the federal budget.

G-8 summit, said Doha was not dead. “I don't think we can afford to say that. We’ve got to find a path over time to get to a successful conclusion,” he told a closing news conference.

Doha round has been dogged by differences among trade powers who want more access to one another’s markets but have struggled to lower their own trade barriers.

======================================

International Current Affairs of July 2010

    Cluster ammunition treaty comes into force

A landmark UN-sponsored treaty banning cluster munitions came into force from August 1, 2010, but all major powers, the US, China, Russia, Israel and India have shunned it. The new instrument is expected to be a major advance for global disarmament and humanitarian agenda.

The convention has been signed by 107 States and entered into force six months after 37 countries ratified the treaty, which was concluded in 2008.

Cluster bombs are both air dropped and used by artillery guns, and the shells open before impact and scatter hundreds of shrapnel, causing widespread casualties over a wide area. Many of such ammunition fail to explode and lie dormant for years killing or maiming hundreds of civilians, long after the conflicts have ended.

From Asia only five countries—Afghanistan, Indonesia, Japan, Laos and Philippines—are the signatories.


Global community commits to peace initiative in Afghanistan

An international conference on Afghanistan was held on July 20, 2010 in Kabul, Afghanistan. The international community reiterated its commitment to continue to support peace and reintegration and said it looked forward to the local peace jirgas that included men and women at district and provincial level to discuss elements of an enduring peace.

The government of Afghanistan is to engage with the UN Security Council and the international community for de-listing Taliban elements from the sanctions list in accordance with agreed procedures and common Afghan and international responsibility.

The international community expressed its support for Karzai’s objective that the Afghan national security forces should lead and conduct military operations in all the provinces by the end of 2014.

On the issue of security, the meeting recognised that civilian casualty and protection of civilians are of great concern and noted that most civilian casualties are caused by insurgent attacks. They also reiterated that the international military forces remain committed to the objective of a steady reduction in the rate of civilian casualties.


Kyrgyzstan vote for parliamentary democracy

In a development that could have far reaching political impact in the region, Kyrgyzstan is all set to become Central Asia’s first parliamentary democracy, with an overwhelming 90.55 per cent voters backing a new constitution which strips the President’s wide ranging powers.

After publishing the official results of the June 27 referendum, the Kyrgyz Central Election Commission (CEC), on July 1, 2010, declared Roza Otunbayeva as the transitional President till December 31, 2011.

It also formally dissolved the Presidential parliament, which was in jeopardy in the wake of violent ouster of President Kurmanbek Bakiyev’s regime in April 2010.

In line with the new constitution, the 120-strong Kyrgyz Parliament, after October 2010 elections, will appoint the Prime Minister and the government.

The referendum, the first step towards legitimacy of the present regime, took place in the midst of inter-ethnic violence in the southern regions of Osh and Jalalabad and exodus of hundreds of thousand refugees to neighbouring Uzbekistan.


Fresh US sanctions on North Korea

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on july 21, 2010 that Washington would impose new sanctions on communist North Korea in a bid to stem the regime's illicit atomic ambitions.

The UN Security Council has imposed stiff sanctions on North Korea in recent years to punish the regime for defying the world body by testing nuclear weapons and long-range missiles, and illegally selling arms and weapons.

With few allies and diminishing sources of aid, the impoverished North Korea is believed to be turning to illicit ventures to raise the much-needed cash. Pyongyang also walked away in 2009 from a disarmament-for-aid pact with five other nations that had provided the country with fuel oil and other concessions.

Pakistan, China ink six pacts

Pakistan and China reiterated their resolve to further strengthen strategic relationship between the two countries, increase the level of economic cooperation and take concrete measures to further bring their people closer, during the visit of Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari to China in July 2010. The two countries pledged to make joint efforts to fight terrorism, and signed six deals of cooperation in the areas of agriculture, healthcare, justice, media, economy and technology.


US slaps toughest sanctions on Iran

On July 1, 2010, even as he signed into law the toughest sanctions against ever passed by the US Congress at the White House, US President Barack Obama said the doors of diplomacy are still open for the regime in Tehran.

The Iran Sanctions Act affects the gasoline, financial, insurance and shipping sectors, among others, as it seeks to impose a heavy economic cost on Iran for continuing with its nuclear programme.

The sanctions bar foreign countries from exporting refined petroleum to Iran, as well as restrict access to US financial institutions for any entities that help Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps.

Also, it prevents investment, transfer of technology and development of Iran’s energy sector, and makes it easier for States and localities to divest from companies that do business with Iran.

Japan Elections

Democratic Party of Japan suffered a heavy blow in the elections for the upper house of Japan’s Diet (parliament) when it won ten seats fewer than expected thus loosing its majority. DPJ will now have to look for new coalition partners to restore its majority in the upper house and enable it to easily pass laws through the Diet legislature. After breaking the 55 year period of dominance of the Liberal Democratic Party and naming Naoto Kan the new prime minister just a month back the results have baffled the DJP.

July 15th Summit, Islamabad

Failed talks between Indian Foreign Minister SM Krishna and the Pakistani counterpart Mr. Shah Mehmood Qureshi’s have once again proved that whenever efforts were initiated by India to improve the relations between the two countries. The Pak leaders and officials took deliberate steps to derail the process conveying a clear message to India that the talks can continue only on its terms.

Gulf of Spill

More than three months after the April 20 explosion aboard the BP-leased Deepwater Horizon oil platform, which killed 11 workers and sank the rig gushing oil into the Gulf of Mexico, the most severe US environmental disaster ever is close to coming to an end. In an operation called “static kill” 2,300 barrels of mud was forced down into the well’s opening overnight pushing the crude back down to its source. A cap over the wellhead has shut in leaking oil since July 15 and the static kill — also known as bull heading — probably would not have worked without the cap in place.

Genocide

Omar-al-Bashir, President of Sudan has been charged with three counts of genocide over the Darfur Conflict, he was convicted by the International Criminal Court at The Hague. It is for the first time that a court has accused anyone of genocide.

Jacob Lew the new Budget Director

President Barack Obama has chosen Mr. Jacob Lew as his new budget director. This is Mr. Lews second stint with the federal budget.

======================================

International Current Affairs of August 2010

China overtakes Japan as second-largest economy

After three decades of spectacular growth, China has passed Japan in the second quarter of 2010 to become the world’s second-largest economy behind the United States. The milestone, though anticipated for some time, is the most striking evidence yet that China’s ascendancy is for real and that the rest of the world will have to reckon with a new economic superpower.

The recognition came on August 16, 2010, when Tokyo said that Japan’s economy was valued at about $1.28 trillion in the second quarter, slightly below China’s $1.33 trillion. Japan’s economy grew 0.4 percent in the quarter, substantially less than forecast. That weakness suggests that China’s economy will race past Japan’s for the full year.

Experts say unseating Japan—and in recent years passing Germany, France and Great Britain—underscores China’s growing clout and bolsters forecasts that China will pass the United States as the world’s biggest economy as early as 2030.

For Japan, whose economy has been stagnating for more than a decade, the figures reflect a decline in economic and political power. Japan has had the world’s second-largest economy for much of the last four decades, according to the World Bank. And during the 1980s, there was even talk about Japan’s economy someday overtaking that of the United States. But, while Japan’s economy is mature and its population quickly aging, China is in the throes of urbanization and is far from developed, meaning it has a much lower standard of living, as well as a lot more room to grow.

China is already a major driver of global growth. The country’s leaders have grown more confident on the international stage and have begun to assert greater influence in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with things like special trade agreements and multi-billion dollar resource deals. Beijing is also beginning to shape global dialogues on a range of issues; for instance, in 2009 it asserted that the dollar must be phased out as the world’s primary reserve currency.

While the United States and the European Union are struggling to grow in the wake of the worst economic crisis in decades, China has continued to climb up the economic league tables by investing heavily in infrastructure and backing a $586 billion stimulus plan.

There are huge challenges ahead, though. Economists say that China’s economy is too heavily dependent on exports and investment and that it needs to encourage greater domestic consumption—something China has struggled to do. The country’s largely state-run banks have recently been criticized for lending far too aggressively in 2009, while shifting some loans off their balance sheet to disguise lending and evade rules meant to curtail lending growth.

China is also locked in a fierce debate over its currency policy, with the United States, European Union and others accusing Beijing of keeping the Chinese currency, the renminbi, artificially low to bolster exports—leading to huge trade surpluses for China but major bilateral trade deficits for the United States and the European Union. China says that its currency is not substantially undervalued and that it is moving ahead with currency reform.

Regardless, China’s rapid growth suggests that it will continue to compete fiercely with the United States and Europe for natural resources but also offer big opportunities for companies eager to tap its market.


US ends combat mission in Iraq

On August 31, 2010, US President Barack Obama announced an end to the US combat mission in Iraq, not with a declaration of victory but rather a sombre admission that the US had paid a “huge price.”

Announcing an end to Operation Iraqi Freedom in a nationally televised speech from the White House, the President said the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.

But as US troops roll out of Iraq, the country continues to be locked in a political stalemate with disagreement over who will lead it, after elections failed to throw up a clear winner.

Obama urged Iraq’s leaders to “move forward with a sense of urgency to form an inclusive government that is just, representative, and accountable to the Iraqi people.” “And when that government is in place, there should be no doubt: The Iraqi people will have a strong partner in the United States. Our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to Iraq’s future is not,” he added.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said while US troops may have withdrawn, the Iraq war is not over, it is not “won,” and any form of stable end state in Iraq is probably impossible before 2020.

A transitional US force will remain in Iraq with a mission of advising and assisting Iraq’s security forces, supporting Iraqi troops in targeted counter-terrorism missions, and protecting US civilians.


Mid-East Summit

US President Barack Obama waded into a new round of Middle East diplomacy September 1, 2010, seeking momentum for revived peace talks clouded by a flare-up of West Bank violence and a deadlock over Jewish settlements.

Obama met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he launched a series of one-on-one meetings with Middle East leaders attending a US-led peace summit that culminated with the first direct Israeli-Palestinian talks in 20 months.

With Obama's peace bid facing broad skepticism and the clock ticking toward the September 26, 2010 expiration of an Israeli settlement construction freeze, Israel's defence minister sounded a conciliatory note about the prospects for sharing Jerusalem, an issue at the heart of the decades-old conflict. But big obstacles remain to Obama's quest for a peace deal that eluded so many of his predecessors.

Hamas militants declared war on the talks even before they began, killing four Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, vowing more attacks and underscoring the threat hard-liners pose to the fragile peace process.

The summit marked Obama's riskiest plunge into Middle East diplomacy, not least because he wants the two sides to forge a deal within 12 months, a target many analysts call a long shot.


Cricket shamed again

Yet another match-fixing scandal rocked Pakistan cricket on August 29, 2010, engulfing its captain Salman Butt, brilliant pace duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir and four other players, leading to the arrest of a bookie in London and questioning of the players by the Scotland Yard after a tabloid sting.

The ‘News of the World’ tabloid alleged that a Pakistani man Mazhar Majeed had paid bribes to the players to bowl no-balls in the series and the Lord’s Test. The video evidence that the tabloid has presented also shows Majeed talking about his links with Indian bookies.

The two Pakistanis who bowled no-balls allegedly on directions from Majeed were Asif and Aamir. Both bowlers delivered three no-balls during the Lord’s Test.


Mission Accomplished

The United States have finally started pulling its troops out of Iraq. President Barack Obama has confirmed that the US plans to withdraw significant number of combat troops from Iraq stating that the war was nearing an end. The remaining force of 50,000 soldiers will train Iraqi security forces and provide security for ongoing US Diplomatic efforts.

Australia with a hung parliament

Australians failed to elect a new government in the polls held in August and were left with a hung parliament. The non-result elections between Julia Gillard’s Labor and Abbott’s Liberal party led to the first hung parliament in Australia since World War II. Three key Independents are now in the process of deciding which party to support to form a government.

Pakistani cricketers tainted

The Game of cricket gets murkier with alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed’s claim of having rigged games played by Pakistan for three years. The British Police recovered cash from hotel rooms of Pakistani players involved in spot fixing. Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammed Asif were interviewed and their mobiles confiscated after Majeed’s confession. The Anti-Corruption Unit of the ICC will probe all 82 international matches played by Pakistan during this time. The news came as a bolt for the flood-stricken and violence-plagued country where cricket is the national sport.

Pakistan Floods

Annual monsoons rains have led to flooding in Pakistan leading to the death of 1500 people and rendering thousands homeless. In the worst flooding disaster in 80 years the floodwaters have affected about one-fifth of the country washing away millions of hectares of crops, submerging villages and destroying roads, bridges, schools, electricity and communication setting back the infrastructure by many years. Disease is fast spreading in these flood affected areas and there have been warnings that dams in the south may burst. It is estimated that the floods in Pakistan have displaced people thrice the number displaced during partition.

Hike in Visa fee

he Obama Regime has raised H-1B and L1 visa fees to protect its borders from illegal Mexican immigrants. This additional fee would be used to build operating bases and deploy unmanned aerial surveillance to beef up U.S.-Mexico border security. The impact of this hike will be substantial on Indian IT companies that account for approximately 50,000 H1 and L1 visas per year.

Mosque near ground Zero

A New York city panel has cleared the way for the construction of a mosque near ground zero that has been causing a political uproar over religious freedom. The proposed construction of the mosque near ground zero has sparked debate all around the country. President Barack Obama, however, supported the right of having a mosque by asserting that Muslims have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else in America.

China to launch space station

Having finished the first module of a planned space station and testing its electronics and other systems China is all set to launch it into orbit next year. Changes were being made to the rocket that will carry the 8.5ton Tiangong 1 module into a set orbit. No finishing or manning dates have been given for the space station. The official Xinhua news agency said that The Shenzhou 8 spacecraft and Shenzhou 9 and 10 spacecraft would dock with it in the second half of 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Online route

Oxford English Dictionary that has been in print for over a century may never appear in print for the future generations. The word reference Bible is likely to loose its existence to its online version. With the digital books becoming popular, the format that the 3rd edition, currently being worked upon, will take is anybody’s guess.

======================================

International Current Affairs of August 2010

China overtakes Japan as second-largest economy

After three decades of spectacular growth, China has passed Japan in the second quarter of 2010 to become the world’s second-largest economy behind the United States. The milestone, though anticipated for some time, is the most striking evidence yet that China’s ascendancy is for real and that the rest of the world will have to reckon with a new economic superpower.

The recognition came on August 16, 2010, when Tokyo said that Japan’s economy was valued at about $1.28 trillion in the second quarter, slightly below China’s $1.33 trillion. Japan’s economy grew 0.4 percent in the quarter, substantially less than forecast. That weakness suggests that China’s economy will race past Japan’s for the full year.

Experts say unseating Japan—and in recent years passing Germany, France and Great Britain—underscores China’s growing clout and bolsters forecasts that China will pass the United States as the world’s biggest economy as early as 2030.

For Japan, whose economy has been stagnating for more than a decade, the figures reflect a decline in economic and political power. Japan has had the world’s second-largest economy for much of the last four decades, according to the World Bank. And during the 1980s, there was even talk about Japan’s economy someday overtaking that of the United States. But, while Japan’s economy is mature and its population quickly aging, China is in the throes of urbanization and is far from developed, meaning it has a much lower standard of living, as well as a lot more room to grow.

China is already a major driver of global growth. The country’s leaders have grown more confident on the international stage and have begun to assert greater influence in Asia, Africa and Latin America, with things like special trade agreements and multi-billion dollar resource deals. Beijing is also beginning to shape global dialogues on a range of issues; for instance, in 2009 it asserted that the dollar must be phased out as the world’s primary reserve currency.

While the United States and the European Union are struggling to grow in the wake of the worst economic crisis in decades, China has continued to climb up the economic league tables by investing heavily in infrastructure and backing a $586 billion stimulus plan.

There are huge challenges ahead, though. Economists say that China’s economy is too heavily dependent on exports and investment and that it needs to encourage greater domestic consumption—something China has struggled to do. The country’s largely state-run banks have recently been criticized for lending far too aggressively in 2009, while shifting some loans off their balance sheet to disguise lending and evade rules meant to curtail lending growth.

China is also locked in a fierce debate over its currency policy, with the United States, European Union and others accusing Beijing of keeping the Chinese currency, the renminbi, artificially low to bolster exports—leading to huge trade surpluses for China but major bilateral trade deficits for the United States and the European Union. China says that its currency is not substantially undervalued and that it is moving ahead with currency reform.

Regardless, China’s rapid growth suggests that it will continue to compete fiercely with the United States and Europe for natural resources but also offer big opportunities for companies eager to tap its market.


US ends combat mission in Iraq

On August 31, 2010, US President Barack Obama announced an end to the US combat mission in Iraq, not with a declaration of victory but rather a sombre admission that the US had paid a “huge price.”

Announcing an end to Operation Iraqi Freedom in a nationally televised speech from the White House, the President said the Iraqi people now have lead responsibility for the security of their country.

But as US troops roll out of Iraq, the country continues to be locked in a political stalemate with disagreement over who will lead it, after elections failed to throw up a clear winner.

Obama urged Iraq’s leaders to “move forward with a sense of urgency to form an inclusive government that is just, representative, and accountable to the Iraqi people.” “And when that government is in place, there should be no doubt: The Iraqi people will have a strong partner in the United States. Our combat mission is ending, but our commitment to Iraq’s future is not,” he added.

Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies said while US troops may have withdrawn, the Iraq war is not over, it is not “won,” and any form of stable end state in Iraq is probably impossible before 2020.

A transitional US force will remain in Iraq with a mission of advising and assisting Iraq’s security forces, supporting Iraqi troops in targeted counter-terrorism missions, and protecting US civilians.


Mid-East Summit

US President Barack Obama waded into a new round of Middle East diplomacy September 1, 2010, seeking momentum for revived peace talks clouded by a flare-up of West Bank violence and a deadlock over Jewish settlements.

Obama met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as he launched a series of one-on-one meetings with Middle East leaders attending a US-led peace summit that culminated with the first direct Israeli-Palestinian talks in 20 months.

With Obama's peace bid facing broad skepticism and the clock ticking toward the September 26, 2010 expiration of an Israeli settlement construction freeze, Israel's defence minister sounded a conciliatory note about the prospects for sharing Jerusalem, an issue at the heart of the decades-old conflict. But big obstacles remain to Obama's quest for a peace deal that eluded so many of his predecessors.

Hamas militants declared war on the talks even before they began, killing four Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank, vowing more attacks and underscoring the threat hard-liners pose to the fragile peace process.

The summit marked Obama's riskiest plunge into Middle East diplomacy, not least because he wants the two sides to forge a deal within 12 months, a target many analysts call a long shot.


Cricket shamed again

Yet another match-fixing scandal rocked Pakistan cricket on August 29, 2010, engulfing its captain Salman Butt, brilliant pace duo of Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir and four other players, leading to the arrest of a bookie in London and questioning of the players by the Scotland Yard after a tabloid sting.

The ‘News of the World’ tabloid alleged that a Pakistani man Mazhar Majeed had paid bribes to the players to bowl no-balls in the series and the Lord’s Test. The video evidence that the tabloid has presented also shows Majeed talking about his links with Indian bookies.

The two Pakistanis who bowled no-balls allegedly on directions from Majeed were Asif and Aamir. Both bowlers delivered three no-balls during the Lord’s Test.


Mission Accomplished

The United States have finally started pulling its troops out of Iraq. President Barack Obama has confirmed that the US plans to withdraw significant number of combat troops from Iraq stating that the war was nearing an end. The remaining force of 50,000 soldiers will train Iraqi security forces and provide security for ongoing US Diplomatic efforts.

Australia with a hung parliament

Australians failed to elect a new government in the polls held in August and were left with a hung parliament. The non-result elections between Julia Gillard’s Labor and Abbott’s Liberal party led to the first hung parliament in Australia since World War II. Three key Independents are now in the process of deciding which party to support to form a government.

Pakistani cricketers tainted

The Game of cricket gets murkier with alleged match-fixer Mazhar Majeed’s claim of having rigged games played by Pakistan for three years. The British Police recovered cash from hotel rooms of Pakistani players involved in spot fixing. Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammed Asif were interviewed and their mobiles confiscated after Majeed’s confession. The Anti-Corruption Unit of the ICC will probe all 82 international matches played by Pakistan during this time. The news came as a bolt for the flood-stricken and violence-plagued country where cricket is the national sport.

Pakistan Floods

Annual monsoons rains have led to flooding in Pakistan leading to the death of 1500 people and rendering thousands homeless. In the worst flooding disaster in 80 years the floodwaters have affected about one-fifth of the country washing away millions of hectares of crops, submerging villages and destroying roads, bridges, schools, electricity and communication setting back the infrastructure by many years. Disease is fast spreading in these flood affected areas and there have been warnings that dams in the south may burst. It is estimated that the floods in Pakistan have displaced people thrice the number displaced during partition.

Hike in Visa fee

he Obama Regime has raised H-1B and L1 visa fees to protect its borders from illegal Mexican immigrants. This additional fee would be used to build operating bases and deploy unmanned aerial surveillance to beef up U.S.-Mexico border security. The impact of this hike will be substantial on Indian IT companies that account for approximately 50,000 H1 and L1 visas per year.

Mosque near ground Zero

A New York city panel has cleared the way for the construction of a mosque near ground zero that has been causing a political uproar over religious freedom. The proposed construction of the mosque near ground zero has sparked debate all around the country. President Barack Obama, however, supported the right of having a mosque by asserting that Muslims have the same right to freedom of religion as everyone else in America.

China to launch space station

Having finished the first module of a planned space station and testing its electronics and other systems China is all set to launch it into orbit next year. Changes were being made to the rocket that will carry the 8.5ton Tiangong 1 module into a set orbit. No finishing or manning dates have been given for the space station. The official Xinhua news agency said that The Shenzhou 8 spacecraft and Shenzhou 9 and 10 spacecraft would dock with it in the second half of 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Online route

Oxford English Dictionary that has been in print for over a century may never appear in print for the future generations. The word reference Bible is likely to loose its existence to its online version. With the digital books becoming popular, the format that the 3rd edition, currently being worked upon, will take is anybody’s guess.

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International Current Affairs of September 2010

    Gillard manages to retain power in Australia elections

On September 7, 2010, ending weeks of political uncertainty, Australia’s first woman Prime Minister Julia Gillard staked claim to form a new government after two king-maker independent MPs extended support to her Labour party, giving it a wafer-thin one-seat majority in the first hung Parliament in nearly 70 years.

Labour now controls 76 seats in Parliament’s 150-member House of Representatives, with the opposition Coalition of Liberal party leader Tony Abbott having 74 seats.

Gillard said her minority government would be held to higher standards of accountability as a result of the deal struck with the independents. She added that her government will spend $9.9 billion on development projects as part of the deal with the rural independents.


Political crisis in Nepal continues

On September 26, 2010, Nepal's Constituent Assembly failed for the eighth time, during the past four months, to elect a new Prime Minister. The deadlock continues, partly because other mainstream parties do not trust the single, largest party, Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), because it continues to put its faith in one-party rule and continues to threaten it would resume armed struggle.

The last 20 years have seen Nepal move from a Hindu kingdom to a democratic and secular republic. The 239 year old monarchy was cast aside in 2006 and people voted for a Constituent Assembly and an interim government in 2008. Maoists emerged as the largest single party but fell short of a majority.

In the 601-member House, two seats are vacant and if the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker are excluded, it has an effective strength of 597 members. The break-up is as follows : Unified CPN (Maoists): 237, Nepali Congress: 114, UML: 108, four Madhes based parties: 82, smaller parties & others: 56.

Unified CPN (Maoist) continues to say it has no faith in parliamentary democracy, believes in one-party rule and insists on absorbing its underground militia into the Nepalese Army. It also tried to take arbitrary decisions and sought the removal of the President and the Army Chief. Other parties are not sure it would change its spots.

The Constituent Assembly has failed to finalise the Constitution as mandated. The Assembly extended its own life by one year to complete the task. But differences persist. In the absence of a consensus between parties, there is a caretaker government with few powers.

Having failed to sack the then Army Chief over the integration of the armed Maoist guerrillas, Prachanda resigned as Prime Minoster and Maoists pulled out of the government in 2009; then they forced the next government headed by Madhav Kumar Nepal of UML to also quit.


China-Japan spat

China suspended high-level exchanges with Japan on September 19, 2010, and promised tough counter-measures after a Japanese court extended the detention of a Chinese captain whose trawler collided with two Japanese coastguard ships.

The spat between Asia’s two largest economies has flared since Japan arrested the captain, accusing him of deliberately striking a patrol ship and obstructing public officers near uninhabited islets in the East China Sea.

Beijing viewed the detention as illegal and invalid.


UN convention on terrorism moves a step forward

Rocked by a wave of audacious terrorist attacks in the last two years, Pakistan has finally realised the futility of opposing the proposed Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) just because India was in the forefront of initiating it at the United Nations in 1996.

Pakistan, along with some other Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) countries, had led the campaign against the proposed convention on various grounds. It had argued that self-determination should be outside the purview of the convention. It had also insisted that international humanitarian laws should be taken into account while finalising the text of the convention. Both these objections were seen as aimed at embarrassing India on Jammu and Kashmir since Islamabad has been demanding the right to self-determination for Kashmiris and seeking international intervention on the issue.

The opposition to the convention had also come from the US and Israel with the latter insisting that acting against terrorists indulging in killing innocent people be brought under its purview.

The global treaty seeks to criminalise all forms of international terrorism and deny terrorists, their financers and supporters access of funds, arms and safe havens.

The situation has considerably changed with just a handful of countries still not convinced why they should back it. “Most countries are now in favour of the early adoption of the convention but there is a small number of holdouts, may be 10 to 15…efforts are on to convince them also to support it so that a strong message goes out to all terrorist organisations that the international community is united and determined to jointly fight the menace of terrorism.


Indians freed from Malay traffickers

Not less than 24 Indian men who were discovered bound up in a residence in a Malaysian boondocks were successfully freed from the arrest and two Pakistani men supposedly engaged in a human trafficking guild were detained with immediate effect. “Inquiries into the matter exposed that those people, age-old amid 20 and 30, were from Uttar Pradesh. If the reports of the media are to be trusted, the victims landed on to the capital’s intl. airport four months back, afore getting picked by the accused people who were apparently looking for workers in an industrial unit in Johor,” he said. He further stated that the two men promised the Indian workers appealing wages as the bait. It is once again proved that Malaysia is a magnet for wide spread drug peddling and human trafficking. Unemployed workforce looking out for jobs is brought for added transfers to other Southeast Asian countries and to Australia.

Indian to lead FIDE

Indians have already proved their metal in various sports at the international level. Tennis, Cricket, Shooting, Boxing and also Chess. After Vishwanathan Anand, another lot of Indians are about to triumph on the World Chess Podium. D.V. Sundar has been elected has the President of the world body for the sport of chess, FIDE at Russia. Apart from that, the president for the Asian Continent was Mr. Dongre and Commonwealth Chess Federation President was revealed in the name of Mr. B.S. Chahuhan, a press statement by the All India Chess Federation revealed.

Make way for the new breed

The new world power calendar for 2010 has once again predicted that New Delhi’s dominance in the world will see acceleration by 2025. Among the able coalition, the country has been placed at the fourth position afterwards the US, China and the European Union. ‘The Global Governance 2025’ was together brought out by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) of the US and the European Union’s Institutes for Security Studies (EUISS). In the current year, the US leads the lot of able countries/regions, cumulatively for about 22 percent of the worldwide supremacy. The US is chased by China at 12 percent, European Union at 16 percent and India at eight percent. India comes next to Japan, Russia and Brazil with beneath than 5 percent apiece. Following these global statistics, by 2025 the ability of the US, EU, Japan and Russia will cut down although that of China, India and Brazil will boost but this surge will see the positions unchanged. By 2025, the United States of America will continue to be the most dominating nation, but it will be possessing just a bit above 18 percent of the global authority. The US will be carefully trailed by China with 16 percent, European Union with 14 percent and India with 10 percent looking to overleap.

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International Current Affairs of October 2010

EU bows to German call for debt mechanism

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has won European Union backing for a rewrite of EU treaties to create a permanent debt-crisis mechanism by 2013, to prevent a repeat of the Greece-led shock that jolted the Euro. As the biggest contributor to Euro 860 billion ($1.2 trillion) in loans and pledges to stem 2010-s debt crisis, Germany wants to spare taxpayers the costs of any future operations to rescue financially distressed States.

Bonds in Greece, saved from the brink of default by EU and International Monetary Fund loans in May, led a decline by so- called peripheral European securities as Germany’s triumph spurred concern that the EU mechanism will force bond holders to bear the costs of future bailouts. The extra yield investors demand to hold Greek 10-year debt over German equivalents rose to 813 basis points. German bonds advanced as investors sought safer assets, paring their weekly drop.

G-20 raises developing nations’ quota in IMF

The Group of 20 Finance leaders struck a landmark deal on October 22, 2010, to boost developing countries’ power in the International Monetary Fund, even as they failed to set targets for a wide-ranging global economic rebalancing. The IMF deal was hailed by fund MD Dominique Strauss-Kahn as a ‘historical’ moment that will see Europeans give up two seats on its 24-strong board to powerful developing countries and transfer 6 percent of votes to them.

India is world’s third largest carbon emitter

India is now world’s third biggest carbon dioxide emitting nation after China and the US. The new emission data from the United Nations was a cause of worry for India’s climate negotiators at the next round of talks in Tianjin in China, held in October 2010.

China, in 2009, moved to the top position while contributing 23 per cent of the total global emissions and India, in 2010, surpassed Russia to take the third position with five percent.

The saving grace is that the difference in total carbon emissions between the US (22 per cent) and India is still huge. Russia's emissions have been falling because of economic slowdown.

India's per-capita carbon emission is still lowest in the world (about 4.5 tonnes) but the demand for energy is rising, especially among the middle-class.

The pressure on India and China to reduce emissions is rising. US chief climate negotiator Todd Stern told a meeting of major economies forum that a legally binding climate treaty was not possible until India and China take “obligation” to reduce emissions.

ASEAN Summit

The 17th ASEAN Summit was held in Hanoi, Vietnam, on October 28-30, 2010. The meeting was considered a success, with all members agreeing to cooperate with one another in solving the region’s economic downturn.

The 17th ASEAN Summit focused on the contents of building the community and implementing the ASEAN Charter, external relations and key role of the body, sustainable development and coping with global challenges.

Business News:

After three decades and more than 220 million units, Sony has stopped selling its Walkman cassette player in Japan, admitting the gadget could not keep up in the digital age. Cherished by a generation of joggers, school children and music fans since its launch in 1979, the Walkman evolutionised the way people listened to music but has since been overtaken by another icon of the modern era—the iPod. The July 1, 1979, roll-out of the portable cassette player helped transform Sony into a global electronics powerhouse. The Japanese giant sold 30,000 Walkmans in the first two months after its launch, and 50 million within a decade.

Eurocopter, a company owned by European consortium, European Aeronautic Defence & Space Co. NV (EADS), has become the first global chopper company to open an office in India.

Pfizer Inc has decided to acquire King Pharmaceuticals, a move that will bolster the pharma major’s presence in the pain treatment segment.

Hewlett-Packard has appointed former SAP AG CEO Leo Apotheker as its CEO and President.

Bharti Airtel will partner telecom equipment suppliers Ericsson and Huawei to expand and manage its mobile network in Bangladesh.

India gets UNSC non-permanent seat:

The biggest news on the international front for India has been its inclusion into the UNSC as a non-permanent member after a gap of 19 years. Even as India’s acclamation for a non-permanent bench on the body that includes fifteen members in total was an inevitable cessation afterwards Kazakhstan back out of the chase for the Asian bench beforehand in early January. India got an unbelievable 187 of the 191 votes in the UN General Assembly ballot on October 14th 2010. India’s previous spell in the Security Council was way back in 1992. Almost immediately afterwards India’s appointment, Indian agent to the United Nations Hardeep Singh Puri put it straight that New Delhi would make use of this couple of year valid span to build assurance and accord a feeling of aplomb to the five non changing associates (famously known as the P-5) – the United States of America, Russia, Britain, France and China. Considering that Brazil, a running affiliate of the United Nation Security Council, and South Africa and Germany, which got appointed with India, on October 14th were as well in contention for a permanent membership, he stated: ‘Of course everybody of us will attempt to bring into play the two years we need to render our allies a feeling of aplomb and formulate trust and faith so that they are at ease with our role playing in the United Nation Security Council on a continued period of time’.

India and Mozambique sign 3 agreements:

India and Mozambique came together and signed three agreements and a credit band of 500 million United States dollars has been advanced to that nation state for works regarding the infrastructure, agronomics and power during a convention that featured President of Mozambique Armando Guebuza and Prime Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh. Guebuza and Singh, who captivated entrustment level converses, resolved to actualize an affiliation following the lines of superior political meeting, deepening of bread-and-butter collaboration, deepening of defense and aegis collaboration, distinctively to get hold of sea lanes in opposition to piracy and, cooperation in competence building and human resource (or workforce) development. “Both of us together accord to the aforementioned Indian Ocean association and we carve up familiar issues. It is in our alternate absorption to ensure the assurance and aegis of sea lanes of communication in the Indian Ocean,” Dr. Manmohan Singh said in a collective journalist statement. India will back the enactment in preparation and setting up organizations in Mozambique to back capacity building in the coal business and will as well back the ability formation for the defense and patrolling personnel of that nation state, the Prime Minister alleged. Conveying worry over the assurance and aegis of sea lanes in Indian Ocean, Guebuza promised India it will accommodate all practical aid to safeguard them.

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International Current Affairs of November 2010

    Pakistan’s Initiative against Terrorism

Pakistan has been the victim of international terrorism in the past few months. As a result of this, a top US official recently said that Islamabad should begin to crack down on terrorists and terrorist groups operational within the country immediately. Barrack Obama, President of the United States of America has also agreed to this statement and feels that Pakistan has been one of the major victims of international terrorism lately. President Obama also said that Pakistan needs to take strong and immediate steps against all terrorist groups operating on Pakistani soil. Furthermore, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Robert Blake said that a number of terrorist groups are operating in a syndicate and working together against American interests, not just in the US but in other nations such as Afghanistan and India as well. Mr. Blake also stated that the US has welcomed every step take by Pakistan so far and that it is in full support of Pakistan as always.

UN’s terrorism sanctions list

In a recent and sudden move, a US committee took down several names of al-Qaida and Taliban terrorists off its terrorism sanction lists. The committee said that the reason for such an action was that several of the names on the sanctions list were probably dead. The committee Chairman Thomas Mayr Harting said that following this step, the committee had started investigations into how many terrorists put on the list were actually dead. This committee was set up in 1999.

New Government in Iraq

Prolonged warring and quarrels between rival political factions in Iraq had caused over an eight month deadlock over the issue of forming the next government. Recently, the Iraqi Prime Minister appealed to these political factions to work together and unite following his acceptance of the President’s request to form the next government. Senior officials admitted that a Herculean task now lay before them, that of forming a government comprising of members of all possible political factions. The task has been made harder by the month long deadline to form the government which will preside over the country’s affair as US troops move out and power is handed back to the Iraqi people. The new government is expected to have members from all the political factions such as the Kurds, Shiites and Sunnis. Prime Minister Designate al-Maliki called upon al Iraqi citizens and politicians to help him in this difficult task.

Friendly neighbor China

Rising concerns over China’s assertive and aggressive attitude in the Asian continent has prompted China’s President Hu Jintao to assure all nations that China is committed to being a friendly and helpful neighbor. China has been in the news recently over its spats with neighboring nations over international borders and territories. The reason for this has been said to be China’s interests in a group of potentially resource rich islands in the Asian Pacific. Speaking to leaders at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Japan, President Hu said that China was committed to the regional policy of building good neighborliness and friendship.

Rolls Royce sued by Qantas

Australian flight safety officials have recently warned that manufacturing defects have been found in the Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines. Officials further urged airlines using these engines to carry extensive checks before using them because defects present in them could lead to catastrophic failures. In the meanwhile, Qantas began court proceedings against Rolls Royce and was granted an injunction by the federal court of Australia which ensured that the airline could pursue legal action against the engine manufacturing giants.

Myanmar polls called fake

The first democratic polls in Myanmar after several years of military rule were held among complaints of threats, intimidation and accusations of the polls being a charade. In most constituencies, the poll was a competition between the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and the National Unity Party (NUS). Several accusations were made by opposition parties against the USDP, claiming that they illegally collected advanced ballots. USA and UK officials also voiced their concerns about the transparency and fairness of these polls.

China’s slowest growth

China had its slowest rate of economic growth in a year during the September quarter. In addition to this, a World Bank report hinted at a further decrease in its economic growth. One of the reasons for this has been the long term inflation that China has faced for almost two years. China’s industrial growth has also fallen considerably in recent times. This slow growth in China’s economy has gotten many people to believe that India might be the next economic superpower to rise because of its high levels of industrial and economic growth in recent times. Though not immediately, but experts predicted India’s rate of growth to exceed that of China’s by a considerable margin in the next five years.

Obama wins 50,000 jobs in 20 deals worth over $10 b

US President Barack Obama has announced $10 billion in new trade deals with India. He was speaking in Mumbai at the start of a 10-day Asian tour designed to boost US exports and create jobs.

Mr Obama, who arrived here on a three-day tour of the country, also announced that the US will lift export controls on high technology products to India, to facilitate two-way trade between both the countries.

Some of the deals expected to contribute to this included:
• The sale by Boeing of 30 new 737 aircraft to private Indian airline SpiceJet. The White House says this will help support over 12,000 US jobs.
• Preliminary agreement had been reached on the Indian purchase of 10 Boeing C-17s military transport planes.
• The sale by GE of fighter 107 F414 jet engines to the Indian military.
• A separate deal with GE worth $500m (£309m) for the sale of six heavy duty gas turbines and three steam turbines to India’s Reliance Energy Ltd.
• Harley-Davidson plans a new plant in India to assemble American-made motorcycle kits.
• The White House said India had identified GE subsidiary GE Transportation, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, and Electro-Motive Diesel, of LaGrange, Illinois, a unit of Caterpillar Inc, as bidders to supply Indian railways with over 1,000 diesel locomotives over 10 years

India orders may create 7 lakh jobs in US in 10 years

Industry body CII on 7th November, 2010 said sourcing of infrastructure equipment, nuclear hardware and military aircraft from the US by India could create over seven lakh jobs in America in the next ten years.

A CII survey of member firms with operations in the US clearly shows that Indian business is now engaged across a wide spectrum of sectors in America, and not just IT and ITeS.

The Report, ‘India – A Growth Partner in the Indian Economy’, estimates that, “India sourcing of US military and nuclear hardware and civilian aircraft could create over 700,000 jobs in the US over the next ten years.

Indira Gandhi 9th most powerful woman of the century

Indira Gandhi, world’s longest serving woman Prime Minister, has been ranked by the Time magazine as the 9th most powerful woman of the past century, a list that also includes Mother Teresa.

The list of ’25 Most Powerful Women of the Past Century’ is topped by Jane Addams, an outspoken advocate for women’s suffrage, who was the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is ranked sixth on the list.

Besides Gandhi and Mother Teresa, who is ranked 22nd, no other woman from the sub-continent figures in the Time magazine list released on 20th November 2010.

When Gandhi was elected Prime Minister in 1966, a TIME cover line had read, ‘Troubled India in a Woman’s Hands’.

She served three consecutive terms from 1966 to 1977 and was in the middle of her fourth term from 1980 when she was assassinated in 1984.

By the time she was assassinated, Gandhi was the world’s longest-serving woman Prime Minister, a distinction she holds to this day, the magazine said.

The list of 25 also includes Marie Curie, Madonna, Golda Meir, Angela Merkel, Eleanor Roosevelt, Margaret Thatcher, Oprah Winfrey and Virginia Woolf.

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International Current Affairs of December 2010

Assange praises The Hindu

Julian Assange, WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief, has commended The Hindu in an interviewto Business Standard published on 21st December, 2010.

In the interview given at Suffolk, the United Kingdom, Mr. Assange spoke of his impression of the Indian media. “Well, there are some very great little journalistic groups in India. [The] Hindu, [The] Times [of India] have been quite good… some of their material. In my dealings with Indians, there is such an incredible potential in the Indian media, because there is still a lot of corruption.

On the other hand, journalism is quite vibrant in the medium and lower level. You have a rising middle class. You have more people getting access to the Internet. So, I am quite hopeful of about what is going to develop in India,” he was quoted as saying.

Chinese media knocks off 1,600 km from China-India border

China appears to be making ground for claiming some 1,600 km of Indian territory judging by reports in the state-owned media on the length of China-India border.

Even as the two countries have been discussing the unresolved boundary issue for decades, the state-owned Xinhua and ‘ Global Times ., an English language newspaper published by the ‘People’s Daily’, the official mouthpiece of the ruling Chinese Communist Party, have described the China-India border as nearly 2,000 km long.

The reports about the length of the border were carried in the Chinese official media ahead of Prime Minister Wen Jiabao’s December 15-17 visit to India.

Xinhua on the eve of Wen’s arrival in New Delhi had said the length of the border was nearly 2,000 km long.

This Chinese assessment contradicts the Indian figure of 3,500 km for the operational border between the two nations.

The Chinese premier was sharply critical of the Indian media, saying it was causing “damage” to bilateral ties.

India gears up to serve in Security Council with new outlook

India is gearing up to serve the powerful UN Security Council as a non-permanent member after a gap of 19 years with a fresh outlook on several international issues, especially human rights.

India will return to the Security Council on January 1, 2011 for a two-year period along with South Africa, Colombia, Germany and Portugal.

China to provide flood data ofSutlej river to India

China will provide India with real time flood data of Sutlejriver during monsoon, according to an agreement signed between the two countries.

Under the five year agreement,China will set up a special station in Tibet to monitor rainfall and flood situation to enable India get advanced warnings.

In turn, India will pay Rs 12 lakh per annum to China. The money will be used by Beijing to maintain the station, sources in the government said.

The flood data will be provided twice daily between June and October every year.

US Congress passes contentious Obama tax deal

US lawmakers gave final approval to President Barack Obama’s contentious deal with Republicans to avert a New Year’s tax hike and extend aid to the jobless, despite a Democratic rebellion.

The Senate passed the package by an 81-19 margin, the House of Representatives followed suit 277-148, sending the measure to Obama to sign and reap a restorative bipartisan victory six weeks after an elections rout.

The 858-billion-dollar measure was expected to give the US economy a much-needed boost while digging the country’s deficit and debt deeper, as the world’s richest country emerges from the worst downturn since the 1930s.

Japan shifts post-Cold War defence focus to China, NKorea

Japan would shift its defence focus from the Soviet Cold War threat to southern islands nearerChina, labelling the military build-up of its giant neighbour a global "concern".

Aside from boosting its southern forces and submarine fleet and upgrading its fighter jets, Japan will strengthen missile defences against the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea, it said in a major strategic review.

The cabinet of officially pacifist Japan approved the National Defence Programme Guidelines months after a territorial row flared up with China and weeks after North Korea launched a deadly artillery strike against South Korea.

The new guidelines labelled North Korea, which in recent years has fired missiles over Japan, staged two nuclear tests and last month unveiled a new uranium enrichment plant — an "urgent, grave factor for instability".

India, China relationship is a key milestone defining 21st century: PM

India and China will march together as friends and not rivals in the years to come and stressed while addressing the gathering that partnership between the two countries will be a key milestone in defining 21st century. PM Manmohan Singh Added.

Noting that resolution of the boundary question is one of the ten-pronged strategies agreed by leaders of the two countries, the leaders decided that pending its resolution, the two sides shall work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas in line with the previous agreements.

The two sides also noted the good cooperation between China and India in the field of trans-border rivers with the Indian side appreciating the assistance provided by the Chinese side on the flood-season hydrological data and emergency management.

Underlining their unequivocal opposition to terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, the two countries stressed that there is no justification for any act of terrorism anywhere.

UN set to lift some Iraqi sanctions

The UN Security Council is set to take new steps to restore Iraq to the international standing it held before Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, including lifting sanctions that prohibited the country from pursuing a civilian nuclear programme.

The US held the council presidency this month and US Vice-President Joseph Biden was presided at council meeting where American officials added action is also expected to return control of Iraq’s oil and natural gas revenue to the government and terminate all remaining activities of the oil-for-food programme which helped ordinary Iraqis cope with sanctions.

India, China to resolve outstanding differences

In a bid to ease irritants which have creeped in the last one year, India and China reached broad consensus on several issues and pledged firm commitment to resolve outstanding differences, including the boundary issue at the earliest through peaceful negotiations.

• "There is enough space in the world for the development of both India and China and indeed, enough areas for India and China to cooperate."
• Noting that resolution of the boundary question is one of the ten-pronged strategies agreed by leaders of the two countries, the leaders decided that pending its resolution, the two sides shall work together to maintain peace and tranquility in the border areas in line with the previous agreements.
• The two sides also noted the good cooperation between China and India in the field of trans-border rivers with the Indian side appreciating the assistance provided by the Chinese side on the flood-season hydrological data and emergency management.

Indo-China sign six pacts

• India and China signed six pacts, including one in the field of green technology, after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.
• Besides the MoU on green technology, the two sides also signed an MoU each on exchange of hydrological data of common rivers, media exchanges and cultural exchanges.
• Two pacts were signed in the banking sector. These were an MoU each between Reserve Bank of India and Chinese Bank Regulatory Commission and EXIM Bank of India and Chinese Development Bank

Fund set up for promotion of collaboration in Science & Tech

IT major Infosys Technologies and France based EADS agreed to donate 200,000 euro (about Rs 1.19 crore) to set up a fund that will help students of Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and the Paris Institute of Technology (ParisTech).

"With the donation made by Infosys and EADS of 100,000 euro each that will contribute to the creation of the IITs-ParisTech-Fund for Science and Technology, it is proposed to establish an ambitious tool to strenthen the collaboration between these two groups of eminent institutions in France and in India,"

Out of euro 200,000, 70,000 euro will be used for the undergraduate level and rest will be used for PhD students in India and France.

EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services.
The IITs-ParisTech Internership programme in Science & Technology will provide undergraduate students and postgraduate students opportunity to complete an intership in the partner country within an academaic institution or a company.

The objective is to structure long-term cooperation in education and research between ParisTech and IITs, associating academic and industrial partners.
The objective of the programme is to encourage students to discover Science & Technology in the partner institutions and give them the desire to contribueb for a longer period of time to a joint research project between France and India or to start their professional careers as part of an industrial project between the two countries.

Time readers select Assange as ‘Person of The Year’

Controversial WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, who is in custody in London on rape charges, has won an online vote to be Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’, amid continuous leak of thousands of confidential US diplomatic cables by his whistle-blower website.

The 39-year-old Australian national secured 382,020 votes, which gave him an easy first place, while US President Barack Obama was in the sixth position with 27,478 votes.

Assange received 148,383 votes more than Recep Tayyip Ergodan, Prime Minister of Turkey, who stood second with a score of 233,638.

Pop star Lady Gaga was third with 146,378 votes, according to the magazine, which said that its editors, who choose the actual ‘Person of the Year’, reserve the right to disagree with the results of the online poll.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke was the 2009 Time ‘Person of the Year’.

Richard Holbrooke passes away

Richard Holbrooke (69), President Barack Obama’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, died. Role in Vietnam war.

• Mr. Holbrooke’s career both began and ended in the service of American diplomacy trapped within the perimeter of unrelenting wars of occupation. As a young Foreign Service officer he was assigned to the U.S. embassy in Vietnam in 1962, where he served for six years and made important policy contributions for economic development and local political reform. In this posting he was most remembered, however, for lending his expertise to the Paris peace talks of 1968, which ultimately helped end the war.

German medal

• In 1994, when Mr. Holbrooke took on the mantle of Assistant Secretary of State for European and Canadian Affairs, he headed the negotiation team that was responsible for resolving the Balkan crisis. For the seminal role he played as chief architect of the Dayton Peace Accords, in 1996 Mr. Holbrooke was awarded the Manfred Wörner Medal by the German Ministry of Defence for public figures rendering “special meritorious service to peace and freedom in Europe.”

B’desh to honour 226 Indians for role in 1971 ‘Liberation War’

Bangladesh will honour some 500 foreigners, including 226 Indians, for their crucial support to the country’s 1971 ‘Liberation War’, as it marks the 40th Victory Day anniversary next year.

"The cabinet approved the proposal to accord reception to distinguished foreign nationals and organisations for their extraordinary contribution in our Liberation War."

Samy Vellu to be Malaysia’s Special Envoy to India

Samy Vellu (74), until recently president of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), will be Malaysia’s Special Envoy to India and South Asia for Infrastructure with effect from New Year’s Day 2011.

Announcing his appointment, while releasing his biography at a function in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak praised Samy Vellu for his “connection” with the South Asian countries. “Many Malaysian companies will benefit from his role as a Special Envoy on Infrastructure.”

Singapore hails ties with India

Singapore reaffirmed its “positive” ties with India and other countries which figured in a set of leaked United States’ diplomatic cables on the city-state’s relations with some of its neighbours.

A top Singapore official was quoted, in a cable, as telling U.S. officials in September 2009 that India’s policy towards the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was “stupid” and Japan was a big “loser” in the context of China’s enhancedties with ASEAN. Malaysia and some of its leaders were also seen in poor light in the comments attributed to some Singapore officials, one of whom praised China’s “intelligent diplomacy in the region”.

India to extend ties with Russia in defence, nuclear spheres

India and Russia are likely to sign half-a-dozen agreements, including a long-pending one on co-developing and producing a Fifth Generation Fighter Aircraft (FGFA).

Another important agreement will be in the civil nuclear sphere where both sides will seek to fill in more details to the umbrella agreement signed during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Moscow in December last year. India is willing to shift the Russian nuclear site from West Bengal and a concrete offer in this respect will be made during the visit.

The two sides are also expected to ink pacts in space and trade, the two areas where they have made tentative beginnings but want substantial cooperation to take place.

Sri Lanka scraps Tamil version of its national anthem

Sri Lanka has scrapped the Tamil version of its national anthem at official and state functions, a move likely to further alienate the ethnic Tamils in the country.

Now the national anthem–’Sri Lanka matha….’ can only be rendered in the majority Sinhala language at official functions, the Sri Lankan cabinet decided.

The decision was taken at the last cabinet meeting headed by the President Mahinda Rajapksha, who pointed out that no country in the world uses thenational anthem in other than one language, the ‘Sunday Times’ reported on 12th December, 2010.

“The move will mean that the current Tamil version will no longer be played at any official or state functions”

The Sinhala version is widely used across the country except for the north and east where a majority speaks Tamil.

“A directive to use only the Sinhala version is to be sent out by the Ministry of Public Administration.

Govt approves signing pact for TAPI gas pipeline project

The govt has approved signing of agreements to import natural gas through the US-backed Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India pipeline, whose terms are far less stringent than those it had set for another proposed pipeline involving Iran.

In a major departure from its previously stated policy of the seller delivering the gas at its border, India has agreed to take custody of the gas at Turkmenistan-Afghanistan border and will rely on an international consortium for safe transfer of the fuel through Afghanistan and Pakistan.

While negotiating a similar project to import gas from Iran via Pakistan through a pipeline that would have been shorter, cost cheaper and easier to build, India had insisted that Tehran take the responsibility of safe passage of gas through Pakistan.

No talks have taken place for the Iran-Pakistan-India pipleline in the last few years.

Besides, in the TAPI pipleline project, Turkmenistan is not agreeable to making up for any shortfall or disruption in gas supplies.

New Delhi had previously raised security and financing concerns over Iran-Pakistan-India gas pipeline but appears to be satisfied about the line from Turkmenistan that would not just pass through Pakistan but also Afghanistan.

The TAPI pipeline is backed by Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the External Affairs Ministry sees it as an opportunity to project India’s commitment to Afghanistan.

Turkmenistan will supply gas from its South Yoloten-Osman field and state-owned gas utility GAIL India will enter into a Gas Sales and Purchase Agreement (GSPA) with the Central Asian country’s national oil firm Turkmengaz later.

China reveals world’s fastest train

China played host to railway authorities and railway experts from around the world in Beijing , and used the opportunity to showcase a high-speed train that clocked the fastest ever speed in a test run last week.

In the spotlight is the 16-car CRH380A, a new generation of high-speed train which Chinese Ministry of Railways officials say recorded a top speed of 486.1 kilometers per hour on 9th December, 2010, far exceeding Japan’s bullet trains.

Chinese railway officials say the CRH380A, designed to operate at a cruising speed of 380 kph, is the fastest train in operation in the world on 9th December, 2010.

China is reportedly in the process of developing a super high-speed train that can run at 600 kph.

China South Locomotive & Rolling Stock Corp., which designed the CRH380A, was clearly the focus attention as foreign railway experts toured an international exhibition of railway technology organised by the Ministry of Railways on the sidelines of a world congress on high speed rail.

China boasts the world’s longest high-speed railway network, which totals 7,531 km, and Chinese railway officials say the country plans to expand the system to 16,000 km by 2020.

India to attend Nobel night for Chinese dissident

India has decided to attend the ceremony where the Nobel Peace Prize will be presented to Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in Oslo on 10th December, 2010, notwithstanding China’s call for a boycott of the function.

Although China has called upon all countries, including India to keep away from the ceremony, New Delhi does not see it as a bilateral issue with Beijing, official sources said.

India is among 44 countries which has confirmed its participation as against 19 countries, including Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Columbia, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Iraq, Iran, Vietnam and Afghanistan which have for various reasons declined the invitation.

The sources said the country’s representation will be at the same level as in the past at the ceremony.

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange arrested in London & refused bail

The founder of whistle-blowing website Wikileaks, Julian Assange, has been refused bail by a court in London but vowed to fight extradition to Sweden.

Mr Assange denies sexually assaulting two women in Sweden. He was remanded in custody pending a hearing next week.

A judge at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court refused bail because of the risk of the 39-year-old fleeing.

A Wikileaks spokesman said the arrest was an attack on media freedom and pledged to continue publishing.

After the court appearance Mr Assange’s lawyer Mark Stephens said he would be applying again for bail.

He claimed the charges were “politically motivated” and said the judge was keen to see the evidence against Mr Assange, an Australian citizen.

Mr Stephens said Wikileaks would continue to publish material and added: “We are on cable 301 and there are 250,000 secret cables.”

Wikileaks’ Visa payments suspended

Visa Europe has begun suspending payments to whistle-blowing website Wikileaks ahead of carrying out an investigation into the organisation.

It follows a similar move by rival payments processor Mastercard on 7th December, 2010.

Visa’s announcement comes after Wikileaks’ founder Julian Assange was arrested by police in London.

Mr Assange, whose website has published secret documents, is wanted in Sweden on sexual assault allegations.

Wikileaks relies on online donations to fund its operations, which will now not be possible using both Visa and Mastercard debit and credit cards.

Online payment firm PayPal and internet giant Amazon have also cut their links with Wikileaks in recent days.

Wikileaks: Swiss bank freezes Julian Assange’s account

The Swiss post office’s bank, PostFinance, has frozen the accounts of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

The whistle-blowing website says the freeze includes a defence fund and personal assets worth 31,000 euros.

Wikileaks has published hundreds of secret US diplomatic cables, angering the US government and triggering moves by several companies including PayPal and Amazon to end their services.

Meanwhile, a warrant for Mr Assange’s arrest has reached the UK authorities.

Sources have told that the European Arrest Warrant for Mr Assange arrived on 6th December, 2010 afternoon.

Swedish prosecutors want to question Mr Assange in connection with allegations of rape, sexual molestation and unlawful coercion, which he denies.

He is believed to be in hiding somewhere in south-east England. Once the police have located him, he would be expected to appear at a magistrate’s court within 24 hours, pending extradition to Sweden.

Top Chinese officials led Google hacking: WikiLeaks

The hacking of Google Inc that led the Internet Company to briefly pull out of China was orchestrated by two members of China’s top ruling body, according to US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks and cited by The New York Times on 4th December 2010.

Citing the cables, the Times said China made repeated and often successful hacking attacks on the US government, private enterprises and Western allies as far back as 2002.

Google, the world’s top Internet search engine, closed its China-based search service in March, two months after it had said it would stop censoring search results in response to what it said was a sophisticated cyber attack that it traced to China and increasing limits on freedom of expression.

The dispute was resolved in July after Google tweaked the way it directs users to an unfiltered search engine.

The Times quoted one cable dated earlier this year as saying: “A well-placed contact claims that the Chinese government coordinated the recent intrusions of Google systems. According to our contact, the closely held operations were directed at the Politburo Standing Committee level.”

The cables did not make clear how the cyber attacks blamed on China were coordinated, the Times said, and “the cables also appear to contain some suppositions by Chinese and Americans passed along by diplomats.”

The paper added that the cable quoted the contact as saying the hacking of Google “had been coordinated out of the State Council Information Office with the oversight” of two members of the Communist Party’s Politburo: Li Changchun and Zhou Yongkang. It said Zhou isChina’s top security official.

WikiLeaks diverts to European websites amid US fury

WikiLeaks directed readers to a web address in Switzerland on 3rd December, 2010 after two U.S. Internet providers ditched it in the space of two days, and Paris tried to ban French servers from hosting its trove of leaked data.

The Internet publisher directed users to www.wikileaks.ch after the wikileaks.org site on which it had published classified U.S. government information vanished from view for about six hours.

A Dutch- and a German-based site, www.wikileaks.nl and www.wikileaks.de , were also giving readers access to the leaked documents.

EveryDNS.net, which helps computers to locate the sites of its members, said it had stopped providing services to WikiLeaks at 2200 U.S. Eastern time on 3rd December.

WikiLeaks had turned to EveryDNS and host servers in Europe after Amazon.com stopped hosting the site on 2nd December, 2010.

The United States is furious about WikiLeaks’ publication of hundreds of confidential diplomatic cables that have given unvarnished and sometimes embarrassing insights into the foreign policy of the United States and its allies.

India, China making ‘steady progress’ on border dispute: Menon

India and China concluded their 14th round of Special Representatives border talks, with both sides agreeing to seek a “fair deal” as they made “steady progress” on a framework to resolve the long-running boundary dispute.

Menon and Dai discussed the whole gamut of issues bedeviling the two countries, including the resumption of defence exchanges put on hold by India following denial of visa to a top Indian General B S Jaswal.

Menon declined to go into details of the progress made during the border talks, citingsensitivities involved.

India, B’desh sign crucial transshipment agreement

India and Bangladesh have signed a crucial deal to allow Indian heavy equipment to be transshipped to its landlocked northeastern Tripura state for a proposed power plant through Bangladeshi territory, officials said.

Roads & Highways chief engineer Azizur Rahman and India’s Oil and Natural gas Corporation’s senior adviser R K Madan signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) which would allowIndia to transport heavy equipment for its proposed Palatana Power Plant in Tripura in 96 consignments throughBangladesh.

India provides assistance to boost agriculture in Sri Lanka

India has provided seeds and 500 tractors to Sri Lanka to boost agriculture in the neighbouring country, Parliament was informed.

India has also gifted 95,000 agricultural starters packs for reviving the livelihood activities of returning Internally Displaced Persons in Northern Sri Lanka.

A six-member delegation was sent to the island country in September 2009 for a detailed discussion for setting up of an Institute of Agricultural Transformation.

US in damage control, welcomes global leadership role for India

The US said it welcomes a greater global leadership role for India, two days after its Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remark describing India as a “self-appointed front-runner” for a permanent UNSC seat was leaked.

As part of its massive leak of a quarter million classified documents of the US government, the website released a “secret” cable issued by Clinton where she has described India as a “self-appointed front-runner” for a permanent UNSC seat.

She had also directed US envoys to seek minute details about Indian diplomats stationed at the United Nations headquarters, according to classified documents released by WikiLeaks.

WikiLeaks cables expose Pakistan nuclear fears

U.S. and U.K. diplomats warn of terrorists getting hold of fissile material and of Pakistan-India nuclear exchange.

American and British diplomats fear Pakistan’s nuclear weapons programme could lead to fissile material falling into the hands of terrorists or a devastating nuclear exchange with India.

The latest cache of U.S. embassy cables released by WikiLeaks contains warnings that Pakistan is rapidly building its nuclear stockpile despite the country’s growing instability and “pending economic catastrophe.”