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Boris Johnson’s Final Deal for BREXIT
Shubhaj Porricha
As we approach the deadline date for BREXIT, 30th of October, the open border issues of the Northern Ireland (Part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (Part of the EU), with regards to the customs union and free movement laws between the two countries remains unanswered. Respecting the “Good Friday” agreement, all parties involved (UK, EU and the Republic of Ireland) agree that there cannot be a hard border between the two countries once the UK moves out of the EU. Therefore, the parties must arrive at a deal that respects the Good Friday agreement, which they have failed to do till now and hence there is a “Backstop”.
In an attempt to break the deadlock, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has proposed a final deal to the EU, which would see North Ireland remaining a part of the EU single market for a temporary period of 4 years, once the UK pulls out of the EU. The PM suggests that this would help in smoothing over the transition. The deal would see the creation of a custom border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Checks would be carried out on both sides of the borders, to avoid tensions these checks will take place a few meters away from the real border itself. To avoid delays, authorised businesses could be checked on their premises ahead of time. In the four years, Northern Ireland would follow the EU rules on agricultural and industrial goods to facilitate trade. However, the proposal states that Northern Ireland would not stick to the EU rules on worker’s rights, social conditions, and environmental standards. Post the transition period, Northern Ireland will be left with two options, either to continue working under the umbrella of the EU or completely detach itself from the EU and join mainland UK.
Israel’s New Government Faces Pre-Trial
Shefali Mhatre
Amidst Israel’s uncertain political climate, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s pre-indictment hearings on allegations of corruption began on Wednesday. The charges against him are of looming bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
These hearings are a culmination of over three years of investigations and lasted four days. It covered three cases, Case 1000, Case 2000 and Case 4000, which include the charges of Netanyahu acting on behalf of wealthy businessmen in exchange for gifts (supposedly valued at around 200,000 USD), and positive media coverage. Case 4000 is perhaps the most serious one with charges of bribery against the Prime Minister and his wife.
These hearings were not made public even though Netanyahu argued for it on the grounds of transparency. The Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit decided against it because they only offered the defense lawyers’ arguments and making them public would provide a one-sided view of the case which was very well known by the Premier.
The Attorney General plans to decide the verdict by mid-November. Netanyahu denies all the allegations and claims it to be a witch hunt orchestrated by the media, the left and the state prosecution.
North Korean missile lands in Japan
Pranali Deshmukh
In an attempt to display its nuclear strength to the world, North Korea has yet again launched a ballistic missile from Pyongyang. The missile landed in Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), no damages have been reported to the shipping or aircraft. The launch is considered as a reminder by North Korea of its weapons capability ahead of their talks with Washington. South Korea’s military said it had detected the launch of one missile that flew 450km and reached an altitude of 910km. It is considered to be a Pukguksong class weapon, as North Korea’s earlier submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga of Japan said that the missile may have split into two parts before falling into the waters off Japan’s west coast. Further analysis is being conducted into the same. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe castigated the launch of the missiles which fell into the waters of Japan’s EEZ saying that it was a violation of the United Nations Security Council resolutions.
North Korea considers the UN resolutions banning the use of ballistic technology as a breach of its right to self-defence. This is the ninth launch since the US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at the heavily guarded demilitarized zone (DMZ) between two Koreas in June. Pyongyang is pushing Washington to back off from their demands of full denuclearisation for what seems to be only the promise of sanction relief.
Trump’s Impeachment
Mritunjaya Dubey
The political winds once again swirled against President Donald Trump second time in a row since he took over the White House as the President in 2016. An impeachment was initiated on 24th September 2019, by Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States- House of Representatives. Mr. President has been accused of abusing his power to fulfill his political will. The action got more strength making headlines in all leading media as the second tell-tale, where Mr. Trump talks over a phone call surfaced (as on July 25, 2019) with the Ukrainian intelligence community's internal officials.
To this end, the Trump administration has been alleged of dealing with the other foreign nations to uplift Mr. Trump's political interests. Following this, various additional allegations are also in the lime-lights these include misconduct and abuse of power as per the whims and fancies of Mr. President. This impeachment row came at a time when the US Presidential Elections are around the corner.
It has been brought out that Trump administration’s top-notch officials have been massively involved in “dealings” with the foreign nations (here likewise Ukraine) to play the cards against his political opponent for the upcoming elections, the democratic party Presidential candidate Mr. Joe Biden. However, two of the top officials from the Trump Administration in an interview with The New York Times tried their best to cover the central issue regarding the misconduct and abuse of power by Mr. Trump, they very well substantiated their point by telling the media about Mr. Trump’s unique way of interacting with foreign nations citing the Ukrainian call made by President as one such example. There have been other instances in the past where Mr. Donald Trump has been found guilty of misconduct and use of power for his temporary political gains. However, the strong-hold of Mr. Trump in Congress makes impeachment a far-fetched game. Impeachment is a two-way political process, rarely used, through which a US president can be removed from the office. In the end, keeping intact the Campaign for the US Presidential Elections 2020, the Trump Administration will also try its best to get away with such issues emerging over the surface.
Anti-government Protests In Iraq
Ronnie Ninan
A wave of violent anti-government protests has left hundreds dead and many wounded in Iraq. These protests stem from the calls for better employment opportunities and services since the new government came to power last year. While the incumbent Prime Minister of Iraq, Adil Abdul Mahdi, promised reforms toward better employment opportunities and an end to poverty, the public outburst speaks volumes concerning the delivery of his promises. The demonstrations in the Southern city of Nasiriyah saw the headquarters of six political parties set on fire, while a multitude of Iraqi citizens descended on government buildings in the city of Diwaniyah, where the protestors were greeted with gunfire. The United Nations, after noticing the public outcry and senseless deaths, have called for an end to the violence in Iraq. According to the World Bank, the youth unemployment rate in Iraq stands at 25%, while the corruption within the government, sets Iraq as the 12th most corrupt country in the world, as per Transparency International. Prime Minister Mahdi's government has failed in delivering stability and order since the country declared victory against the terrorist outfit ISIS in 2017.
Although the Iraqi public is still coming to terms with their present from a war-ravaged past, these demonstrations for better governance and even a change in their political discourse could open up a better future for the country.