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ISIS Leader Baghdadi Killed in US Operation
Qudsia Ghafary
International and military sources have confirmed that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in a US led special operation in Barisha near Sarmada in northern rural Idlib.
Post the result of operation, the US Army official informed that White House has strong confidence that the 'high value target' was killed Baghdadi. The senior Pentagon Official said there was a brief firefight when US forces entered the compound in Idliband Baghdadi then killed himself by detonating a suicide vest, the killing was witnessed by family members. However, Pentagon sources mentioned no children were harmed in the raid; two of Baghdadi's wives were killed after detonating their own explosive vests.
It must be noted that the senior Pentagon Official told that the compound in which Baghdadi was located was then taken out with an airstrike in order to prevent the site for becoming a shrine to the leader. Turkey and NATO allies, backing local insurgents, were not notified prior to the operation and after the operation had been awaited, President Trump tweeted: something very big has just happened.
Merkel's Visit to India
Fatima naseer
German chancellor Angela Merkel began her fourth visit to India with a delegation from 12 ministries. Angela Merkel held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a host of bilateral issues such as trade and investment technology, culture, security and sustainable development among other areas. This resulted in India and Germany signing close to 20 agreements. German Chancellor had a meeting with women leaders besides a business delegation.
Meanwhile, German envoy to India, Walter J Lindner said that Prime Minster Modi and Merkel share a robust relationship and they can talk about any issue including Kashmir. Merkel's visit comes days after the German Parliament passed a resolution calling for upgrading ties between Germany and India. Brexit has added to Germany's economic problems, there is uncertainty about how that is going to play out as far as the economy is concerned in Europe, which will also have impact on the global economy. India's sluggish economy is also a defining factor of the Indo-German ties.
Solomon Islands vetoes China's attempt to Lease its Island
Sooraj kashyap
A deal made between the provincial government in Solomon Islands' and China's state-owned company Sam Group over the leasing of an island in the Pacific; has been blocked or vetoed by the present government. The deal has been considered unlawful on two grounds; first being that the provincial government had no powers in signing an agreement of this magnitude; Second, the company Sam Group has not been recognized as a foreign investor.
The official statement from the Prime Minister's Office also mentioned that the deal is inconsequential according to the law; Any deal of this stature has to be vetted by the Attorney-General before the government goes through with it. This was not done in this case; the decision is a significant blow to China's plan on expanding its influence in the Pacific. The island has a deep-water harbor capability, which is an advantage for military or naval operations.
USA has been swift to turn the whole situation as being a timely recognition on behalf of the smaller countries from the threat of China, which has been heavily criticized by the Chinese government. However, in hindsight, the whole scenario is just gross mismanagement and corruption on the part of the Solomon Islands and the present government trying to make amends to it.
EU Members Visit Kashmir
S. Divya Kiran
On 29 October, a delegation of 27 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from 11 countries visited the erstwhile Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir, which has been divided into two Union Territories: Kashmir and Ladakh, since 5 August 2019. Prior to this , they met with the Prime Minister who gave them an overview of his developmental priorities for the region.
This visit occurred amidst spiked tensions as the area has been put under a communication blockade with a severe military crackdown on dissent for more than three months now. It is interesting to note that the BJP led government in power has allowed for such a visit, even as local politicians continue to be under house arrest and international journalists, barred. Similar attempts made by delegations from human rights groups have also been thwarted.
The visit was facilitated by two think tanks; the International Institute of Non-Aligned Studies, based in New Delhi and the Women's Economic and Social Think Tank (WESTT), based in Brussels. The visit was not an official one, according to EU officials. In fact, European embassies were completely unaware of the said visit until Monday.
That the European Parliament, as well as the EU hierarchy, did not back this trip, coupled with the fact that the politicians were mostly from far-right parties have raised doubts regarding the validity and objective of the entire exercise. On an ideological level though, the European far-right and PM Modi do share common ground, with a strong stance against Islamic extremism featuring in both their agendas. Hence, it is logical for this foreign delegation to take away the picture of 'normalcy' from the conflicted valley, endorsing India's stance of Kashmir being an "internal matter".
Chile- No More the Host
Shubham Bhagat
Republic of Chile, one of Latin America's most opulent and politically stable country is currently facing the worst civil unrest since the dictatorship of General Augusto Pinochet that ended in 1990. 'El pais del poetas' as the residents affectionately call Chile, is in a state of complete chaos due to mass protests that have now deteriorated to looting, vandalism and arson.
So, how did this all begin? An increase in subway fare that started on Oct. 6 led high school students to jump turnstiles at metro stations in Santiago. Over the course of time, these acts of fare-dodging became more rampant. What began as an act of civil disobedience led by students rendered into a broad question about inequality. Many poor and middle-class Chileans said they were fed up with the rising cost of utilities, stagnant wages and ungenerous pensions in a nation that has long considered itself a silk-stocking country.
As a result, President Sebastián Piñera of Chile asseverated on 30 October 2019 that Chile would back out of hosting two important international events: United Nations Conference of Parties (COP 25) and a landmark APEC summit that would have decided the fate of the trade friction between the world's two largest economies. These events were to take place from 2 Dec - 13 Dec '19 and 16 Nov - 17 Nov respectively.
Pedro Sánchez, the acting Prime Minister of Spain affirmed to help the Chilean president and said that he is willing to help in any way that might be needed, including hosting the summit in Madrid. On Wednesday, the Bureau of the Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC accepted the proposal from the Government of Chile to hold the 2019 COP 25 from 2 to 13 December 2019 at IFEMA - Feria de Madrid, Spain.
Furthermore, all eyes were fixed at the APEC summit as Washington and Beijing had considered the forum to be a likely setting for a ceasefire to an 18 month long trade war. As per the details of the deal, China has agreed to snowball its agricultural purchases in exchange for a pardon from higher US tariffs. Representatives from both countries were also deliberating over limited agreements on intellectual property and currency. It is still unclear whether APEC would scrabble to find an alternative venue and time for the summit.
Arab States Face Mass Protest with Economic Slowdown
Radhika Mall
The Arab States fume in political unrest ignited by economic slowdown. The region faces high debt, low employment and poor governance. At least 10 countries in this region have a government debt to GDP ratio above 75 percent. The unemployment rate in this region is 11% with youth constituting a large fraction of the population. Studies show that there should be a 1-2 percent rise in the growth rate to reduce unemployment but the situation remains grim. The IMF has slashed its economic outlook on three major economies of the region - Saudi Arabia, Iran and UAE.According to the latest regional outlook report of IMF, the region is facing uncertain economic slump due to both internal and external reasons inclusive of incompetent governance along-with lowering oil prices, trade war, risk of disorderly Brexit and social unrest.
Having started from Algeria and Sudan; Streets of Egypt, Jordon, Iraq and Lebanon continue to be occupied by protestors from all strands of life demanding for regime and structural change. Supplementing the above, there has been a fall in the capital inflow affecting to the spiraling economic slowdown. In certain countries governments have rolled back the austerity measures of increased taxes and souring prices imposed on the civilians. The protests have spread to autocratic regimes like Saudi Arabia, where social media has become the means of protest against 100 percent tax on restaurant bills serving water piper or hookahs. Over 2000 civilians have been imprisoned, many others dead.Demands for a better livelihood and bridging of the gaps between the masses and the elite have become non-negotiable. Unlike the Arab Spring,