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WEEK 1: NOVEMBER 1 TO NOVEMBER 7
Eurozone Economy at Risk of Contracting in Fourth Quarter
Ishita Singh
During the fourth quarter, the business activity of the Eurozone has shown improvement in comparison to September, when it hit an all-time low in six years. However, the risk and possibility of stagnation continue with the Purchase Managers’ Index (PMI) remaining near the 50 mark, which separates growth from contraction. HIS Markit, which is a pertinent instrument for measuring economic potency, published the Eurozone PMI composite index showcasing an increase from September’s 50.1 to 50.6, going beyond the preliminary estimate of 50.2.
Experts have identified both domestic and international factors affecting the slow growth rate among the European countries. The International Monetary Fund has indicated a decline in the growth of the Eurozone from 1.9 percent in 2018 to 1.2 percent in 2019, because of the weakness in the trade and manufacturing sectors. The decline in the factory activity has contributed to the manufacturing slump in the region, which has, in turn, increased apprehensions regarding its effect on the service sector as well. The former IMF head and the new President of the European Central bank (ECB), Christine Lagarde stated the need for the European Union (EU), the second-largest economy, to optimally utilize the regions potential to generate a higher rate of domestic demands and sustained growth. This can be undertaken through increased public sector investments to move towards a more digital and greener EU.
Uncertainty in the international sphere with regards to the ongoing trade war between the United States of America and China along with the BREXIT conundrum has impacted business confidence in the Eurozone, leading to a reduction in interest rates by the ECB. Furthermore, volatility in the political milieu of Spain and Italy also restrain trade and investment in the region.
According to Studies Most of the Art Collection in British Museums are Stolen.
Pranali Deshmukh
The non-western countries are finding themselves in a difficult position as most of their cultural heritage resides in European museums, but especially in London’s British Museum. Human rights activist Geoffroy Robertson QC has stated that the trustees of the British museum have become the world’s largest receiver of stolen property. Most of the loots are not even on display. A “Stolen Goods Tour” was organized by a protest theatre group named ‘BP or not BP?’ at the British Museum. The tour highlighted the artifacts like Gwaegal shield, which the British stole from Aboriginal Australians in the 18th century. Elgin marbles, HoaHakanani’s, the Benin bronzes are items wanted by Greece, Easter Island, and Nigeria respectively. A report was prepared earlier on the reunification of the Elgin marbles to Greece by Robertson, late Professor Norman Palmer, and Amal Clooney.
The British museum recognizes the troublesome history of some of its collections and how the collections have been acquired through military action and subsequent looting. The museum has visited Benin City in 2018 to strike a deal in which the British museum will send Bronzes to Nigeria for Royal Museum planned to open in 2021. The stolen art collection is a huge part of the cultural heritage which needs to be returned which will help the future generations of the respective countries understand their cultural heritage better.
Turkish Author Ahmet Altan Freed After Three Years
Pratishtha Das Vaishnav
To become conscious of one’s limitations might make one crass dependence of the world rules rather than questioning its validity. Journalist AhmetAltan with his brother alongside, journalist Nazi Ilical was arrested in 2016 on allegations of vocalizing “subliminal messages announcing a Military coup” on National Television, also with an attempt to overthrow the constitutional order, hence meddling with the work of the Government and the National Assembly. He was released recently after serving three years due to an appeal instead of life in prison for spreading terrorism (or so Free speech).
The decision of his imprisonment seemed like nothing more than a facade of using constitutional Loophole to silence his determination for the truth. It compounds that his sentence can only be cataloged as an injustice not just to him of a most prolific kind but to all seeking the path of truth.
The vast majority of people in this world amount to the thought of something new as a fringe. Every powerful government or political parties no matter what religion or ideology they identify with -wants to live the life as it should be or it has been and pointing out someone raising a voice as unusual or a messiah.
In free countries, the freedom to make mistakes is considered their right so is pointing out the flaws in the government that serves them. But in those countries, most people don’t ask the question of what’s needed or they may be also following the same life circling without asking the questions that need to be answered.
Where countries like turkey, the constitution determined what questions can be asked and what should not even whisper. Anyone with new thoughts or freedom can be sentenced as committing a crime against the country. Places with additional constraints and confinement need people like Altan to raise the questions of uncharted territory.
Freedom of speech is basic human rights and Altan just wants the people of Turkey to realizing that exchanging their freedom for empty promises of protection is not the only way to live.
Washington and Beijing still tense over trade deal.
Omkar Mane
President Donald Trump gave a new trade to the ongoing US-China Trade war when he declared that he was not rolling back the tariffs that had been agreed with China in October. This aggravates, the already tense standoff between the world’s two largest economies. The trade war, which started a year ago, shows no sign of stopping and this is not only hurting the US and China but also the global economy in general.
The negotiations which happened in October have hit several major roadblocks though the Chinese Commerce Ministry said that it is still expecting the US to lift the tariffs on its imports. But the US president has not only denied this proposition but also warned that further increase in tariff. China has also resisted important US demands, including efforts to scale back the forced transfer of technology. China has also not given a concrete answer on whether it would buy up to $50 billion worth of American agricultural products as part of the agreement which happened in October.
In spite of the threats of further tariffs given by the US president, China, and Chinese state media is silent on this topic. They are still hopeful that a trade deal would be reached. The US side is also hopeful that a trade deal would be reached to ease the strain between the two economic giants, US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has warned that an additional 15 percent tariff can be placed on about US$156 billion of Chinese imports on December 15 if a favorable trade deal is not reached. All of these puts Washington and Beijing on a collision course, which will not only strain the already strained relations between the countries but will also be detrimental to the already sluggish global economy.
Chile Protests: “It’s not 30 pesos, it’s 30 years”
Bhavya Bana
The popular unrest in Chile reached a tipping point with the hike in metro fare prices, which led to a massive student and youth-led protests all over the country. These protests are largely against the growing inequality, high prices, low wages, privatized pension schemes, and an education system that burdens the poorer students with heavier student loan debts.
The protests began in the last week of October as dozens of students came out protesting against the hike in metro fares by 4% or 30 pesos. The mass uprising left President SebastiánPiñera imposing a state emergency, installing curfews and deploying the military to quell the riots. The demonstrations which began as student-led, have now attracted thousands of people from all across the Chilean society over the five weeks. The largest mobilization was seen in the demonstrations of October 25 which saw an estimated 1.2 million people gather in central Santiago. The peaceful gatherings have since then gone down in number, while, masked men attacking public infrastructure and police have gone up.
For the international community, these protests were unexpected as Chile is considered as one of the wealthiest countries in Latin America, the host of two major international summits which had to be cancelled amidst the unrest. Seen as the oasis of Latin America, the country is also viewed as having the highest level of inequalities. Such a picture of Chile was created soon after the US-backed coup of Augusto Pinochet which implemented neo-liberal economic policies, privatizing education, pension schemes, and natural resources. Although Chile’s macroeconomic indicators have shown positive growth in the last few decades, having the highest GDP per capita in Latin America; the privatization schemes have left the poor and middle classes with growing debts.
“It’s not 30 pesos, it’s 30 years” has become a slogan for this mass unrest, signifying a demand for change in economic policies which have existed for 30 years since the end of Pinochet’s dictatorship.
WEEK 2: NOVEMBER 7 TO NOVEMBER 14
China Accuses US to Use UN as Tool to Meddle In Tibet
Simran Kothari
Last week, Sam Brownback, the United States ambassador for religious freedom urged the UN to take up the issue of succession of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. The United States believes that the choice of the Dalai Lama successor belongs to the Tibet Buddhists and China has absolutely no control over this matter. Beijing responded by accusing the US of meddling in the internal matters of China. China — which argues that it has brought modernization and development to the Himalayan region — has increasingly hinted it could name the next Dalai Lama, who would presumably be groomed to support Chinese rule. The Chinese government has also indicated it is waiting out the Dalai Lama, believing his campaign for greater Tibetan autonomy will end with him. At the age of 84, the spiritual leader who once travelled incessantly has slowed down and earlier this year suffered a chest infection, although he is not known to have serious health issues.
Known for its mindful strategies and tactics, the Dalai Lama has been extra cautious in choosing his successor. He and his disciples are ready to bend the century old tradition where they look for reincarnation in the young boy; instead they are ready to look for signs in a girl, which was never the case earlier. China has been forcing its way in this matter and trying hard to be the one who gets to decide the successor of the spiritual leader, Dalai Lama in persuasion of its own interest and to have some kind of authority over Tibet.
Iran Discovers a New Oil Field – Rouhani
Arunima Prasad
Islamic Republic of Iran, one of the dominant exporters in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), has found a new oil field.
The news was disclosed by President Hassan Rouhani of Iran on Sunday (November 10) in the city of Yazd. The newly discovered oil field with 53 billion barrels of crude oil could bolster the country’s proven reserve of 150 billion by a third. According to the semi-official news agency-Tasmin, the field is approximately 925 square miles and contains deposit of 260 feet deep. Located near the home of Iran’s crucial oil industry in the southern province of Khuzestan, this could become the second largest oil field after the one in Ahvaz of 65 billion barrels. Currently, Iran has the fourth-largest proven oil reserve and second-largest natural gas reserve in the world. Additionally, it is also sharing an ample offshore field with Qatar in the Persian Gulf.
The information came out as Iran being trampled by US sanctions. In his speech, President Rouhani precisely mentioned that his workers were able to discover a massive crude oil reserve when the ‘white house’ sanctioned the sale of Iranian oil. The tensions between Iran and US accelerated last year since President Trump unilaterally withdrew US from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) between Iran and the P5+1 together with the European Union. The deal imposed regulations on Iran’s stockpile of medium and low enriched Uranium gas centrifuges for the next decade in exchange for alleviation from international oil sanctions. However, with the collapse of nuclear deal and the chaos it followed, none of the world powers have offered any means for Iran to escalate its oil exports.
Even though oil reserves stand a benchmark of comparison amidst the oil producing countries, the discovery alone could not be contemplated as a yardstick. It remains to be seen if Iran can sell any of its oil under the brand-new American sanctions.
Ayodhya Verdict- A Landmark Judgement
Sayali Phanse
The Sunni Waqf Board’s decision to abstain from seeking a review of Supreme Court’s Ayodhyaverdict, finally brought the decades old contentious Ayodhya title dispute to the settlement.
The epicenter of the issue is the belief among the Hindu’s that the Babri Masjid was built in Ayodhya after destructing Ram temple that marked the birthplace of the diety. The demolition of Babri Masjid on 6thdecember, 1992 by Hindu mobs, provoked a public outcry followed by riots and loss of several innocent lives.
A land title case was lodged in Allahabad High Court. The verdict was pronounced by the court on 30th September, 2010 based on four title suits. The disputed land was divided in three parts amongst Ram lalla represented by Hindu MahaSabha, Sunni Waqf Board and NirmohiAkhara. Discontented with the verdict, the litigants of the case, moved to Supreme court, challenging the verdit.
Supreme Court held regular hearings from 6th August, 2019 to 16th October, 2019. Chief Justice of India RanjanGogoi delivered the verdit alongside the bench of judges SharadBobde, C.Y. Chandrachud, AshokBhushan and S.A. Nazeer on 9th 2019.
Highlights of the Ayodhya Verdict:
The Hindus would get entire disputed 2.77 acers plot, where the demolished Babri Masjid once stood but the possession of the land remains with the Central government. Following the judgement, a trust will be formed within three months to build a temple on the disputed plot.
Supreme Court directed the government of Uttar Pradesh to allot five acers of land to Muslim community at a prominent place in Ayodhya for building Mosque.
Article 142 of Indian Constitution which provides the Supreme Court with power to intervene in any matter or cause for doing complete justice was invoked in this landmark judgement. This article is being invoked for the first time in the civil dispute over the immovable property for remedying what the court considers to be a wrong.
Ayodhya Verdict is regarded as an achievement which retains the secular fabric of the Republic of India.
Brazil Ex-President Lula Walks Out of Prison
Hassaan Chishti
Former Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, was released after spending 18 months in prison for corruption charges. Famously known as Lula amongst his countrymen, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison after being seen as a recipient of a beachside apartment from a company involved in a massive corruption scandal. The punishment was lowered to 8 years and 10 months later; however he was again sentenced to 12 years at the beginning of this year. The release came after the judicial laws pertaining to mandatory imprisonment, in Brazil, were changed. Only after the accused has exhausted his/her appeals in the courts will he/she be imprisoned. This also means that Lula is not absolutely free till he is not declared innocent in the court of law. In spite of that it is seen as a major boost for the Brazilian left who needed an uplifting after losing the elections to far right leader JairBolsonaro, who made sure he tweeted his disdain towards the release of Lula and also asked people “not to give ammunition to the scoundrel”. He maintained the Lula was indeed guilty and free only for a temporary time period. Given this is not the only case he has been accused in, Lula is essentially walking a thin rope. If he manages to win, there are many other cases where he could be indicted. People’s resentment towards Lula and his Workers Party is seen as the driving force behind the success of Bolsonaro in becoming the President of Brazil.
Us Citizenship- Getting Harder By the Day
Isha Saxena
The Trump Administration recently seems to have boomed the world with yet another announcement, there has been a proposal from the Department of Homeland Security to increase the cost of citizenship applications by 83%. It has been reported that the application fee would surge from $640 to $1,170 and the costs related to legal permanent residency would go up by 79%. This is a step towards making the eligibility for US citizenship more stringent, the possibility of around 9 million immigrants of becoming American citizens has become bleak. The justification given by the Department was the inability to cover the costs of providing ‘adjudication and naturalization services.’
The proposal talks about extending the fee hike to asylum seekers, DACA recipients and Temporary Protected Status Beneficiaries. The government also plans to impact the funding of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) by diverting it to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The proposal will be in the domain of public comment, which will get over on 16th December.
The proposal has yielded some strong reactions across America as well as world, human rights organizations and immigrant groups have called the US government’s move outrageous and exclusive. The organisations have accused the Trump government of targeting weak and vulnerable sections of the society, there have been call-outs for immigrants to quicken their application procedure as it will become difficult in the times to come.
The Trump government’s agenda has always manifested its reservations about ‘outsiders’ in the various policies and decisions, the recent proposal can be seen as a firm assertion of this particular stance of the administration. This also comes at a point where the global sentiment in today’s world is not so inclined with the interests and rights of immigrants.
WEEK 3: NOVEMBER 15 TO NOVEMBER 23
Protests in Iran
Fatima Kamandi Naseer
For five long days, almost everyone in Iran was completely disconnected from the outside world as protests flared up across the country. The government imposed a nationwide internet blackout, the largest one in the country’s history. So how did all of this unfold? People in Mashhad, the second-largest city in Iran, took to the streets on November 15thto protest against the latest increase in fuel prices. People were angry as the government had just announced that they were going to start rationing and intensify the fuel prices by at least 50 percent.
President Rouhani explained that the money from the price hike was going to be used to help the poorest families, those who have been hit the hardest by country’s economic struggles. US sanctions have really strangled their Iranian economy. The country faces a high inflation rate, devalued currency and a shrinking economy, so the fuel increase was simply the last drop. In recent days, both Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and a judiciary spokesman have claimed that calm has been restored in the country. Rouhani blames the protests on the country’s quote “foreign enemies”.
Chile Social Upheaval: Referendum for New Constitution
Annesha Bhattacharjee
Chile is all set to stage a referendum around April 2020 to replace the existing neoliberal dictatorial constitution or what commonly may be called as the Pinochet’s era. In 1973, Salvador Allende, the democratically elected socialist President of Chile was overthrown in a military coup d’état typically led by Augusto Pinochet. The justification behind the coup was based on the failure of democracy and the economic crisis that emanated from Allende’s presidency.
On October 18, 2019, unrest kicked off in Chile where protestors had protested about rise in rush hour metro fares leading to a broader outcry with citizens complaining about other factors that the government had failed to yield. Some of the problems were the state’s inability to deliver effective education and healthcare, which are only available at a high cost as provided by private sectors; low wages and the huge gap between the poor and rich class. Today, Chile’s mass is not only protesting for a new replacement of the constitution but also refuting the indulgence of the ‘top-down approach’ in the entire process. This unrest has led to the death of almost 20 people, 5 people behind bars and more than 1000 injured. Chile citizens are demanding ‘democratic mass participation’.
The present Charter has been in force since 1980, which is all set to be removed post the infuriating unrest. The National Congress has agreed upon a plebiscite where the citizens will play a leading role in building the new social and political pact, thus to produce a new constitution that will be under consideration based on what the mass votes.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa Elected as Sri-Lankan President
Merin Susan Suresh
Sri Lanka declared Gotabaya Rajapaksa of Sri Lanka People's Front (SLPP) party, as President after winning 52.2 percent of the votes. In the first election after the deadly Easter attacks in April, the former Defense Secretary won against 35 candidates, Sajith Premadasa, his closest opponent, securing 41.99 percent of the votes.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his elder brother Mahinda Rajapaksa played a significant role in bringing a to end Sri Lanka’s 26-year long civil war with the Tamil Tigers. The new President-elect won a majority from the Sinhalese Buddhist community while votes from the Tamil areas were low. Runner up Sajith Premadasa of United National Party won a considerable share of the votes in the Muslim and Tamil dominated North-Eastern areas of the country.
This election took place in the backdrop of a turbulent political and economic environment in the country. The Easter attacks brought about a series of riots and counterattacks mainly targeting the Muslim community in the country which was led by right-wing Sinhalese Buddhist leaders, creating ethnic and communal divisions once again. The Sri Lankan economy also faced an economic slowdown after the attacks causing a serious hit for the tourism industry since 2018. The crisis in the Sri-Lankan government in 2018 when President Sirisena attempted to replace Prime Minister Wickremesinghe with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, adds as a precursor to the problems.
With the voting taking place on November 16 and results being announced the following day, the Election Commission declared that the voter turnout had exceeded 80 percent. Mr.Rajapaksa was sworn in as President on November 18, 2019.
Debate Around the Indian Surrogacy Bill
Simran Kothari
In 2012, in a groundbreaking decision, Justice K.S. Puttaswamy recognized a legal right to make reproductive choices in relation to personal freedom in compliance with Article 21 of the Indian Constitution. The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill 2019 says "A married woman between ages 25 and 35 who has her own child can be either a surrogate or aid in surrogacy by offering her egg,". It also supports altruistic surrogacy, claiming that the maternal surrogate should be a close relative of the "couple" and must be a substitute only once in her life. In fact, under the new legislation, a female is not approved to become a surrogate parent with her own gametes (unfertilized eggs).
It's a paradox, but preference was given to late single women in adoption. The government announced in 2017 that it would support single women's adoption. For single female individuals who were over 40 and financially stable, a Committee under the Ministry of Women's and Child Development (WCD) had pushed to bump the list and give six months seniority once they had registered for adoption.
The Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Bill drafted by the Indian Council of Medical Research in 2008, is yet to be tabled in the parliament. The bill states “services provided are moral, and medical, social and legal rights to all concerned are secured.” Therefore, it is morally, socially and legally correct for the surrogate.
The Surrogacy Bill reopens many debates while proposing a ban on ‘commercial surrogacy’ and seeking to legalize only ‘altruistic surrogacy’, with the surrogate mother being chosen from amongst close relatives. Further, it seeks to permit surrogacy only to Indian couples who remain childless after five years of marriage, falling within specified criteria while banning surrogacy arrangements for special groups, such as live-in partners, single parents, homosexuals, etc. India also has an intriguing social fabric, which often witnesses the families severing the ties in cases of inter-caste or inter-religion marriages. While such marriages are arguably healthy for a heterogeneous society in the long term, such couples may find it impossible to get help from a close relative for a surrogacy arrangement. Nevertheless, surgical procedures can be reconsidered and granted under certain circumstances for lawfully defined special groups (e.g. living-in relations, single parents or married couples possessing a biological child but unable to conceive the next kid).
Force of the JEDI
Bhavya Bana
The recent problem between the US government and the tech giant Amazon began with a bid to claim the $10 billion cloud computing contract for the Department of Defense. The contract, called the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure or JEDI, will be used to store massive amounts of classified data and improve efficiency for the DoD to carry out war planning. Inviting big tech companies with an experience in the fields of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, the Pentagon organized a competition in July 2019 to hand out the billion-dollar contract.
Besides Amazon, Microsoft, Oracle and IBM were also in the competition to be awarded the contract. With Microsoft declared as the winner in late October, Amazon plans to carry out a legal protest against the decision of the Pentagon and fight the decision either in court or in the US Government Accountability Office.
Between the two companies, Amazon was considered to be better off to take the contract, as its cloud computing Amazon Web Services division is ahead of Microsoft; and Amazon also has more experience in handling classified government data. The decision to grant the contract to Microsoft is being protested by Amazon on claims that the US President Donald Trump acted on his bias against Amazon and its boss Jeff Bezoz, and turned the favour towards Microsoft. These claims stem from the allegations made in a recent book where Trump asks former US Secretary of Defense James Mattis to “screw Amazon” put off the contract.
Amazon won’t be the only contender fighting a protest against Pentagon, as Oracle filed an unsuccessful suit for ‘conflict of interest’ and it being left out of consideration. Amazon’s complaint is not accessible publicly, but what is known is that the case has been assigned to Judge Patricia Elaine Campbell Smith, with Amazon preferring Judge Eric Bruggink to promote efficient administration of justice, as he ruled on the bid protest that Oracle had filed last year.
WEEK 4: NOVEMBER 24 TO NOVEMBER 30
Nato Secretary General-Emmanuel Macron Joint Press Conference
Soham Joshi
In a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the French President Emmanuel Macron began with an expression of his respect for Russia as a member of the EU. He then went on to talk about EU sovereignty and how the EU would engage with NATO to deepen Russia-US ties. He called out the USA for withdrawing from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Force Treaty (INF) and mentioned how countries like Poland were not covered under the treaty.
He cleared the air as to defining NATO’s common enemy. He said that it is not Russia or China but terrorism that NATO aims to fight. He emphasised on how NATO troops are losing their lives due to terrorism in places like Sahel.He openly criticised Turkey’s military operations in Syria, saying that allies should not take unilateral actions and decisions that can have an impact on other allies.
Macron expressed his concerns regarding Turkey as it has acquired the S-400 defence system from Russia, going so far as to say that he would like to have a genuine discussion with Turkey about this. Macron reassured NATO’s general secretary about France’s loyalty vis-à-vis NATO.
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg too spoke of how important France is to NATO. He lauded the French military’s technological capabilities, outstanding troops and Marcon’s political will to deploy them. He even expressed regret on French soldiers losing their lives in Mali.
Furthermore, he discussed the importance of NATO and how it is the only body that can address issues like the fight against terrorism, dealing with an assertive Russia and a rising China. He welcomed France’s decision to increase its military budget and its overall support in maintaining peace in Europe.
He concluded by agreeing that NATO members do have differences in opinion, especially when it came to north-east Syria. He, however, maintained that the foundations of NATO are still strong.
Mongolia Seeking Better Terms on Investment for Its Largest Copper Mine
Sooraj Kashyap K.S.
Oyu Tolgoi, is the world’s third largest and Mongolia’s largest copper mine. A country which has been a closed economy for several decades, Mongolia, in the first half of the century, shifted it economic system from a closed to an open economy. Even so, the promise of an economic boom due to the discovery of new resources has been squashed due to rampant corruption and the difficult conditions for mining in the country.
The mine is managed by Rio Tinto, an Anglo-Australian mining conglomerate, owning 51percent stakes in Turquoise Hill Resources which is in charge of mining the mineral along with the Mongolian Government. The other 34%, owned by the government has yielded no returns yet due to cost overruns.
The mine employs almost 13,000 people, out of which 12,090 are allegedly underpaid Mongolians. The mine is just 80 kms away from China, as opposed to the 550 kms from the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar. Oyu Tolgoi even gets electricity from China at a whopping 130 million USD, thus showing a certain closeness to the foreign influence.
However, on 21st November, the Mongolian Parliament closed the investigation on two of the mine’s majorcontracts, one on the surface-mining phase in 2009 and second on theimportant underground phase signed in 2015. It passed a resolution ‘demanding comprehensive measures’ to improve the terms of the contracts.
All these problems taken into consideration, the present government is seeking better terms oninvestment especially on the equity the government owns; such as the interest rates for loan repayment and economically sustainable deals on creating a local power plant so as to decrease its dependency on China for energy.
Plot for Nazi Party In Italy
Merin Susan Suresh
The Italian Police uncovered a plot to form a Nazi Party in Italy after having conducted searches across the country. They raided the homes of 19 suspects, seizing a huge stash of weapons including pistols, hunting rifles, Nazi flags and books on Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. The police have not yet released any names or the number of arrests but have confirmed that the idea was to create an openly pro-Nazi, xenophobic and anti-Semitic party.
The probe revealed a “huge and varied array of subjects, residents in different places, united bythe same ideological fanaticism and willing to create an openly pro-Nazi, xenophobic and anti-Semitic movement”, per one police statement. In July too, policehad found a large number of weapons, including air-to-air missiles, which were linked to far-right extremists. In the month of November, two men were arrested under grounds of suspicion to attack a mosque. The men were linked to a group of Nazi sympathizers. Neo-Nazi, anti-Semantic activity has been on an increase in Italy, of late. Further investigation has revealed that the group had established links with extremist groups in Portugal, Britain and France as well.
Italy has apopulation of about 30,000 Jews. The Observatory on Anti-Semitism in Italy has reported a total of 190 anti-Semantic attacks between January and September 2019, double the number of attacks in 2017. Italian law allows for memorabilia with fascist symbols and the image of Mussolini to be sold however considering it a crime to revive fascist parties or todefend the same.
Turkey and Libya Maritime Deal
Sindhu Deshini
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Libya’s Government of National Accord (GNA) Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to delimit maritime zones in the Eastern Mediterranean, in an attempt to block further Greek and Cypriot drilling activities in the area. The delimitation starts from Turkey’s south western coast of Fethiye-Marmaris-Kaş and extends to the Derna-Tobruk-Bordia coastline of Libya. This agreement with Libya is a historic one as it marks Turkey’s first EEZ deal with it, increasing Turkey’s continental shelf in said area by around 30 percent.
Greece and Turkey have long argued claims to oil and gas reserves off of the disputed island of Cyprus. The conflict has intensified in recent months, with Turkish drilling operations drawing accusations of “bullying” from Cyprus and even EU sanctions. Turkey is not a signatory to the 1982 United Nations convention regulating maritime boundaries and does not recognize the southern Republic of Cyprus and its agreements for an exclusive economic zone struck with Egypt, Lebanon and Israel.
Greece and Cyprus have strongly criticized this agreement, claiming it to be a serious breach of international law and having no legal validity. Greece’s PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis stated that he would be tabling the issue in the upcoming NATO meeting to be held in London.
The Close Battle: Uruguay Presidential Election
Salma Basheer
The much-awaited result of the Uruguay general elections was declared on 30 November 2019, confirming the win of centre-right candidate Luis Lacalle Pou. The outcome of the election that was held on October 27, 2019 was delayed, as no presidential candidate won a majority in the first round of counting. A difference of just 28,000 votes between the two leading candidates eventually led to a run-off election between Pou of the National Party and Daniel Martinez of the Broad Front coalition.
On November 24, 2019, the preliminary results, with 97% of the votes having been counted, showed that Mr. Lacalle Pou was about 1% ahead of his rival Mr Martinez, but the official results were not announced until the provisional ballots were counted. The results marked an end to the15-year long rule of the leftist party in the country.
Mr. Pou is the son of former Uruguay President Mr Luis Alberto Lacalle de Herrera. He was elected as the President of House of Representatives in the year 2011. A conservative, as well as pro-business, he promised to develop the economy and reduce the fiscal deficit of the country, in his campaign. The coalition of the five centre-right parties also came to an agreement on improving the education system as well as liberalizing some sectors of the economy. The change in the government may also lead to a significant shift in the country’s foreign policy, especially with regards to Venezuela, wherein theprevious government had recognized Nicolas Maduro as the President.
Mr Lacalle Pou along with the newly elected Vice-President Mrs. Beatriz Argimon Cedeira, are set to assume office on March 1, 2020.