Category: Politics

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Indonesia as a part of his Three-Nation tour to East Asia.
His visit is a realization of his “Act East” Policy to create stronger bonds with the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries. Its main objective was bilateral cooperation between the 2 nations in maritime, trade and investment. The two leaders signed 15 agreements on areas including cooperation in

defense, exploration, use of outer space, science and technology, capacity building of public officials, dialogue and interaction between governments, think tanks as well as in health and railways.

Aviation strategies were also discussed to improve and strengthen the air route. Direct flights by Garuda Indonesia between Bali and Mumbai are being welcomed as well as flights by Batik Air and Air Asia Indonesia serving Indian and Indonesian cities.

Sworn in a second time, KP Sharma Oli has become Nepal’s 41st Prime Minister. He is known to be pro- China, & with support from CPN-Maoist Centre whose head is Prachanda, he has led his party CPN-UML to win almost two-third majority in Parliament. Another successful elections have also improved Nepal’s image as a democracy before the world.

Acting as a perfect host, India organised the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit in New Delhi in January 2018 to mark the 25th anniversary of the ASEAN-India dialogue partnership, 15th anniversary of its Summit-level partnership and 5 years of strategic relations. Based on the theme of “Shared Values, Common Destiny,” the Special Commemorative Summit culminated in the adoption of the Delhi Declaration which would chart the future course of ASEAN-India relations. The summit is crucial to the creation of new ‘rules of the game’ in Asia, at a time when the region is in the throes of a disruptive phase that could well determine the future balance of power.

Since 2014, India has significantly upgraded its “Look East” policy to “Act East” policy & in the past 3 years, Mr Narendra Modi, former president Mr Pranab Mukherjee and former vice president Mr Hamid Ansari visited all 10 Asean countries and Indian naval ships have made port calls at Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, the Philippines and Brunei last year.

With the beginning of the Monsoon session, a new positive wave has surged in the India parliament. There is a strong possibility that the withstanding Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill will get clearance from the house.

A day before the beginning of the session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated that “GST is of national importance. Issue is not which government gets credit. Important Bills, including GST will be taken up in the monsoon session and I hope for meaningful discussions and outcomes.” Later on the first day of the session, he suggested that everyone should work together for this Bill as it will prove to be a breakthrough for the greater good of the country. The Congress has also agreed to a five-hour debate on the proposal giving way for the Bill.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar affirmed this and said “I should say there is a positive atmosphere. Everybody seems to say that we should take it (GST) to a logical conclusion in this session”. He also made it clear that the current government is making forward steps and “will run extra mile and shall reach out to the opposition parties.”

The proposal has already been passed in Lok Sabha but has not received an approval in the Rajya Sabha. However, now many parties are coming forward in the support of the bill indicating the positive chances that it will get an approval in the upcoming times. BJP has made it clear that GST proposal is on priority in this session and they will strive hard to get a clearance on it.

It is said that this Bill will remove the implications of the tariffs imposed by the Centre and different states. The Bill has been presented as the most important tax reform in the past years and will certainly contribute towards the national interest.

Ever since Narendra Modi acquired the chair of the Prime Minister of India 2 years back, he has been working untiringly to improve the countries relations with other nations across the globe. He has been on a whirlwind of foreign trips to improve India’s image on a global scale.

Recently he concluded his 22nd foreign trip visiting Afghanistan, Qatar, Switzerland, the United States, and Mexico. It was a 5-day 5-nation tour packed with over 45 engagements. The PM had visited the US and Afghanistan earlier too (it was his fourth trip to the US) but it was his first visit to Qatar, Switzerland and Mexico.

The tour was concluded at a strategic time, days before India’s bid to enter the Nuclear Suppliers Group had to be discussed at the 26th plenary meeting of the group held in Seoul, South Korea. With this visit he managed to win crucial support from Switzerland, the US and Mexico for its application to join the exclusive group.

PM Modi also garnered support from the US and Qatar towards India’s stance on terrorism. The US and India also resolved to increase their efforts to fight the menace of terrorism by strengthening their bilateral ties and also gaining support from other like-minded countries.

The visit also proved as a fuel to ‘Make in India’ initiative of the NDA government as the US showed its interest in developing defense industries through the export of goods and technologies to the Indian soil. The US also assured financial assistance for India’s clean energy initiative and the countries announced the formation of a $20 million US-India Clean Energy Finance (USICEF) program. The initiative will be equally supported by both the countries and will provide clean and renewable electricity to almost 1 million households by 2020.

Also, India and Switzerland agreed to accelerate the sharing of financial information regarding taxpayers’ bank balance, dividends, interest income and sales proceeds used to calculate capital gains tax to tackle the issue of unaccounted illicit wealth.

The success of the trip was later put to question after Switzerland and Mexico took a U-turn on their stance to support India’s NSG bid at Seoul, South Korea.

Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates launched a new initiative under which he will donate 100,000 chickens to the extremely poor living in the Sub-Saharan African region. The program which is christened Coop Dreams will help to improve the financial and health conditions of the impoverished families living in the area. The birds will be vaccinated against common diseases before donation.

Announcing the Coop Dreams initiative on social media, Gates stated, “When I was growing up, chickens weren’t something you studied, they were something you made silly jokes about,” he further added, “It has been eye-opening for me to learn what a difference they can make in the fight against poverty. It sounds funny, but I mean it when I say that I am excited about chickens.”

According to the United Nations reports about 41 percent of sub-Saharan Africans live in extreme poverty. Bill Gates believes that chickens are a good investment as they are easy and inexpensive to take care of. Thus, they will prove to be an effective way to tackle poverty. Therefore, in association with the charity organization Heifer International Gates will be donating flocks of chickens to families in need. The initiative aims to make improvised breeds of chickens available to 30% of the rural families rising from the current 5%.

It’s a determined plan that can considerably increase nutrition and income levels in one of the most impoverished regions of the world. Gate believes in the Math behind this initiative; a farmer with three hens and one rooster can breed them to produce 12 chickens in a time span of three months. And with the selling price of $5 per chicken, a farmer with a small starting kit of four birds can earn up to $1,250 per year.

Genetics also play an important variable in this equation as African hens are generally less productive than the American ones. But, African chickens have the advantage of having better resistance to heat and diseases. Thus the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is interbreeding these two types of livestock to create a progeny of super birds which will be extremely productive and also have better resistance to ailments.

Gates’ wife Melinda, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, said breeding chickens can also empower women by giving them a source of income, which they are more likely than men to spend on education and healthcare.

The President of Chad, Idriss Deby paid a working visit to the UAE. He was officialy received at the Presidential Airport by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior Lt. General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

During his visit, Chadian President met the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.The two leaders discussed to boost bilateral relations, particularly in the fields of economy, trade, investments, development, and energy. They also scrutinized the aspects and opportunities which could potentially forge economic partnerships, joint development programs and vital projects between both the countries. A discussion on regional and international developments and issues of shared interests of Chad and the UAE also took place.

H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan underlined that the UAE under the guidance of its President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan is keenly interested in bolstering stronger relations with Chad and is eager to intensify dialogue to advance their ties. He wished the Chadian President further success, progress, development and stability for Chad. Mr. Idriss Deby also expressed his delight at visiting the UAE and showed his interest towards the expansion and advancement of successful bilateral ties between Chad and the UAE.

Lt. General Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior; Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, National Security Adviser; Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs; Ali bin Hammad Al Shamsi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Supreme Council for National Security; Mohammed Mubarak Al Mazrouei, Undersecretary at the Court of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince; Lt. General Lt. General Juma Ahmed Al Bowardi Al Falasi, Adviser to Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Force, and members of the delegation accompanying the Chadian president were also present during the meeting.

Mr. Idriss Deby also went to visit the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. He keenly heard about the mosque’s history and distinct architecture and also praised its library. Yousef Al Obaidli, director general of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Centre presented him with copies of two of the centre’s publications. The Chadian President later visited the tomb of the late Founding Father of the UAE, Sheikh Zayed and paid homage to him.

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, has once again set the world stage ablaze with his confidence and stamina – he is at ease with several cultural worlds, international diplomacy, and of course business and investment proposals, managing all with a punishing schedule of meetings and speeches. He met with 47 CEOs in New York and the best of technology entrepreneurs in California. His visit reinforced the economic relationship of the two largest democracies of the world, unlocked new avenues of partnerships and sent strong signals to the world community about India being the next world engine of growth. The technology entrepreneurs of Silicon Valley shared their promise of assisting India transform into a smart and digital country. With the investment support Modi has garnered in the US, if India pushes through the much-needed economic reforms, within ten years it should emerge as the third-largest economy after the US and China.

India, US and Japan have recently come down to a consensus to work together on the maintenance of maritime security in the Indo-Pacific region. The trio reached a compliance at the inaugration ceremony of the US-India-Japan Ministerial dialogue held on 29th September, 2015. It was hosted by US Secretary John Kerry with Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Japenese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. The importance of international law and peaceful settlement of disputes, freedom of navigation and overflight, and unimpeded lawful commerce was also accentuated. US and Japan also greeted Japan’s participation in the 2015 MALABAR exercise in the same meet.