VIF News Digest: International Developments (7-13 May, 2018)

USA

Bill to Strengthen Indo-US Defence Ties gains traction, 10 May 2018

A key bill to accord ‘real teeth’ to India’s recently designated status as a ‘major defence partner’ and grant it the same access to defence purchases as America’s closest military allies such as NATO members, Israel, Australia and a few others, passed a crucial stage in the US Congress on Wednesday. But its route to final passage remains uncertain, according to an administration official who declined to be identified.
The legislative measure was moved by Eliot Engel, the senior-most Democrat on the foreign affairs committee of the House of Representatives as an amendment to the International; Security Assistance Act 2018, which was among a bunch of bills reported to the full House in a process called mark up. Click here to read... [2]

Despite 4% dip, Indians get 63% of H-1B Visas, 09 May 2018

The number of H-1B visas for ‘initial employment’ issued to Indians dipped by 4% in the 12-month period ending September 30, 2017. In all, 67,815 visas were approved by the US authorities for Indian aspirants as compared to 70,737 in the 2016 fiscal.

According to immigration experts, the 4% drop indicates two ground realities: “extreme vetting” and a higher rejection rate during processing, reflecting the protectionist policies under President Trump; and higher local hiring by large Indian IT players such as TCS, Infosys and Wipro. Despite the drop, Indians were the largest group of H-1B beneficiaries. They bagged 63% of the total 1.08 lakh visas issued for initial employment in the period. In fiscal 2016, Indian beneficiaries constituted 62% of the 1.14 lakh visas granted. In aggregate, 2.76 lakh beneficiaries of the total 3.65 lakh H-1B applications in 2017 (or 75.6%) were born in India. These statistics were disclosed by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in its recent report, Characteristics of H-1B Specialty Occupation Workers. Click here to read... [3]

Trump Withdraws U.S. From Iran Accord, 08 May 2018

The U.S. is exiting the Iranian nuclear accord, President Donald Trump said Tuesday, dismantling his predecessor’s most prominent foreign-policy initiative and bucking the appeals of some of America’s closest allies.

Speaking in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Mr. Trump delivered harsh words about the 2015 deal to curb and monitor Iran’s nuclear activity, calling it “horrible,” “one-sided” and “disastrous.” The president said he planned to institute sanctions against Iran, and said the U.S. would sanction any nation that helps Tehran pursue nuclear weapons, as well as U.S. and foreign companies and banks that continue to do business with the country. Click here to read... [4]

Trump’s Iran Sanctions hit India, 08 May 2018

India may end up being the unintended victim of renewed U.S. sanctions on Iran. It will push up the price of oil and cost India billions of dollars annually. On Tuesday, May 8, U.S. President Donald Trump fulfilled an election promise that will end up costing India billions of dollars.
Trump ‘tore up’ the Iran nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In the JCPOA, which was concluded in July 2015 between Iran and six global powers (U.S., China, Russia, France, UK and Germany), Iran agreed to restrict its nuclear programme in return for relief from crippling economic sanctions. Click here to read... [5]

Five Takeaways from Tuesday’s Primary Fights, 10 May 2018

Tuesday marked the first big, multistate primary night of the 2018 election cycle, with a flurry of competitive races — including several fought over President Trump and the Republican establishment — coming to their conclusions. Here are five takeaways from the elections in West Virginia, Indiana, North Carolina and Ohio. Click here to read... [6]

Five Legal Headaches facing Trump, 07 May 2018

President Trump’s legal problems are piling up. As he faces special counsel Robert Mueller’s wide-ranging investigation, Trump is also entangled in litigation over his refusal to divest his business interests and cases stemming from an alleged affair with a porn star and the $130,000 his personal lawyer reportedly paid her in hush money.

Legal experts say the number of lawsuits involving the president personally is unprecedented. Click here to read... [7]

Gina Haspel Vows at Confirmation Hearing that She Would Not Allow Torture by CIA, 09 May 2018

Gina Haspel, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Central Intelligence Agency, told senators at her confirmation hearing that she would not allow the agency to start another brutal interrogation program that employed torture techniques. Senators want to know more about her decades as a spy, particularly her role in the interrogation program. She was by turns confrontational and evasive as senators pressed her about the C.I.A.’s use of torture and her views on it. “My moral compass is strong,” she insisted at one point. Click here to read... [8]

Invisible Primary has already Begun for Democrats, 09 May 2018

The invisible primary has begun for Democrats plotting a presidential path in 2020. Would-be candidates are hitting the trail, sharpening their positions, seeking the right political “lane” and holding private conversations with donors about their prospects.

Invisible primaries typically start after the midterm elections, but Democrats thinking about the 2020 race appear to be getting a head start. Click here to read... [9]

Donald Trump reveals details of Meeting with Kim Jong-un, 11May 2018

Donald Trump has revealed that he will meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on 12 June. The US president took to Twitter to make the announcement, saying: “The highly anticipated meeting between Kim Jong Un and myself will take place in Singapore on June 12th. We will both try to make it a very special moment for World Peace!”

The Guardian says that the summit, which will be the first time a sitting US president has ever met a North Korean leader, “will be the stage for critical talks aimed at curbing North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme”. Click here to read... [10]

Pompeo secures Release of three US Prisoners in North Korea, 10 May 2018

In its latest act of good faith in the run-up to the first-ever leaders’ summit between North Korea and the United States, Pyongyang has released three Americans to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

US President Donald Trump announced the development – which has been widely anticipated – in a tweet late on Wednesday, Asia time. Click here to read... [11]

RUSSIA

Putin comes out with a ‘Russia First’ Strategy, 11 May 2018

Vladimir Putin was sworn in as Russia’s new president at a grand ceremony in the Kremlin on Monday. As his fourth term begins – which may also be his last term – speculation is rife about the composition of the new Russian government.

Chronic Russia watchers are absolutely certain that Putin’s nominees for top government posts – to be announced by May 15 – will give clues about his priorities on the policy front. However, Putin may have ended their suspense already with a presidential decree titled “Russia for the People” issued within hours of being sworn in as president. Click here to read... [12]

Russia shows its teeth with Victory Day Parade, 10 May 2018

Fresh from his inauguration for a fourth term as president, Vladimir Putin used this year’s Victory Day parade in Moscow to reaffirm Russia’s willingness to defend itself against Western aggression. As well as thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks, the annual military parade through Red Square showcased some of Russia’s most advanced weaponry. This included nuclear missiles, a fly-past by Russia’s new SU-57 stealth fighter, which has recently been deployed to Syria, and a new hypersonic missile, known as the Kinzhal, which Putin recently described as “invincible”. Click here to read... [13]

Netanyahu in Moscow: Israel, Russia Cooperation Grows, 11 May 2018

There have long been fears that the solidification of a direct Iranian presence in western Syria would lead to direct confrontation with Israel. In the last few days, this has begun to occur. Rockets were fired at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

The Israeli military blames Iran’s Quds Force, the extraterritorial arm of the Revolutionary Guard, for the firing. This would appear to be the first time Iranian forces have directly attacked Israeli (albeit occupied) territory. With this escalation firmly in the background, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at Moscow’s Victory Day parade, commemorating the Nazi surrender in World War II, on Wednesday. Click here to read... [14]

Russia vs. the West: The Beginning of the End, 13 May 2018

The Russia-West confrontation has, over the course of the past several years, reached its most tense point since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Differences between the two sides will only grow as neither side wants to make concessions on Syria, North Korea, Ukraine, Georgia, etc. However, there is also a strong possibility that the West is making significant headway in its competition with Russia over the former Soviet space. Click here to read... [15]

AFRICA

Al-Shabaab claims Dhobley attack on Kenyan military: Daily Nation, 8 MAY, 2018

Al-Shabaab has taken responsibility for the roadside bomb attack that claimed nine Kenyan soldiers on the Kenya-Somalia border on Sunday. The Somalia-based terrorists claimed the attack killed 15 soldiers, according to US extremism monitor SITE. Click here to read... [16]

Nigeria: 1,000 hostages rescued from Boko Haram: AL Jazeera, 8 May 2018

Nigeria's military says it has rescued more than 1,000 people held captive in northeastern Nigeria by the armed group Boko Haram. Click here to read... [17]

US to Review Assistance to South Sudan: VOA News, 8 May, 2018

The Trump administration will review all assistance programs to South Sudan, citing frustration with the lack of progress in reaching a peace agreement to end the violence in the country. Click here to read... [18]

China to Contribute to Africa's Growth: Vice President: Xinhua, 8 May, 2018

Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan attended the Third Forum on China-Africa Local Government Cooperation here on Tuesday, saying China is ready to contribute to Africa's development with its own development. Click here to read... [19]

Swahili makes history as First African Language Recognized by Twitter: Africanews, 9 May, 2008

Most African languages for the past decade and over of social media platform Twitter’s existence have been referred to as Indonesian in terms of translation. That has changed with Twitter’s official recognition of Swahili as a language. It became the first African language to achieve that accomplishment. Swahili is however yet to be added in the language settings of Twitter. Click here to read... [20]

Rwanda, US Firm Sign Deal to Advance Drone Technology: The New Times, 11 May, 2018

Rwanda has signed an agreement with an American firm, Swift-x Inc, to further build capacity and explore uses of drone technology in Rwanda. The agreement was signed on the sidelines of the Transform Africa 2018 Summit which concluded Wednesday. http://allafrica.com/stories/201805110070.html [21] " target="_blank">Click here to read...

WHO Planning for 'worst case scenario' over DRC Ebola Outbreak: Aljazeera, 12 May, 2018

The World Health Organization (WHO) has said it is preparing for "the worst case scenario" as it deals with a recent outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo from spreading any further. Click here to read... [22]

Niger Deports Sudanese to Libya: all Africanews, 13 May, 2018

More than a hundred Sudanese nationals arrested in Niger are at risk of serious abuses including unlawful detention in harsh conditions, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, often for the purpose of extortion, after they were deported back to Libya last week, said Amnesty International. Click here to read... [23]

Nations in New Push to Boost Intra-Africa Trade: Daily Nation, 14th May, 2018

The African Continental Free Trade Area's (AfCFTA) potential as a tool for driving industrialisation, economic diversification and development was highlighted at the start of the UN Economic Commission for Africa's (ECA) Conference of Ministers in Addis Ababa. Click here to read... [24]

Central Asian Republics (CAR)

SCO countries Discuss Cooperation in Tourism, 10 May, 2018

A meeting of the heads of national tourist administrations of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) was held in Wuhan City, China on 9 May. The heads of delegations considered and approved the draft Joint Action Plan for implementation of the Program for Development of Cooperation of the SCO Member States in sphere of tourism for 2019-2020, which will be submitted for signing during the SCO Summit in Qingdao. Click here to read... [25]

Kazakh-Uzbek trade Grows 50% in Q1, 2018, 10 May, 2018

Kazakh-Uzbek trade grew 50 percent in the first quarter of 2018 compared to the same period last year and the countries are working to grow trade to $3 billion by the end of the year, said Kazakh First Deputy Prime Minister Askar Mamin during a May 4 working visit to Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Mamin also told Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in a meeting that the two countries are working to increase trade to $5 billion by 2020. Click here to read... [26]