USA
India can be hub for U.S. firms: Juster, 21 Sept 2018
India can and should become the regional hub for American companies, as doing business in China has become difficult, a top U.S. official said. “India can seize the strategic opportunity through trade and investment, to become an alternative hub for U.S. businesses in the Asia-Pacific region,” Kenneth I. Juster, U.S. Ambassador to India, said at an annual convention of the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce.
“A number of U.S. companies are facing increasing difficulties conducting business in China, the largest market in the region. Some companies have scaled down their operations and others are looking with great interest at alternative markets,” he said. Click here to read...
U.S. team in New Delhi to continue talks on sorting out trade concerns, 24 Sept 2018
A week after India postponed retaliatory action against the US for imposing penal import duties on steel and aluminium from the country, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative Mark Linscott is in New Delhi with his team to take forward the talks on smoothening the contentious areas in bilateral trade relations. “The issue of the proposed roll-back of the penal duties imposed on India’s steel and aluminium has been pending for a long time. New Delhi wants a resolution fast as it may not want to postpone retaliatory action beyond the fresh implementation date of November 2. This issue is high on India’s agenda in the meeting with the USTR team,” a government official told Business Line .
India is also pushing for the extension of the US’ GSP (generalised system of preferences) scheme for India which allows duty-free access to a large number of Indian products in the American market, but has been now put on hold with Washington carrying out a review. Click here to read...
Iran Oil: Experts see no possibility of U.S. granting waiver for India, 24 Sept 2018
With the U.S. giving no clear indication of its stand on India continuing oil trade with Iran, post the November 4 sanctions, industry trackers see zero possibility of waivers. This would mean that the local refiners, who are dependent on Iranian crude oil, will be forced to cut imports from the Gulf nation or risk being locked out of the US financial system. The American sanctions will come into effect from November 4. However, senior government officials here are hopeful of a positive response from the U.S. “We are having talks with the U.S. (State Department). We are still hopeful of a positive response,” said an official involved with the developments.
According to Vandana Hari, Founder of Vanda Insights, Singapore-based oil market analyst, “The US sanctions will impact term as well as spot purchases, as the issues around payment and insurance are the same.” Click here to read...
U.S. Senators seek preservation of employment authorisation for immigrant women on H-4 visas, 27 Sept 2018
Two powerful Democratic women senators have urged the Trump administration not to go ahead with its decision to revoke authorisation to immigrants on H-4 visas, a majority of who are Indian-Americans, as doing so would impact about 100,000 women. H-4 visas are issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to immediate family members — spouse and children under 21 years of age — of the holder of H-1B visa, the most sought-after among Indian IT professionals.
Senators Kamala Harris from California and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York wrote a letter on the matter to Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and USCIS Director L Francis Cissna. The letter comes after Department of Homeland Security told a U.S. court last week it is going to revoke employment authorisation of H-4 visa holders and a notification in this connection is to be issued in less than three months. Click here to read...
U.S. approves new military sale to Taiwan, drawing China's ire, 25 Sept 2018
The U.S. approved the sale of military equipment to Taiwan on Monday, drawing China’s ire as tensions escalate between the world’s two largest economies.
Taiwan welcomed the package, estimated by the Pentagon to be worth $330 million, which was proposed by its government last year and includes spare parts for F-16, C-130 and indigenous defense fighter aircraft. It represents the smallest stand-alone offering to the self-ruled island since President George W. Bush approved a $125 million sale of anti-ship missiles in 2007, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. “This case-by-case approach in military sales could be more efficient than previous practices of big packages,” Chen Chung-chi, spokesman for Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, said by phone on Tuesday. “We hope military purchases in the future can be discussed case by case in order to enhance efficiency.” Click here to read...
RUSSIA
New U.S. sanctions may affect the purchase by India and Turkey of S-400, expert says, 22 Sept 2018
New U.S. sanctions against China for the purchase of Russian arms, are unlikely to affect Beijing’s cooperation with Moscow, but unable to exert pressure on India and Turkey in their desire to acquire the S-300/400 system, said RIA Novosti Director of the Center for political-military analysis at Hudson Institute (USA) Richard Weitz.
On Thursday, the US imposed sanctions against the Central military Commission (CMC) of China and its leader Lee Sanfo for a deal with Russia to supply SU-35 and S-400. In addition, the U.S. government included 27 individuals and six legal entities from Russia, supposedly associated with the defense and intelligence sector, the so-called ‘List of Designated Persons’ (LSP), who’s sign a major deal with the risk of U.S. sanctions. These measures were undertaken under section 231 of the law on ‘Combating the Enemies of America by Sanctions’ (CAATSA). Click here to read...
Russia may help India to launch country's first manned space mission – Reports, 24 Sept 2018
Russia and India can conclude an agreement on the exchange of experience and interaction in preparation for the launch of the first Indian manned space mission, Indian media reported on Sunday. Indian agency PTI reported, citing official sources, that the parties may sign the contract during the official visit of Vladimir Putin to New Delhi early.
In late August, head of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Kailasavadivoo Sivan said that members of the first Indian national space crew would be trained in one of the foreign states, with Germany, the United States and Russia being named among the possible options. Click here to read...
Russia may deploy S-300s to Syria after Il-20 downing
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Sunday that Israel is solely to blame for the crash of its Il-20 aircraft in Syria last week. The Israeli F-16 fighter jets had not only issued a warning about carrying out strikes on Syrian facilities but also used the Russian military jet as cover knowing that Syrian air defense missiles would hit a larger target. The visit by the Israeli military delegation to Moscow, which denied the complicity of its Air Force in the tragedy, did not ease tensions over the incident, Kommersant wrote. Russia has vowed to respond and may deploy S-300 missile systems to Syria.
Meanwhile, Israeli politicians believe that coordination of their steps with Moscow will continue. They insist that the entire responsibility for the tragedy lies with the Syrian regime, Iran and Hezbollah, whose military facility came under attack. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni told Kommersant the militaries of Israel and Russia need to act responsibly and prudently to keep up coordination in Syria and prevent Iran from turning Syria into its advanced stronghold. Click here to read...
Russia's security chief to discuss Afghanistan situation in Iran, 25 Sept 2018
Russia's Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev will visit Iran on September 26, where he will discuss the situation in Afghanistan with colleagues from other countries, the Security Council press service reported. "Multilateral consultations between the Security Councils on the Afghan issue will be held in Tehran on September 26. Russia will be represented by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev at the meeting," TASS cited the report as saying.
Patrushev repeatedly noted the growing threat that Afghanistan poses both to Russia and other countries, including Moscow’s allies in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). According to him, there are 15,000-20,000 militants staying in northern Afghanistan. Click here to read...
US certifies Russian special-purpose jet as part of Open Skies Treaty, 25 Sept 2018
US has certified the Russian special-purpose reconnaissance jet Tupolev-214ON for flights in the format of the Open Skies Treaty, Sergei Ryzhkov, the chief of the National Nuclear Risk Reduction Center of the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Monday. "Today, on September 24, a US representative signed the final protocol on inspecting the Russian surveillance jet Tupolev-214ON jet equipped with the Russian digital camera OSDCAM4060," Ryzhkov said adding the document was signed on the sidelines of a session of the treaty consultative commission. "Certification of the new jet makes it possible for us to enlarge our opportunities for efficient observation flights [over treaty signatory countries - TASS], including the ones over the UK, the US and Canada," he said.
Ryzhkov said that after the completion of these certification procedures all the types of surveillance aircraft Russia has at its disposal - Antonov-30B, Tupolev-154M Lk-1 and Tupolev-214ON - have permits for flights over the territories of foreign states under the Open Skies Treaty program. Click here to read...
Russia's security chief warns Islamic State may repeat Syrian scenario in Afghanistan, 26 Sept 2018
Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev has warned that IS (Islamic State of Iraq & Syria, a terror organisation which is outlawed in Russia - TASS) may repeat the Syrian scenario in Afghanistan. Patrushev’s press secretary Yevgeny Anoshin said that the Russian Security Council secretary shared his view on the matter at the multilateral consultations on the settlement in Afghanistan which are taking place in Tehran and involve delegations from Russia, Afghanistan, India, Iran and China.
"Today we can speak of the danger of repeating this scenario on Afghanistan’s territory," the press secretary quoted Patrushev as saying. "Nikolai Patrushev noted that the situation in Afghanistan deteriorated due to the activity of the international terrorist organisation ISIS," Anoshin said. "He reiterated that back in 2014 many regarded ISIS as not posing a serious threat to Iraq and Syria." Click here to read...
Russia wants closer cooperation with US on non-proliferation matters — Russian diplomat, 27 Sept 2018
Russia hopes closer cooperation could be established with the United States in order to prevent possible uses of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday. "The time of handshaking has gone. On Idlib, on Syria in general, on weapons of mass destruction, it’s high time we work together," she told the Bolshaya Igra (Big Game) on Russia’s TV Channel One. "[Russian Foreign Minister] Sergey Lavrov spoke about it [at a UN Security Council meeting on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction on September 26], pointing to the fact that terrorist organizations and extremist elements are in possession of nuclear technologies."
"This is the area where we would like to cooperate with the Americans much closer. And not only with them, but with other members of the international community as well," Zakharova said, adding that Russia has repeatedly come out with non-proliferation initiatives. "Regrettably, it has not been supported," she noted. In her words, Russia would like to see the United States demonstrate the same approach. Click here to read...
Russia, Islamabad sign MoU to build gas pipeline from Iran to Pak and India, 28 Sept 2018
Russia and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding on implementing a project to build an underwater gas pipeline from Iran to Pakistan and India, the Russian Energy Ministry said in a statement Thursday. "The memorandum provides for the identification of authorised organisations through which the project will be supported, including during the development of a feasibility study, identification of the resource base, configuration and route of the gas pipeline," the statement said, Xinhua reported.
Russian Deputy Energy Minister Anatoly Yanovsky and Pakistan's Ministry of Energy Additional Secretary Sher Afgan Khan signed the document in Moscow. Click here to read...
AFRICA
Thousands are arrested in Ethiopia after ethnic violence: The New York Times, 24 September 2018
The Ethiopian Government has arrested thousands of people around the capital, Addis Ababa, over the last week and sent many of them to military camps for “rehabilitation,” the authorities said on Monday, as the Government sought to respond to mounting criticism from Ethiopians who say it has done little as ethnic violence has flared. Ethiopia, to a degree unusual in Africa, has long exercised a degree of surveillance and control over its citizens. But earlier this year it embarked on a whirlwind series of reforms, mainly guided by the country’s new Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, 42, a former army officer.
Ethiopia has sought peace with its longtime adversary, Eritrea; it has freed prisoners; opened access to websites and television channels that it had blocked for political reasons; and it invited banned political organisations and their leaders to return from exile. This has brought more breathing room for Ethiopians and represents a dramatic change in direction for Africa’s second most populous nation — one that until recently had seemed to take China for its model. But amid these changes there have been growing episodes of ethnic violence around the country, and in the middle of this month that violence reached Addis Ababa and the surrounding area. Click here to read...
East, West Africa lead continent's fertilizer uptake push: Reuters, 25 September 2018
Africa’s annual fertilizer consumption is expected to reach 13.6 million metric tonnes of nutrient by 2030 from 7.6 mmt now, with East and West Africa fast growth areas as farmers look to boost crop yields, industry analysts CRU said on Tuesday. The world’s poorest continent, which has vast tracts of uncultivated land and where most of the population are subsistence farmers, has traditionally lagged behind other regions when it comes to fertilizer use.
According to the African Development Bank, fertilizer consumption across Africa has marginally increased since 2010 from 25 to 27 kg per hectare of arable land, and from 12.4 to 14.9 kg per hectare for low-income African countries, less than one-twentieth of Asian and Latin American countries. Click here to read...
WHO Warns Ebola Spreading in Eastern DR Congo: VOA, 25 September 2018
The World Health Organisation warns the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is spreading to new parts of conflict-ridden North Kivu province, including areas that border Uganda and Rwanda. Attacks by armed opposition groups in North Kivu have increased in severity and frequency in recent weeks. The most recent attack on September 22 in the city of Beni reportedly killed at least 21 people, including 17 civilians.
WHO sees this attack as especially serious as Beni is the site for the entire anti-Ebola operation. WHO health emergencies program chief Peter Salama said increasing insecurity and community mistrust are hurting efforts to prevent the deadly Ebola virus from spreading. Click here to read...
U.S. want to be partners in Ethiopia's revolution: africanews, 27 September 2018M
A top diplomat of the United States says Washington “definitely wants to be partners in Ethiopia’s evolution” through technical assistance, financial reforms and investment.
Tibor Nagy, who was speaking on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly said political and economic reforms in countries like Ethiopia and Angola were “prime examples” of how visionary leaders could transform countries and attract investor interest. “The lamps are coming back on in an incredibly important region,” said Nagy, who was recently sworn in as U.S. assistant secretary of state for Africa. Click here to read...
IMF projects Ethiopian economic growth rising to 8.5 pct in 2018/19: africanews, 27 September 2018
Ethiopia’s economy is forecast to expand 8.5 percent in the July 2018-June 2019 period, from 7.5 percent in the previous fiscal year, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday. In its first assessment since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed took office in April, the IMF said Ethiopia was benefiting from easing uncertainty and improved domestic and foreign investment.
Abiy has signed a peace deal with neighbour Eritrea, lifted a state of emergency and promised to partially open up the government-dominated economy by attracting foreign capital to the state telecoms company and airline. Eritrea and Ethiopia have also restored diplomatic ties, reopened borders and started flights. Click here to read...
Eritrea–Ethiopia Accord, template of peace – Micronesia Prez at UN: africanews, 28 September 2018
The Ethiopia–Eritrea peace deal continues to attract applause from governments across the world, the latest being the Federated States of Micronesia.
Micronesia president, Peter Christian, mentioned the Ethiopia–Eritrea peace process during his address as part of the general debate at the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA. Under the area of global peace in his address, the President said: “To wish for peace is global. It has no boundaries. Micronesia is encouraged by the peace reached by Eritrea and Ethiopia, and we wish the people of those countries the very best. Click here to read...
Six African leaders make maiden appearance at the UNGA: africanews, 28 September 2018
Over a hundred Heads of State and government leaders are currently gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York, where they are attending the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, UNGA.
Among the dozens of African leaders who are in attendance, six of them; Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone, George Weah of Liberia, João Lourenço of Angola, Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe and Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana are attending this event for their very first time since they took office in their respective countries. Julius Bio made it for the first time at the UNGA since his election in April as President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
A statement released by the Office of the Presidency revealed that Bio and team will connect with business leaders and development partners on matters ranging from education, health, peace and governance to economic development. Whilst in the USA, President Bio will also address Sierra Leoneans in a Town Hall Meeting as part of his commitment to open government and public accountability. Click here to read...
MasterCard survey says Lagos, Kampala among Africa’s most visited cities: CGTN Africa, 28 September 2018
Lagos, Dakar and Kampala were named among the top destination cities in Africa, following the release of MasterCard’s 2017 Global Destination Cities Index. Based on visitor volume and spend for the 2016 calendar year, the in-depth analysis also provides a forecast for growth in 2017, insight on the fastest growing destination cities, and a deeper understanding of why people travel and how they spend around the world.
“We are partnering closely with cities around the world to ensure they have insights and technologies to improve how they attract and cater to tourists while preserving what makes them so special in the first place,” said Miguel Gamino, executive vice president at MasterCard. Click here to read...
Full List: African representatives who spoke at the 73rd UNGA: africanews, 30 September 2018
Leaders from around the world are in the United States for the 73rd edition of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA. Over 50 leaders from the continent are in New York to present their statements on the General Debate. For each day, a mixture of leaders from across the world take turns to address the General Assembly.
The theme of the debate is the same as that of the assembly, it is: “Making the United Nations relevant to all people: global leadership and shared responsibilities for peaceful, equitable and sustainable societies.”
With a focus on African leaders, we highlight the African set for each day of the General Debate. Paul Kagame of Rwanda and President of the African Union, AU, was the first to deliver his address that had a strong tone of what the continent expects from the world. Click here to read...
