may month current affairs - international events

7/28/2019 May Month Current Affairs - International Events

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Current Affairs

May 2013

International Events

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MAY 2013 INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS www.Gr8AmbitionZ.com

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aryland, the U.S. state located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, on

2nd May 2013 became the first southern US state to abolish the death

penalty. The measure on it was

signed by Democratic Governor

Martin OMalley on 2 May 2013.

The person who was attended was

former Maryland death row inmate

Kirk Bloodsworth. He will be the

first person in the country freed from

death penalty because of DNA

evidence after being convicted in a

death penalty case. On the global

level, Maryland is the 18th state to

abolish the death penalty. The

Governor can commute the death

sentences of intimates to life without

parole. The Governor OMalley has

asserted that he will consider them

on a case-by-case basis. The states

last execution was in 2005.

relands government on 1

May 2013 unveiled the

Protection of Life during

Pregnancy Bill. It explains when

life-saving abortions can be

performed. Moreover, its a

clarification of rights within the

ambit of Current law. The billmentioned clearly that anyone

illegally involved in abortion could

face a maximum 14-year prison

sentence whether he is a doctor or a

patient. The bill was unveiled following the death of an Indian dentist Savita Halappanavar in

2012.

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hina, on 2 May 2013, successfully launched a communications satellite called

Zhongxing-11 from Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest Sichuan

province. The satellite was launchedinto its present orbit from Long

March-3B rocket. Zhongxing-11 is

mainly to provide services for the

commercial communications and

broadcasting. The satellite is also

responsible for meeting needs of

digital broadband multimedia,

streaming media for clients, Direct-to-

Home as well as data transmission for

the Asia-Pacific region.

lmost 260,000 people, half of them young children, died of hunger during the last

famine in Somalia, according to a U.N. report on 1 May, which admitted the world

body should have done more to prevent the tragedy. The toll is much higher than was feared

at the time of the 2010-2012 food crisis in the troubled Horn of

Africa country and also exceeds the 220,000who starved to death in the 1992 famine.

Half of those who died were

children under five, according

to the joint report by the U.N.s

Food and Agriculture

Organization (FAO) and the U.S.-funded

Famine Early Warning Systems

Network.Famine and severe food insecurity in Somalia claimed the

lives of about 258,000 people between October 2010 and April 2012, including 133,000

children under five, said the report, the first scientific estimate of how many died. Somalia

was the hardest hit by extreme drought in 2011 that affected over 13 million people across

the Horn of Africa.

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ibyas parliament on 5 May 2013 passed a comprehensive law, which bans anyone

who served as a senior official under Muammar Gaddafi during his 42 year-long

rule from working in government. The passing of such Political Isolation Law possibly

will lead to the dismissal of

many current leaders, some of

whom had defected to the rebel

side during the countrys 2011

civil war or had been elected to

office since Gaddafis ouster

and killing. The move is also

likely to further stall the

countrys already unsteady

transition to democracy by

ousting elected lawmakers. The

General National Congress, Libyas elected parliament, voted overpoweringly in favour of

the law.

ays ahead of Indias external affairs Minister Salman Khurshids planned visit to

Beijing, Official sources said on 5 May, India and China pulled back their troops

from the face-off point at Daulat Beg Oldi sector in Ladakh, where the Chinese forces

had intruded nearly three weeks

ago. A group of Chinese troops

estimated at around 50 and

accompanied by vehicles and dogs

had intruded 19 km inside the

Indian Territory across the Line of

Actual Control (LAC) in Daulat

Beg Oldi sector on 15 April and

set up five tents. Indian troops had

also established tented posts

facing the Chinese forces at a

distance of 300 meters. The troops

of the two sides held four flag

meetings, the last one being

yesterday. However, there was no positive outcome from these meetings, which went hand-

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in-hand with high-level diplomatic efforts to break the impasse. But an agreement was

reached on 4 May, for both sides to pull back their troops simultaneously from the face-off

point. The face-off in Ladakh had cast a shadow over the visit of Mr Khurshid to China on 9

May to prepare the ground for the new Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang's visit to India

from 20 May.

rab countries on 1 May, have collectively agreed to accept an arrangement that

would allow Israelis and Palestinians to go ahead with land swaps to resolve

differences, rather than strictly sticking to the pre-1967-war position. Speaking on behalf

of the 22-nation Arab League (AL), Qatar Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Sheikh

Hamad Bin Jasem Al Thani, appeared to concede land swaps following a meeting in

Washington of Arab officials and John Kerry, the U.S. Secretary of State, to promote Israeli-Palestinian peace. The Israeli establishment seemed elated by the development. The

perceptible shift in the Arab position seemed to have the approval of the Palestinian

Authority (PA), whose Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki was present at the meeting. Foreign

Ministers of Egypt, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar also participated in the talks along with

officials from Lebanon and Saudi Arabia. Joe Biden, the U.S. Vice-President, also attended

part of the meeting. The ALs proposal in its original form was pegged around a full Arab

recognition of an Israeli state, in case it gave up land captured in the 1967 war, and accepted

a just solution for Palestinian refugees. The Israelis had earlier rejected the plan, which was

proposed in 2002 at the AL summit in Beirut. Israel objects to the return to 1967 borders, the

return of Palestinian refugees displaced in earlier wars, and the inclusion of East Jerusalem in

a future Palestinian state.

ussia and the US on 8 May, have agreed to work together to bring the warring

sides in Syria to the negotiating table, raising hopes for an end to carnage in the war-

torn country and a thaw in frosty relations between Moscow and Washington. Emerging from

hours-long talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russias Foreign Minister SergeiLavrov announced that the sides agreed to convene as soon as possible, maybe at the end of

this month an international conference on Syria. The meet will be a follow-up to the Geneva

Peace Conference in June 2012, which called for the Syrian government and the opposition

to create a transitional government to steer the peace process in Syria. The Geneva plan got

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stalled because the U.S. demanded that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down as a

precondition for peace talks.

alaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak began a second term on 6 May, after his

Barisan Nasional (National Front) coalition, which has ruled for 56 years, held on to

power in elections branded as fraudulent by a bitter opposition. Opposition leader Anwar

Ibrahim terming the victory

worst electoral fraud in our

history called for a protest

rally.

The ruling camp won the

election with a minority vote.

Barisan won 133 seats in the

222-member Parliament. The

opposition alliance won 89

seats, an increase of 14,

largely at the expense of non-

aligned candidates. This

makes Mr. Najib the first

leader in four decades to winwith a minority of the ballots according to Malaysian media. Mr. Najib (59), who had

promised free and fair polls and has since brushed off numerous allegations of irregularities,

was sworn in by the king in Kuala Lumpur.

he Election Commission of Pakistan on 14 May 2013 announced results of 272

National Assembly seats, with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML (N)) heading

the count with 126 seats, followed by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) with 31 seats. Thevoting took place for all parliamentary constituencies of Pakistan to elect 342 members for

the National assembly, including 60 seats reserved for women and 10 for non-Muslims,

simultaneously voting took place for the four Provincial Assemblies of Punjab, KPK, Sindh

and Balochistan as well. Pakistan Election 2013 was intended to elect members for its lower

house Majlis-e-Shoora. Pakistan's opposition parties, Imran Khan`s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf

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(PTI), and PML (N) were the major contenders for the general Election. The 63-year-old

Sharif, the Chief of PML (N) had twice served as premier.The party attained an

overpowering lead with 130 seats. The first runner up is Imran Khan`s PTI with 37 seats

and the last is the PPP with 31 seats. To have a majority in the 342-member National

Assembly, a party or coalition would need 172 seats. The Senate or upper house of theparliament is currently controlled by the PPP.

n the eve of a major international donors conference, the European Union on 14

May, announced that it was pledging 520 million (US $ 674.8 million) over the

next two years to help rebuild the west African country of Mali as a functioning state.

The announcement was made by Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European

Commission, the EUsexecutive branch, who said the

investment would benefit Europe

as well as Africa. Until a

military intervention by France,

followed by the engagement of

other African countries, many

international officials were

concerned that Malis vast,

ungoverned north was a haven

for terrorist groups that,

unhindered by government

control, could feel free to plot

attacks anywhere in the world.

Officials in Mali have come up

with a $4.3-billion-euro ($5.58-billion) multifaceted plan for what EU officials are calling a

total relaunch of the country. The plan includes rebuilding government institutions and the

military, staging elections in July, holding dialogues with rebels in the north, rebuilding roadsand schools, reviving the moribund economy so that people get paid for working, among

others.

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he first phase of Sri Lankas northern railway project, funded by a line of credit

facilitated by India, was commissioned on 14 May. Coaches in chugged along from

Medawachchiya in Anuradhapura, the North Central Province, to Madhu Road, marking the

return of a crucial transportation link .Tracks along the 43 km-stretch were reconstructed as

part of the $800 million-project, being executed by the Indian Railway Ministrys IRCON

International Limited to restore the 252 km-railway line that would connect different parts of

the country. Commissioning the service, Minister for Economic Development Basil

Rajapaksa said India had been with Sri Lanka at every stage of rehabilitation and

reconstruction of the north.

he International Monetary Fund on 15 May 2013 approved a three-year, $ 1.3

billion loan for supporting Cyprus attempts to stabilize its financial sector and to

bring the Governments deficit under control and restore economic growth. The IMF

loan to Cyprus is basically a part of a rescue package of 10 billion Euros (US $ 12.9 billion)

counterfeit in March 2013 with the Eurozones bailout fund. The loan was approved by

IMFs Executive Board which also includes an immediate disbursement of US $ 110.7

million. Counting the IMF disbursement, Cyprus has received about US $ 2.7 billion in the

third week of May from its international lenders. The Luxembourg-based European Stability

Mechanism, which is a Eurozone bailout fund, on 13 May, announced that it had approved its

first bailout tranche for Cyprus and transferred an initial 2 billion euros (US $ 2.6 billion).

The rest of the tranche up to 1 billion Euros will be transferred by 30 June 2013.

ndias bid for observer status in the Arctic Council was successful on 15 May 2013,

along with that of five other countries China, Italy, Japan, South Korea and

Singapore at a meeting in Kiruna, Sweden. Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi,

welcomed Indias admission. An MEA official spokesperson said India would contribute its

scientific expertise, particularly in polar research capabilities, to the work of the Arctic

Council to support its objectives. However, at the level of realpolitik, India will be looking

at the opportunities for hydrocarbon exploration offered in the Arctic circle by joining

hands with either of the five countries gearing up for the purpose the US, Canada,

Norway, Russia and Denmark. When geography is considered Russia emerges as the most

attractive partner. But for that to happen, India will have to take a firm political stand on the

Lomonosov Ridge and the Mendeleev Ridge which Russia claims are an extension of its

continental shelf. By supporting Moscows position, India could get access to the rich

deposits and also utilize the North Sea Route. India has its Arctic research station named

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Himadri since 2008 that is located at the International Arctic Research base, Ny-Alesund at

Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. The station is operated by the National Centre for Antarctic

and Ocean Research. Indias approach in the Arctic Circle since 2008 has always been purely

scientific. China became the first Asian country to navigate the area with a three-month sea

voyage in an ice breaker across the Arctic Circle.

he United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 16 May passed a non-binding

resolution

condemning the

government of Syria and

calling for political

transition. The votepassed with 107 of 193

nations in favour, 12

against and 59

abstentions, including

India, representing a sharp

fall in support compared to

a similar resolution passed

last August with 133 votes

in favour, 12 against and 31

abstentions. Discomfort over signals of growing extremism within the ranks of Syrias rebel

groups was apparent, with Indias Permanent Representative to the U.N. Ashoke Kumar

Mukherji warning that, Unilateral action of any kind will not resolve the crisis... It will only

exacerbate the problem and cause greater instability and violence even beyond Syrias

borders.

hinese authorities on 16 May, have granted approval for an environmental

assessment of a controversial 2 GW dam project slated to be the countrys

tallest dam despite concerns voiced by a number of environmental groups. The Ministry

of Environmental Protection this week said it had approved a year-long assessment of

the Shuangjiangkou project on the Dadu River in the southwestern Sichuan province.

Even as it gave the go-ahead, the Ministry acknowledged the project would affect the

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spawning and movement of rare fish species, as well as the growth of endangered plants,

including the Chinese yew, which is under first-class state protection. The Ministry

reasoned that countermeasures would help mitigate the impact. It called for protecting fish

habitats and constructing seed banks for rare plants but did not say how it would enforce the

measures.

The Shuangjiangkou dam will have an installed capacity of 2 GW and will generate 7.93

billion kilowatt-hours of power annually, according to the official Xinhua News Agency. The

project will cost $ 4 billion. At 314 metres, it will be Chinas tallest dam, surpassing the

nearly 300-metre-tall Xiaowan dam on the Mekong river. The Shuangjiangkou dam will be

180-metre taller than Three Gorges dam.

rance's President Francois Hollande on 17 May 2013 signed the bill to legalize gay

marriage. It makes France the ninth in Europe, and 14th in the world to do so. The

move was opposed by many conservatives and the Catholic Church in France. As of May

2013, thirteen countries (Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Iceland, France,

Netherlands, Portugal, Norway, Spain, South Africa, Sweden), and several sub-national

jurisdictions (parts of Mexico and the USA), allow same-sex couples to marry.

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orth Korea on 19 May 2013 test-fired a short-range missile off its east coast,

counted as fourth test firing in two days. The missile was fired into the Sea of Japan.

Earlier on 18 May, the countryfired three short-range missiles off

its east coast, considered as part of

a military drill. The launching of

missile by North Korea is not

usual but it came at a time of

sensitive alert on the peninsula

followed by the Pyongyangs

nuclear test in February 2013

which had led to tougher UN

Sanctions. The launch of missile by North Korea was to demonstrate its military ambitions in

rebelliousness of international sanctions and diplomatic efforts to convince the totalitarian

state to return to talks.

he Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on 19 May 2013 declared that it will start

the work on worlds biggest hydroelectric Inga dam on Congo River in October

2015. DRC made the announcement on the construction of the dam in Paris after the talks

between the DRC and International officials ended. The meet on the development of the dam

involved multilateral lending institutions. The planned Inga dam project will produce 40,000

MW power and provide electricity to half the African Continent. Whereas, the World Bank

has estimated that DR Congos total hydropower resources can generate up to 1,00,000

MWs. As per the World Bank estimates if the project is completed at full its capacity than it

will be capable of providing power to about 500 million African households. During the first

phase the Inga 3 Basse Chute project will have a capacity of 4,800 megawatts. The Parismeet of the DR Congo and the international officials followed the deal signed on 7 May 2013

between South Africa and DR Congo for cooperation in the energy sector. As per the 7 May

2013 deal, South Africa will buy some of the electricity produced by the project. The project

will be developed on the powerful Inga Falls that lie is a narrow strip of DR Congo Territory,

through which the Congo river runs down to the Atlantic Coast. At present, Three Gorges

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Dam on the Yangtze River of China is the world's largest hydropower complex, with a

capacity of 22,500 MWs.

ally Ride, the United States' first woman in space, will be

posthumously honoredwith the country's highest civilian

commendation and the renaming of

a high-flying camera. President

Barack Obama announced on 20th

May 2013 that Ride will be awarded

the Presidential Medal of Freedomat

the White House later this year.

NASA further paid tribute to the late

astronaut by creating a new internship

program in her name and renaming a

science instrument on board the

International Space Station. Ride, who after flying in

space twice went on to become a leading advocate for science education, died on July 23,

2012, 17 months after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She was 61.

ormer US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton honored with the 2013 Helen

Keller Humanitarian Award from Helen Keller International. During the awards

speech she praised the efforts of a group combating malnutrition and blindness. Clinton

continues to be spoken of as a possible presidential candidate in 2016. But earlier this month,

former President Bill Clinton said speculating on his wife's political future is a waste of time

and that the nation should be more focused on fixing its problems. He also said she is

"having a little fun being a private citizen for the first time in 20 years."

PA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi and India-origin PepsiCo chief Indra Nooyi figure

among the top 10 in the global list of most powerful women, in the league of leaders

like Angela Merkel, Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton. Gandhi is ranked ninth while

Nooyi is at the 10th place in the global list of world's 100 most powerful women leaders

compiled by Forbes magazine for 2013. German Chancellor Angela Merkel tops the list for

the the third consecutive year, followed by Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, Melinda Gates

of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, US First lady Michelle Obama and philanthropist

Hillary Clinton. Private sector lender ICICI Bank Managing Director and CEO Chanda

Kochhar is ranked 65th and Biocon Founder Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw has secured the 85th

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spot in the global list. Cisco Systems Chief Technology and Strategy Officer India-born

Padmasree Warrior is ranked 57th. The global list

includes influential women from a wide arena such

as politics, media, entertainment, entrepreneurs,

technology and philanthropy.

apanese climber Yuichiro Miura broke the record for

the oldest person to climb Mt. Everest when the 80-

year-old reached the summit Thursday at 9 a.m.,

according to his website. But the octogenarian may

not be able to bask in the limelight long. There are

reports that Nepalese climber Min Bahadur

Sherchan, 81, is planning an assault on the worlds

highest peak next week, despite some recent

intestinal problems. Sherchan frustrated Miuras

record-setting ambitions once before when, in May

2008, Miura conquered the mountain at the age of

75, only to arrive a day after Sherchan's ascent at age

76 years and 340 days. This is Miuras third ascent

of the 29,028-foot peak. He also earned the oldest

climber title in 2003, at age 70, a milestone broken

four years later when fellow Japanese climber

Katsusuke Yanagisawa ascended at age 71. But at

least for now, Miura is expressing nothing but satisfaction at his

accomplishment.

he 50th anniversary celebration of the organization now known as the African

Union has opened on 25th May 2013 at the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, in the

presence of foreign dignitaries including heads of state from outside the continent. It began in

1963 as the Organisation for African Unity (OAU), born out of the struggle of many

countries for independence from their colonial masters. It became known as the African

Union (AU) in 2002.

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he Bulgarian Parliament on 29th narrowly voted in a new technocratic government to

be led by Plamen Oresharski, a 53-year-old former finance minister who is regarded

as competent and nonpartisan, in an attempt to move Bulgaria forward after inconclusive

elections this month. The new prime

minister, who is best known perhaps for

introducing a 10 percent flat tax, called for

more social solidarity, urgent measures to

stabilize the economy and government.

The country is in a deep institutional crisis,

continuing economic depression and

worsening disintegration of society, Mr.

Oresharski told the plenary hall of

Parliament during the four-hour debate before the vote on his government.

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