1. Brexit: There is still time to negotiate, says German Chancellor
• As British Prime Minster Theresa May`s Brexit deal was emphatically rejected by parliament, several European leaders expressed dismay and regret, and warned that London was running out of time.
• European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker taking note of the deal rejection called on London to clarify its intentions as soon as possible.
• He pointed out that the UK Parliament`s decision has increased the risk of disorderly Brexit.
• German Chancellor Angela Merkel said although she regrets the British Parliament`s decision, there is still time to negotiate.
• She, however, added that it is yet to be seen what May has to propose after the defeat.
• Merkel insisted it was necessary to keep trying to secure an orderly Brexit.
• She said that Germany was prepared if Britain did end up exiting the European Union in a disorderly fashion.
• Spanish Premier Pedro Sanchez said that an unordered exit would be negative for the EU and catastrophic for the UK.
• French President Emmanuel Macron said Britain would be the biggest loser if it crashed out of the EU without a deal.
• Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said there will be no renegotiations on the withdrawal agreement.
• France`s Europe Minister Nathalie Loiseau said that legally and technically it is possible for EU to push back the March 29 deadline if London made such a request.
2. US President Donald Trump & North Korean leader Kim Jong-un decide to hold second summit
• US President Donald Trump will hold a second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in late February on dismantling Pyongyang`s nuclear and missile programmes.
• The United States is going to continue to keep pressure and sanctions on North Korea.
• The two leaders had met on June 12 last year in Singapore for the first summit.
3. India lodges protest over Pak`s SC order on "Gilgit-Baltistan”
• India summoned the Deputy High Commissioner of Pakistan and a strong protest was lodged on recent order by Pakistan`s Supreme Court on the so-called "Gilgit-Baltistan” which is an interference in India’s internal affairs.
• External Affairs Ministry said in a release that it was reiterated that the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir, which also includes the so-called `Gilgit-Baltistan` has been, is and shall remain an integral part of India.
• Pakistan government or judiciary have no locus standi on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it. Any action to alter the status of these occupied territories by Pakistan has no legal basis whatsoever.
• India rejected such continued attempts by Pakistan to bring material change in these occupied territories and to camouflage grave human rights violations, exploitation and sufferings of the people living there. Pakistan was asked to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.
4. EU publishes its negotiating plans for a free trade deal with US
• The European Union published its negotiating plans for a free trade deal with the United States, part of an effort to avert a trade war with US President Donald Trump.
• The EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told reporters that it is not a traditional trade deal as it is limited to industrial goods tariffs only.
• Negotiating a trade deal was included in a transatlantic truce secured in July last year after the US slapped tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from the European Union.
• The process however has got off to a rocky start, with the US last week including agricultural products in their plans.
• Malmstrom, however, said that the EU is not proposing any reduction of tariffs on agriculture in this mandate.
• The mandate must now be approved by the national governments of the EU`s 28 member states before negotiations actually start with Washington.
5. German parliament classifies North African states and Georgia as safe countries of origin
• The German parliament has adopted a draft law that classifies the North African states of Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco as well as Georgia as safe countries of origin.
• German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer said once the law is approved by the German Federal Council, asylum procedures for people arriving from these countries will be accelerated.
• The return procedure of rejected applicants to their home country will also be sped up. According to the German constitution, safe countries of origin are countries in which there is neither political persecution nor inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment.
6. Sweden: PM Stefan Lofven elected for a second term
• In Sweden, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has been elected for a second term, ending a four-month political vacuum.
• Lofven`s minority centre-left government, comprising his Social Democrats and the Greens, won the backing of the Centre and Liberal parties.
• The latter two until now were members of the four-party centre-right opposition Alliance.
• The Prime Minister is expected to formally present his new government and its full programme.
• It will be one of the weakest administrations in Sweden in 70 years, with just 32.7 per cent of voters having cast ballots for the two parties.
• Sweden`s inconclusive legislative elections in September last year had not left either main parliamentary bloc with a majority.
7. US contemplating to have potential missile defence cooperation with India
• United States is contemplating to have a potential missile defence cooperation with India as part of its effort to deepen the bilateral strategic partnership.
• The Pentagon`s announcement in the 81-page `Missile Defense Review` report released by President Donald Trump gains significance in view of India placing a 5 billion US Dollar order to purchase S-400 air defence system from Russia, for which the US has publicly expressed its displeasure.
• The Pentagon has said that New Delhi is a key element in America`s Indo-Pacific strategy.
• Noting that the threats posed by offensive missile capabilities are no longer limited to a few regions around the world, the Pentagon in its report said there were now a number of States in South Asia that are developing an advanced and diverse range of ballistic and cruise missile capabilities.
• The report, which identifies missile development projects by Russia and China as major threats to the US, did not give any further details about its potential missile defence cooperation with India.
8. Nine arrested following Nairobi terror attack
• In Kenya, nine people have been arrested following an attack on a luxury hotel compound in the capital Nairobi that killed at least 21 people.
• Officials said, all five terrorists who stormed the DusitD2 hotel and business complex have been killed after a 19-hour siege. Meanwhile, a major hunt is under way to find those who helped organise the attack.
• Kenya`s Red Cross said, everyone who was missing has now been accounted for. Al-Qaeda-linked Somali group Al-Shabaab has claimed the responsibilty of the terror attack.
• The group said, it was acting to avenge the decision by US President Donald Trump to declare Jerusalem as Israel`s capital.
9. US Prez Trump nominates 3 Indian Americans to key administration post
• US President Donald Trump has nominated three Indian Americans to keyadministration positions as per the latest list of senior nominations sent bythe White House to the Senate.
• Rita Baranwal has been nominated for the post of Assistant Secretary ofEnergy (Nuclear Energy), Aditya Bamzai for Member of the Privacy and CivilLiberties Oversight Board and Bimal Patel as the Assistant Secretary ofTreasury.
• So far, Mr Trump has nominated or appointed more than three dozenIndian Americans in key positions.
10. First human rights TV channel Launched in London
• The world’s first television channel dedicated to human rights was launched in London by the International Observatory of Human Rights (IOHR).
• It would be a web-based channel and would deliver human rights issues to audiences in over 20 countries across Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.
• The broadcasts of the channel can be viewed via the netgem.tv interactive platform.
• The programmes are currently broadcasted in English and eventually hopes to broadcast in other languages including Farsi, Turkish, Arabic and Russian.
• The International Observatory of Human Rights is an independent non-profit and non-governmental organisation. IOHR partners with local and international human rights group to drive and promote positive changes and push for justice and the respect of human rights worldwide.
11. UK PM Theresa May wins no-confidence vote
• British Prime Minister Theresa May has won a confidence vote, a day after her government suffered a parliamentary defeat over her Brexit deal with the European Union (EU).
• Ms May won by 325 votes to 306 - a majority of 19, averting a general election. After her win, Ms May called on MPs to put self-interest aside and work constructively together to find a way forward for Brexit. She told them that she would continue to work on the promise made to the people of the country on the result of the referendum and leaving the EU.
• The British Prime Minister`s Brexit deal was overwhelmingly rejected by MPs, triggering a no-confidence motion against her government and leaving the country with no plans for Brexit on 29th March. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn during a six-hour debate on his motion said, his party has not ruled out tabling further no-confidence motions.
• Ms May had survived a no-confidence vote by her own Conservative Party in December.
12. Greek PM Tsipras survives confidence vote after Macedonia row
• Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has survived a confidence vote after a row over a landmark name deal with Macedonia sunk his four-year coalition.
• The official count showed that a total of 151 lawmakers supported Mr Tsipras` government out of 299 present, including several independent MPs.
• Mr Tsipras told reporters after the vote that Parliament has given a vote of confidence to stability and the effort to regain the country`s international credibility.
13. British Parliament rejects Brexit deal
• British Prime Minister Theresa May suffered a crushing defeat in Parliament over Brexit deal.
• May`s bid to get the Withdrawal Agreement, struck between Britain and European Union, passed by House of Commons was defeated by a margin of 202 to 432 - a majority of 230 votes.
• This is the biggest defeat ever suffered by a British premier in modern history.
• Over 100 lawmakers of May`s Conservative party - both Brexiteers and Remainers - overwhelmingly voted against the deal.
• The crushing defeat also marks the collapse of her two-year strategy of forging an amicable divorce with close ties to the EU after the March 29 exit.
• According to the Britain`s parliamentary procedure, when a bill is rejected by the MPs, the prime minister has three sitting days to return to Parliament with a Plan B.
• If the withdrawal agreement never gets through with Parliament, then in all likeliness the UK will crash out of the EU without a deal on March 29. This would mean overnight EU laws and customs and the free movement of goods, services and people will cease.
14. Cameroon: 36 People abducted in restive Anglophone region by gunmen
• In Cameroon, 36 passengers were abducted in restive Anglophone region by gunmen along the Buea-Kumba highway in the Southwest.
• The area is one of the two war-torn English-speaking regions of Cameroon.
• According to the bus drivers who were let off, passengers were ordered to step down and hand over their identification cards.
• They were then taken to the bush to an unknown destination. Movement along the highway has been halted and the search for the hostages has been launched, according to local authorities.
• Cases of kidnapping are on the rise amid escalating conflict in the troubled English-speaking regions of the largely French-speaking African country.
• In November, a group of 79 school children was kidnapped in Bamenda, the most populous city of Northwest, another English-speaking region. The Cameroonian government has blamed armed separatists for the rampant abductions.
• The separatists are fighting to secede from Cameroon and create a nation called "Ambazonia" in the two Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest.
15. Former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif accused of illegally allotting land of religious shrine
• Former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been accused of illegally allotting the land of a religious shrine in Punjab province by Joint Investigation Team (JIT) set up by the Supreme Court.
• The JIT recommended the retrieval of land and criminal proceedings against Sharif, then secretary to Chief Minister Syed Javed Iqbal Bukhari, the legal heirs of the person to whom the land was allotted, and others in the case.
• The team presented its report to the bench headed by Chief Justice Saqib Nisar.
• The JIT was constituted by the apex court last year to probe the transfer of land of the shrine of Hazrat Baba Farid Ganj Shakar in Pakpattan in 1986 when Sharif was Chief Minister of Punjab.
• Sharif is already in jail serving a 10-year sentence in a corruption case. He was disqualified as premier by the Supreme Court in the Panama Papers case in July 2017.
16. ICC acquits former Ivory Coast Prez Laurent Gbagbo for crimes against humanity
• The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague acquitted former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo of all charges of crimes against humanity over post-electoral violence in the West African nation.
• The judges said prosecutors had failed to show there was evidence of a "common plan" to foment violence. The court also ordered his immediate release.
• Protests erupted in 2010 after Mr Gbagbo refused to accept that he had lost a disputed election run-off to his rival, Alassane Ouattara.
• Three thousand people were killed and five lakh were displaced in the violence.
• Mr Gbagbo was captured by forces supporting his rival, Ouattara and sent to The Hague in November 2011.
17. Sino-Indian Digital Collaboration Plaza (SIDCOP)
• The Sino-Indian Digital Collaboration Plaza (SIDCOP) has been launched by the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) in association with Municipal Governments of Guiyang and Dalian.
• The initiative aims to bring Indian IT companies and Chinese enterprises closer to each other on a single AI enabled platform. This platform will be managed by a joint venture comprising of one Indian and Chinese company.
• The initiative aims to encash the expertise of Indian IT enterprises in business transformation and operational optimization by using IT tools in complex business environments.
• It offers a boundary-less marketplace for Chinese enterprises in order to assist them in operational optimization and adopting industry best practices in business solutions by connecting with Indian enterprises.