November 4, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
Japanese and Russian officials discuss economic cooperation in Moscow. Image Credit - duha127 / depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
Fisheries talks conclude without resolution
The ongoing fisheries dispute between India and Sri Lanka remains unresolved following a meeting on 2 November in New Delhi. Sri Lanka’s representatives requested an end to bottom-trawling practices, while their counterparts requested a fishing period of 85 days per year for Indian fisherman for the next 3 years.
Inter-ministerial talks will follow these discussions on 5 November. Both sides have expressed hope that the new talks will lead to a joint strategy to tackle the dispute.
UK Minister of State to visit Sri Lanka
Baroness Joyce Anelay of St. Johns, the UK Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN, will arrive in Sri Lanka for a three-day visit on 6 November. Minister Anelay will meet with officials and members of civil society.
Baroness Anelay, who is also the Prime Minister’s Special Representative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict, will visit Colombo and Jaffna to discuss strengthening democracy, reconciliation, and human rights, in regard to issues of gender-based equality and sexual violence.
Speaker of Parliament to receive Japan’s highest decoration
The Japanese Embassy in Colombo has announced that the Speaker of the Parliament, Karu Jayasuriya, will be awarded the ‘The Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun’, in recognition of his efforts to promote bilateral relations between the two countries.
This is the first time a Sri Lankan citizen will be awarded this decoration. Distinguished citizens of the Philippines, Republic of Korea, and United States will also be awarded the honour, alongside Speaker Jayasuriya.
UK court decision delays Brexit
The UK High Court of Justice has ruled that the government cannot trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty without parliamentary approval. The Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis, stated that an Act of Parliament would therefore be needed to implement Brexit.
The government intends to appeal the decision with a hearing scheduled at the Supreme Court in December. A spokesperson for Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed that negotiations on the terms of Brexit are still scheduled to take place in March 2017, and added that the government has ‘no intention of letting this derail’ its timetable for exiting the European Union.
Paris Agreement enters into force
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change enters into force on 4 November, less than a year after it was adopted in December 2015. The governments that have ratified the accord will be required to work towards keeping the rise in global temperatures to less than 2℃ above pre-industrial levels.
Representatives from the countries that have ratified the accord will meet on 7 November in Marrakesh, Morocco, to hold discussions on the policies of the agreement, and the finance and technology required for its implementation.
Japanese and Russian Ministers meet on economic issues
The Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Hiroshige Seko, has met with the Russian Minister for Economic Development in Moscow. Discussions included cooperation on infrastructure and energy development, the Japanese training of Russian engineers, and the decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan.
The discussions took place ahead of a conference scheduled in December between Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and President Vladimir Putin on territorial disputes.
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