November 7, 2016 Reading Time: 2 minutes
22nd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) to begin in Marrakech . Image Credit - Pazhyna/ depositphotos
Reading Time: 2 min read
Sri Lanka and India to establish Joint Working Group on fisheries dispute
Sri Lanka’s Foreign Minister, Mangala Samaraweera, and India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, have agreed to establish a Joint Working Group on Fisheries, which is expected to meet every three months.
The Joint Working Group will focus on ending bottom trawling, transferring apprehended fishermen, and determining areas of cooperation in patrolling. The Ministers also agreed to host a meeting between the Ministers for Fisheries every six months. The first meeting will take place on 2 January 2017.
President in India for tobacco control conference
President Sirisena has traveled to New Delhi to attend the 7th Session of the Conference of Parties to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, to be held on 7-12 November.
President Sirisena will deliver the keynote address at the conference’s inaugural session. Representatives from 180 countries, as well as regional organisations such as the European Union, will attend the conference.
World Bank encourages growth in Sri Lanka’s competitiveness
A World Bank report has stated that Sri Lanka is capable of increasing its competitiveness and exports by taking advantage of its geographic location, trade links, high levels of education, and greater urbanisation. The report emphasised that managing urbanisation and congestion is essential to increasing competitiveness.
A co-author of the report, Vincent Palmade, noted that Sri Lanka can increase incomes and market share in exports through policies that enhance productivity and investment.
German government proposes interception of migrants
The German Interior Ministry has proposed that migrants to Europe should be intercepted while crossing the Mediterranean Sea, and sent to Tunisia, Egypt or other North African countries to apply for asylum. This system would ensure that only accepted asylum applicants enter Europe.
Intercepting migrants and transferring them to third-party countries for processing is similar to Australia’s system for processing migrants.
China adopts new cybersecurity law
The Chinese government has approved a new cybersecurity law, to tighten its control over use of the internet. The new law includes a provision for Chinese internet operators to provide ‘technical assistance’ to the government on issues concerning national security.
Foreign companies operating in China have raised concerns that the law would require them to give the government access to intellectual property. The Chinese government has stated that the law was developed in accordance with international trade rules.
UN climate conference to begin in Marrakech
The twenty-second session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 22) will be held in Marrakech, Morocco on 7-18 November. This will be the first climate change meeting held since the Paris Agreement entered into force, on 4 November.
Parties to the Paris Agreement are expected to begin establishing and negotiating the rules for implementing it, while ensuring that the rules do not inhibit other countries from ratifying the deal.
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