Abdulla Yameen sworn in as Maldivian President
● Abdulla Yameen was on 11th November sworn in as the sixth President of the Maldives and Mohammad Jameel was sworn in as Vice-President
● 54-year-old Mr. Yameen, an economist and a candidate of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), clinched an unexpected victory by receiving 51.39 per cent of the votes over opposition leader and former president Mohammed Nasheed who garnered 48.61 per cent of the votes.
● Elections Commission announced the official results of the presidential runoff, confirming Mr. Yameen, the half-brother of former autocratic ruler Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, as the President elect.
● It should be noted that Maldives has witnessed political turmoil since 46-year-old Mr. Nasheed resigned under duress in February 2012 in a controversial transfer of power.
Karzai calls on Taliban to participate in Loya jirga on US deal
● Afghan President Hamid Karzai called on the Taliban and tribal leaders to join an assembly on a security pact that could allow some U.S. troops to stay in the country after 2014.
● Afghanistan Government said that around 2,500 tribal elders and civil leaders are expected to take part in an assembly known as a “loya jirga” on 21st to decide whether to accept the draft Bilateral Security Agreement between Afghanistan and the U.S.
● On the other end Taliban has rejected the jirga and warned its members that they would be punished as “traitors” if they endorsed the deal.
● The draft pact was hammered out in Kabul last month during a visit by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. But he left without a final deal as Afghan President Hamid Karzai said only a jirga had the authority to decide the contentious issues.
● If the agreement is passed by both loya jirga and parliament, between 5,000 and 10,000 US troops would stay in Afghanistan to help fight Al Qaeda remnants and train the national army.
Black Money: India to get secret tax info from Liechtenstein
● Liechtenstein, one of India’s important partner nations in fighting overseas tax abuse and black money, will shed its secrecy cloak this week and join hands with a host of other countries for automatic exchange of information and mutual assistance in tax matters.
● Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has said Liechtenstein will sign the convention during the November 21-22 Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes in Jakarta, Indonesia.
● It should be noted that Switzerland, last month, had joined the same convention. Read the details of the same here.
Malta to host next Commonwealth summit: Kamlesh Sharma
Waheeda Rehman to receive first Centenary film award at IFFI
Doris Lessing, Nobel Prize-winning author, dies aged 94
Angelina Jolie to receive honorary Oscar
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