International and Bilateral Issues:

The United States House of Representatives has passed a bill eliminating country-specific caps on green card application numbers in a move that left most people wondering whether it was a real change in U.S. immigration policy or whether it was pure political posturing.
For while H.R. 3012, the so-called “Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act,” would allow vastly greater numbers of highly-skilled applicants to make permanent residency claims
What this implies is that countries that were facing the highest demand-supply mismatch for green cards, among which India ranks first and China second, will see a benefit in terms of prospective green cards issuance, whereas the waiting time in the queue for smaller nations such as Iceland would jump significantly.
It aims to move away from the current law, under which immigrants from an individual country who are in the U.S. on an employment visa such as the H1-B cannot apply for more than seven per cent of the 140,000 green cards issued annually by the State Department.
H.R. 3012 does not provide additional visa numbers which is what would be needed to fully address the employment-based visa backlogs. “It simply puts everyone in any particular category in the same queue,”

While most of Europe and Asia is apprehensive about nuclear power plants for future energy needs, Czech Republic is on its way to enhance its nuclear energy share in power sector from 30 per cent to 50 per cent
Mr. Bartuska (Ambassador at large for Energy Security of Czech Republic) said one of the primary reasons for public trust in nuclear energy is the independent nuclear watchdog. When the President visited one of the nuclear plants, his bodyguards with guns were not allowed entry.
“People respect engineers and professionals,”

The winds of democracy are making it harder for India to negotiate the construction of mega hydel projects in Bhutan.
Fixing terms and conditions for bringing power from Bhutan was a cakewalk with the first three hydel projects five years ago.
Opposition in Bhutanese Parliament and exiled leaders raising issues relating to sovereignty, Indian officials are now having to work harder during talks to bring about the closure of agreed upon hydel projects with a capacity to produce 10,000 MW of power.
While acknowledging New Delhi's logic for asking for 51 per cent stake in hydel projects for its PSUs, Bhutanese officials said India must bear in mind the changed environment in their country, where the accountability of the government had gone up “dramatically.”
Is Bhutan then heading for a Nepal-type situation where Pancheshwar and Sapta Kosi projects have not taken off after 15 years or more of negotiations?

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Thursday challenged the leaders of Myanmar to continue and expand upon recent reforms, calling for the release of all political prisoners, an end to violent campaigns against ethnic minorities and a breaking of military ties with North Korea.
first visit to this long-isolated nation by the top U.S. diplomat in more than 50 years.
Ms. Clinton offered a small package of rewards for steps it had already taken but made clear that more must be done and said the U.S. was not ready to lift sanctions.
In a series of modest first steps, she announced that Washington would allow Myanmar's participation in a U.S.-backed grouping of Mekong River countries

Russia next week will dispatch a flotilla of warships, including its navy flagship, to Syria, where the U.S. has already deployed a naval force.
The news came shortly after the U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George HW Bush anchored off Syria, along with additional vessels. Moscow has denounced the U.S. move as destabilising.
Last week unconfirmed reports said three Russian warships had already anchored near Syrian shores, but Russian officials refused to confirm or deny the reports.
Russia is dispatching warships to Syria at a time of renewed tension in Russian-American relations.

U.S. rapper Kanye West has won the most nominations for next year's Grammys, followed closely by British singer Adele
Kanye West's seven nods include “All of the Lights” for Song of the Year