Digest for international stories for week Jan 14 - 20, 2017

President-elect Donald Trump has hinted that he may lift sanctions on Russia and won't stand by the "One China" policy unless Beijing improves its currency and trade practices.
Dhaka, Jan 14 (PTI) Bangladesh police today said they have arrested a top Islamist militant accused of being one of the "masterminds" of the country's worst terror attack at a popular Dhaka cafe and plotting murders of religious minorities including two Hindu priests.
Sunday
Paris, Jan 15 (AP) Sending a forceful message to Israel's prime minister and the incoming Trump administration, dozens of countries called today on Israel and the Palestinians to revive work toward long-elusive peace, including an independent Palestinian state.

Washington, Jan 15 (PTI) The outgoing Obama administration has lashed out at China for blocking India from becoming a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group by describing the Communist giant as an "outlier" in its effort to bring New Delhi on board the elite grouping.
Karachi, Jan 15 (PTI) China has handed over two ships to the Pakistan Navy to safeguard the strategic Gwadar port and trade routes under the USD 46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a move likely to raise alarm in India.

Monday
Islamabad, Jan 16 (PTI) Pakistan Senate today unanimously passed a resolution condemning Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent remarks in which he described Pakistan as the "mothership of terrorism", calling it a "baseless" propaganda to divert international attention from "atrocities" in Kashmir.

London, Jan 16 (PTI) US President-elect Donald Trump has hailed Brexit as a "great thing", saying the UK was "smart" to have voted to leave the European Union and forecast that other countries would follow Britain's lead to leave the bloc.
Seoul, Jan 16 (AP) In a departure from the leniency typically given to South Korean big businesses, prosecutors today requested the arrest of the de facto head of Samsung Electronics, the country's most valuable company, in an influence-peddling scandal that has toppled the country's president.
Washington, Jan 15 (PTI) The Obama Administration has asserted that the Indo-US "strategic convergence" is at its highest point, as it hoped that the incoming Trump government would continue to prioritise the bilateral partnership of "paramount importance" to address global challenges.

Tuesday
Dakar, Jan 17 (AP) Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh declared a state of emergency today, just two days before he is supposed to cede power after losing elections last month.
Sydney, Jan 17 (PTI) The arduous underwater search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was suspended today, nearly three years after the plane vanished mysteriously over the Indian Ocean with 239 people, including five Indians, angering the grieving families who termed the move "irresponsible.