General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 2019

Jun 17, 2019

Massive Protest Chokes Hong Kong

Hong Kong citizens marched for hours in a massive protest that drew an apology from the city's top leader for her handling of an extradition bill that stoked fears of expanding control from China in the former British colony.
Well after dark, crowds gathered outside the police headquarters and Chief Executive Carrie Lam's office.
Lam suspended her effort to force passage of the bill, which would allow some suspects to be sent for trial in mainland China. The move did not appease residents who see it as one of many steps chipping away at Hong Kong's freedoms and legal autonomy.
The chief executive apologises to the people of Hong Kong for this and pledges to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public.
US President Donald Trump would raise the issue of Hong Kong human rights with China's President Xi Jinping at a potential meeting at the G20 summit in Japan in June.

Pak Airspace to Stay closed

Pakistan extended the ban on its airspace for all Indian flights till June 28, 2019. Towards the end of May, Pakistan had extended for a fortnight the airspace closure for a fortnight which expired on June 14.
Pakistan had fully shut its airspace on the eastern border with India after an Indian Air Force carried out aerial airstrikes on a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terror camp in Balakot on February 26.

The New York Times Accused of Treason

President Donald Trump accused The New York Times of "a virtual act of treason" after it reported that the US is stepping up digital incursions into Russia's electric power grid.
Officials have described the classified deployment of American computer code inside Russia's power grid and other targets, the Times had reported.
The action is intended partly as a warning but also to leave the US poised to conduct cyberstrikes in the event of a major conflict between the US and Russia.
Trump tweeted that the accusations were "NOT TRUE", calling the media "corrupt" and repeating accusations that journalists are "the enemy of the people".

Jun 16, 2019

India Holds off on Endorsing BRI

India held off on endorsing China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in the joint declaration issued after the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Bishkek, a reflection of New Delhi's concerns about the ambitious trade and connectivity project.
All other members of the SCO, especially the Central Asian states, have enthusiastically signed on for President Xi Jinping's flagship project.
However, India has protested about BRI because a key component – the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) – passes through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
The Republic of Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan reaffirm their support for China's Belt and Road Initiative and praise the results of the Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (which was held on April 26, 2019).
The declaration noted that ongoing work to implement BRI includes efforts to align Eurasian Economic Union projects with those under China's initiative.
Indian officials say CPEC has security implications for the country as it includes highways that could facilitate the rapid movement of Pakistani troops.
They also say Beijing's regulations for projects under BRI around the world favour Chinese firms and don't provide a level playing field even for Indian firms with global expertise.
India stayed away from both Belt and Road Forums hosted by China. India's concerns about BRI are expected discussed when Xi and Modi meet at second informal summit in October.

Hong Kong Suspends China Extradition Bill

Hong Kong's embattled leader suspended a hugely divisive bill that would allow extraditions to China, in a major climbdown following unprecedented unrest, but protesters vowed to press ahead with a mass Sunday rally.
The concession from chief executive Carrie Lam was swiftly rejected by protest leaders, who called on her to resign, permanently shelve the bill and apologise for police tactics.
The international finance hub was rocked by the worst political violence since its 1997 handover to China as tens of thousands of protesters were dispersed by riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets.
About an hour after Lam announced the suspension, China said it supports the decision to suspend the bill, which allow some suspects to face trial in Chinese courts.

Maldives may Scrap Ocean Deal with China

An agreement China signed with the Maldives to build an observatory in the Indian Ocean is likely to be scrapped, as India's relations with its maritime neighbour enter a purple patch following the exit of former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen.
the agreement Yameen signed with China in 2017, which raised a security alarm in India, is "not on the table''.
Titled 'Protocol on Establishment of Joint Ocean Observation Station', the agreement was meant to allow China to construct an observatory at Makunudhoo, the westernmost atoll of the Maldives in the north.
The finalisation of the agreement had set off concerns in India that it would allow China a vantage point of an important Indian Ocean shipping route through which many merchant and other ships pass.
It would also be located uncomfortably close to Indian waters.

Jun 15, 2019

48th Coordination Conference between BSF and BGB

The 48th Director General Level Border Coordination Conference between BSF (India) and BGB (Bangladesh) was organised by BGB at Dhaka, Bangladesh.
A 10-member delegation of India headed by Rajni Kant Mishra, Director General, BSF alongwith senior officials of the Ministry of External Affairs and other law enforcement agencies met members of BGB headed by Gen Md Shafeenul Islam, NDC, PSC, Director General, Border Guards Bangladesh.

Jun 14, 2019

Turkey Rejects U.S. Ultimatum

Turkey's Defence Minister described as inappropriate an ultimatum from the U.S. urging Ankara to abandon its purchase of a Russian missile defence system.
Acting U.S. Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter telling Turkey that it had to renounce the S-400 system by July 31, or Turkish pilots training on the F-35 fighter jet programme would be expelled from the U.S.
According to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, no one can give Turkey an ultimatum.
Mr. Çavuşoğlu repeated an offer to set up a joint working group to resolve U.S. concerns, and said that President Donald Trump looked favourably on the idea but that it was rejected by "some institutions" in the U.S.

U.K. Certifies U.S. Extradition Request

Britain's Home Secretary Sajid Javid said that he had certified the U.S. request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on espionage grounds in a procedural move that opens the way for a court battle.
The U.S. Justice Department confirmed that it had submitted a formal extradition request.
The final decision on whether Mr. Assange can be extradited will rest with the courts.
Mr. Assange is now serving a 50-week sentence in jail for skipping bail when he entered the Ecuadorean Embassy in 2012.

New Far-right European Parliament Group

France`s Marine Le Pen unveiled a new far-right group in the European Parliament, uniting eurosceptics from across the continent who aim to devolve power from Brussels back to capitals.
Calling itself the Identity and Democracy (ID) group, the new alliance brings together Le Pen`s National Rally, Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini`s League party and Germany`s Alternative for Germany (AfD) plus nationalists from Austria, Finland and Denmark, among others.

U.S. Open to Talks on GSP with India

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo hinted that it was possible to reinstate the Generalised System of Preferences, a scheme for preferential access to certain goods markets in the U.S., for India.
The administration official is expected to discuss this and other issues during his New Delhi visit later in June 2019.

Jun 12, 2019

MPs Defy President to Resume Easter Attack Probe

The Sri Lanka's Parliament defied President Maithripala Sirisena and resumed investigations into security lapses surrounding the Easter suicide bombings that killed 258 people as a political crisis in the country deepened.
The Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) began hearing testimony from Muslim leaders who claimed they repeatedly alerted the authorities to dangerous radicalisation.
In what appeared to be a tit-for-tat move, Mr. Sirisena did not call the routine weekly Cabinet meeting to discuss the day-to-day running of the administration.
The Opposition Sri Lanka People's Front said that the standoff between the President and the Cabinet, controlled by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's party, meant the government was at a standstill.

US Submits Extradition Request for Assange

The U.S. government has formally submitted an extradition request to the U.K. for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.
Mr. Assange faces an 18-count indictment that accuses him of soliciting and publishing classified information.

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