General Awareness

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS - May 2019

May 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.

Jun 11, 2019

Hong Kong Pushes Ahead with Extradition Bill

Hong Kong's leader signaled that her government would push ahead with amendments to extradition laws. A day earlier, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in protest of the proposed measure. It was the city's largest protest in more than 10 years.
The bill would mean people charged with crimes could be sent from Hong Kong to mainland China to face punishment.
China has a much different legal system than Hong Kong. The possibility of extradition has worried many in Hong Kong, from international business groups to legal experts to pro-democracy parties.
Residents have long fought against efforts by China to increase control.
Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam described the legislation as important. She said that it would help Hong Kong uphold justice and meet international requirements. Lam also said that she had not received any orders from mainland China to push the bill forward.
According to Lam, the bill seeks to prevent Hong Kong from becoming a place for criminals to hide.

Pakistan Announces Five-year Visa for US Citizens

Pakistan decided to grant five-year, multiple-entry visas to American nationals after the US in March 2019 reduced visa validity for Pakistanis from five years to one year.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised Pakistani diplomatic missions in the US to follow the new policy while issuing visas to American nationals.
The five-year visa would benefit the investors and tourists of both countries. The visa policy is according to Prime Minister Imran Khan's vision to improve tourism and business.

Final Report on Easter Attacks

A three-member committee appointed to probe the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, which killed more than 250 people, submitted its final report to President Maithripala Sirisena.
Supreme Court Justice Vijith Malalgoda, who headed the committee, handed over the report to Mr. Sirisena.

Jun 10, 2019

Parliament Warns Sirisena

Sri Lanka's Parliament warned President Maithripala Sirisena not to scuttle an investigation into security lapses before the Easter suicide bombings.
The warning came after Mr. Sirisena said that he would not cooperate with the parliamentary probe and would not allow defence or police officials to testify before the committee.
Mr. Sirisena called an emergency Cabinet meeting to oppose the legislature's investigation into the attacks.

Iran and Europe Economic Ties

Iran said that Europe was in no position to criticise Tehran for its military capabilities and it called on European leaders to normalise trade ties with the Islamic Republic despite US sanctions, or face consequences.
President Donald Trump, in 2018, withdrew the United States from world powers' 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sweeping sanctions.
The west European signatories to the deal - France, Britain and Germany - share the same concerns as the United States over Iran's ballistic missile development and regional activities.
However, they have defended the nuclear accord as the best way to limit Iran's enrichment of uranium, a potential pathway to nuclear weapons, and a basis for future negotiations on a broader palette of security and other longstanding disputes.

Venezuela to Close Canada Consulates

Venezuela is temporarily closing its consulates in three Canadian cities and will leave open only its embassy in Ottawa.
In a statement posted online, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said the decision to close its consulates in Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal is a response to Canada's decision to shut down its embassy in Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, amid worsening diplomatic tensions.

EU Willing To Re-open Brexit Deal

British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, a contender to replace Theresa May as Prime Minister said that German Chancellor Angela Merkel had indicated that the European Union (EU) was willing to renegotiate the Brexit divorce deal.
Mr. Hunt spoke with Ms. Merkel at D-Day commemorations and was convinced that changing Ms. May's agreement was possible.

Jun 09, 2019

US and Mexico Hammer Out Deal

US President Donald Trump announced that he has indefinitely suspended the move to impose escalating tariffs on all imports from Mexico after the latter agreed to take strong measures to prevent migrants from travelling through its area towards the border with the US.

Nepali Journalists Protest against Media Council Bill

Nepali journalists demanded immediate withdrawal of a Media Council Bill that aims to curtail press freedom.
Nepal has proposed the new Media Bill aimed at imposing a hefty fine of up to Rs. 1 million on media outlets found guilty of damaging anyone's reputation.

Jun 08, 2019

Sirisena Wanted to Scrap Parliamentary Probe

President Maithripala Sirisena conveyed to the Speaker earlier in June that the ongoing probe into the Easter attacks by a parliamentary panel could hinder court proceedings in the criminal investigations of the bombings.
However, the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC), which was informed of the President's note, told the Speaker that sittings would continue.
In a letter to the Speaker, PSC members said that the Parliament is the sole judge of its powers and privileges, and had exclusive jurisdiction over its own proceedings.

Russia and China Present Common Economic Front

China's Xi Jinping and Russia's Vladimir Putin hit back at U.S. global economic dominance as they took the stage together at Russia's showcase business forum.
With China embroiled in a trade war with Washington and Russia under Western sanctions, Mr. Xi and Mr. Putin lashed out at inequalities in the global economic system and vowed to pursue closer ties between their countries.

Pakacts against Militants

The Pakistani government appears to have taken some action over the last month (May) against Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) chief Hafiz Saeed and his brother-in-law Abdul Rahman Makki, and restrained the activities of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) chief Masood Azhar, in an apparent bid to placate the international community ahead of a crucial Financial Action Task Force (FATF) meeting in June.
FATF, a multilateral watchdog that monitors terror funding, will meet in Orlando, Florida on June 20-21, when Pakistan's progress on a 27-point action plan is likely to be discussed, though a decision on whether it remains in the grey list or is downgraded into a black list is expected only by October when a 15- month deadline for Islamabad ends and the FATF meets for its plenary in Paris.

May Quits as Tory Leader

British Prime Minister Theresa May stepped down as leader of her Conservative Party, formally triggering the race for a successor who will try where she failed to deliver Brexit.
Ms. May will remain Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen, likely in late July, but will make no further moves on Britain's tortuous departure from the European Union.
Brexit is still scheduled for October 31 but while the contenders thrash it out over the leadership, the project remains stalled, with the only divorce plan agreed with Brussels rejected in Parliament.

Ethiopian Leader in Sudan

Ethiopia's Prime Minister was in Khartoum to meet the chief of Sudan's ruling military council in a bid to ease the political crisis that has followed the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir.
Abiy planned to meet members of both the ruling Transitional Military Council headed by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the opposition.
The Ethiopian initiative follows the worst bloodshed in Sudan since Bashir was ousted by the military after four months of protests against his repressive three-decade rule.

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