As India watches, Sri Lanka seeks FDI and Currency Swap
Context: Sri Lanka invited international investment into the Colombo Port City that it described as a “fully Sri Lankan project”, while official sources in New Delhi said they were “keeping a close eye” on the project and its “security implications”. Recently, Bangladesh cleared a USD 200 million currency swap facility for Sri Lanka, to help […]
India in touch with Dominica on Choksi’s repatriation
Context: India is in contact with the government of Dominica regarding the possibility of repatriating diamantaire Mehul Choksi who is wanted for defrauding banks in India. However, Dominica announced that Mr. Choksi will be sent back to Antigua as the request for repatriation came from the Antiguan authorities. India has friendly ties with both Antigua […]
OHCHR: Israeli strikes in Gaza may be war crimes
Context: The UN rights chief said that Israeli forces may have committed war crimes in the latest, 11-day war with the militant group Hamas that rules the Gaza Strip, while also pointing that Hamas’ indiscriminate rocketing during the conflict was also a clear violation of the rules of war. The remarks by Michelle Bachelet, the […]
Belarus faces backlash sanctions over forced landing
Context: Western powers prepared to pile sanctions on Belarus and cut off its aviation links after it scrambled a warplane to intercept an aircraft and arrest a dissident journalist, an act which one leader denounced as ‘state piracy’. The European Union (EU) imposed sanctions against Belarus, including banning its airlines from using the airspace and […]
Lithuania quits ‘divisive’ China’s 17+1 group
Context: Lithuania said that it was quitting China’s 17+1 cooperation forum with central and eastern European states that includes other EU members, calling it “divisive”. The Baltic country urged fellow EU members to pursue “a much more effective 27+1 approach and communication with China.” Recently, Lithuania also took several steps that angered Beijing, including the […]
BRICS Astronomy Working Group on telescopes
Context: The BRICS Astronomy Working Group has recommended networking of telescopes in member countries and creating a regional data network. Relevance: GS-II: International Relations (Important International Groupings affecting India’s Interests) Dimensions of the Article: Highlights of the BRICS Astronomy Working Group (BAWG) Meeting What is BRICS? Highlights of the BRICS Astronomy Working Group (BAWG) Meeting […]
Israel-Hamas reach truce after 11 days of fighting
Context: A truce between Israel and Hamas took hold on 21 May 2021, after the worst violence in years, with U.S. President Joe Biden pledging to salvage the devastated Gaza Strip and the UN urging new Israeli-Palestinian dialogue. Relevance: GS-II: International Relations (Important Developments in the International Stage) Dimensions of the Article: What led […]
China completes strategic Tibet highway
Context: China has completed construction of a strategically significant highway through the world’s deepest canyon in Tibet along the Brahmaputra river, enabling greater access to remote areas along the disputed border with Arunachal Pradesh in India. Relevance: GS-II: International Relations (India and its Neighborhood, Foreign Policies & Politics of Countries affecting India’s Interests) Dimensions of […]
China protests as U.S. warship transits Taiwan Strait
Context: China accused the United States of threatening the peace and stability of the Taiwan Strait after a U.S. warship sailed through the sensitive waterway that separates Taiwan from its giant neighbour. The U.S. said that the ship’s transit through the Taiwan Strait demonstrates the U.S. commitment to a free and open Indo-Pacific. Recently, India […]
Russia is helping build nuclear plants in China
Context: Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping hailed close ties between their countries as they launched via videoconference work on Russian-built nuclear power plants in China. They initiated work on pouring concrete into new units of the Tianwan and Xudabao nuclear power plants. Relevance: GS-II: International Relations (India’s neighbors, Foreign Policies […]