(Current Affairs) International Events | July: 2016

International Events

US appeals court upheld Open Internet regulations

  • A U.S. appeals court panel upheld hotly contested “Open Internet” regulations that prohibit broadband carriers from playing favourites or blocking competing online services.
  • The so-called “Net neutrality” rules, which aim to prevent a two-speed Internet, won court approval after two past efforts failed.
  • The U.S. Appeals Court panel in Washington dealt a setback to major broadband firms like Verizon and AT&T, which claimed the rules unfairly restrict providers and discourage investment.
  • Mr. Tatel wrote that “the role of broadband providers is analogous to that of telephone companies: they act as neutral, indiscriminate platforms for transmission of speech of any and all user”.
  • The ruling is a victory for consumer groups and others who argued that a handful of Internet providers, without these rules, could effectively block or hamper big online services or smaller ones that compete with those backed by the broadband provider.
  • The new rule also applies the concept to mobile Internet carriers. The cable and Internet providers, which contend the regulation limits their ability to invest and innovate, could appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in a raid in Syria says reports

  • The Islamic State (IS) ’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has been killed in an air raid in Syria by the U.S.-led coalition, reports said.
  • Baghdadi died in an air strike on IS’s stronghold of Raqqa in northern Syria, Iranian state media and pro-government Turkish daily YenisSafak said, citing IS-affiliated Arabic news agency al-Amaq.
  • The coalition did not immediately comment on the report. Iraqi TV channel ‘Al-Sumaria’ said that Baghadi had been wounded on Sunday in a coalition air strike on a location 65 km west of IS-held Mosul.
  • Baghdadi, who had a $25 million bounty on his head, has moved around within the past six months and had travelled to Mosul.

UN expresses concern over targeted killing in Bangladesh

  • As Bangladesh reels under a spate of targeted killings, the United Nations has expressed concern at the “dramatic increase” in murders, including that of people belonging to religious minority groups.
  • In a wide-ranging opening speech at the Human Rights Council, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al-Hussein called for investigation and prosecution of the perpetrators.
  • Meanwhile, the government said categorically that Bangladesh does not need help from any foreign country or government to protect members of its minority communities.
  • Press Trust of India (PTI) said that “two leaders from Bangladesh’s Hindu community” had sought assistance from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
  • The Minister claimed that the government’s tough stance has already ensured the rights of religious minority groups.
  • Since the beginning of a crackdown on terrorists and extremists, law enforcement officials have arrested a total of 5,287 people, of which 85 have suspected militant links.

Islamic state claims responsibility for Orlando shooting

  • The Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the Orlando shooting that killed 50 people, saying in a radio bulletin that it was carried out by “one of the soldiers of the caliphate”.
  • The jihadist group declared its “caliphate” in Syria and Iraq in 2014. The IS-linked news agency Amaq said on Sunday that the attack on the gay night club had been “carried out by an Islamic State fighter”.
  • U.S. media reported that the gunman, identified as Omar Mateen, a 29-year old American citizen, had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.

David cameron warns against Brexit

  • Prime Minister David Cameron warned on Sunday that Britain faces a “lost decade” if it leaves the EU, as he races to persuade undecided voters less than two weeks before a close referendum.
  • With several recent opinion polls suggesting momentum is with the ‘Leave’ camp, Mr. Cameron is making a string of television appearances to try to convince people to back ‘Remain’ on June 23.
  • A string of global institutions including the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and G7 have backed Mr. Cameron’s argument that Britain’s economy would be damaged by Brexit.
  • But ‘Leave’ supporters argue that Britain could thrive outside the EU, where they say it would be freed of red tape.
  • The Prime Minister told the BBC that there could be a “lost decade for Britain” after a vote to leave the EU as the political system gets gummed up with negotiations.
  • A Sunday Times/YouGov online poll found that Mr. Cameron’s ‘Remain’ campaign is lagging the "Leave" side by 42 percent to 43 percent.
  • Averaging out the last six opinion polls, both sides are tied on 50 per cent, according to academics at the What U.K. Thinks project. Their figures exclude undecided voters.

Bangladesh Government started Nationwide crackdown on ultra's

  • Bangladesh police have arrested more than 3,000 people in a sweeping nationwide crackdown following a spate of gruesome murders, as the Prime Minister vowed to catch “each and every killer”.
  • Those detained include 37 suspected Islamist militants and hundreds of potential criminals who previously had warrants out against them, as well as several hundred ordinary arrests, police said.
  • Bangladesh is reeling from a wave of brutal killings that have spiked in recent weeks, with religious minorities, secular thinkers and liberal activists the chief targets.
  • The Jamayetul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is one of the main domestic militant outfits blamed by the government, which rejects claims from Islamic State group that they are behind the killings.
  • Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina told a meeting of her ruling Awami League party on Saturday that police would stamp out the violence.
  • However, Bangladesh opposition parties immediately accused the police of using the crackdown to suppress political dissent.
  • Police detained some 350 people in the country’s second-largest city of Chittagong and its surrounding areas.
  • In recent days an elderly Hindu priest was found nearly decapitated in a rice field, while a Christian grocer was hacked to death near a church, with Islamic State group claiming responsibility for the killings.
  • A Hindu monastery worker was found hacked to death on Friday in the northwestern district of Pabna.

Thirteen top Britain scientists against Brexit

  • Thirteen of Britain’s top scientists signed a letter backing the campaign to remain in the EU after a dramatic new poll boosted the momentum behind the Brexit campaign less than two weeks before the June 23 referendum.
  • Nobel Prize winners including Peter Higgs — after whom the Higgs Boson is named — and geneticist Paul Nurse said the loss of research funding would be one consequence of leaving the bloc.
  • “Science thrives on permeability of ideas and people, and flourishes in environments that pool intelligence, minimise barriers, and are open to free exchange and collaboration.
  • “The EU provides such an environment and scientists value it highly.”
  • An online ORB poll for The Independent newspaper sent sterling falling after indicating that 55 per cent of Britons want to leave the EU, compared to 45 per cent who want to stay.
  • An average of the last six opinion polls by academics at the What U.K. Thinks project indicates the race is tied, with each side on 50 per cent.
  • Elsewhere on Saturday, Germany’s top selling weekly magazine Der Spiegel urged British voters: “Please don't go!” in a special pre-referendum issue.

Chinese President might visit Nepal this year

  • Chinese President Xi Jinping is likely to visit Nepal in October following his participation in the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa (BRICS) summit in Panaji, the South China Morning Post reported.
  • The presidential visit will cap growing ties between Kathmandu and Beijing, which acquired a high profile after China became an energy supplier to Nepal, breaking India’s monopoly in fuel exports, in the midst of a violent agitation over the adoption of Nepal’s new Constitution.
  • apart from an “assessment” of the possibility of Mr. Xi’s visit, two other topics were prominently discussed during Admiral Sun’s talks with Nepal’s Defence Minister.
  • First, the visiting Admiral discussed the extension of the Qinghai-Tibet railway to Kathmandu and further to Lumbini, close to the border with India.
  • Last month an international freight train left for Nepal from Lanzhou in China’s Gansu province, to cover a distance of 2,431 km to Xigaze in Tibet, the last railhead.
  • The goods were then to be transported by road to the Geelong land port in Nepal, and further to Kathmandu, 160 km away.
  • Second, the two sides discussed Nepal’s integration in China’s One Belt One Road, Eurasian connectivity project. China-Nepal ties acquired fresh momentum during the visit to China by Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli in March.
  • Nepal’s Vice-President Nanda Bahadur Pun left for a week long visit to Kunming, which is hosting a China-South Asia expo, apart from a meeting of the China-South Asia think tank forum.

German Chancellor wants Britain to stay in EU

  • German Chancellor Angela Merkel stressed she hoped that Britain would vote to remain in the European Union in a June 23 referendum that her Finance Minister labelled a “wakeup call.”
  • Britain and Germany have traditionally been allies in the EU on matters such as free trade.
  • She added that “we have very close cooperation on many questions with Great Britain, and would of course like to continue this within the framework of the European Union.”
  • Germany has the biggest economy in the 28-nation bloc, and Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble told Der Spiegel magazine that a British exit, known as Brexit, would bad for both Britain and the EU. “
  • Mr. Schäuble said if it comes to a British exit, that the possibility of other countries following Britain’s lead “cannot be ruled out.”
  • Even if Britain’s voters choose to remain in the European Union, the referendum itself shows a dissatisfaction that EU leaders can’t ignore, the Finance Minister added in his remarks.

U.S. has asked Pak to ensure that its territory is not used for planning attacks in India

  • The U.S. has asked Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used for planning attacks in India, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said terrorism is being “incubated in India’s neighbourhood.”
  • “We believe that Pakistan and India stand to benefit from practical cooperation and encourage direct dialogue aimed at increasing cooperation and reducing tensions,” State Department Deputy Spokesman said.
  • “And that includes steps by Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used to plan attacks in India and that Pakistan takes steps to address or to go after, I think, all the terrorist groups that are currently using its territory.
  • That continues to be an area of collaboration and cooperation that we pursue with Pakistan is its counterterrorism operations,” Mr. Toner said.

Hillary Clinton gets Obama’s support

  • U.S. President Barack Obama endorsed Hillary Clinton to succeed him, declaring in a video message “I’m with her.”
  • The endorsement comes after a hard fought Democratic primary season, in which Ms. Clinton struggled against her rival Bernie Sanders.
  • “I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office.” “I have seen her judgment. I’ve seen her toughness. I’ve seen her commitment to our values up close,” Mr. Obama said of Ms. Clinton.
  • Looking forward to her presidential campaign, the first major decision Ms. Clinton will have to make ahead of the national convention in July is that of choosing a vice-presidential running mate.
  • The selection of the V-P candidate is normally part of a wider agreement the nominee reaches with other sections of the party, and with an eye on reaching out to crucial constituencies or winning a swing State.
  • The most talked about woman in this context is Elizabeth Warren, Senator from Massachusetts who has emerged as a leading liberal voice in the party.
  • Ms. Warren, the only woman Senator who has not endorsed Ms. Clinton, shares most of the concerns with Mr. Sanders and could be attractive to his supporters who are now feeling dejected.

Pakistan accuses India of derailing talks

  • Pakistan accused India of using the Pathankot terror attack as an “excuse” to derail the bilateral dialogue process and said talks are the best way forward to resolve outstanding issues, including “mutual concerns” related to terrorism.
  • Pakistan and India had agreed to start the dialogue in December 2015 when Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj visited Islamabad, he said.
  • “But before the Foreign Secretaries could meet and finalise a schedule for resuming the Comprehensive Dialogue, the Pathankot incident of January 2 gave India an excuse to postpone the resumption of the dialogue.” He said
  • India has accused Pakistan-based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed for the Pathankot attack and has linked the resumption of the dialogue process to Pakistan taking action against the group.

Chinese media downplays Beijing-Washington strategic dialogue

  • Chinese state media has called the Beijing-Washington strategic dialogue that concluded as being marginally helpful in easing tensions, which had spiralled on account of the growing discord between the two countries over South China Sea.
  • The China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogue (S&ED) dialogue took place following weeks of tensions that peaked when U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, responded harshly to a poser from the Chinese side that Beijing could impose an Air Defence Identification zone (ADIZ) in the South China Sea (SCS).
  • The remarks had followed an article in South China Morning Post (SCMP), which, quoting sources close to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), said that China is preparing an ADIZ in the SCS.
  • The possibility that China may enforce an ADIZ, in turn, was fuelled by the U.S. conduct of “freedom of navigation” patrols in the SCS — moves which evoked a robust response from China.
  • In May, the U.S. had launched its third “freedom of navigation” operation in the disputed Spratly Islands, followed by the flight of a U.S. EP-3 Aries surveillance aircraft, which was challenged by two Chinese fighter jets.
  • The back and forth between the U.S. and China mirrored China’s vocal response in the SCS to President Barack Obama’s “Pivot to Asia” doctrine.

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