Current Affairs for UPSC IAS

Ethiopia is on the brink of civil war, threatening the stability of one of the world’s most strategic regions,

In a latest development, Russia brokered a new peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan,

• India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj attended the meeting of Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to be held at Bishkek (Kyrgyz Republic) on 21-22 May, 2019.
• The conference was also attended by her Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi.

• India has held the 11th Consular Committee Meeting with Iran to discuss on smoothening visa and legal matters essential for bilateral ties.
• Both discussed issues of mutual interest, including early conclusion of Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance on civil and commercial matters, extending longer duration of e-Visa for each other nationals on reciprocity, visa facilitation for greater people-to-people contact.

• U.S. Chief of naval operations Admiral John M. Richardson recently visited India and expressed concern about ‘the threat coming from the sea’. He said that India and the U.S. are cooperating to prevent all forms of terrorism both from land and sea.
• According to him foundational agreement, Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), which India signed last year would enable exchange of information on such threats.

• In an annex tagged with the Joint Communiqué of the Leaders’ Roundtable of the Belt and Road Forum, which concluded in Beijing recently, the Chinese Foreign Ministry website has not listed the BCIM as a project covered by the BRI.
• Instead, South Asia is covered by three major undertakings — the China-Myanmar Economic Corridor (CMEC); the Nepal-China Trans-Himalayan Multi-dimensional Connectivity Network, including Nepal-China cross-border railway; and the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

The World Intellectual Property Day is observed all over the world on April 26^th. Creators and inventors such as artists, developers, content creators, musicians, actors and producers, among others connect with each other to talk about how intellectual property rights contribute to the world we live in.

Four prominent leaders of Hong Kong's democracy movement- Umbrella Movement, were jailed for their role in organising mass protests in 2014 that paralysed the city for months and infuriated Beijing.

At a time when India is developing the Assumption Island in Seychelles as a naval base to expand its strategic footprint in the Indian Ocean, the government has decided to appoint former Army chief Dalbir Singh Suhag as India’s next High Commissioner to Seychelles.

• Recently, the Assam Rifles started sending reinforcements to Sihai, which is a Naga village located in Manipur, on learning that the rebels of National Socialist Council of Nagaland Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) faction had set up an “unauthorised” camp.
• After five days of a standoff that left people panic-stricken, Assam Rifles personnel and NSCN-IM insurgents have agreed to withdraw from two remote villages of Ukhrul in Manipur.

• A decision to set up a joint border "reaction force" was announced during the visit of Pakistan’s Prime Minister to Iran, which was a first visit since he came to power.
• The visit was aimed to resolve the issue of attacks on both sides of the frontier, to combat terrorism and to find ways to increase trade and cooperation in energy and other areas.

India has set up an Indo-Pacific divisionin the foreign office. The division will integrate the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), Asean region and the Quad to the Indo-Pacific table.