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It all began on October 2, when Jamal Khashoggi arrived at his country's consulate in Istanbul to complete relevant documentation in order to marry his fiancee. A notable critic of the Saudi Crown Prince, Khashoggi then appeared to have vanished completely. His disappearance was soon reported by the Turkish authorities who declared to have circumstantial evidence to believe in Saudi Arabian involvement in the murder of the Washington Post journalist. A US resident, although he agreed with the need for reform, his writings criticised Mohammed bin Salman's direct leadership and top-down approach - threatening the legitimacy of the current power structure.
In the US, the Khashoggi debacle has spawned criticisms from both Republican and Democratic groups who have voiced out their disapproval and demanded an investigation through the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act. This Act pressurises the President to then conduct an investigation and impose sanctions if the accused country is verified to be involved in a case of state-sponsored human rights violations. Similarly, in a joint statement, issued on October 15, UK, France and Germany have demanded a credible investigation into the crisis. The incident also threatened the success of the kingdom's Future Investment Initiative (FII) business conference in Riyadh, with top investment firms pulling out to voice their criticism of Saudi Arabia's involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
Saudi Arabia's confirmation on October 20, of the death of Khashoggi at its Istanbul consulate has further implicated the kingdom. Among them, the UN's Special Rapporteur on Extra-Judicial Summary or Arbitrary Executions, Agnes Callamard, has hinted at Khashoggi being a victim of extrajudicial execution. The Saudi leadership also faced criticism for its photo-op depicting Khashoggi's son shaking hands with the Crown Prince. Recent developments on the issue now concern investigations into the whereabouts of Khashoggi's body in and around Turkey.
President Trump recently confirmed the US pulling out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia and blamed Russia for breaching the treaty. The treaty signed during the Cold War period, in 1987, bans the development, testing and possession of short and medium range ground launched nuclear missiles with a range of 500-5,000 kms.
Previously, President Obama had accused Russia of breaching the treaty, but the European powers strongly opposed to a withdrawal from the treaty. Trump's decision could prove to be a setback for arms control and could resume the arms race between the two powers. A belligerent China, not being part of the treaty is free to develop intermediate range nuclear missiles, being another reason for President Trump's decision.
The US National Security advisor and a nuclear arms treaty sceptic, John Bolton has flown out to Moscow to discuss the expected withdrawal of US. He is scheduled to talk to the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov and the secretary of the security council Nikolai Patrushev. If talks go well, he is also expected to meet President Vladimir Putin. This meet could be crucial to see the further developments in the path chosen by US that could be a turning point in international politics.
This week a number of people left their homes in hope of getting a better shot at life but sadly, the story remains the same for the Central American Countries.
Triggered by years of instability and a hostile political climate in countries like Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala, scores of people have started traveling seeking asylum in the United States. The current climate in the United States given the November 6th Mid- Term election, an unstable neighbourhood is the last thing that the president wants. The threat of the caravan to the administration is being played out in the rhetoric of the president.
Trump has threatened to deploy the military to close the southern border if the flow of migrants do not stop. The president has even urged Mexico to take care of the matter and to ensure that none of the caravans are able to reach the southern US Border. This is an opportunity for the president to persuade the voters and work on the idea to build on as a campaign agenda. President Trump even during his campaign has mentioned the people coming in from the Central American countries as a threat and labelled them with his own unique remarks.
These remarks and sudden decisions were taken by the Trump administration in the light of nearly 4,000 Honduran migrants making their way to seek asylum in the US.
The recent visit of Japanese Prime Minister's Shinzo Abe to China on the 40th anniversary of the Sino-Japan Friendship Treaty was eventful to say the least. The reason behind this being the fact that Chinese and Japanese interests are converging on many folds, especially in the case of developing infrastructure in Asia.
Abe said, "Japan and China are playing an indispensable role in the economic development of not only Asia but the world." This statement throws light on the fact that China and Japan are keen on working together and being strategic economic partners as they see each other as key players in the international arena.
China has a lot to gain from this, it opens up an opportunity for President Xi Jinping to try and persuade Japan into participating in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). This is easier said than done as it poses a huge threat on Japan's national interests, one being their aim to make the Indo-Pacific region an open access.
This partnership can spiral into a formidable economic inter-dependence which is required because China and Japan are facing isolation and ignorance respectively from USA in terms of economic activities. The protectionist policies of the Trump administration is hurting the chances for both the countries in terms of economic growth.
However, working towards transforming Asian infrastructure without the help of the Western countries would have serious implications on the prowess of USA and European countries which is being challenged by the Eastern countries and their mercurial rise on the economic and political sphere.
China inaugurated the longest sea bridge on the 23rd October 2018, linking Zhuhai, in mainland China, with Macau and Hong Kong. The bridge was in construction since 2009, and after many delays and cost overshoots, was finally opened to the general public.
Inaugurated by Chinese Premier Xi Jinping and the leaders from Macau and Hong Kong, it cost approximately US$20 billion and spans a distance of 55 kms. The distance between Hong Kong and Zhuhai has been reduced to 30 minutes from a previous of 4 hours. This has been part of China's initiative to create a "Greater Bay Area". The area would consist of Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Zhongshan, Dongguan, Huizhou, Jiangmen and Zhaoqing.
The bridge will cater to private cars and soon there will be a shuttle bus service that will run between the cities. Private cars would be allowed only if they have a cross-boundary permit, limiting them to a quota system. As of 2017, 30,400 cars from Hong Kong, with Closed Road Permits will be plying on the route. The quota is subject to change given the traffic movement on the bridge. Built on the Pearl River Estuary, it connects east and west of the river with a direct road link, thus facilitating the development of industries, especially the ones that require a fast transportation. It is expected that one bridge cannot cater to the estimated traffic flow between cities, and soon there might be more bridges coming up on the Pearl River.
CONTRIBUTORS: Sharon John, Shambhavi Joshi, Udit Sharma, Hassan Chishti, Sooraj Kashyap
Image Source: Chris McGrath - Getty Images, CNBC, Reuters, Huffington Post, BBC