G7 (or G8 minus one) meeting in Brussels
The annual G8 summit turned into a G7 summit because Russia pissed everyone off with the crisis in Crimea. Russia was initially supposed to host this get-together at Sochi but in lieu of her membership suspension, it was held at Brussels, Belgium instead. Leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, USA as well as the EU convened to discuss energy issues, the climate and Crimea. (They probably also dissed Putin behind his back too)
D-Day Anniversary
After the G7 summit, the clique made their way to France for the D-Day 70th Anniversary celebrations. This time, Russia was invited. On the eve of the D-day anniversary, President Hollande decided to host 2 separate dinners for President Obama and President Putin. Being French might make President Hollande a gastronome but we’re pretty sure he isn’t a glutton. The plans were an effort on his part to avoid a tripartite meeting. During the celebrations, Obama and Putin also met face-to-face for the first time but appeared to have avoided each other.
25th Anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Protests
A neat video summary of the Tiananmen Square protests which culminated on 4 June 1989 can be found here.
Basically, Chinese protestors called for more liberal reforms. The Chinese government tried to end it via conciliatory means but lost their patience and resorted to using military force.
FYI: You should know about this image aka Tank Man
China-Vietnam territorial disputes
China, the schoolyard bully, has taken an increasingly aggressive stance towards claiming territories that fall within the area delineated by the Nine-Dotted Line (see image below).
Last week, however, it was Vietnam’s turn to throw a few punches. According to the Chinese foreign ministry, Vietnamese vessels rammed Chinese ships as many as 1,413 times for being in Vietnam’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The territorial dispute over the Xisha or Paracel Islands is central to this confrontation.
Thailand the IRL Panem?
Observers of the anti-coup protests (Red-shirts) in Thailand have noticed a bizarre trend: The use of the 3-finger salute as seen in The Hunger Games. According to the BBC, there are a couple of theories to explain its origins:
- As an act of protest, drawing parallels between Panem, the fictional authoritarian state in The Hunger Games, and military-authoritarian Thailand
- To symbolize the ideals of the French Revolution – Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité (i.e. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity)
As you probably know, the Thai military (Junta) has historically played a major role in shaping Thai politics. Most recently, it organized a military coup to maintain order in the country. Since 2006, Thai politics has been deeply divided between the Red-shirts (supporters of democracy and the Shinawatra family and its allies) and the Yellow-shirts (royalists who would readily abandon elections in favor of non-corrupt technocrats). The Thai military has stated that its purpose this time is to depolarize Thai politics but there does not seem to be a clear end in sight for this continuos cycle of election and coup d’etat.
ECB announces negative bank deposit interest rates
In a historic move, the European Central Bank has announced a negative bank deposit interest rate of -0.1%. Since we’re no expert at economics, you can read more about the effects of this unconventional policy here, here and here.
Prisoner Swap
President Obama trades 5 Taliban prisoners for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. People are unhappy because:
- Of the controversy surrounding Sgt. Bergdahl – some accuse him of being a deserter while others defend him as a POW
- They view this swap as legitimizing the Taliban
Check back next week for your weekly dose of news updates!