Week 141 (14-20/02/2022)
Police detained former President Juan Orlando Hernández in Honduras on Tuesday. | Picture: AP Photo/Elmer Martinez
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
A number of Houthi fighters in Yemen were killed and eight of their military vehicles destroyed in air strikes led by Saudi Arabia (15/02). The strikes took place on Yemen’s north-western Hajjah governorate. The militias have been blamed for the “primary obstacle to peace efforts”.
A historic moment happened when Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett visited Bahrain to meet the kingdom’s Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad (16/02). Bennett’s visit to Bahrain is the second trip he made to a Gulf country. In December last year, he went to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These three countries have signed the “Abraham Accords”, a normalization between Israel and the Gulf countries which was brokered by former United States
(US) President Donald Trump. Bennett’s visit to Bahrain was aimed to “achieve peace, stability, and prosperity”.
The biggest sugar factory in Ethiopia has been temporarily closed down to security concerns (17/02). The factory is located in a region held by the Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebels, which has a formal alliance with the Tigrayan rebels. The presence of the OLA in the area means that it is impossible to deliver fuel to run the factory machines and equipment.
Paul-Henri Damida, Burkina Faso’s coup leader, has been inaugurated as the country’s new president (17/02). The inauguration ceremony, which was not attended by any foreign representatives, was broadcasted on television. In his inauguration speech, Damida promised to strengthen the security forces to deal with the Islamist militants.
ASIA
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is looking to expedite the entry of East Timor into the organization. Recently, the regional bloc has launched (14/02) a fact-finding mission of the ASEAN Economic Community and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community that is planned to be completed in the first quarter of 2022. With the completion of the task, ASEAN member states are expected to start deliberating on the roadmap and timeline for East Timor to accede to ASEAN.
Reported in Aljazeera (14/02), India’s ministry of electronics and IT has banned 54 Chinese apps on the ground of security concerns. Some of the apps are re-branded versions of apps already banned by India in 2020, which also included those belonging to large China tech firms such as Tencent, Alibaba, and NetEase. Meanwhile, a spokesman for the Home Affairs ministry did not immediately comment on the matter.
Thailand has changed (15/02) the official name of its capital from “Bangkok” to “Krung Thep Maha Nakhon”. The new official name will come into effect after it is vetted by a committee in charge of scrutinizing all draft bills and observed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The name Bangkok—came from an old area of Bangkok, now a part of the greater metropolitan area of the capital (Bangkok Noi and Bangkok Yai districts)—however, will still be recognized by officials. On the same day, the Thai government also announced the official Thai spelling for other cities, namely the Thai names for Kuala Lumpur, Rome, Nay Pyi Taw, Kathmandu, and the Thai spelling for the State of Palestine.
Hundreds of protesters took (20/02) the streets of Nepal to protest against a USD 500 millions US aid grant. They argue that the grant will undermine Nepal’s sovereignty as it is considered to be part of the United States (US)’s Indo-Pacific strategy, which has military components that could bring American soldiers to Nepal. The pact called The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) was signed in 2017 and mainly opposed by two of the Communist parties that are part of the ruling coalition government. Meanwhile, US officials has assured that the grant concerns only Nepal’s development, which is to be used or the construction of power transmission lines and improvement of roads in the Himalayan nation.
AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA
The United Nations (UN) Pacific office encouraged international community to continue supporting Tonga after it was hit by volcanic eruption and tsunami amid its battle with the COVID-19 outbreak (15/02). According to the World Bank, Tonga suffered a USD 90.4 million in damages as a result of the eruption and tsunami. In an act of solidarity, the Federated States of Micronesia gave USD100,000 for Tonga.
The Cook Islands reported its first COVID-19 case after a woman arriving from New Zealand tested positive for the virus (15/02). The woman has been double vaccinated and provided a negative PCR test before flying. However, she tested positive a few hours after landing in the Cooks Islands. She is currently self-isolating at a private holiday accommodation with two other people who are travelling with her. In light of the case, Prime Minister Mark Brown reminded the Cook Islanders that the country’s high vaccination rate needs to be maintained as it helps slowing down the spread of the virus and reduces the virus impacts on health.
New Zealand has extended its one-way quarantine-free travel for Nauru, Tuvalu, and American Samoa (18/02). Travelers from these three Pacific nations can enter New Zealand without entering managed isolation and quarantine facilities or self-quarantine starting on February 27, 2022 at 11.59 pm. New Zealand currently has quarantine-free travel for travelers from the Cook Islands, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau, and Vanuatu. The expansion of travel brings significant social and economic benefits.
Western Australia will open quarantine-free travel for fully vaccinated people on March 3 (19/02). It is the only state to remain closed to tourists when Australia reopens its borders on Monday, February 21. Currently, travelers who already have a permit to enter Australia but arriving in Western Australia are required to undergo quarantine for seven days and take a COVID-19 test. In addition, they have to keep wearing a mask both indoor and outdoor for seven days after leaving quarantine.
EUROPE
The Netherlands’ Prime Minister Mark Rutte issued an apology to Indonesia over the Dutch state’s use of violence in the 1945-49 Indonesian war of independence (17/02). The move was taken after a report conducted by the Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies, the Netherlands Institute of Military History, and the Institute for War, Holocaust, and Genocide Studies found that the Dutch military and intelligence services used systematic extrajudicial executions and torture to retain its colony. Previously in 2020, King Willem-Alexander apologized for the “excessive violence” inflicted during the colonial era in Indonesia—the first since Indonesian independence.
France announced that it would withdraw its troops from Mali after assisting the West African country in the fight against terrorism for nine years (17/02). The decision is due to the deteriorating relations between France and Mali’s new military leaders, who rose into power after the 2020 coup. Despite the withdrawal, President Emmanuel Macron insisted that France did not fail its mission in Mali.
Storm Eunice that battered Northwestern Europe has killed at least nine people (18/02). Six people were killed in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands, and three in Belgium, Germany, and Ireland. The Atlantic storm had record winds of up to 196 km/hour. The strongest winds were heading towards Scandinavian and northern mainland Europe later of Friday.
The West is planning on how to arm resistance should Russia invades Ukraine (19/02). The UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson emphasized that the West should stand by Ukraine and ensure Russia to “ultimately fail”. Besides Ukraine, Poland, Romania, and the Baltics—the eastern side of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)—have also been protected from Russia’s attack.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Police detained former President Juan Orlando Hernández in Honduras on Tuesday (15/02). This detention is a follow-up to a request by the United States (US) for his extradition. The US government accused Hernández of drug trafficking and weapons charges.
Floods and mudslides hit Petropolis, Brazil, on Tuesday (15/02). As of Thursday, the disaster had claimed the lives of 117 people, with more than 100 people declared missing. The disaster occurred due to the highest rainfall in Petropolis since 1932.
Argentina’s central bank raised its interest rate to 42.5% on Thursday (17/02). The increase in the interest rate is aimed at controlling inflation through monetary tightening. The increase is also in line with the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s instructions to deal with the Argentine monetary crisis.
The US lifted a ban on avocado imports from Mexico on Friday (18/02). Previously, the US banned avocado imports from Mexico after Department of Agriculture officials were threatened for questioning the quality of imported avocados. The lifting of the ban was welcomed by consumers and industries.
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Canada invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday (14/02) due to COVID-19-related blockades and protests. The Act means that the government could deploy the military to handle the protests. It is hoped that it will be able to suppress the number of protesters who joined the Freedom Convoy.
Canada announced changes to its immigration policy on Tuesday (15/02). Starting February 28, fully vaccinated travelers will be able to enter Canada with a pre-arrival antigen test, whereas unvaccinated children travelers will no longer have to quarantine. The government also no longer recommends that Canadians avoid travel for non-essential purposes.
The United States (US) Secretary of State Anthony Blinken claimed 7,000 Russian troops were deployed near the Ukrainian border on Wednesday (16/02). The deployment is considered contrary to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement that he wants a peaceful solution. However, the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) also did not provide further evidence regarding the deployment.
President Joe Biden said on Friday (18/02) that the US national emergency will be extended to the ongoing risk by the coronavirus. Biden said the risk of death from COVID-19 was still quite high. This announcement contradicts the stance of several states that are ending coronavirus restrictions.