Week 151-152 (24/04-08/05/2022)
Dairo ‘Otoniel’ Antonio Úsuga, Colombia’s most dangerous drug trafficker, was extradited to the US on Thursday (05/05). | Picture: AFP/Handout/Colombian Army
This year’s Ramadan saw a new innovation for Al Haram Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia (27/04). Due to the ongoing pandemic, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques turned into a team of robots in addition to thousands of workers to clean and sanitize the mosque. To ensure that the pilgrims feel comfortable and their needs fulfilled, the agency also equipped the mosque with services such as Zamzam water containers, air conditioning, copies of the Koran, and golf carts to transport worshippers.
The Ebola outbreak in Mbandaka, Equateur province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) has taken another victim (26/04). The latest victim was the relative of the first case. Health authorities stated they had identified more than 100 people as possible contacts. They also expected that a vaccine would be rolled out this week.
People in Gaza city, Palestine celebrated Eidal-Fitr in a relatively comfortable and peaceful situation (02/05). Previously in the month of Ramadan, tensions between Palestine and Israel were high, with the Israeli forces raiding Al-Aqsa Mosque. This resulted in the besieged Strip.
Kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia exchanged greetings for Eid celebration (04/05). The greetings were exchanged via a phone call. In the call, the two kings also discussed about prosperity for all Muslims and Islamic nations.
Workers in a zinc mine in Burkina Faso are still trapped two weeks after the mine collapsed, prompting authorities to fear the worst (05/05). The collapse occurred on April 16 and was exacerbated by heavy rainfall. Among the eight workers, one is from Tanzania and the other Zambia. Officials from the Trevali Mining Corp.—the Canadian-based company that owns the mine—have been barred from leaving Burkina Faso as investigation is underway.
For four consecutive years, Angola continues to improve its Press Freedom Index (05/05). The country is now ranked 99 (from 125 in 2017) among 180 countries in press freedom. According to Reporters without Borders (RSF), the changes in Angola happened due to “the increase in the plurality of media houses reported in recent years, greater openness, independence and transparency, [and] lack of record of cases of prolonged arrests of journalists”.
ASIA
After previously announcing that it would ban the export of palm olein, Indonesia further widen (27/04) its new policy to also include crude palm oil, RBD palm oil, and used cooking oil. The policy will start on April 28 and last until domestic cooking oil prices ease. The decision came amid local shortages of edible oils which led to street protests over high food prices and the detention of a trade official in a corruption case.
Japan and Thailand have signed (02/10) a new defense agreement. The agreement would facilitate the transfer of defense hardware and technology from Japan to Thailand. In addition, the two countries also plan to upgrade their economic relations. Their meetings included the discussions on improvements in supply chains and the drafting of a five-year Thailand-Japan economic partnership.
Reported in NPR (03/05), scorching heat has hit India and the rest of South Asian region with temperatures past 120F (50C) in some areas. Whilst extreme heat is common in May, it rarely comes in April and March. Experts recommend that India burn coal to keep fans and ACs on as a short-term solution. However, in the long term, it must transition to renewables, to avoid a vicious circle of warming.
The Taliban government has issued (07/05) a new decree that obliges women in Afghanistan to cover their faces in public, ideally by wearing the traditional burqa. If a woman does not follow the rules, her "male guardian" will be visited and advised, and eventually jailed and sentenced. Meanwhile, women who work in government offices and do not follow the new decree will be fired.
AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA
Australia, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, and Tonga celebrated Anzac Day and recognized the 107th anniversary of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) landings at Gallipoli, Turkey (25/04). Anzac Day was first commemorated in 1916 to honor over 250,000 New Zealand soldiers who had served overseas. In the Cook Islands, the day is held to remember around 500 soldiers who served in World War I together with New Zealand Expeditionary Force’s Maori Pioneer Battalion. Meanwhile in Tonga, the day is held to honor the country’s contribution to two World Wars and to remember two Tongan soldiers killed in World War II whilst fighting for the Solomon Islands.
The governments of Bougainville and Papua New Guinea (PNG) have agreed to commit to the Era Kone Covenant, a key document mapping out how the independence referendum results will be presented in the national parliament (25/04). The document also binds both governments to put the outcomes of the three joint inter-government consultations on the parliament’s table sometime next year. This means that Bougainville’s quest for independence from PNG is inching closer.
New Zealand’s medical team reported signs of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among Tongans, especially children, following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption (28/04). The eruption caused up to 15 meter-wave that devastated the country. Prior to the eruption, Tonga had already suffered from the COVID-19 restrictions.
Recent data showed that New Zealand faces rising sea levels earlier than expected, meaning that authorities have less time to respond (02/05). It is predicted that some areas in the capital Wellington will have a 30 cm-sea level rise by 2040. In response to the new data, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that the government would work on the national adaptation plan over the next few months.
Fiji seized Russian oligarch Suleiman Kerimov’s USD 300 million yacht at the request of the United States (US) (05/05). The move was taken as part of a bid to add pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over his invasion of Ukraine. Kerimov has also been sanctioned by the US and the European Union (EU).
Australia defended its ties with the Solomon Islands after the latter’s Prime Minister Mannasseh Sogavare attacked critics of the controversial Solomon Islands-China security pact (06/05). The agreement is feared to allow China to build a naval base in the region. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that his country was the Solomon Islands’ primary security partner and that they would continue to supporting the island nation. He added that he would deal with the issue “calmly and rationally”.
Niue will start quarantine free travel with New Zealand on June 27 (06/04). Premier Dalton Tagelagi said that the two-way quarantine free travel would be a significant step for the country’s economy recovery. He added that families would be able to reconnect, whilst commercial arrangements could resume.
EUROPE
Nordic media reported that Finland and Sweden have agreed to submit their North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership applications simultaneously as soon as mid-May (25/04). Both countries adopted strict neutrality stance when they joined the EU in 1995. However, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine prompted the two Nordic countries to abandon their neutrality stance, arguing that the invasion changed Europe’s “whole security landscape”. Moscow responded by sending a warning that it would strengthen its defense in the Baltic, including deploying nuclear weapons if necessary.
Emmanuel Macron became the first French president to be reelected in two decades (25/04). He beat far-right candidate Marine Le Pen with 58.5% of Sunday’s (24/04) vote. Despite losing to Macron, Le Pen managed to secure 41.5% of the vote, meaning that she has brought the far right closer to the presidency than ever before. France’s Interior Ministry also stated that this year’s voter abstention rate (28%) is the highest in more than 50 years.
Russia’s energy giant Gazprom suspended gas supplies to Bulgaria and Poland after the two countries adhered to the European Commission’s stance of not paying Russian gas in rubles (27/04). It is Russia’s harshest reaction to the Western countries’ sanctions. Germany’s President Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Russia’s move a “blackmail” and urged other EU countries depended on Russian gas to defend themselves against it.
Serbia showcased its newly-purchased surface-to-air missiles on Saturday (30/04). The missiles were bought from China, rising concerns among the Western and Balkan countries. Serbia is officially seeking membership in the EU, but it mainly buys weapons from Russia and China. It also refused to impose sanctions on Russia as the two countries share centuries-old religious, ethnic, and political alliance.
Hungary and Slovakia said they would not support the EU’s sanctions on Russian energy, arguing that they too depended on it and there were no immediate alternatives (03/05). However, European Council President Charles Michel insisted to “break the Russian war machine” by encouraging other countries to switch to other alternatives such as liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Algeria, Qatar, and the US. Furthermore, Michel, together with leaders of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Serbia, visited northern Greece to review the LNG facilities currently being built there.
Moldova is to receive a raise in the EU’s military aid amid the rising tensions in neighboring Ukraine (04/05). Russia’s invasion has forced more than 5.6 million people fleeing Ukraine, with around 450,000 crossing to Moldova. There have been concerns that the war would spread to Moldova, but President Maia Sandu said she had plans in place for “pessimistic scenarios…we see no imminent risk right now”.
Sofia Sapega, the girlfriend of Belarusian president’s critic Roman Protasevich, has been sentenced to six years in prison for inciting social hatred (06/05). Sapega—who is originally from Russia—and Protasevich were arrested after their flight from Greece to Lithuania was diverted to Belarus last year. Their arrest prompted international outrage, with many called for the EU and the US to impose more sanctions on Belarus.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has lashed out at actor Leonardo DiCaprio. President Bolsonaro said on Tuesday (03/05) that DiCaprio is talking nonsense about Brazilian agribusiness. Previously, the actor criticized the Brazilian government for the Amazon deforestation that increased after Bolsonaro took office.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico visited Guatemala on Thursday (05/05). He met with his Guatemalan counterpart Alejandro Giammattei to discuss various bilateral issues, such as migration and economic development. On this occasion, Obrador also criticized the US for not taking part in South America’s development while sending billions of aids to Ukraine.
Dairo ‘Otoniel’ Antonio Úsuga, Colombia’s most dangerous drug trafficker, was extradited to the US on Thursday (05/05). Otoniel will now face charges in the US after his group trafficked between 180 and 200 tonnes of cocaine a year. Previously, Otoniel was captured by the Colombian authorities in October.
Argentina’s central bank prohibited financial institutions from offering unregulated digital assets on Thursday (05/05). The bank said the aim was to mitigate the risks involved in transactions of digital assets. The measure came after two large banks announced they would let clients buy digital currencies.
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Canada reported its first case of severe mysterious hepatitis on Tuesday (03/05). It followed the US, which has identified more than a dozen cases across several states. The World Health Organization (WHO) said that the disease has infected more than 200 children around the world, with more than 10% of those children have required liver transplants.
Statistics Canada Friday reported (06/05) that Canada hit the lowest level of jobless since 1976. Canada has added 15,300 jobs in April and is expected to add more than 40,000 soon. Most of the job gains came from Alberta, Atlantic, and Quebec provinces.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada spoke with President Joe Biden of the US on Friday (06/05). Both leaders discuss the current situation in Ukraine and further steps they could take to support the country. Both leaders expected to discuss the issue with their Group of Seven (G7) partners and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in US major cities on Saturday (07/05) to ensure abortion remains legal. The protest was sparked by a leaked Supreme Court opinion suggesting the ban on legalized abortion. The Court is expected to make the final decision in the coming weeks.