Week 160 (27/06-3/07/2022)
A toxic gas leak at the Port of Aqaba, Jordan claimed victims. Picture: Jordanian Public Security
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
A toxic gas leak at the Port of Aqaba, Jordan claimed victims (28/06). At least 12 people died and almost three hundred people were injured as result. The gas was reported to be chlorine.
The government of Syria will acknowledge the independence of Luhansk and Donetsk—the Ukrainian regions that are supported by Russia (29/06). The two regions declared their independence not long after Russia began its special military operation in Ukraine in February. Syrian President Bashar Assad, who is a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is looking to set up diplomatic relations with Luhansk and Donetsk.
In the latest quarrel between Ethiopia and Sudan, an Ethiopian official said the Sudanese military force had attacked al-Fashaqa, a disputed region bordering the two countries (29/06). It was reported that Sudan has managed to capture Jabal Kala al-Laban, an area near the disputed region. Ethiopia also denied Sudan’s accusation that its forces had captured and killed Sudanese soldiers and a civilian, putting the blame on a local fighter group instead.
In South Africa, at least 21 teenagers have died in a mysterious accident in a popular night club (30/06). The South African authorities briefly said that the cause of the deaths was still unknown and there has no arrest being made or suspects to be named. One survivor said some type of chemical agent was released inside the club, leaving people struggled to breathe.
ASIA
Reported on CNN (29/06), more than 7 million people in Bangladesh need aid following a flooding which considered to be the worst in living memory. They are in a desperate need of shelter and emergency relief as hundreds of thousands of homes, particularly near the Bangladesh-India border, are underwater. The floods, which began in April, have killed at least 207 people. According to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the flooding was due to torrential rain that caused rivers in Bangladesh to overflow, submerging areas that border the Indian state of Meghalaya.
Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son of an ousted dictator, was sworn in as the president of the Philippines on Thursday (30/06). He rises to power 36 years after an army-backed “People Power” revolt booted his father to global infamy. Activists and survivors of the martial law-era under his father lamented Marcos Jr.’s inauguration.
Reported on VOA (01/07), Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo has ended his trip to Ukraine and Russia, saying he offered to be a diplomatic bridge between the two nations, and hoped for progress reintegrating global food and fertilizer supply lines disrupted by the conflict. Earlier during the Group of Seven (G7) meeting in Germany, he had urged leaders to ensure sanctions on Russia did not affect food and fertilizer supplies. Meanwhile, Russia’s Vladimir Putin denied Russia was blocking Ukrainian grain exports. “The Ukrainian military has mined the approaches to their ports,” he said, “No one prevents them from clearing those mines and we guarantee the safety of shipping grain out of there.”
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has made (02/07) his first trip to Myanmar since the coup. He will be attending a meeting with the other members of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation group, a Chinese-led initiative that includes the countries of the Mekong Delta (Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam), to sign memorandums of understanding and contracts. Myanmar military says Wang Yi’s trip is a recognition of its legitimacy.
AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA
Simon Kofe, Tuvalu’s foreign minister, said the country’s entire credentials list for the 2022 United Nations (UN) Ocean Conference would be challenged by China if they kept Taiwanese representatives in the delegation (01/07). Tuvalu recognizes Taiwan as a sovereign country and has diplomatic relations with it. Responding to China’s threat, Kofe said, “Rather than jeopardize Tuvalu’s ability to participate in the conference, I chose to remove the Taiwanese delegates from our credential list while, at the same time, withdrawing my own participation in protest against the unfair treatment of Tuvalu as a sovereign nation.”
The government of Kiribati’s decision to suspend its chief justice has left the country in a constitutional crisis (01/07). The chief justice, judge William Hastings, was suspended over allegations of misbehavior, which were not made public. Similar allegations were also made against the country’s only other high court justice, David Lambourne, who was suspended in May. A tribunal has been established to investigate the allegations.
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern restated her concerns about China’s growing ambitions in the Pacific during her visit to the United Kingdom (UK) (02/07). Ardern previously tried not to antagonize China but changed her stance after Beijing signed a security deal with the Solomon Island in April. In the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit last week, Ardern warned the military alliance that China has become “more assertive and more willing to challenge international rules and norms”.
Several countries in the Pacific still deal with the rising case of COVID-19 (02/07). Nauru reported 220 new cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the country’s total active COVID-19 cases to 3,381. Niue reported two more cases at the border, bringing the total number of cases to seven. Meanwhile, Samoa reported 189 new community cases. Moreover, eight passengers off a flight from New Zealand have tested positive for COVID-19.
EUROPE
At the G7 Summit, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz claimed that the leading industrial countries France, Germany, Italy, the UK, Japan, Canada, and the United States (US) demonstrated unity by standing together as “close friends and allies” (28/06). The G7 also found “allies” in their guests—Argentina, India, Indonesia, Senegal, and South Africa—amid the rise of China. However, the G7 countries and their guests had a different approach in dealing with Russia. India, Senegal, and South Africa abstained from voting to condemn Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, whilst Argentina and Indonesia refused to impose sanctions on Russia.
Turkey has lifted its veto over Finland and Sweden’s bid to join NATO (28/06). The move was taken after the two Nordic countries agreed to stop supporting Kurdish militant group and its affiliations—which Ankara perceives as terrorist groups—on their territory. Furthermore, Finland and Sweden agreed to lift their bans on selling some weapons to Turkey. Responding to Turkey’s action, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin condemned NATO’s “imperial ambitions” and warned that he would respond “in kind” (29/06). “With Sweden and Finland, we don’t have the problems that we have with Ukraine. They want to join NATO, go ahead. But they must understand there was no threat before, while now, if military contingents and infrastructure are deployed there, we will have to respond in kind and create the same threats for territories from which threats towards us are created,” Putin said.
For the first time, NATO declared China as a security challenge (30/06). The declaration came as the world’s biggest military alliance held its summit in Madrid, Spain. Beijing’s ambitions and “coercive policies” are perceived to challenge the West’s “interests, security, and values” (30/06). On the other hand, China accused NATO of maintaining a “Cold War mentality” and told the alliance to stop “messing up Asia and the whole world after disrupting Europe”. China also accused NATO and the US of provoking Russia to launch military operations in Ukraine.
Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, claimed on Saturday (02/07) that Belarusian military has intercepted Ukraine’s attempted missile strikes (03/07). Although he did not want war with Ukraine, Lukashenko said he would fight back if his territory was invaded. There has not been any comment from the Ukrainian military regarding Lukashenko’s claim.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Colombia’s Truth Commission has released its final report on the country’s long-running civil war, revealing that at least 450,664 people were killed over the almost six-decade conflict (29/06). According to the Truth Commission’s long-awaited report released on Tuesday, the battle between the Colombian military and rebel groups has had “vast and unbearable” effects. It demanded compensation for the victims of the conflict as well as significant changes in Colombia’s drug policy, which it claimed to contribute to the extension of the civil war. A 2016 peace agreement between the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia included the creation of the panel (FARC). Its duties included recording violations and elucidating the reasons why the disagreement lasted so long Ecuador’s indigenous leaders and the government have agreed to put a stop to the tense protests that have been going on for more than two weeks (01/07). To demand action on the skyrocketing fuel and food prices, protesters had been blocking roads and holding rallies. At least six individuals are believed to have died in fights with police personnel during some of the more violent protests. The Ecuadorian government has agreed to reduce the price of gasoline by 15 cents (12p) a gallon as part of the agreement. In the country that produces oil, the price of diesel has nearly doubled since 2020 and the price of gasoline has increased sharply.
With phone calls on Friday to the presidents of Chile and Argentina, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy continued his effort to win the backing of Latin American nations (02/07). A little more than two weeks had passed since Zelenskyy spoke with Guatemala’s President Alejandro Giammattei and Argentinian President Alberto Fernández. Zelenskyy also had conversations with Chilean President Gabriel Boric and Ecuadori’s President Guillermo Lasso. The meetings with Lasso and Giammattei, according to a speech by Zelenskyy at the time, signalled “the beginning of our new policy of repairing relations with Latin America”.
Martin Guzmán, Argentina’s minister of economy, has resigned as the nation’s economic crisis worsens (03/07). Mr. Guzmán had been in office since late 2019, playing a role as chief negotiator for Argentina’s debt restructuring with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). To select his successor, he demanded “a political agreement among the governing coalition”. Argentina is grappling with 60% inflation, a depreciating currency, and rising global food and oil prices.
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
The US Border Patrol found 53 people dead in Texas on Monday (27/06). The official said there were 73 people in the truck. Both the US and Mexican authorities suspected that the trailer is at the center of a human-smuggling attempt.
A shooting left two teenagers killed in Harris County, north of downtown Houston, on Friday (01/07). Furthermore, one adult man is also wounded. The police have detained several people but have not determined any suspect. This is one of the first shooting incidents after the bipartisan gun bill was approved by the US Supreme Court.
More Freedom Convoy protests were held on Friday (01/07) in Ottawa, Canada. The aim of the protest was still the same, which is to end vaccine mandates across the country. There was a heavy police presence and hard enforcement in the aftermath of the protest, including handing out 284 parking tickets and towing 79 vehicles.