Week 161 (04-10/07/2022)

Investigators work around the scene where former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot. Picture: REUTERS

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

In Nigeria, many prisoners escaped from a big prison in Nigerian capital, Abuja (7/7). Kuje Prison in Abuja was raided, and a large group of prisoners escaped. More than 400 inmates missing, and the group was believed to be the mastermind of the raid is an Islamic jihadist group and militants.

In Angola, the government was facilitate a meeting between the leaders of DR. Congo and Rwanda (7/7). Previously, the two countries strangled in a diplomatic rift because of militia issues. DR Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame agreed to de-escalate tensions.

In Palestine, both factions in Palestinian politics, national leader and Hamas agreed to meet in Algeria (6/7). Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president and the leader of Hamas party, Ismail Haniya, met for the first time in 15 years. Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, acted as host to facilitate the meeting.

In Lebanon, most Lebanese could not attend Hajj event this year because of economic turmoil in the country (6/7). Meanwhile the Hajj peak event will be started around this Thursday (7/7) until Sunday (10/7). Rising cost and devaluation of Lebanese Lira as the impacts of economic crisis made thousand Lebanese pilgrimages could not depart for Saudi Arabia.

ASIA

Singapore has executed (07/07) two men for drug trafficking, ignoring pleas for mercy from human rights campaigners who fear "a new wave" of hangings. The Asian city state is notorious for its strict drugs laws. The two executed are Singaporean Norasharee bin Gous, 48, and Malaysian national Kalwant Singh, 31. Both men had been on death row for the past six years.

Japan's former and longest-serving Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died (08/07) just over five hours after being shot from behind with a handmade firearm. He was shot during a public speech for a candidate in Nara, a city in western Japan, just ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections. Meanwhile, the perpetrator is Tetsuya Yamagami; he holds hatred toward a certain group that he thought Abe was linked to, Nara Nishi.

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa agreed to resign on Wednesday (06/07) after Parliamentary party leaders requested him to leave office. The request came following deep economic crises that hit the South Asian nation. On Saturday (09/07), Sri Lankan protesters stormed the president's residence and office to vent their fury--the president has been evacuated to a safe place earlier

Reported in VOA (09/07), frequent power cuts have hit Bangladesh, spurring protests and criticism of past government policies, as well as calls for new policies. “For the past few days, we had electricity for like five to six hours a day. It has become unbearable to live like this in this summer heat,” Hamidul Bhuiyah, a resident of the town of Sylhet said. Meanwhile, the government blames the cuts on a natural gas shortage. The shortage has brought back load shedding--the shutting down part of the grid to prevent failure of the system--which had become outdated, in both cities and in rural areas. Shamsul Alam, the current energy adviser of Consumer Association of Bangladesh, believes the country’s current electricity crisis is taking place not just because of war or a global energy crunch but is partly the responsibility of the current administration.

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA

Elections for a new government in Papua New Guinea start on Monday (04/07). The voting was held under tight security. The leading contender in the election of a new government is Prime Minister James Marape. The vote will take weeks to determine the composition of the government with more than fifty parties contesting 118 seats. Police Chief Inspector Joseph Tondop warned citizens not to sell their votes to candidates competing in the election. So, the election is free, fair, safe, and transparent.

Australia was hit by floods again, especially in Sydney (05/07). Continued rains exacerbated the flood disaster in Sydney, causing hundreds of homes to be submerged and many people trapped in cars. A warning to 50,000 Australians to leave their homes immediately and remain vigilant. The emergency response team has rescued 100 people at the scene. A severe weather warning was in effect in Sydney's eastern suburbs and extended north of Sydney. Meanwhile, the New South Wales state government will activate financial assistance for flood victims.

New Zealand boycotted the counter-terrorism meeting (05/07). New Zealand's Deputy Defense Minister Michael Swain said he would not attend or participate in the meeting. The counter-terrorism meeting was held on July 20 and 21 in Moscow, attended by the 10 ASEAN member states and partners Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, Russia, South Korea, and the United States. However, Australia has decided not to attend the meeting. In addition, the latest information is the ban on imports of Russian gold. Where Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has condemned the Russian invasion, has imposed a series of sanctions against Russian individuals and entities.

New Omicron subvariants (BA.4 and BA.5) are starting to spread. Australia announced it is offering a fourth dose of the Covid-19 vaccine for people aged 30 years and over (07/07). This new sub variance spreads faster than the previous variant type. Health Secretary Mark Butler said the pandemic was not over and would undergo a third wave. Plans for administering the fourth dose of the vaccine will begin next week. Meanwhile, a survey from the Australian National University showed that young people in Australia experienced the biggest decline in life satisfaction during the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Fiji strengthens bilateral relations with Indonesia (08/07). Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama met Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on the sidelines of the 17th session of the Group of 20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia. Fiji and Indonesia established diplomatic relations in 1974. The aim of strengthening bilateral relations is to increase each other's exploration of global geopolitics. During the cooperation, the two countries are increasingly developing in various sectors. In addition, there are potential opportunities for export trade in niche products to Indonesia such as mineral water, pearls, precious stones, metals, etc.

EUROPE

Police said that the gunman who opened fire in a crowded shopping mall in Copenhagen, Denmark on Sunday (03/07) “acted alone” and chose his victims randomly (04/07). The gunman, a 22-year-old Dane who cannot be named by court order, will be held in a secure mental health facility for 24 days whilst police investigate the crime. The shooting, which took place about a week after a similar attack in neighboring Norway, shocked the nation that rarely sees gun violence.

Ignazio Cassis, the president Switzerland, pushed back on Ukrainian plan to seize Russia’s frozen assets (05/07). The assets, worth of USD 500 billion, are planned to be used for Ukraine’s recovery. Cassis said that the rights of ownership and property were a “fundamental right” in a liberal democracy and could only be violated—as they did during the COVID-19 pandemic—when there was a legal basis.

After more than forty of his ministers quit and demanded him to resign, the United Kingdom (UK)’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson finally gave in and agreed to step down (07/07). Johnson had been clinging on to office despite facing pressure from his Cabinet to “go now” in the wake of ethics scandals. It is not clear whether he would stay in office whilst his Conservative Party chooses a new leader, who will then become the new prime minister.

Poland confirmed that one of its scientists has been arrested in Iran (08/07). The confirmation came after Iranian state television reported that several Europeans, including a British deputy ambassador and the husband of an Austrian diplomat, had been detained for spying. Unlike Poland, Austria and the UK denied the reports.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

A law in Antigua and Barbuda that criminalizes same-sex conduct between consenting people has been deemed unconstitutional (07/07). The measure violated constitutionally protected freedoms of expression, privacy protection, and liberty, the country's high court found on Tuesday. In a nation where homophobia is pervasive, campaigners claim it to be a significant win. The action was brought by a gay man in collaboration with two rights organizations.

Nineteen former military officers in Argentina have been given lengthy prison sentences for crimes against humanity committed during the 1976–1983 military dictatorships in the nation (08/07). Forced disappearances, murder, torture, and kidnapping of children were among the atrocities. Gen Santiago Riveros, 98, who had previously been convicted of numerous human rights offenses, was one of those who received a term. After being found guilty of more than 100 offenses, he was given a life sentence.

After a solemn memorial service, the remains of the former president of Mexico, Luis Echeverria, were cremated on Sunday (10/07). A memorial service for the former president was held at a funeral home on Saturday, according to Juan Velásquez, the attorney who represented Echeverria, and his remains were cremated on Sunday. At the age of 100, Echeverria passed away late on Friday at one of his residences.

Brazilian Amazon rainforest deforestation has reached a six-year high, according to the Inpe national space agency (10/07). Between January and June, 3,988 square kilometers (1,540 square miles) of land were cleared in the area. 3,088 square kilometers of the rainforest were decimated in the same period last year. The Amazon absorbs a significant quantity of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and is crucial to the oxygen and carbon dioxide cycles on Earth.

THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

Major mobile and internet outages happened in Canada on Friday (08/07). The outage was caused by a maintenance update within Rogers’ network, one of the country’s largest internet providers. The outage disrupts most of Canadians’ daily life, from business to transportation.

US President Joe Biden signed an executive order on Friday (08/07) to protect the constitutional right to abortion. The President said that the order will safeguard access to reproductive healthcare services, which includes access to medication abortions approved by the FDA. The President also recalled the Court’s decision as “terrible” and “extreme”.

Canada is set to return a repaired Russian turbine to Germany despite objections from Ukraine. The minister of natural resources, Jonathan Wilkinson, said on Saturday (09/07) that the turbine is important for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline and Europe’s energy security. Canada is also willing to issue a time-limited and revocable permit to exempt the turbines from sanctions.

Abbott Laboratories, the United States’ largest baby formula is set to ease the baby formula shortage in the country. The company’s spokesman said on Saturday (09/07) that the plant was working to restart production as soon as possible. Previously, the plant was closed due to flooding caused by the storms.