Week 175 (11-17/10/2022)
Russia Ministry of Defence has said that two volunteer soldiers opened fire at a military training ground near Ukraine, at least 11 people were fatally wounded and 15 were injured on Saturday. : Deutsche Welle
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
In Saudi Arabia, the government and the OPEC+ authority have decided to decrease oil production (13/10). Many experts expressed that this policy was taken by Russian influence. Despite that, the US has taken action against Saudi Arabia to postpone the policy.
Meanwhile, in Qatar, the government believes that the FIFA World Cup 2022 which will be held in the country will bring a lot of benefits to the region (12/10). The government has explained that the event will bring benefits to Qatar, the Arab world, and the Global South generally. Further, during the preparation time, the government also expressed that Qatar already had its benefit from social and economic sectors.
A large flood occurred in Hadeja, Nigeria (12/10). More than 500 people died and a million and a half needs to be relocated as their homes drowned. The officials have stated that the flood is the worst in a decade that has been observed in Nigeria and West Africa.
The first death by a rare strain of the Ebola virus has been recorded in Kampala, Uganda (11/10). As reported, the patient is the 19th patient of the current Ebola outbreak in the country. Further, the officials stated that there have been 54 confirmed cases of the Ebola virus. Moreover, the UN also has declared an immediate response to help Uganda to tackle the Ebola outbreak.
ASIA
According to health officials, Indonesia will look into incidents of acute kidney injury that have resulted in more than 20 children fatalities in Jakarta this year (12/10). The investigation comes as authorities in Gambia reported that nearly 70 children suffered acute kidney injuries after ingesting a paracetamol syrup that was distributed locally and used to treat fever. Indonesia will collaborate with WHO researchers who discovered "inappropriate" concentrations of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can be harmful, in four items produced by Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. of New Delhi.
A senior opposition leader has been arrested in Pakistan for a “highly obnoxious and intimidating” tweet against the chief of the country’s powerful military, General Qamar Javed Bajwa (13/10). Azam Swati, a legislator from former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the capital Islamabad early Thursday morning. Swati’s tweet on Wednesday evening was in response to a court in the city of Lahore acquitting incumbent Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in a money laundering case.
As the historic Communist Party meeting convened in Beijing, China's President Xi Jinping signaled that his controversial zero-Covid plan would not be eased immediately (16/10). Delegates are expected to give Mr. Xi a third term as party leader, breaking with decades of convention. He described Zero-Covid as a "people's battle to stop the spread of the virus." The program has prevented deaths, but it has come at a heavy cost to the Chinese people and economy. Public apathy toward lockdowns and travel restrictions is growing. Prior to the congress, Beijing was subject to stringent security measures, which caused anger in the capital and led to a rare and spectacular public demonstration on Thursday that criticized Mr. Xi and COVID policy.
In an effort to improve their capacity to respond to North Korea's nuclear and missile threats amid simmering tension over both sides' military activity, South Korean forces began their annual Hoguk defense drills on Monday (17/10). The exercises, which are scheduled to end on Saturday, are the most recent in a string of military drills that South Korea has conducted in recent weeks, including cooperative ones with the US and Japan. The most recent field training took place as North Korea continued its record pace of weapon testing this year, including Friday's firing of a short-range ballistic missile and many artillery rounds close to the strongly fortified inter-Korean border. Pyongyang has referred to them angrily as provocations and threatened to take countermeasures. Seoul claims that its drills are frequent and defense-focused.
AUSTRALIA AND PACIFIC
Fiji is still not a fully-fledged democracy, according to a Pacific media expert (16/10), and is healing from the effects of the 2006 coup - the country's fourth since obtaining independence 52 years ago. Nearly 690,000 Fijians have registered to vote at 1468 polling places during the highly anticipated parliamentary elections. The election date has not yet been announced, but nine political parties are formally contesting for 55 parliamentary seats.
The pro-independence UPM party of New Caledonia announced on Wednesday whether it would attend the upcoming Paris discussions on New Caledonia's new constitution (17/10). The anti-independence parties and the Pacific Awakening party, the ethnic Wallisian party and kingmaker in New Caledonia's Congress, will be present. The FLNKS or The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front refuses to acknowledge the outcome of the December referendum on independence from France as the legal consequence of the decolonisation process.
Tonga seeks to expand its exports of fresh agricultural products to international markets (12/10). The availability and cost of shipping have long been a major factor influencing commerce. Inconsistent shipment intervals is one of the issues, according to the Tonga Market Access Working Group. The workshop was organised by the Tonga Market Access Working Group (Tonga MAWG) in partnership with the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus (PHAMA Plus) Program, which is financed by Australia and New Zealand. It was intended to sustain Tonga's agricultural trade with essential markets, such as Australia and New Zealand, and assist Tonga in "navigating" new feasible export routes.
Guam's government will write to the Pacific Islands Forum to inquire about membership. This comes amid continued worries regarding the tenuousness of ties between other northern Pacific states and the region's highest political agency. Guam stated that it desires to join the Forum in order to participate in talks that will promote regionalism. Currently, it is an associate member alongside the two United States Pacific territory, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
EUROPE
Russia Ministry of Defence has said that two volunteer soldiers opened fire at a military training ground near Ukraine, at least 11 people were fatally wounded and 15 were injured on Saturday. The Ministry of Defence has described the incident as terrorist attack and said foreigners from CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) was the suspect. CIS composed of nine countries that were part of the Soviet Union. The countries were Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
Jeremy Hunt has been appointed by Prime Minister Liz Truss on Saturday (15/10) to take over the role of United Kingdom Chancellor of the Exchequer after his predecessor, Kwasi Kwarteng resigned. This resignation follows the government’s U-Turn on Mini budget after both the market and the Conservative Party react negatively. The new Chancellor has acknowledged that there are some mistakes regarding the mini budget and said that they have learned from it. The Pound moves higher in trade after the U-turn, signaling positive response from the market towards the appointment. While this has placated some members of the Conservative party, many were still calling for Liz Truss to resign after the furore.
Thousands of protesters are marching to Paris on Sunday (16/10) following a refinery strikes that has caused fuel shortages across France. The protesters called for increased pay for workers working in energy sector in the wake of the increase in inflation and record profit recorded by many energy companies. Several French unions with the support from left-wing political parties has supported the strike. French government responded by saying while they respected the right to strike, at some point the country needs to be able to work said Budget Minister Gabriel Attal.
President of Russia, Vladimir Putin has said that Germany made a mistake to side with NATO. He made this comment at a press conference on Friday (14/10) in Astana, Kazakhstan. He claimed that the decision to cancel Nord Stream 2 pipeline was an error from Germany to prioritize NATO and European interest above its national interest. Putin said that German citizen, business, and its economy were paying for the mistake.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
Nearly 20,000 people in Haiti's Cité Soleil slum have dangerously little access to food and could face starvation (15/10). The poorest nation in the Americas is suffering acute political, economic, health and security crises which have fuelled a rise in violence and paralysed the country. The UN has called for the deployment of a special international armed force to the country. Prime Minister Ariel Henry has asked for foreign military help, but this has been criticized by some Haitians.
El Salvador gang members arrested under the government of President Nayib Bukele (15/10). The arrests come on top of 16,000 that had already been made before emergency powers were granted. Civil liberties curtailed and police power expanded under emergency measures. President Nayib Bukele declared a so-called "war" on criminal groups seven months ago. The Salvadoran parliament has approved emergency powers that allow authorities to detain people for up to 15 days without charges. Rights groups and residents say the detentions amount to arbitrary arrests, with many targeted based on appearance or where they live. The government says it is "winning the war" against organized crime
Some 4.3 million face challenges accessing food, housing, and stable jobs. More than 7.1 million refugees and migrants from Venezuela are scattered around the world (15/10). The majority, over 80 per cent, live in 17 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. Report shows increased humanitarian needs underline the urgent need for enhanced protection. Half of all Venezuelan refugees and migrants cannot afford three meals a day. Extremely low salaries also make it difficult to support themselves and their families. Many are resorting to "survival sex", begging or indebtedness, just to be able to eat or avoid living on the streets.
Brazil's former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and incumbent Jair Bolsonaro clashed in their first one-on-one debate (17/10). The presidential runoff election is set for Oct. 30. Polls indicate da Silva remains the frontrunner, though his lead has shrunk considerably.
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Canada and the United States have sent “security equipment” including armoured vehicles to help Haiti. In a joint statement, both countries said that the assistance will help Haiti tackle a political, economic and security crisis. It is hoped that the equipment will assist the Haiti National Police in their fight against criminal and gang violence. Haiti currently faces political and security turmoil after Prime Minister Ariel Henry said that his government will not be able to continue subsidize fuel. In mid-September gang has surrounded a key fuel terminal and blocked humanitarian assistance from entering Haiti.
The United States has reportedly considering a ban on fuel export following the OPEC+ decision to cut oil production by 2 million barrel. This will have severe impact on Mexico as they imported 800,000 barrels of fuel a day mostly from the US. Many experts said that Mexico will experience fuel shortages if the ban comes into effect.
The United States President Joe Biden has said that he will wait for congress to convene before declaring any major shift in US policy with Saudi Arabia. According to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, the shift will happen methodically and will include bipartisanship consultations. This comes after OPEC+ cut oil production by 2 million barrels much to the chagrin of the United States. This move, US claims will benefit Russia and the increase in oil prices will give them additional revenue to fund their war in Ukraine.
Unidentified gunmen have opened fire in a bar in the city of Irapuato on Sunday (16/10). 12 people were fatally wounded including 6 women. While the motive behind the attack was not immediately clear, this shooting follows earlier attack this month that killed a mayor in the southern Mexican state of Guerrero. President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador came into office with campaign promise pledging to reduce gang violence, but he has struggled in containing the violence.