Week #23 (11-17/11/2019)

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A map showing bushfire hot spots across Australia. | Picture: Australian Mine Safety Journal

Click the texts below to read briefs from each region.

AFRICA & THE MIDDLE EAST +

Over 200 elephants in Hwange National Park have died (11/11) as the result of severe drought that hit Zimbabwe. Other animals such as giraffes, buffalos, impalas, and birds are also dying. Unless the rain returns, the situation will not get better. Park officials plan to relocate the animals to alleviate congestion in the drought-affected area and to prevent them from entering nearby communities in search of water and food.

Two Palestinians were killed (13/11) after Israel launched air and missile attacks on Gaza One of the victims was identified as Palestine’s Islamic Jihad member Khaled Fawwaj. The Israeli military admitted that the deadly strikes were aimed at the militant group Islamic Jihad as a response to the latter’s attacks on Israel. Islamic Jihad had launched at least 220 rockets from Gaza after Israel targeted killing its commander, Baha Abu al-Ata. Israeli air defenses claimed that they managed to obstruct 90% of the rockets.

Lebanon experienced another mayhem (14/11) after a member of military killed a protester and President Michel Aoun gave a controversial speech in which he said, “If they do not like any person in authority, let them emigrate.” Following the speech, anti-government protesters who had previously started to remove roadblocks returned back to the streets, burning tires and setting up the roadblocks again. Responding to the protests, Aoun said that he has repeatedly asked the protesters to meet and discuss their demands together, but they have never given back any answer. He also promised that should a new government be formed, they would fulfill the protesters’ demands, which were mainly focused on the elimination of corruption and nepotism. However, the protesters refused to believe Aoun’s promise, saying that their trust in their leader has vanished.

Informal discussions between the government of Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi movement regarding the ceasefire in Yemen picked up (14/11) after being first launched in late September in Jordan. The discussions started after the Houthis proffered to stop attacking Saudi cities with missiles and drones if Riyadh ended their air strikes on Yemen. Fearing a possible war in the Gulf as Western pressure and tensions with Iran intensified, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)—Saudi’s main ally—withdrew its forces, leaving Riyadh alone in charge of the “military efforts by the Arab alliance fighting in Yemen”. Regarded as a proxy war between Saudi and Iran, the Yemen’s war has claimed more than 100,000 lives and left millions others on the edge of famine, reported the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Hoping for a resolution to the war in 2020’s first few months, the United Nations (UN) also planned to resume negotiations between the Houthis and Yemen’s Saudi-backed government to end the conflict.

Kenya and Somalia’s diplomatic relation has returned to normal in spite of an existing maritime dispute at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In 2014, Somalia sued Kenya at the ICJ in its attempt to redraw the maritime boundary of about 100,000 km of sea area, causing the restriction of direct flights between the two countries, as well as issuance of visas on arrival. On Thursday’s meeting (14/11) in Nairobi, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyataa and Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi agreed to restore direct flights between Nairobi and Mogadishu and visas on arrival for their citizens. After being postponed twice on Kenya’s request, public hearing for the maritime dispute is scheduled in June 2020.

Hope to end the Ebola outbreak in the the Democratic Republic of Congo has come to light after authorities introduced (14/11) a second vaccine produced by Johnson & Johnson’s Belgian subsidiary, aimed to protect around 50,000 people over a four-month period. The Ebola epidemic was first declared in Congo in August 2018 and has since killed 2,193 people. Oly Ilunga, Congo’s former health minister, initially rejected the new vaccine, with reason that introducing a new product to communities who have already distrusted health workers was risky. But his resignation in July opened the way for the new vaccine to be approved. Oly Ilunga is now facing allegations on misappropriating the funds intended to combat the epidemic.

A Swiss national died (14/11) from his injuries following an accident involving a giraffe and two vehicles at Kruger National Park, South Africa. The giraffe was hit by a minibus carrying 13 passengers before careening and crashing onto a rented safari car in the opposite direction, critically injuring and later killing the driver. The accident also killed the giraffe and injured four other people. After the Swiss tourist’s death was confirmed, authorities changed the charges against the minibus driver from reckless and negligent driving to culpable death. Approaching the festive season, park officials warned visitors to take extra caution when driving as the wildlife “has no concept of traffic rules”.

ASIA +

The Imjin River has turned red (12/11) after heavy rain caused the blood of culled pigs flowed into the river. To prevent the spreading of African swine fever (ASF), which was first discovered in North Korea in May, South Korea’s officials have slaughtered 47,000 pigs. Highly contagious and untreatable, ASF is fatal for pigs but not to humans. However, people are still worried that the blood can spread ASF to other at-risk animals. Officials dismissed the concerns, stating that they had disinfected the pigs before killing them.

Reported in Reuters (14/11), Malaysia’s Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s remarks at the UN General Assembly that India had “invaded and occupied” Muslim-majority Kashmir has prompted India’s top vegetable oil trade body to urge its members to stop buying palm oil from Malaysia, which is the second largest palm oil producer after Indonesia. Notwithstanding that, Malaysia moves forward with the signing of a preliminary pact with Dubai-based Hakan Agro DMCC, which targets to export more than 1 million tonnes of palm oil to South Asia. Malaysia’s Minister of Primary Industries Teresa Kok said she was confident that differences with India would “be settled amicably”.

The Central Asia Times has compiled (16/11) some news and development from Central Asia region. Uzbekistan is reopening (12/11) its negotiations to join the WTO and considering Eurasian Economic Union membership—as it progresses, the US and Russia are watching closely. Its neighbor in the north, Kazakhstan, is faced (12/11) with a growing domestic anti-Chinese sentiment amid attempts to bolster Kazakhstan-China bilateral partnership, and as China expands its economic clout in the country. In Tajikistan, the government is dealing (12/11) with a recent IS-claimed attack at the Tajik-Uzbek border. They allegedly planned to seize weapons at border posts in the Sultonobod area to prevent potentially staged assaults on more prominent targets elsewhere. Nematulloh Mirsaidov, a Tajik expert on security issues, said it’s premature to speculate that the two IS-claimed attacks—one in 2018—in Tajikistan mark the beginning of IS campaign in Central Asia. Meanwhile, Turkmenistan is studying (15/11) the possibility of bringing its energy products to European market, including establishing the Trans-Caspian Pipeline.

Reported in The Canberra Times (16/11), the planned prisoner swap between three Taliban commanders and American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks, both of whom are professors at the American University of Afghanistan, is postponed. The attempt failed after the Taliban prisoners were returned to the jail in the town of Bagram, instead of, based on the initial deal, brought to Doha, Qatar. The Taliban sources said they had no information why their prisoners did not land in Doha. “It was a shortcoming from the American side the swap did not happen,” Zabihullah Mujahid, Taliban spokesman, said. In response, the Taliban has moved the Westerners to a “new and safe place”.

Hong-Kong’s pro-democracy protests intensify even more as it enters the 25th week. Clashes between police and protesters were rife in the city over the course of the week, especially at areas close to universities, which the latter turned into fortified bases. The clashes were also marked with a protester shot by police with a live round, a man was set alight, and a 70-year-old man died after being struck by a brick. On weekend (16-17/11), dozens of civilians volunteered to clear the roads of rubbish and barricades set up by protesters, including the roads around Polytechnic University and City University. Members of the China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) also joined on Saturday (16/11) to clean the roads nearby their barracks in Kowloon Tong, prompting concerns among protesters. The Hong Kong government said they did not request the PLA’s assistance and that it was voluntary. Particularly, in the area around Polytechnic University (PolyU), protesters hurled bricks and petrol bombs at volunteers who were mostly of middle-aged and wearing masks. A protester named Cheung (18 years old) said protesters should continue to occupy the Poly.U. campus so as to paralyze the Cross-Harbour Tunnel that sits next to it, adding that the PLA’s Saturday action was to test the water to see how the public reacted to it. The spate of violent unrest had forced schools to close from—officially—Thursday to Friday, but some opted to close earlier. Recently, the Education Bureau has decided to keep the school closed till Monday especially after protesters have vowed to make the weekday chaos the “new normal.”

Japan-South Korea trade dispute, which has reached the 20th week, could portend the termination of the three-year-old, intelligence-sharing pact also known as the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). The trilateral security cooperation was set among Japan, South Korea, and the US, and mainly aims to counter the North Korean nuclear and missile threat. As the accord’s expiration date approaches (23/11) and despite the urging from Japan and the US, South Korea said they will not renew the accord unless Japan first reverses its move earlier this year to tighten controls on exports of some materials needed by South Korean manufacturers of semiconductors and display panels. However, on the sidelines of the annual ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting-Plus in Bangkok (17/11), the three ministers from involving countries released a joint statement that pledged to “closely cooperate to support diplomatic efforts to establish complete denuclearization and permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula” and to step up their cooperation to also include “information sharing, high-level policy consultation, and combined exercises”.

AUSTRALIA +

Bushfires have ravaged particularly Australia’s states of Queensland and New South Wales (NSW) these past weeks, forcing the two states to declare state of emergency. NSW, with bushfires numbering to 60 per Monday (11/11), has its more than 575 schools closed, aged care homes remain on high alert, and animal shelters re-home pets. The fires have caused the death of three people and at least 150 homes destroyed. More than 1,300 firefighters have been mobilized to deal with the fires, with defense forces in standby should the firefighters need assistance. In South Turramurra, Sydney, pink-colored retardant was used (12/11)—bombed by helicopters—to prevent fires reaching multimillion-dollar homes, leaving the suburb in pink. Meanwhile, in similar devastation, more than 65 fires (11/11) also spread across Queensland. Bushfires also threaten lives and properties in Rockingham in Western Australia and Port Lincoln in South Australia.

Two Australian liberal members of parliament (MPs), Andrew Hastie and James Paterson, have been denied (15/11) entry to China for a study tour because of their “outspokenness about the Chinese Communist party”. In a joint media release, it’s said that the study tour is aimed to learn from the Chinese people about their culture, history, and perspective. Hastie and Paterson, both have been publicly critical about the Chinese regime and have voiced concerns on human right abuses against Uighurs in Xinjiang, China’s attempts to exert soft power in Australian universities, as well as—Hastie, in particular—China’s attempt to supplant the U.S. as the dominant power in the Indo-Pacific region.

With the law passed on Wednesday (13/11) with 69 votes to 51, New Zealand will be the first country in the world to put euthanasia to a binding referendum. The law requires that assisted dying is only applicable if a person is terminally ill with less than six months to live and if it’s approved by two doctors. The referendum will be held with the country’s 2020 general election, and can only pass if the citizens approve it. In addition to euthanasia, people will also vote for a question about recreational cannabis, and potentially about decriminalizing abortion, which is still under the parliament’s consideration and has not been ruled out.

New Zealand and Australia relations will likely strain (14/11) even more broadly on immigration, especially after Behrouz Boochani’s arrival in New Zealand, where he is given one-month permit to stay and will appear at a literary festival in Christchurch. Boochani is a Kurdish Iranian journalist and refugee who was persecuted in his homeland for supporting Kurdish independence. Australia sent him with the other refugees to offshore processing center at Manus Island, Papua New Guinea (PNG), where he witnessed and voiced the tortures and murders of refugees. He managed to leave PNG after six years and hoped to resettle in the US. Since 2013, New Zealand has offered to accept 150 refugees each year from Australia’s offshore processing centers on Manus and Nauru. Australia, however, rebuffed it, arguing that it would undermine its hardline policies toward boat arrivals. Recently New Zealand government has stated (15/11) that Boochani will not get special treatment if he overstays his visitor visa and that, “If he claims asylum in New Zealand, an independent statutory process will decide his claim. Government ministers have no role in this process.”

After declaring a state of emergency last month, Samoa is still fighting (15/11) to contain deadly measles outbreaks from spreading across the country. Six people have been confirmed dead, more than 700 measles cases suspected, and 15 people in intensive care. The spread is exacerbated by the fact that, from 2008-2009, only 41 percent of the population have received immunization, putting a third of the population at risk. The Samoan government has requested help from New Zealand, which would provide 3000 measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines and 12 nurses. Not only Samoa, measles outbreaks are also widespread in Tonga, Fiji, and American Samoa, the latter of which has required all visitors from Samoa and Tonga to provide proof of MMR immunization.

EUROPE +

Despite winning Sunday’s election, Spain’s governing Socialist Party (PSOE) still has (11/11) a hard time forming a government as they were left with 120 seats—three fewer than in April’s election and 56 short of a parliamentary majority. The easiest way to get caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez back to office is to combine PSOE and the Popular Party (PP) who won 88 seats, making their seats combination surpass the 176 seats required to win absolute majority. PSOE’s organisational secretary José Luis Ábalos, however, rejected (11/11) this idea because PP has criticised the socialists’ handling of the Catalonian unrest, as well as getting involved with the far-right Vox. Vox has been (11/11) another biggest talking point after making the most gains on Sunday’s election and establishing itself as thecountry’s third major political force. The deadlock might be ended after Sánchez and Pablo Iglesias of left-wing Unidas Podemos signed a preliminary deal to form a coalition government on Tuesday (12/11).

The Chinese President Xi Jinping made (12/11) his debut visit to Greece less than a week after Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Greek prime minister, returned from Shanghai to hear Xi’s offer in making Greece “a logistics centre for the trans-shipment of western-bound Chinese goods”. Xi’s arrival was warmly welcomed by the Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos who stated that the two countries are now entering a new chapter and upgrading their strategic partnerships. Greece could not recover fast enough after being hit by massive financial crisis, making the country eager to benefit from China’s massive market by exporting goods such as olive oil and wine. However, Greece’s new closeness with China is feared to weaken the southeastern side of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU). As stated by the Institute of International Economic Relations’ Head of Asian Unit Plamen Tonchev, Greece will have a hard time proving that it is not a “Trojan horse”, and its business with China will not jeopardize Greece’s allegiance to the west.

Labour politician Chris Bryant accused (13/11) the Conservatives to have relied on Russian money, and therefore ignoring Russia’s meddling in the United Kingdom (UK) for years as well as refusing to publish the report of the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC). Containing allegations and evidence of Russian infiltration, including Russia’s attempts to influence the 2016 EU referendum and 2017 general election’s results, the report was finalized by the ISC in March and referred to the government on October 17. Despite having been through a formal security clearance, the report will not be released to public until after December’s election—a decision “clearly politically motivated”, stated Labour’s shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry (12/11). Former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton also weighed in the issue, calling the UK government’s decision “inexplicable and shameful”. In response, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Sajid Javid said that due to the sensitive nature of the information, the report has to go through an “appropriate period of vetting” that could take several weeks.

Luigi Brugnaro, the mayor of Venice, blamed (13/11) climate change as his city suffered from severe flooding. Located inside a lagoon off the northeast coast of Italy, Venice experiences flooding every year. However, this year’s flooding could be the worst as the tide monitoring center reported that the waters peaked at 1.87 meters—the highest water levels in more than 50 years. The flooding has left the city’s famous landmark in “grave damage”. Brugnaro has called for the government’s help and encouraged local businesses to provide documentations of the devastation.

A joint study by the Danish Research Institute for Suicide prevention and Stockholm University’s researchers showed (14/11) that the rates of suicide among people in same-sex relationships in Denmark and Sweden have fallen significantly since the two countries legalized gay marriage. The study compared suicide rates among people in heterosexual and same-sex relationships between two periods, 1989-2002 and 2003-1016. Although the suicide rates among people in same-sex unions have fallen by 46%, lead author Annette Erlangsen commented that the rate “remains worryingly high”.

Taking place at a border crossing between Lithuania and Russia’s enclave of Kaliningrad, an unusual event happened as five men released in “Russia-Lithuania-Norway spy swap” (15/11). Moscow released Norwegian Forde Berg along with convicted Lithuanian spies Jevgenij Matatitis and Arstidas Tamosaitis. A former border guard, Berg was sentenced to 14 years for supplying the Norwegian intelligence services with information about Moscow’s nuclear submarines. Two Russian citizens, Nikolai Filipchenko and Sergei Moisejenko, were pardoned by Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and handed over to their country. Moisejenko was found guilty for spying on NATO and Lithuania’s military, whilst Filipchenko was found guilty for trying to recruit Lithuanians agents to plant listening device (bugs) in Nauseda’s office and residence.

A day before the 30th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution (17/11), which ended the communist rule in what was then Czechoslovakia, more than 200,000 people filled Letna Park in Prague, the Czech Republic, and called for the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Babis over corruption and a threat to democracy. Babis was accused of using EU subsidies to fund his leisure resort, Stork’s Nest. His ownership of Agrofert also caused him to have a conflict of interest as shown by a draft EU report. On Saturday’s protest (16/11), the chairman of NGO Milionchvilek pro demokracii, Mikulas Minar, demanded Babis to either “sell Agrofert and sack the justice minister, or quit politics by the end of the year”. In addition, protesters also demanded Babis’ controversial ally, President Milos Zeman, to resign.

LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN +

Whilst accepting the Organization of America States’ (OAS) preliminary report that showed a “heap of observed irregularities” in October’s election, the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, decided (11/11) to resign from his position amid protests of unfairly held elections and protesters’ deaths. On Tuesday (13/11), Morales announced his departure to Mexico to seek political asylum. Jeanine Áñez, the deputy head of the Senate, will replace Morales as interim president whilst waiting for the new elections to take place. A week after Morales’ resignation, the nation is haunted by street violence and food shortages. The crisis has claimed 23 lives, prompting the UN to pressure Áñez and Morales’ supporters into starting the talks to find resolutions.

To improve the health of its people, the government of the Bahamas has issued (11/11) a “ban on all sugary drinks from government healthcare facilities and public schools”. The ban will be effective from December 1, 2019. In addition to banning sugary drinks from healthcare facilities and schools, Bahamas Health Minister Duane Sands also plans to force vendors to set up their stores at least 100 to 200 feet away from schools. Every year, the average Bahamian consumes 64 pounds of added or discretionary sugar every year, concluded the 2019 STEPS Survey.

Costa Rica has launched (12/11) a campaign to ban tourists from posing for a selfie with the country’s wildlife. The Costa Rican Tourism Institute stated that they want visitors to “look at the animals, not to pick them up”. “Our visitors must know the negative impact caused by selfies and photos showing direct contact with wild animals,” insisted Vice Minister of Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy Pamela Castillo. The simplest way to support the campaign is to take pictures with stuffed animals instead of the real ones and use the hashtag #stopanimalselfies. Every year, Costa Rica receives around 1.7 million visitors who mainly want to see the country’s iconic animals, sloths and ocelots.

Haiti’s authorities are set (16/11) to investigate the rapes of 10 female inmates by 50 male prisoners who broke out of their cells and overpowered the police officers. After the original prison was destroyed and its replacement has not been built, the male and female inmates were being held together, albeit in different cells, in a former UN facility located in the northern city of Gonaives. Prosecutor Sérard Gazius said all victims have received medical care but were too scared to identify the suspects. All 340 inmates were being transferred to other facilities following the incident. However, the prosecution of the suspects will be difficult as some courts have been closed down due to the violent protests calling for the president’s resignation that started more than two months ago.

THE UNITED STATES (US) & CANADA +

Prior to the public hearings of President Donald Trump’s impeachment inquiry, Democrats have released (12/11) a new series of transcripts revealing more details, including the testimony of Defense Department official Laura Cooper. Cooper testified that the national security officials opposed the withholding of the United States’ (US) military aid for Ukraine because such assistance is crucial to help Ukrainians defend themselves from Russia’s aggression. It was the White House’s acting chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, who stopped the military aids. The House is now investigating whether Trump’s forced his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate his opponents, including Joe Biden, whilst withholding the military aids.

In its attempt to combat the Ebola outbreak, the European Commission has given (12/11) its approval for the US drugmaker Merck & Co Inc to market their vaccine. The vaccine, called Ervebo, can be used by people aged 18 years and older, and has been used in the Democratic Republic of Congo under the emergency guidelines to prevent the spread of Ebola. The US health regulators are currently reviewing Ervebo, and the result is expected within the first quarter of 2020.

The city of Santa Clarita was left shocked after a shooting happened at Saugus High School. The 16-year-old suspect walked into the school on Thursday morning (14/11), pulled a .45 caliber handgun, and began shooting five students before pointing the gun on himself. The shooting resulted in the deaths of 16-year-old Gracie Anne Muehlberger and 14-year-old Dominic Blackwell, with the shooter later died on Friday afternoon at Henry Mayo Newhall hospital. Alex Villanueva, the Los Angeles (LA) county sheriff, stated (16/11) that the motives are not yet clear. Following the incident, many Democratic lawmakers once again demanded the US lawmakers to establish stricter gun control regulations.

Although being re-elected as Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau was left with a minority government, forcing him to form coalitions with other parties to maintain the confidence of the House of Commons and to pass legislation. Trudeau held (14/11) a meeting with New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh to talk about NDP and Liberals’ priorities. Singh reiterated that Trudeau was left with only two options, either working with the NDP or the Conservatives, as the Bloc Quebecois does not prioritize national interests. NDP’s main priority is pharmacare program, in which Singh hopes to be included in the Liberals’ governing plan. Singh insisted that Trudeau should focus on bills that benefit all Canadians if he wants NDP’s support.

Stacie Gradiola Oley, Research Intern at INADIS’ Unit of International Political Economy, contributed valuable writing for this brief.