Week 129 (22-28/11/2021)

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Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan has passed away (23/11) at the age of 90. | Picture: REUTERS

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

Ten years after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi, dozens of people have applied to become Libya’s next president (22/11). The country’s next election will be held on December 24. Among the presidential candidates are the current Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dabeiba, the current Speaker of Parliament Aguila Salah, and Ghaddafi’s son, Seif el Islam Gaddafi.

A 42-year-old Palestinian man opened fire in Jerusalem’s Old City, leaving one person killed and at least three wounded (23/11). Israel and Palestine’s media identified the man as Fadi Abu Shkhaydam, a member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas. Israeli security forces have been told to be extra vigilant following the attack. 

The naval forces of Bahrain, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) held a joint military drill in the Red Sea with a United States (US) warship (23/11). The exercise aimed at warning Iran who recently held its own large military drill. An Israeli security official said that his country had no interest in a war with Iran, but if the latter advanced with its nuclear program, Israel would be preparing to act alone against Iran.

Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said he is ready to confront Tigray rebels as they are approaching the capital city (24/11). The Tigray conflict has forced millions of people fled their homes and left hundreds of thousands of people faced famine-like conditions. Thousands of people have also been killed in the long-year conflict. Responding to Ahmed’s statement, the Tigray Peoples Liberation Front (TPLF) said that “our forces won’t relent on their inexorable advance towards bringing [Ahmed’s] chokehold on our people to an end”.

ASIA

China’s President XI Jinping said (22/11) his country will not bully its small neighbors amid ongoing friction over the South China Sea. The message was conveyed during a virtual conference with the members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), held to mark the 30th anniversary of relations between China and the grouping. In the conference Philippines’ President Rodrigo Duterte called on China to respect 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which establishes maritime entitlements and sovereign rights over maritime zones, along with a 2016 Hague arbitration ruling that mostly invalidated China's South China Sea claims. Duterte’s remark was addressed against the backdrop of recent blockade by Chinese coastguards on two Philippine boats carrying supplies to troops at a disputed South China Sea shoal.

Former South Korean President Chun Doo-hwan has passed away (23/11) at the age of 90. Chun, who ruled South Korea with an iron fist, had multiple myeloma—a blood cancer in remission—and his health had deteriorated recently. Also known as the “Butcher of Gwangju”, he presided over the 1980 army massacre of pro-democracy demonstrators in the city, a crime for which he was later convicted and received a commuted death sentence.

Reported in France24 (23/11), following China, India will introduce a bill to prohibit all private cryptocurrencies. The move came just a week after the country’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, warned that Bitcoin presents a risk to younger generations and could spoil the Indian youth if it ends up in the wrong hand. Meanwhile, India’s central bank announced that it will create its own digital currency by the end of the year. The bank also warned it has “serious concerns” about private crypto currencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum and others.

China and Vietnam have concluded (24/11) a joint statement following their meeting in Tokyo, Japan. The two countries agreed to work together toward economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and to step up security cooperation, particularly in dealing with aggressive moves in regional waters—in a veiled reference to China’s growing assertiveness. In addition, both countries also exchanged views on other regional issues, including North Korea’s recent missile launches and Myanmar’s military rule.

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA

Vanuatu will receive the first batch of 14,400 Johnson and Johnson (J&J) single-dose COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility (25/11). The vaccine will be Vanuatu’s third after the Astra Zeneca and Sinopharm vaccines. The J&J vaccine was chosen because it is easy to distribute to remote areas. It has been difficult for remote communities to reach vaccination sites due to the long distance; it was even more difficult to recall people for their second jab. The government is focusing on meeting the national vaccination target of giving at least one dose of vaccine to 90% of adult population by the end 2021. It also aims to fully vaccinated 70% of the adult population by the end of March next year.

Residents of Honiara,Solomon Islands are concerned about a spike in food and fuel costs following three days of riot in the capital city (27/11). Rioters were demanding the removal of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare for his incapability in ending the country’s poverty, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The riots saw buildings burnt to the ground and three people killed. To restore law and order in Honiara, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Australia sent around 150 police officers, including tactical response team, as well as a patrol boat.

The discovery of a new COVID-19 strain, the Omicron variant, prompted Australia to close its borders to nine countries in southern Africa (27/11). The Omicron variant was first detected in Botswana, and spread to South Africa, Hong Kong, Israel, and Belgium. Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said all flights from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, the Seychelles, Malawi, and Mozambique have been suspended for two weeks to prevent the spread of the new variant. Australian nationals who have been in one of those nine countries in the last 14 days are required to undergo quarantine upon arrival, but foreigners who have been in those countries are prohibited from entering Australia.

New Zealand provides an additional of NZD 100 million support package for the Cook Islands and Fiji (28/11). Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta said New Zealand would remain committed to assisting the COVID-19 response and recovery in the two countries. The Cook Islands will get a NZD 60 million support package, while Fiji will get NZD 40 million. New Zealand will also support other initiatives to contribute to economic resilience such as increasing access to advice and fund for small-medium businesses.

EUROPE

Members of European Parliament (MEPs) warned that Bosnia and Herzegovina was on the brink of collapse after Milorad Dodik, a Bosnian Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, expressed his wish to separate Republika Srpska from the rest of the country (24/11). Dodik plans to create Republika Srpska’s own army, tax authority, and judiciary by the end of this month. He also threatened to call his “foreign friends”—allegedly Russia and Serbia—for support if the West tried to interfere.

Twenty-seven migrants have died after their inflatable boat sunk in the English Channel—the deadliest incidents in the Channel since the International Organization for Migration began collecting data of missing migrants in 2014 (25/11). The migrants were trying to cross the Channel from France to the United Kingdom (UK). French Interior Minister GéraldDarmanin said that four suspected smugglers linked to the crossing have been arrested. Amid the tragedy, French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson accused each other of not doing enough to prevent the migrant crossings.

More European countries are reporting cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant (27/11). The variant was first detected in South Africa, before reaching Belgium, Botswana, Israel, and Hong Kong. The UK found two Omicron cases which were linked to travel to southern Africa. Similarly, Germany detected two positive cases of Omicron in people traveling through Munich airport on November 24, shortly before Germany postponed travels from South Africa. Italy reported one Omicron case in a traveler arriving from Mozambique. The Czech Republic is currently investigating a suspected case of the variant in someone who was returning from Namibia, whilst Denmark is likely to have found two cases in people coming from South Africa. The health authorities of the Netherlands said that it was “almost certainly” to find Omicron among some of the 61 passengers who tested positive after arriving from South Africa. The European Union (EU) nations have now postponed travels from southern Africa.

President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine accused Russian “representatives” of planning a coup against his government on December 1 (27/11). Zelensky suggested that Ukrainian richest businessman Rinat Akhmetov, who is also seen as the president’s opponent, was “being dragged into war against the Ukrainian state”. Akhmetov denied the accusation, saying that he was “outraged by the spread of this lie”. Russia also dismissed Zelensky’s accusation.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

Argentina’s Central Bank announced two measures intended to curb access to hard currency amid expectations for a devaluation on Thursday (25/11). First, the Central Bank will ban credit card operators from financing tourism abroad. Second, the Central Bank will prohibit banks to hold net cash dollars at the end of a trading day. This policy aims to protect the Argentinian currency, the peso, against the United States (US) dollar.

Hundreds of migrants from Haiti, Central America, and Venezuela have arrived in Mexico from Guatemala. The migrants had started their journey from Tapachula, Mexico, to the US on Friday (26/11). These migrants are feared to bring more COVID-19 infection to the US amid the threat of the Omicron variant.

France postponed mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations in Guadeloupe and Martinique on Friday (26/11).  The policy will now be implemented on December 31 after dialogue with relevant stakeholders. The postponement was enforced after violent protests and strikes hit both territories.

El Salvador bought 100 bitcoins on Friday (26/11), bringing its total bitcoin holdings up to 1,200 coins. The purchase was made after the decline in bitcoin prices reached 7.7%. The country made cryptocurrency legal tender alongside the dollar last September.

THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

The United States (US) added 27 business entities from China, Singapore, Japan, and Pakistan to the restricted trade list on Friday (26/11). The addition of these entities is related to concerns about national security and foreign policy. Concerns were specifically expressed on Chinese computing companies which were considered capable of leaking the capabilities of the US military.

The US closed entry access and direct flights from eight southern African countries to prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, on Saturday (27/11). The eight countries are South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, and Malawi.The ban was announced amid criticism towards the US for failing to distribute vaccines to poorer countries.

Canada also closed access to foreign nationals that have traveled from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, and Mozambique on Saturday (27/11). Canadian citizens who come from these countries must also fly through a third country. Canada has also advised its citizens that have traveled from Africa to self-isolate for 14 days and take a COVID-19 test.

Canada has declared a red alert on Saturday (27/11) for a potential hydrometeorological disaster in British Columbia (B.C). This warning is intended as state-wide preparation to face three consecutive storms that will hit B.C next week. This alert is also a response to the floods that hit B.C last week and paralyzed vital infrastructure, such as highways.