North America:
- The United States prepared its largest security assistance package for Ukraine last week. The contents of the package were estimated to be US$1billion in value, and include long-range weapons and armoured medical transport vehicles. The contents are set to be finalised by Monday (Aug 8). The United States has provided Ukraine with around $8.8 billion in aid since Russia’s invasion on February 24.
- The US Democratic Party pushed for their economic package in the Senate on Saturday (Aug 6). The ‘marathon’ session culminated in a 51-50 Democrat-Republican vote. As a reconciliation bill, Democrats required a simple majority to move forward. The bill is a bid to drive down inflation, and allocates US$739 billion to climate and healthcare spending. It also implements a new minimum corporate tax. The legislation was opposed by Republicans who argued the bill undermined current economic efforts. Spending in the bill stood as a fraction of the original goal set by President Biden, however, if signed into law, would be the largest spending effort on climate change of almost US$400 billion.
- Three Muslim men of South Asian descent were murdered within less than a month in the US state of Albuquerque. Muhammad Afzaal Hussain, 27, was killed by an unknown assailant on Monday (Aug 1), andwhile Aftab Hussein, 41, was killed a week earlier on Tuesday (July 26). A third man of unreleased identity was killed on Friday (Aug 5). Authorities said they believed the incidents to be connected with each other, and targeted the Muslim community in Albuquerque. The incident has sparked fear among locals. Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham condemned the killings on Saturday (Aug 6) and said more State Police would be dedicated to assist local authorities and the FBI in the investigation.
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk accused Twitter of fraud in a countersuit over his withdrawal from the US$44 billion deal to purchase the company. Musk’s claims included a breach of contract and the violation of a Texas securities law. He also claimed the social media giant withheld necessary information and misled his team about the true size of its user base. Twitter rebuffed fhe accusations, calling them a story “imagined” to escape a deal Musk no longer found attractive. The case is set to be heard in Court in October.
- Canada announced a ban on the import of handguns on Friday (Aug 5). The intermediary measure will remain in place from the 19th of August, until a permanent importation ban can be implemented by the Canadian Parliament. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau proposed the legislation days after a Texas primary school shooting in May that left 21 people dead. The final bill would make it impossible to buy, sell, transfer or import handguns anywhere in the country.
South America:
- 17 firefighters were reported missing, and 121 people hospitalised after a fire broke out at a crude oil storage facility in the western Matanzas Province in Havana, Cuba. on Saturday (Aug 6). More than 600 people were evacuated from the area after lightning struck and ignited a single storage tank holding 52,000 cubic metres of fuel oil. The United States pledged to provide aid and relief to the country, amid additional concerns that the incident would exacerbate power-outages across the country.
- Three men, including journalist Ernesto Mendez, were shot dead in central Mexico, after gunmen stormed into a bar in central Mexico, on Thursday (Aug 4). Mendez worked for the local media outlet Tu Voz, or ‘Your Voice’. His death marked the 13th fatality in what is the deadliest recorded year for Mexican journalists. Reports indicate Mendez received threats prior to his death, although it is unknown whether he was part of the government’s protection programme for journalists. Amid the escalating violence, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has been criticised by press freedom groups for not doing enough to protect media personnel.
- Peruvian Prime Minister Anibal Torres resigned on Wednesday (Aug 3) amid criminal investigations into the office of President Pedro Castillo. Catstillo’s administration has seen unprecedented turnover since he was elected last year; ex-Prime Minister Torres was the fourth in his position since Castillo’s election. The President is being investigated under five charges, including being part of a criminal organisation.
- Argentina’s new economic minister promised to “stop printing money” in a bid to drive down inflation in his statement on Wednesday (Aug 3). Massa outlined his strategy to combat the country’s worsening economic crisis, which includes boosting exports, decreasing the nation’s fiscal deficit, and increasing the central bank’s reserves. His promise came as the Argentiinian government turned to printing money to cover its deficits, following its cut-off from international capital markets. Massa is the third such economic minister appointed within a month, inheriting the challenge of the country’s 60% inflation rate, which is projected to escalate to 90% by the end of this year.
- Colombia swore in its first left-wing president on Sunday (Aug 7). Gustavo Petro, a former senator and member of the M-19 armed rebel group, pledged to unite the nation, address inequality and climate change concerns, as well as establish peace with rebel groups and crime gangs. Thousands of supporters celebrated his election in public spaces across the country.
Asia Pacific:
- US authorities opened an internal investigation into claims that the turbans of Sikh asylum seekers were confiscated at the US-Mexico border in Arizona. Reports of 50 such confiscations were reported in recent months. The probe is the latest in a series of allegations on human rights grounds; nearly 10,000 Indian immigrants have been detained along the border since October last year. A six-year old girl was also killed due to a heat stroke after being detained, in 2019. Rights groups called the confiscations of Sikh religious headwear “blatantly violate federal law”, and have rallied against the treatment of Indian immigrants at the border.
- At least 14 people were killed and 40 were injured after a fire broke out in a nightclub in Bangkok. Thailand, on Thursday (Aug 4). Firefighters battled the blaze for more than two hours before it was brought under control. Authorities believe the club was likely operating without permission, and flammable material in the walls of the complex accelerated the spread of the fire. President Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered an investigation into the fire on Friday (Aug 5), pledging aid to the affected families and calling for club-owners to ensure they had fire safety regulations in place.
- China announced unspecified sanctions on US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday (Aug 5), over displeasure with her visit to Taiwan last week. Beijing also moved to halt co-operations with the United States over measures including climate change and military issues. The Chinese government viewed the visit to Taiwan as provocative and undermining its sovereignty, as it views Taiwan as its territory. China carried out military exercises which started on Thursday (Aug 4) across the Taiwan Strait. Five missiles landed off Japan’s southern island, prompting Japanese officials to protest against the launches. Taiwanese authorities also called the move a “simulated invasion”.
- ASEAN officials agreed on Friday (Aug 5) to ban Myanmar ranking generals from attending future meetings, until they make progress on a 15-month-old plan to handle the crisis caused by the military coup. In a summit meeting in Phnom Penh, ASEAN foreign ministers condemned the Myanmar military’s lack of compliance with the agreed upon ‘Five Point Plan’ to re-establish peace in the country, and insisted authorities do so before the next summit meeting in November. Myanmar foreign ministry rejected ASEAN’s statement, and said it would continue with its own strategy.
- Police detained dozens of people marking the Islamic month of Muharram in Kashmir, on Sunday (Aug 7). The procession, led by Shia Muslims in the main city of Srinagar, was held in defiance of Indian government regulations placed on the Muslim community in Kashmir, as early as in 1989. The ongoing crackdown by Prime Minister Modi’s government on Kashmiri Muslims has fuelled two years of ongoing tension in the area.
Europe:
- Four cargo ships were authorised to sail from Ukrainian Black Sea ports last week, after the United Nations and Turkey worked to broker a deal to unblock the country’s sea exports. Authorities announced the departure of the outbound ships on Saturday (Aug 6), heading for Turkey, China and Italy. The same day, the first foreign-flagged ship arrived in the Ukrainian port since the war started in February. The resumption of grain exports is being overseen by the Turkish Joint Coordination Centre, which hopes to export 3 million tonnes of Ukrainian goods under the new deal. The move came following UN warnings that the halt in exports from Russia and Ukraine, which accounted for a third of the world’s wheat exports, would lead to famine in parts of the world.
- Hundreds of protestors gathered in central Italy on Saturday (Aug 6) in a march demanding justice for the murder of Nigerian street vendor Alika Ogorchukwu. Ogorchukwu, 39, was beaten to death in the Italian coastal town, Civitanova Marche, by an Italian man who attacked her after she tried to sell him a packet of tissues. The suspect was arrested, although authorities ruled out “racial hatred” and blamed the incident on Ogorchukwu’s “insistent request for a handout”. The incident sparked public debate regarding racism in the country, amid elections heavily focused on immigration issues.
- Greek prime minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s office faced criticism after it was discovered the chief intelligence service had been spying on his political opponent. The government announced on Sunday (Aug 7), the resignations of intelligence chief Panagiotis Kontoleon and Misotakis’ trusted aide. The scandal revolved around the wire-tapping of Pasok Party’s Nikos Androulakis, the head of Greece’s third largest party and major opponent of the ruling New Democracy party. Critics including former leftist prime minister Alexis Tsipras likened the scandal to Watergate and the spying incidents in Greece’s military past. Prime Minister Mitsotakis admitted on Sunday (Aug 7) that the espionage attempt was a “huge and unforgivable mistake”.
- Rights group Amnesty International sparked outrage on Thursday (Aug 4) following the release of an ‘extended report’ which accused Ukrainian forces of endangering civilians through their military tactics. The report was met with criticism by the wider public and President Zelensky, who stated it attempted to shift responsibility “from the aggressor to the victim”. Internal debate within Amnesty also prompted the resignation of its director Oksana Pokalchuk, on Friday (Aug 5), in protest against the report.
- Fighting occurred between Ukrainian and Russian forces near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant in the south of Ukraine on Saturday (Aug 6), despite safety warnings from the United Nations nuclear watchdog. Russian forces have been using the plant as a base of operations, making it difficult for Ukraine to fire back for fears of hitting a nuclear reactor. Russia fired 11 rockets on Saturday, injuring three people, damaging housing and disrupting power, water and gas supplies. The Russian occupation also makes it difficult for nuclear inspectors to monitor any damage to the plant, causing further public concern.
Middle East:
- At least 44 people, including 15 children, were killed between Friday (Aug 5) and Sunday (Aug 7) in Israeli air-raids on Gaza. Israel’s ‘pre-emptive strike’ was launched following the arrest of Bassam al-Saadi, a commander of the Iranian-backed armed group Islamic Jihad, during a raid in the occupied West Bank. Palestinian forces responded with rocket fire following Israeli air raids on an apartment building on Friday, which killed an Islamic Jihad member and nine others, including a five-year-old girl. No casualties were reported by Israeli authorities.
- Beirut commemorated the second anniversary of the port explosion which claimed at least 218 lives and caused widespread damage on Thursday (Aug 4). Hundreds gathered to mourn the lives lost and protest the government’s inability to hold any parties responsible for the accident and restore order to the city. On the same day, several blast-damaged silos collapsed and caught fire, prompting further reminiscence of the disaster.
- Protestors from rival Shia blocks took to the streets on Monday (Aug 1) in opposition of Iraq’s powerful cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. The demonstrations came amid the occupation of Iraq’s Parliament by Sadr’s supporters. Although both sides avoided direct conflict last Monday, fears of clashes between the two opposing sides mounted, on top of the country’s current precarious socioeconomic status.
- The Yemen government and opposing Houthi rebels agreed to extend their existing ceasefire by two months, according to a United Nations report on Tuesday (Aug 2). The extension brought the longest respite to the nation struggling with war and famine over the past decade, in what the UN called the world’s ‘worst humanitarian crisis’—more than 24 million people need, 13 million of them children, are in need of humanitarian aid. While the ceasefire brought relief to civilians expecting a resumption of conflict, rights groups stated that Houthi rebels would be using this time to regroup and recruit more fighters, including child soldiers.
- High-level negotiators expressed optimism in the Iran Nuclear Deal on Sunday (Aug 7) with regard to reaching a consensus on reducing Iran’s uranium stockpile. Interlocutors from Russia and the EU had both conveyed positive sentiment of indirect negotiations that had resumed on Thursday (Aug 4) after a months-long standstill. The US had earlier pulled out of the deal on May 8, 2018.
Africa:
- A US ambassador to the United Nations warned African countries against buying anything from Russia that violates international sanctions, on Friday (Aug 5). As part of her ‘listening tour of Africa’, Linda Thomas-Greenfield advised against importing goods from Russia with the exception of grain and fertiliser, as the purchase of sanctioned products such as oil could lead to potential action taken against them. African nations have generally steered away from Russian goods, however resultant food shortages and rising prices have impacted many families.
- At least 36 people, including four UN peacekeepers, were killed in anti-United Nations protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the last two weeks, according to the death toll on Friday (Aug 5). Demonstrators have been demanding the withdrawal of UN forces since last month, for failing to control rebel groups targeting civilians. UN personnel have been in the country for over a decade under the peacekeeping force Monusco. The force was accused of opening fire at a border post between Uganda and Congo, killing two people and injuring others. Soldiers were also accused of opening fire at unruly protestors last month. Monusco stated the actions of the soldiers were “irresponsible”, and were reassessing their withdrawal plan.
- The Ugandan government suspended the activities of the LGBTQ+ rights organisation, Sexual Minorities Uganda (Smug) on Friday (Aug 5), due to allegations that it is operating “illegally”. The move was a “clear witch hunt” according to rights campaigners. The nation has strict anti-gay legislation, however same-sex consensual acts have not been prosecuted against in many years.
- South African authorities arrested more than 120 men after the gang-rape of eight women on Thursday (Aug 4). The attacks occurred during the shooting of a music video in an abandoned mine in Krugersdorp, a city south-west of the capital. The men detained were artisanal miners accused of violence in the area. None of the detainees have been charged with sexual assault or rape, however authorities hope DNA evidence will connect some of them with the attacks.
- Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara announced he had pardoned his predecessor and longtime rival, Laurent Gbagbo, on Saturday (Aug 7). The pardon absolves Gbagbo of charges related to the post-election robbery of funds belonging to the Abidjan central bank in 2019. President Ouattara said the move was in the interest of promoting “social cohesion” in the nation, ahead of presidential elections in 2025.
