Weekly Recap: Dec 19 to Dec 25

North America:

• The Guatemalan Ambassador in Taiwan, Oscar Adolfo Padilla Lam, announced plans to hold a summit of Taiwan-friendly countries in March 2023 to promote exchanges and to reaffirm recognition and support for “the Republic of China, Taiwan”, last Monday (Dec 19). Guatemala is one of the 14 countries that retained formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. China’s growing influence in where most Taiwanese allies are located (Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Pacific) is an increasing concern as Taiwan’s allies turned away.

• Deputy UN chief Amina Mohammed urged countries to meet Haiti’s request for an international specialised arm force to aid in restoring security and alleviating the humanitarian crisis last Wednesday (Dec 21). Since the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel in 2021, gangs have expanded their territory resulting in violent rampages and creating a humanitarian crisis by blocking a fuel terminal, halting most economic activity. Russia expressed doubts that deploying the force would help, and the US said it will draft a Security Council resolution to back the request. 

• A US judge rejected Alex Saab Moran’s assertion of diplomatic immunity last Friday (Dec 23). Saab Moran, an ally of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, was accused of a corruption scheme where he syphoned off about US$350 million from Venezuela via the US to bribe Venezuelan government officials. The US court ruled that the Maduro regime “fabricated documents to cloak Saab Moran in a diplomatic dress”, the Venezuelan head of congress classify it as a “legacy atrocity” and that ”no diplomat in the world will be safe from now on”.

• US top environmental non-profit and a regional land trust have raised the US$20 million needed to permanently protect 44,000 acres at an Alaskan watershed last Thursday. This victory poses another roadblock for the controversial proposed Pebble Mine. The land and water habitat northeast of Iliamna Lake of the Bristol Bay Region is home to important salmon species and fishers that have supported critical wildlife and a multibillion-dollar industry. 

• Sam Bankman-Fried was released on a US$250 million bond package last Thursday (Dec 22) while awaiting trial over the collapse of the FTX crypto exchange. Manhattan federal prosecutors accused Bankman-Fried of stealing billions of dollars in customer funds to cover his Alameda Research hedge fund losses. Bankman-Fried was an influential donor to US political campaigns as well. His Stanford Law School professors co-signed the bond and posted the equity in their home as assurance for his return to court. 

• In an open letter last Wednesday (Dec 21), Mexican journalists, columnists and cultural commenters demanded that President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador stop harassing critical media and encouraging violence. The letter was signed by nearly 200 prominent Mexicans. The genesis of the open letter was the December 15 hit attempt on television and radio host Ciro Gomez Leyva, in which the open letter accused president Lopex Obrador of responsibility. Reporters Without Borders showed that Mexico is the world’s deadliest country for journalists and violence was up 85 per cent in the first half of President Lopez Obrador’s term. 

• In a last-minute move, the US Supreme Court extended Title 42 last Monday (Dec 19). Title 42 was in place by the Trump administration to allow US authorities to rapidly expel migrants from Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Venezuela to Mexico without a chance to seek US asylum. Since US President Joe Biden took office, almost two million migrants had been expelled under Title 42. Hundreds of migrants are forced to brave freezing conditions on the streets as the US courts deliberate on Title 42. Though local governments have offered shelter, migrants are wary that they will be shipped back across the border instead. 

South America:

• Brazil’s federal police bomb squad carried out an operation last Saturday (Dec 24) on a suspected explosive artefact found near the airport of the capital city, Brasilia as reported by incoming justice minister Flavio Dino. It was reported the following day that police detonated the explosive material and arrested a suspect linked to the incident. Following the incident, the minister said in a Tweet that Election-denying protesters camping outside Brazilian army bases have become “incubators of terrorism,”. Since the win of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the 2022 Presidential elections, supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro have been camped outside army bases in Brazil for weeks, urging the military to overturn his victory. President-elect Lula da Silva takes office on the first day of the New Year. 

• Chile declared a state of emergency last Friday (Dec 23) after a wildfire near the tourist city of Vina del Mar produced a fatality and destroyed about 200 homes. Authorities have continued to battle two fires that continue to threaten property. The wildfire started when a fire broke out at the Ventanas port last Thursday (Dec 22) but no injuries have been reported in that fire. Several neighbourhoods have since been evacuated, with varying levels of home damage reported.

• Brazil’s incoming President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last Thursday (Dec 22) announced more cabinet picks in the run-up to his inauguration on New Year’s Day. The ensemble includes Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin as minister of development, industry and trade. His other picks include economist Esther Dweck leading the new management ministry and Congressman Alexandre Padilha appointed as institutional affairs minister. Brazil’s human rights, labour, education, and social development departments were also named. 

• Peru’s new president, Dina Boluarte, announced a partial cabinet reshuffle last Tuesday (Dec 21) after legislators tentatively endorsed a plan to move elections forward to quell protests that began after the impeachment of former President Pedro Castillo. In a ceremony the following day, Boluarte named lawyer Alberto Otarola as Peru’s new prime minister and also announced the new defence and interior ministers. The changes were made two weeks after Peru’s opposition-led Congress voted to remove former President Castillo.

• Venezuela’s political opposition to the ruling Socialists voted last Thursday (Dec 22) by a wide margin to remove the interim government led by Juan Guaido, as they seek a united front ahead of presidential elections tentatively scheduled for 2024. The motion was backed by three of four major opposition groups but rejected by Guaido’s Popular Will and must pass through another consultation scheduled next week before it is finalised.

Asia Pacific:

• North Korea denies reports from Japan and USA that North Korea is supplying munitions to Russia to aid its war effort against Ukraine last Friday (Dec 23). And further, supplement that it was the USA that is “bringing bloodshed and destruction to Ukraine by providing it with various kinds of lethal weapons”. South Korea, Britain, and Canada have publicly condemned the alleged North Korean actions. North Korea also pushed back on the US attempt to issue a UN Security Council presidential statement on its latest intercontinental ballistic missile launch, warning that “such foolish attempt of the US may entail a very undesirable consequence”. 

• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said last Saturday (Dec 24) at least 180 ethnic Rohingya that was stranded at sea for weeks after leaving Bangladesh in November were presumed dead. More than a million Rohingya refugees flee Myanmar to Bangladesh to escape the deadly military crackdown in 2017. Traffickers have been luring them to make these journeys with promises of work in Southeast Asian countries but often ended up drifting in international waters. UNHCR urged countries in the region to help mitigate the humanitarian crisis. 

• Safeguard Defenders, an Asia-focused rights group, published two reports alleging that Chinese authorities have established 102 overseas police stations in 53 countries. China dismissed the allegations last Thursday (Dec 22). Safeguard Defenders said that these stations are used to target Chinese nationals living abroad and pressure them to return home to face criminal charges. Chinese authorities said these are volunteer-run centres, not police stations, that help citizens renew documents and other services that were disrupted during the pandemic. Japan, South Korea, the US, Canada and European countries are investigating these claims.

• Government ministers of Thailand, Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam met with Myanmar junta representatives in Bangkok last Thursday (Dec 22). The meeting was to “find pathways towards a return to normalcy” and to discuss accelerating the implementation of the agreed-upon five-point peace process. Myanmar’s shadow government urged ASEAN not to waver from its policy of excluding junta leaders from its gatherings. Key members of ASEAN and the most vocal critics of the junta – Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines declined invitations to the meeting.

• Russia accused Japan, last Thursday (Dec 22), of abandoning its pacifist policy for “unbridled militarisation” with its US$320 billion defence plan announced by Prime Minister Fumio Kishida two weeks ago. Kishida’s plan to double its defence is in line with Japan’s concern that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine sets a precedent and encourages China to attack Taiwan. Russia slammed Japan saying the move will “inevitably provoke new security challenges and will lead to increased tension” and that the increased spending is taking place despite “the far-from-brilliant state of the national economy”. 

• The Philippines’ defence ministry ordered the military to strengthen its presence in the South China Sea last Thursday (Dec 22). The statements were made after a report of Chinese construction in the disputed Spratly islands close to a strategic Philippine-held island this week, which China dismissed. The Chinese embassy in Manila stated that China is abiding by the consensus reached among the South China Sea claimants which also includes not developing uninhabited reefs and islands. 

• China conducted “strike drills” in the sea and airspace around Taiwan last Sunday (Dec 25) in response to the new US defence authorisation law that boosts military assistance for Taiwan. China called the law an “escalation of collusion and provocation from the United States and Taiwan”. Meanwhile, Taiwan celebrated the new law as it would help boost its security. Taiwan has long disputed China’s claim over its sovereignty and territory and US arms sales to Taiwan have constantly inflamed US-Sino relations. 

Europe:

• A gunman opened fire in central Paris last Friday (Dec 23), targeting a Kurdish cultural centre which ultimately killed three people and wounded three others. Members of the local community were shot and a possible racist motive is being investigated. A suspect was arrested the same day and was found to be previously accused of weapons offences and had been released from prison recently on bail. Following the incident, clashes broke out between police and a group who had gathered at the scene in the aftermath of the attack. People started fires in the middle of the street and smashed car windows, while officers responded by throwing tear gas. The violent unrest carried on for the following two days.

• At least 10 people have been killed and dozens injured in Russian air strikes on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson as reported by officials last Sunday (Dec 25). Residential and management buildings in central areas of the city were damaged in the blasts. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said there were no military facilities in the area. Kherson was liberated by Ukraine last month and remains the only regional capital captured by Russia since the invasion. Since then it has been frequently targeted by Russian forces positioned on the other side of the Dnipro river.

• Hungary’s government imposed a windfall tax on drug producers based on net revenues generated in 2022 and 2023 as reported last Saturday (Dec 24). A windfall tax is a tax levied on an unexpectedly large profit, especially one regarded to be excessive. According to a government decree, the rate will increase progressively and will be 8 per cent on net revenues exceeding 150 billion forints (US $398 million). Businesses will have to pay the new tax for this year and next year, as the government tries to narrow the deficit, which is expected to hit 6.1 per cent of economic output this year.

• Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed last Sunday (Dec 25) that Moscow is ready for talks to end the 10-month war in Ukraine. In his comments, Putin criticised the west for trying to “tear apart the historical Russia”. Putin’s comments came amid continued Russian bombardment of Ukrainian towns, including in the Kharkiv and Zaporizhia regions and were immediately dismissed by a senior official in Kyiv. The United States has also previously described Putin’s stance as not genuine considering the ongoing assaults.

Middle East:

• Following the Taliban’s decision to ban women from universities in Afghanistan, the United States, the European Union and 11 foreign ministers condemned the decision in a joint statement issued last Wednesday (Dec 21). Last Saturday (Dec 24), the Taliban also ordered all local and foreign NGOs to stop female employees from working. The UN said that would cripple humanitarian operations as the winter conditions and economic crisis are already worsening the operations. The basis of the new order is the same for banning women from universities – not adhering to the administration’s interpretation of the Islamic dress code for women. 

• The World Bank approved US$500 million in development financing for Egypt last Friday (Dec 23) to expand its social safety net and protection programme. The funds will support the government’s Takaful and Karama conditional and unconditional cash transfer programme which aids about 12.8 million low-income Egyptians eligible for government support.

• Turkey accused Cyprus last Friday (Dec 23) of its hydrocarbon activities that “have been carried out unilaterally”, and “violate the rights of the Turkish Cypriots, who are one of the co-owners of all natural resources of the island.” Turkey also accused Cyprus of increasing tension and threatening peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Island of Cyprus was split after a 1974 Turkish invasion resulting in Turkey not recognising Cyprus’ Greek government, hence the dispute’s basis under overlapping jurisdictions of the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in north Cyprus. 

• Turkey announced last Saturday (Dec 24) that it is in talks with Russia to use the airspace above northern Syria for a cross-border operation against the US-supported Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Turkey has been routinely carrying out incursions into northern Syria against the YPG. Turkey sees YPG as the Syrian wing of the PKK which is considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU. The opposing views on YPG are a huge source of contention between the NATO allies. 

• Iran’s top diplomat Hossein Amirabdollahian called on Western powers last Tuesday (Dec 20) to adopt a “constructive: approach to salvage the 2015 nuclear pact during his meeting with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell in Jordan. In that meeting, Borrell condemned Iran’s support for Russia in its war in Ukraine and advised Iran to stop its support. Borrell also condemned Iran’s repression of protesters. Though there are no signs of a return to talks, the EU would continue to work with Iran to restore the deal with world powers. 

• UN nuclear watchdog officials left Iran after talks with the head of its nuclear energy organisation last Monday (Dec 19). The results of the talks are unclear as the officials did not say whether they addressed an impasse over uranium traces at undeclared sites. This was cited as an obstacle that prevented broader talks from reviving the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal. The journey to revive the pact became increasingly difficult with Iran cracking down on protestors, Iran allegedly supplying Russia with drones, and Iran accelerating its nuclear programme. 

• The second Baghdad Conference for Cooperation and Partnership was held at the Dead Sea in Jordan on December 20, 2023. The conference was jointly organised by Iraq and France to support stability in Iraq and the wider region. Iran and Saudi Arabia, the leading Shi’ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East, were both in attendance. The two severed ties in 2016, and the conference posed a potential for direct talks but it is unclear if there was any meeting.

Africa:

• A fuel tanker exploded in Boksburg, South Africa last Saturday (Dec 24) causing a death toll of at least 15 as reported by the country’s health minister last Sunday (Dec 25). Rescuers say the deadly blast occurred after a tanker carrying liquefied petroleum gas got caught beneath a bridge close to a hospital and houses. Numerous residential properties and vehicles have also been damaged by the explosion, according to local reports. The tanker was reportedly delivering gas to Tambo Memorial Hospital, where some of the injured were treated. According to local media reports, patients in some units at the hospital had to be evacuated because of the explosion and fire. More investigation is to take place regarding the incident.

• Burkina Faso’s military government last Friday (Dec 23) ordered senior United Nations official Barbara Manzi to leave the country immediately. When contacted, a government spokesperson did not immediately say why it had labelled Manzi, the UN’s resident coordinator in Burkina Faso, as “persona non grata” and demanded that she leave the same day. Manzi, who has experience in humanitarian activities in developing countries, was appointed to the post in Burkina Faso last year. The United Nations responded the following day (Dec 24) stating that Burkina Faso had no grounds for ordering senior UN official Barbara Manzi to leave the country and that “persona non grata” could not be applied to her.

• The M23 rebel group, an armed conflict group from the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo pledged last Friday (Dec 23) to retreat from a strategic front-line position. The rebels announced in a statement that it would withdraw from its position in the town of Kibumba which the M23 briefly overran during their first big insurrection in 2012. The M23 stated it was handing Kibumba over to the East African Community’s military force as a gesture of goodwill in line with recent peace talks in Luanda, Angola. 

• Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbé announced last Friday (Dec 23) that his presidency will oversee the armed forces as part of a reshuffle amid growing security concerns in the northern regions. Under a presidential decree, the ministry of the armed forces will become part of the presidency after recent security-related incidents of armed group activity near the country’s border with Burkina Faso. A series of attacks, including one in May and July in which at least eight and 12 people were killed respectively, has forced residents to flee and kept the armed forces on their toes.