Weekly Recap: Dec 26 to Jan 2

North America

• The Pentagon said last Wednesday (Dec 28) that the US State Department approved the likely sale of Volcano anti-tank mine-laying systems to Taiwan,worth about US$180 million (S$241.31 million). The system involves the usage of pre-packaged mine canisters that disperse multiple anti-tank mines. The Defence Ministry of Taiwan said that the sale would occur in about a month, and that the system would help to boost Taiwan’s warfare capacity, considering how tensions have been rising due to China’s ramping up of military, diplomatic and economic pressure on Taiwan. 
• United States (US) President Joe Biden highlighted last Thursday (Dec 29) that he looks forward to working with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, despite ongoing accusations over racist far-right Israeli politicians being included in his cabinet. In his address, Biden also added that he will cooperate with Netanyahu’s government in addressing threats from Iran. In response, Abed Ayoub, who is the Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said that Biden’s welcoming of the new Israeli government “completely ignores the fact that the new Israeli government is made up of dangerous religious extremists and terrorists who are a direct threat to Palestinians and Arabs across the world”. 
• US officials raised the possibility of imposing entry restrictions on travellers from China last Tuesday (Dec 27), taking into consideration the recent surges in COVID-19 infections in China, and the lack of data being reported from the People’s Republic of China. The lack of genomic data is also said to make it difficult for public health officials to identify potential new variants and suggest prompt measures. These comments from US officials came after Japan, India and Malaysia stepped up arrival measures for travellers from China. 
• The US Supreme Court granted a request filed by Republican state attorneys generals to consider whether states could challenge the end of Title 42 following a five-four vote, last Tuesday (Dec 27). Title 42, is known to be a controversial immigration policy denying refugees the ability to seek asylum in the US, will remain in place for an indefinite amount of time. The policy was initially set to expire mid-December, which has resulted in increased concerns over immigration to the US. This decision comes as a disappointment to rights groups who have fought for its abolition. 
• The western region of New York was hit by a winter blizzard last Monday (Dec 26), resulting in the deaths of at least 48 people. The cold combined with howling winds and heavy “lake-effect” snow produced harsh conditions that caused many on the roads to reach safety in time. Thousands continue to endure without power as the entire county, home to approximately 950,000 people, remains under a state of emergency. 

South America

• Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro left Brazil for the United States (US) last Friday (Dec 30), steering clear of the inauguration of President-elect Luiz Inacio da Silva in the October elections. Bolsonaro, in his farewell address to his supporters, distanced himself from his supporters’ refusal in accepting the results of the elections. Vice-President Hamilton Mourao thus took over as acting president during the handover to President-elect Lula at his swearing-in ceremony which was held yesterday (Jan 1). 
• Outgoing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro declared three days of national mourning for the legendary footballer Pele last Friday (Dec 30). Pele passed away at the age of 82 due to multiple organ failures. His wake will be held today (Jan 2) in the Urbano Caldeira Stadium, the home of Santos FC where he played for most of his professional career. Pele was named by FIFA to be the greatest football player in the 20th century. He is known as the only player to have won the World Cup thrice. International dignitaries from around the world, including United States (US) President Joe Biden, Former US President Barack Obama, International Olympic Committee chief Thomas Bach,  FIFA President Gianni Infantino have paid tribute. Additionally, upcoming football matches in Europe will honour Pele before each match. 
• Luis Fernando Camacho, governor of Santa Cruz and a prominent right-wing leader, was arrested last Wednesday (Dec 28) on “terrorism” charges. Prosecutors in Bolivia are pursuing a six months pre-trial detention for his case. The Santa Cruz governor is also facing ongoing investigations regarding his involvement in the 2019 Bolivia political crisis which led to the resignation of the then-President Evo Morales. Camacho’s arrest has raised tensions between Bolivia’s left-wing government and the conservative-led Santa Cruz, the largest of the country’s nine departments. Protesters took to the streets in Santa Cruz to block roads and the house of Bolivia’s Public Works Minister Edgar Montano last Thursday (Dec 29).
  
• Peru’s Supreme Court announced the decision to hold former President Pedro Castillo in pre-trial detention for 18 months last Thursday (Dec 29), as he faces an ongoing investigation of rebellion. The country continues to be plagued with unrest as protests continue to spread over the impeachment and removal of Castillo after he tried to illegally dissolve Congress last month. Clashes between the police and the protesters resulted in the deaths of 22 people and 6 others due to street blockades. Peruvian President Dina Boluarte announced last Thursday (Dec 29) in a press conference that she would dedicate resources to support investigations on deaths associated with the protests.
• Venezuela’s opposition national assembly voted last Friday (Dec 30) to remove Interim President Juan Guaido and dissolve his government. This move of finding new ways to connect with voters and defeat left-wing leader Nicolas Maduro came via lawmakers’ efforts to seek out a united front in preparation for the 2024 elections. Three of the four main opposition groups backed the bill to remove Guaido and appoint a five-member commission to manage foreign assets. Guaido has been in charge of the opposition since 2019 when he called on the constitution to take on interim presidency with the backing of the United States and other governments that disputed the 2018 re-election of Maduro. However, Maduro remained in control of nearly all of Venezuela’s institutions while Guaido’s support was declining.

Asia Pacific 

• The United States (US) military revealed last Thursday (Dec 28) that a Chinese fighter jet flew within six metres of a United States (US) Air Force surveillance plane over the South China Sea on December 21. According to the US Indo-Pacific Command, the Chinese J-11 fighter pilot performed an “unsafe” manoeuvre while intercepting a US Air Force RC-135 aircraft. In response, China’s defence ministry accused the US of violating international law and of “slander and hype” last Saturday (Dec 31). Spokesperson for China’s Defence Ministry Tian Julin said that the US Indo-Pacific had distorted facts about the incident, and that it was the US aircraft that performed dangerous actions instead. 
• The United Nations (UN) called on the Taliban last Wednesday (Dec 28) to reverse the ban on women working in the humanitarian sector. Due to the ban, the UN had temporarily stopped some of its “time-critical” programmes in Afghanistan, and raised concerns that many other humanitarian activities might have to be paused as well. In a joint statement, UN representatives and aid agencies emphasised that “[f]emale staff are key to every aspect of the humanitarian response in Afghanistan.”
• North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles towards the Sea of Japan last Saturday (Dec 31). All three missiles were launched from Pyongyang and flew an estimated 350km before landing outside Japan’s exclusive economic zone located 370km from its coastline. Japan’s Ministry of Defence stressed that North Korea’s series of missile launches “threatens the peace and security of Japan.” 
• North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced new goals for the country’s military on the second day of the ruling Workers’ Party’s key meeting last Wednesday (Dec 28). He spoke of a “challenging situation” on the Korean Peninsula, and suggested the continuation of intensive weapons testing and regional tension. According to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Kim also raised the need to reinforce North Korea’s self-defence in 2023, but no details on the exact measures were reported. 
• Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen announced last Tuesday (Dec 27) that Taiwan would extend its compulsory military service from four months to one year from 2024. Conscripts are to undergo more intense training that include shooting exercises, combat instruction used by American forces, and the use of more powerful weapons.  In her address, Tsai emphasised the need for Taiwan to be able to defend itself considering rising tensions with China. “The current military system… is inefficient and insufficient to cope with China’s rising military threat”, she said.  

Europe 

• Croatia joined the Eurozone as its 20th member yesterday (Jan 1), entering Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone and adopting the Euro currency nearly a decade after joining the European Union (EU). Half of the country’s ATMs went offline over the weekend in preparation for the transition of currency. Many experts said that the adoption of the Euro currency will help to protect Croatia’s economy as inflation continues to soar. It will also be the 27th nation in the passport-free Schengen zone. Many Croatians have mixed feelings about the changes with some expressing worry about the currency switch and some welcoming the end of border controls. Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic defended the decision saying that joining the eurozone and Schengen were strategic goals taken to work towards a stronger EU integration.
• Russia announced last Friday (Dec 30) that soldiers and state employees deployed to Ukraine would be exempt from income tax, in its latest effort to encourage support for the ongoing military campaign against Kyiv. These measures are targeted towards Russian soldiers fighting in the four annexed regions —  Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia. According to the new decree, soldiers will no longer be required to supply information on their income, expenditure and assets, and will also receive “rewards” for “humanitarian character”. 
• Kosovo reopened all border crossings with Serbia last Thursday (Dec 29) after ethnic Serbs removed roadblocks easing tensions. This came after a Pristina court ordered the release of a former policeman last Wednesday (Dec 28), whose arrest was what led to the initial setting up of roadblocks at the border. The European Union and NATO praised the removal of barricades, and stressed  the use of diplomacy instead of violence to resolve conflicts.
• Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI passed away last Saturday (Dec 31) at the age of 95. Pope Benedict, who resigned in 2013, was the first pope in 600 years to have resigned from his post citing old age. His successor Pope Francis will be leading his funeral in St Peter’s Square on January 5. Benedict, like his predecessor John Paul, reached out to the Jewish community and became the second pope to step in a synagogue. However, he also has faced controversies during his tenure such as failing to end church cover-ups of the abuse of victims at the hands of priests. International leaders including Italian President Sergio Mattarella and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sent tributes to the late pope.
• France and the United Kingdom joined a list of growing countries including Spain and Italy in enforcing restrictions on travellers from China last Friday (Dec 30). Measures implemented include travellers from China having to provide negative COVID-19 test results less than 48 hours before boarding flights. This came as an effort by the European Union’s Health Security Committee to curb the spread of the virus considering the increased cases of infections in China following Beijing lifted most of its travel restrictions. The Chinese state media expressed Beijing’s discontent with the measures saying that COVID-19 testing requirements imposed were “discriminatory”. 
• Belgium-based Ryanair cabin crews launched a three-day strike last Friday (Dec 30), resulting in the cancellation of 48 flights and affecting at least 22,000 passengers. This strike came as the cost of living continued to increase, creating labour strife. Labour unions asserted that Ryanair did not properly declare salaries to Belgian social security authorities and paid wages below the national legal minimum. The labour unions were also said to be planning a strike on January 7 and 8 after Belgium’s winter break.

Middle East 

• An attack on a police checkpoint in the Egyptian city of Ismailia left four people dead and 12 wounded last Friday (Dec 30). The attack took place on the west side of the Suez Canal and the media office of Ismailia province labelled it as a “terrorist” attack. No group has since claimed responsibility. 
• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to give an opinion on the legal consequences of Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestinian territories last friday (Dec 30). The resolution was passed with 87 nations voting in favour, 26 voting against and 53 abstaining. The United States (US) along with Israel, United Kingdom and Germany were among the 26 nations that voted against the resolution while China and Russia voted in favour of it. Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the spokesman for the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the vote, calling for Israel to be held accountable for “ongoing crimes” against Palestinians. The ICJ, which is also known as the World Court, is responsible for dealing with disputes between states.
• Israel’s military filed indictments against two soldiers last Thursday (Dec 29) forthrowing an improvised explosive at a Palestinian house in the occupied West Bank. The suspects, along with a third soldier, were reported to have assembled an explosive and thrown it into a crowded house in the intent to start a fire. It was said that the incident was done to seek retaliation for the kidnapping of the body of an Israeli high schooler in November last year. None of the residents in the house were reported to be injured. The military added that the third soldier will also face indictment in the coming days. 
• At least 10 workers were killed while two were wounded in an attack on an oil field in eastern Syria last friday (Dec 30), just a day after Syrian Kurdish-led forces launched an operation against ISIL (ISIS). Rami Abdurrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, accused ISIL of assaulting the areas near the al-Taim oil field by setting off explosives targeting buses. 
• Benjamin Netanyahu and his government made a comeback to the post as Israel’s prime minister last Thursday (Dec 29). This marked his sixth term as Prime Minister, just 18 months after he was ousted from office. Netanyahu’s new government includes ultranationalist and ultra orthodox Jewish parties with some ministers pledging to expand illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank, while others opposing Palestinian statehood. United States (US) President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have welcomed Netanyahu back to power and expressed interest in working with his new government.
  

Africa

• European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Chief Joseph Borrell urged Rwanda last Saturday (Dec 31) to stop supporting the M23 rebel group, which has been expanding its control over territory in the North Kivu province of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Borrell highlighted that Rwanda should “use all means to press the M23 to comply with the decisions taken by the EAC [East African Community]”. This statement came after a United Nations report which had collected proof of “direct intervention” by Rwandan defence forces inside DRC territory between November 2021 and October 2022. 
• At least nine people died last Sunday (Jan 1) during a New Year’s firework incident in Kampala, Uganda. People had swarmed into a narrow corridor of a shopping mall to view the firework display, which resulted in many suffocating to death due to the large crowd. Police spokesman Luke Owoyesigyire said that emergency respondents arrived on the scene to attend to the injured, who were then transported to the hospital. 
• Ten people were killed in an incident when their bus hit a roadside bomb in eastern Burkina Faso last Monday (Dec 26). The bus was travelling from Fada N’Gourma to Kantchari when it hit the mine. According to Colonel Hubert Yameogo, the regional governor, the government has been trying to restore security and locate the missing passengers of the bus. No one has claimed responsibility for the incident so far. 
• In a statement made by Prosecutor General Ladji Sara last Friday (Dec 30), a court in Mali had sentenced 46 soldiers from Ivory Coast to 20 years of imprisonment for conspiring against the government. The initial arrests led to a diplomatic row between the two countries. Ivory Coast said that the soldiers were part of a UN peacekeeping mission while Mali’s military administration deemed them as mercenaries. 
• Ethiopia’s government communication service said last Monday (Dec 26) that a delegation from the Ethiopian federal government is on its way to the northern region of Tigray to follow up on the implementation of the peace agreement that was agreed upon last month. The peace agreement was signed by the federal government and Tigrayan forces to permanently cease hostilities and disarm the Tigray People’s Liberation Front fighters.  This marked the first high-level federal delegation travelling to Tigray in two years.