Weekly Recap: Jan 2 to Jan 8

North America

• A United States warship sailed through the Taiwan Strait between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland last Thursday (Jan 5), prompting criticism from Beijing. The US military said the USS Chung-Hoon’s transit demonstrated America’s commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific”, however,  a Chinese embassy spokesman in Washington said the voyage was to “flex muscles” and accused the US of “undermining peace and stability”. Tensions between both countries have risen in recent years, with Taiwan being a flashpoint in the relationship.
• Retail pharmacies in the US can dispense the abortion pill Mifepristone for the first time, under a new rule change by the Biden administration last Tuesday (Jan 3). More than half of US abortions are facilitated through medication  rather than surgery, according to the pro-choice Guttmacher Institute. After the US Supreme Court overturned the federal right to an abortion last year, demand for abortion pills increased as a result of some states outlawing or sharply restricting access to abortion. 
• At least 29 people were killed during the high-profile operation to arrest the son of Mexican drugs kingpin “El Chapo” last Friday (Jan 6), according to Mexican authorities. Guzmán-López, 32, was caught in the northwestern city of Culiacan and flown to Mexico City. He is accused of leading a faction of the Sinaloa cartel, one of the largest drug organisations in the world. The US had put out a reward of up to US$5 million (S$6.66 million) for information leading to his arrest or conviction, but a federal judge in Mexico suspended any extradition process against him.
• Republican Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the US House of Representatives last Saturday (Jan 7). McCarthy was put up to be the forerunner to lead the Republican-led House, but his victory was delayed by a right-wing revolt within his party that extended the contest to a historic 15 rounds of voting and necessitated major concessions. The Speaker wields huge influence in Washington by presiding over House affairs and is second in line to the presidency, after the vice president.
• Donald Trump was ordered to face a lawsuit by a New York judge last Saturday (Jan 7) after the New York Attorney General Letitia James sued him for fraudulently overvaluing his namesake real estate company’s assets and his own net worth. Justice Arthur Engoron of the New York Supreme Court in Manhattan, rejected defence claims that James waited too long to sue, and said that Ivanka Trump could be liable for participating in “continuing wrongs”. The lawsuit is one of many legal woes the former President is facing, ahead of his seeking re-election in  in 2024.

South America

• Dozens of anti-government protests clashed with police forces in southern Peru last Friday (Jan 6). Demonstrations against newly-elected President Dina Boluarte and the removal and detention of former President Pedro Castillo resumed last week, following a two-week pause. Fifteen people were injured in Friday’s protests, while protests in December following Castillo’s impeachment left 22 dead. Castillo is currently serving pre-trial detention while investigations into his “rebellion” for illegally trying to close Congress continue—charges that he denied. 
• Deforestation in the Amazon rainforest rose by 150 per cent in December last year, according to Br.aziliian government reports last Saturday (Jan 7). Satellite monitoring detected 218.4 square kilometres of forest cover destroyed in Brazil’s share of the Amazon rainforest. The damage occurred under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration, which raised outcry over its surge of slash-and-burn and other forest-clearing activities. Bolsonaro’s successor, President Lula had since promised to revive the nation’s environmental protection programmes. 
• Argentinian President Alberto Fernandez said last Tuesday (Jan 3), that he signed a request for the impeachment of Supreme Court chief Horaccio Rosatti over his conduct that constitutes a “poor performance of his duties”. The move is the latest in Fernandez’ clash against the nation’s Supreme Court, following a brush regarding the court’s decision in December, which would allocate more state funds to the right-wing opposition-led capital Buenos Aires. The impeachment request appeared unlikely to reach a vote, due to the President’s coalition’s lack of the two-thirds majority required to remove court officials. The coalition may face challenges in the upcoming general election later this year, when control of the presidency and Congress will be up for election. 
• The Colombian government suspended a ceasefire between itself and one of the country’s largest armed groups, the National Liberation Army (ELN), last Tuesday (Jan 3). The temporary truce, announced by the President Gustavo Petro this month, was lifted between itself and ELN rebels after its statement that “no such agreement exists” for a bilateral ceasefire. The move allows military and police forces to continue their offensive against the rebels. The ceasefire was part of Petro’s “total peace plan” aimed at curbing rising violence in Venezuela and ending six decades of armed conflict. 
• A federal court in the United States sentenced former Bolivian Interior Minister Arturo Murillo to almost six years in prison last Thursday (Jan 5), for conspiracy to commit money laundering. Murillo pled guilty to receiving at least US$532,000 (S$708,305) in bribes from a Florida-based company, in exchange for securing it a lucrative tear gas contract with Bolivia’s defence ministry. Another Bolivian official and three Americans were arrested for their participation in the scheme earlier last year. Bolivia requested the Murillo’s extradition to the country, where he would face more criminal charges. 

Asia Pacific

• A Sri Lankan official announced last Thursday (Jan 5) that the country will resume trade talks with India, China and Thailand after a four-year break as an accelerated means to rebuild its economy. Acute shortages of food, fuel and electricity since late 2021 had led to mass agitation against ousted-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the worst financial crisis in over seven decades. “The focus is on improving economic cooperation and attracting investment, which is crucial for Sri Lanka to emerge for this economic crisis,” Sri Lanka’s Chief Negotiator of Free Trade Agreements K.J. Weerasinghe told reporters
• The World Health Organisation (WHO) criticised China’s “very narrow” definition of COVID-19 deaths last Wednesday (Jan 4), describing that the numbers published from China “under-represent the true impact of the disease in terms of hospital admissions, in terms of ICU admissions, and particularly in terms of deaths.” The criticism came amid growing concern over rising cases of infectionsince China abruptly lifted its Zero-COVID policy. China hadonly recorded 22 COVID-19 deaths since last December.
• South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol said last Wednesday (Jan 4) that he would consider suspending a 2018 agreement which created maritime buffer zones with North Korea should they “violate” the South Korean territory. This comes after North Korea fired artillery shots multiple times last year into the previously designated and agreed upon buffer zones, and its deployment of five drones into the South Korean airspace. The 2018 agreement was struck in Pyongyang amid a period of high-profile diplomacy, intending to ease military tensions along the heavily guarded border. 
• Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos’s first state visit to China last Wednesday (Jan 4) generated US$22.8 billion (S$ 30.36 billion) worth of investment pledges. The 14 bilateral agreements come amidst strained Sino-Philippine ties from disputes over the South China Sea. Marcos welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping’s proposal to restart negotiations on oil and gas exploration, an undertaking that previously failed owing to constitutional and sovereignty constraints. “President [Xi] promised that we would find a compromise and find a solution that will be beneficial so that our fishermen might be able to fish again in their natural fishing grounds,” Marcos said in a statement.
• Asian shares rose sharply last Thursday (Jan 5) due to investor hopes for China’s reopening. Japan’s Nikkei 225 bounced off a three-month low, while the Yuan rose about 0.2 percent to 6.8750 on the same day. China’s central bank said it wouldstep up financing support to spur domestic consumption and key investment projects and support a stable real estate market. “China reopening has a big impact … worldwide,” an investment strategist at DBS Bank in Singapore said, adding that “there will be hiccups on the way.”

Europe

• Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian Defence Minister to conduct a 36-hour ceasefire last Thursday (Jan 5) to observe Orthodox Christmas, appealing to Ukraine to declare likewise to allow citizens professing Orthodoxy living in the areas of hostilities to allow them to attend Christmas services. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed the announcement immediately, saying there will be no truce until Russia removes its invading forces from occupied territory saying there will be no truce until Russia removes its forces from occupied territory.
• European Union (EU) officials are “strongly” recommending that all member states insist on negative COVID-19 tests from Chinese arrivals before they travel. This comes after a surge in COVID-19 cases in China, and the reopening of its borders. While some EU countries like France, Spain and Italy have already introduced testing, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said in December  that the screening of travellers from China would be “unjustified”, given the high rates of vaccination in Europe, and that variants circulating in China were already in the EU.
• The trail of Ales Bialiatski, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning human rights activist, began in Belarus last Thursday (Jan 5), facing up to 12 years in prison. Bialatski was arrested in 2021 following massive street protests over widely disputed elections that kept Belarus’s long-time leader Alexander Lukashenko in power. He is accused of smuggling cash to fund opposition activity, according to Viasna (Spring) Human Rights Centre, which Bialatski founded. Bialatski was previously jailed for three years in 2011 after being convicted of tax evasion charges, which he denied. The activist’s  supporters say that Lukashenko’s authoritarian regime is trying to silence him. 
• Temperatures reached a historic high in a number of nations across Europe this month. Warsaw, Poland, saw 18.9C (66F) last Monday (Jan 2) while Bilbao, Spain, was 25.1C – more than 10C above average. In Switzerland, temperatures hit 20C which affected ski resorts across the Alps after a snow shortage. Heatwaves have become more frequent in the region due tof human-induced climate change.
• Switzerland was expelled from the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) last Thursday (Jan 5) for its absence in Horizon Europe, the EU’s research and innovation programme. The organisation is responsible for planning Europe’s scientific infrastructure needs, and the ejection is problematic because Switzerland hosts one of the world’s largest scientific infrastructures, the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), in Geneva. Hans Rudolf Ott, chair of the round table on Swiss Representation in International Organisations and Research Infrastructures, called the expulsion “unreasonable” and said it expected “a pragmatic solution to be found that enables the further involvement of Switzerland as an important stakeholder in ESFRI procedures.”

Middle East

• Thousands of Israelis protested against Benjamin Netanyahu’s newly formed right-wing government on Saturday (Jan 7) over criticism that it threatened democracy and freedom. The government, reported to be the most right-wing and religiously conservative cabinet in the country’s 74-year history, plans sweeping reforms which include expanding illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and weakening the power of the judiciary, sparking concern for undermining significant checks and balances on its power. The demonstrations in Tel Aviv were led by left-wing and Palestinian members of the Knesset. The protests came as Israel’s right-wing government approved a series of punitive actions last Saturday (Jan 7) in response to the Palestinian appeal to the International Court of Justice regarding the Israeli occupation. The measures include using US$39 million (S$51.92 million) from Palestinian Authority funds to compensate Israelis caught in Palestinian attacks, as well as stopping Palestinian building development in the occupied West Bank. 
• Israeli forces killed sixteen-year-old Amer Abu Zaytoon last Thursday (Jan 5), during a raid on Nablus, in the occupied West Bank. He is the fourth Palestinian to be killed since the start of the year during Israeli attacks on Palestinians. Palestinian residents of the Masafer Yatta area were also informed last Monday (Jan 2) of their imminent displacement from their villages in the occupied West Bank. The displacement, which would affect more than 1,000 Palestinians including 500 children, was green-lit by the Israeli High Court in May last year, and may be conducted at any time “without notice”, according to the head of the Masafer Yatta Village Council. The Israeli right group B’tselem said the Israeli government offered residents “alternative accommodation”, however the action was “meaningless” as the “forcible transfer of protected persons in occupied territory” is still a war crime under international law.
• Lebanon charged seven suspects last Thursday (Jan 5), for their participation in the attack on the UN convoy during which UN peacekeeper Sean Rooney was killed, and three others were wounded. Authorities arrested one of the suspects last year who was in “cooperation” with Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant and political group, although the group said he was not one of its members nor was it behind the attack. Officials said the search was underway for the remaining six subjects. The UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon were established in 1978 to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon, and subsequently expanded its mission in 2006, following a war between Israel and Hezbollah. Clashes between the group’s supporters and UN peacekeepers occurred over the years, but rarely escalated.
• Two men were hanged in Tehran, Iran, on Saturday (Jan 7), following the country’s Supreme Court confirmation of their sentences days before. Mohammad Mehdi Karami and Mohammad Hosseini were charged with “corruption on Earth”, over the killing of a Basij force parliamentary member, Ruhollah Ajamian, during large protests in the city of Karaj last year. The demonstrations were to mark the 40th day since a protestor, Hadis Nafaji, was killed. Sixteen suspects were arrested in connection with Ajamian’s death in total, with Hosseini and Karami remaining the main suspects. Saturday’s hangings came amid allegations that the mens’ confessions were forced, and brought the total number of people executed in connection to the protests to four. 
• The United States announced last Friday (Jan 6), that  it was imposing sanctions on Iran, specifically Iranian industries producing ballistic missiles and drones which the US stated had been used to facilitate Russia’s war in Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated the sanctions would target seven people from two key organisations behind Israel’s ballistic missile programme, saying Iran had become Russia’s top military backer. Iran had previously denied providing drones to Russia for use in the Ukraine war, but confirmed it had provided Russia with a “limited number” of them, months prior to the invasion of Ukraine.

Africa

1. France’s foreign ministry backed its ambassador to Burkina Faso despite growing calls from local authorities to replace him last Thursday (Jan 5). Ouagadougou requested the removal of ambassador Luc Hallade in what France called “not standard practice”. Relations between the two nations deteriorated  after prolonged insecurity due to armed group activities led to political instability and coups in January and September last year. The French troops inability to handle the instability subsequently fuelled anti-French sentiment in the country. France retains around 400 special forces officers in Burkina Faso, despite calls to withdraw its troops from the nation. 
2. Forty-six Ivorian soldiers returned home last Saturday (Jan 7), a day after receiving a pardon from Mali’s military ruler. The soldiers, accused by Mali of being mercenaries, were held in captivity in the nation for six months, sparking a bitter diplomatic fight between the two countries. The return of the soldiers signalled a return to peaceful relations between Mali and the Ivory Coast, and to be able to “resume normal relations” according to Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara. 
3. Voters went to the polls on Sunday (Jan 8) in Benin, for a parliamentary election that was seen as a test of the West African nation’s democracy. Opposition parties, excluded in previous presidential and legislative votes, were once again included on ballots for the first time since 2019, during which protests were held by opposition supporters. Benin’s reputation as a democratic and stable nation was ‘dented’ due to President Patrice Talon’s reneger on his pledge not to run for another term, and crackdown on opposition since coming to power in 2016. 

4. Senegal authorities faced pressure following a United Nations envoy’s call to release Senegalese journalist from detention last Wednesday (Jan 4). Pape Alé Niang was arrested following his report on a development in the high-profile investigation into an alleged rape by opposition politician and 2024 presidential candidate Ousmane Sonko—an accusation Sonko denied. Niang was detained in hospital since December 24, following a four-day hunger strike since the day of his incarceration. More than 40 African journalists called for Niang’s release, criticising his detention. Senegal was ranked 73rd out of 180 in the RSF’s 2022 press freedom ranking, 24 places behind its position in 2021.
5. At least 15 people were killed, and dozens were injured, in two car bomb blasts last Wednesday (Jan 4), in Somalia’s Hiiraan region. A witness report identified civilians, soldiers and militiamen among the casualties. Both explosions were claimed by the al-Shabab armed group, which also targeted two military bases in Marhas. The incidents are the latest in a series of attacks by the al-Qaeda-affiliated group, since government forces and allied clan militias carried out operations which pushed the group out from territory they controlled, last year.