Weekly Recap: Sep 4 to Sep 10

North America:

• A United States judge denied a bid from Mark Meadows in the Georgia election conspiracy inquiry to move his case to a federal court last Saturday (Sept 9). Mark Meadows, a Trump aide charged in the Georgia election conspiracy inquiry, was accused of arranging calls and meetings in which Trump had allegedly pressured state election officials to change the vote count in his favour. Charged with racketeering and felony soliciation of violation of a public officer’s oath, Mark Meadows was hit with two state-level criminal charges.
• The Biden Administration took the abortion-pill dispute to the US Supreme Court last Friday (Sept 8) so as to preserve broad access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The Justice Department had said that it filed its appeal of an August decision by the New-Orleans-based 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals that would bar telemedicine prescriptions as well as shipments of mifepristone by mail. Danco Laboratories had also filed its appeal on Friday.
• Hurricane Lee strengthened into a dangerous Category 5 storm, according to reports last Thursday (Sept 7). The NHC said that hurricane-fuelled swells were expected to reach parts of the Lesser Antilles much later in the day and expected to hit the British and US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, the island of Hispaniola, Turks and Caicos, Bahamas as well as Bermuda at the weekend.
• The United States announced it would provide Ukraine with US$600 million (S816 million) more in military equipment, last Thursday (Sept 7). The new security assistance package would include demolition munitions, mine-clearing equipment, artillery shells as well as other weaponry. The move came just a day after a pledge for military and humanitarian aid for Kyiv.
• The Mexican Supreme Court announced last Wednesday (Sept 6) that abortion would be decriminalised on a federal level, as its penalty was “unconstitutional”. The move came amid a trend among Latin American countries to legalise abortion. While abortion for rape cases was legal, its legality in other cases was determined on a state-by-state basis. Mexico City was the first district to decriminalise the procedures for pregnancies of up to 12 weeks in 2007, with other states following suit as last month. Last year, a Supreme Court decision deemed abortion laws unconstitutional, however it was only applicable to the northern state of Coahuila. Wednesday’s move was celebrated by the Information Group for Chosen Reproduction (GIRE), as the ruling followed the group’s legal appeal to decriminalise abortion.
• — The United States deported more than 60 Haitians to their country last Thursday (Sept 7), less than a day after urging American citizens to leave Haiti as soon as possible due to concerns of increased violence, citing “the current security situation and infrastructure challenges”. Haiti has been facing rising gang violence, political deadlock worsened by the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021, as well as natural disasters. Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance rights group, called the deportations “inhumane”, highlighting how Haitians in the United States were grappling with the uncertainty of being deported. United States officials said they were monitoring the situation in Haiti, however, repatriation operations would continue, and urged legal migration, saying those “interdicted at sea” and encountered in the country were subject to “immediate repatriation” or removal.
• Cuban authorities arrested 17 people in connection to the human trafficking network allegedly of young Cuban men to fight for the Russian military in Ukraine, that was announced to have been uncovered last Monday (Sept 4). Cuba’s foreign ministry said it was working to dismantle the network, stating the internal organiser of the group was among those arrested on charges related to human trafficking. While Cuba enjoys strong ties with Russia, it emphasised it was “not part of the war in Ukraine” and would “act vigorously against whoever, from the national territory, participates in any form of human trafficking for the purposes of recruitment of mercenarism”.

South America:

• The death toll from the cyclone that devastated southern Brazil rose to at least 27, with hundreds displaced. 26 of the casualties were in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, while the other was in the neighbouring state of Santa Catarina. At least 60 cities in the state of Rio Grande do Sul were affected by the storm, while official estimates of those displaced range between 1,650 and 3,700 people. The cyclone is the latest in a string of climate-disasters in Brazil.
• The municipal councillor for the town of Duran in Ecuador was found dead along a rural road last Friday (Sept 8), with his hands bound and clothes bloodied. His death sparked renewed concerns regarding the political violence in the lead-up to the country’s presidential run-off election in October. The right-wing Social Christian Party Vera was a member of slammed the administration of outgoing President Guillermo Lasso for failing to tackle skyrocketing crime rates in the nation, saying the incident represented the “defenselessness in which citizens throughout the country live and the national government’s indifference towards…guaranteeing their lives and safety”. Ecuador has seen a rise in violent crime due to the activities of drug cartels and criminal organisations, with 3,568 violent deaths from the start of the year to early July, which is an increase of 75 percent over the same period the year prior.
• Thousands of Chileans marched in commemoration of the 3,200 people that were killed or presumed to have been during the 17-year military dictatorship under General Augusto Pinochet, last Sunday (Sept 10). The 50th anniversary protests marked the day democratically-elected President Salvador Allende was ousted at the start of the coup. Leftist President Gabriel Boric joined the procession, as the first leader to do so since the end of the dictatorship in 1990. The march was also marked by an outbreak of violence as supporters of Pinochet threw rocks at the demonstrators and damaged infrastructure, leading to three arrests.
• Panama announced new measures to curb migrant crossings as migration across the Darien Gap hit a record high, last Friday (Sept 8). The Darien Gap is a stretch of jungle deemed impassable between Panama and neighbouring Colombia. Authorities said they would increase deportations, build new installations in border areas and increase requirements for foreigners seeking short-term stays. The country had also authoritsed charter planes to be used to help with the planned increase in deportation flights. Panama has been tightening control on its borders, often in line with the United States’ goals. More than 350,000 people have made the journey across the dangerous terrain of the Darien Gap this year.
• Six people were killed in a clash between the Peruvian military and the Shining Path rebel group in the town of Huanta, last Monday (Sept 4). Four soldiers and two rebels were killed in the altercation. The incident came as fighting between the military and armed groups seeking control of the drug trade in the nation continue. Peru is the second-largest coca leaf producer in the world after neighbouring Colombia.

Asia Pacific:

• North Korea held a ceremony and released photos of a new “tactical nuclear” submarine that they claimed was capable of tactical nuclear attacks, last Friday (Sept 8). The new vessel could potentially increase its ability to carry out atomic strikes in the region.
• The United States denied a cold war with China in a historic visit to Vietnam on Monday (Sept 11). as President Biden travelled to Hanoi for the first time more than 50 years since the last American soldier had left Vietnam. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with Vietnam is a major relationship upgrade for the United States and a culmination of a push by Washington over the last two years to strengthen ties with Vietnam which is seen as the key to counter China’s influence in Asia.
• Pakistan went into uproar as protests over soaring energy prices turns violent last Tuesday (Sept 5) Traders close shops as electricity bills are set alight and utility firm staff are attacked as anger starts over rising living and electricity costs. The cost of electricity in Pakistan had more than doubled in the last three months while petrol prices had also shot up. The protest then turned violent in Karachi when a worker from the utility company was attacked by an enraged mob.
• A Pakistani soldier was killed in a shootout last Sunday (Sept 10) with militants near the Afghanistan border in an overnight shootout in Mir Ali, a major town of North Waziristan that had served as a safe haven for militants for over decades. The incident came days after Pakistan had closed the key northwestern Torkham border crossing with Afghanistan after border guards from the two sides had exchanged fire on Wednesday.
• Hong Kong was affected by flash flooding last Friday (Sept 8), after the heaviest rainfall they have ever experienced since the year of 1884. Flood waters submerged metro stations and trapped drivers on roads as authorities suspended schools and urged the public to seek safe shelter.

Europe:

• Russia held local elections for Russian-installed legislatures in the occupied Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhia regions of Ukraine last Friday (Sept 8), in what was described as a “flagrant flagrant violation of international law”. The vote would elect regional legislatures which in turn would appoint regional governors, and was scheduled over the same weekend as other local elections in Russia. While some residents in the occupied regions expressed a wish to get closer to Russia, Kyiv, the United States, as well as many Ukrainian citizens denounced what was considered a sham and a “fake” election, intended to lend democratic legitimacy to Russia’s occupation of Ukraine.
• More than 10,000 people marched along a highway in the Netherlands last Saturday (Sept 9), demanding an end to government subsidies for the fossil fuel industry. The protesters were met with authorities, which detained 2,400 people and deployed water cannons to disperse the crowd, which had gathered on the A12 highway despite warnings from authorities not to block the major traffic route. The protest came following last week’s report which detailed a 37.5 billion (S$) subsidy for the shipping industry in the nation.
• Niger’s military accused France of gathering forces and equipment allegedly to launch a “military intervention” against Niamey, last Saturday (Sept 9). According to military spokesperson Colonel Amadou Abdramane, France was deploying its forces in member countries of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as “part of preparations for an aggression against Niger”, adding that French military aircraft had carried and unloaded equipment in Senegal, Ivory Coast and Benin. The claim came as tensions between Niger and France rise amid the nation’s military coup. France had expressed its support for ousted President Mohamed Bazoum and refused demands to remove its forces from the Sahel state.
• France’s State Council, the highest court for complaints against public authorities, rejected a request for an injunction against the country’s abaya ban in public schools last Thursday (Sept 7). The ruling came despite France’s Council of Muslim Faith, a group established to represent Muslims before the government, warning that the ban could create “an elevated risk of discrimination” and said it was considering lodging its own court complaint with the Council. Other rights groups such as the Action for the Rights of Muslims (ADM) said the ban was discriminatory and could incite hatred against Muslim people. The ban, which was announced last month, would prohibit the abaya and similar loose-fitting garments in public schools. The decision was met with a protest at a French high school, and almost 300 schoolgirls who refused to remove their abayas on the first day of the French school year.
• Russia’s foreign minister Sergei Lavrov considered the G20 summit in New Delhi, India, a success last Sunday (Sept 10), due to being able to “prevent the West’s attempts to Ukrainise the summit agenda”. The summit saw all members of the group, including China and Russia to reach a consensus on issues such as climate change, economic cooperation and the war in Ukraine, the wording regarding which was considerably softened. Kyiv, criticised the move and said the joint statement was “nothing to be proud of”. While Russia considered this a diplomatic win, leaders such as France’s Emmanuel Macron commented that the G20 was not the place where major developments regarding the war would be seen, while Canada’s Justin Trudeau, said he had been hoping for stronger language on Russia’s role in the declaration, but added: “If it were up to other leaders, it would have been much weaker.”

Middle East:

• Jordanian armed forces reportedly shot down a drone laden with drugs from Syria, last Monday (Sept 4). This marked the ninth occurrence of the kind. Syria has become a hotspot for multibillion-dollar drugs trade and has made Jordan one of the main transit routes to the Gulf states. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s agreement to fight drug trafficking in the country allowed Syria to re-enter the Arab League in May 2023, after being excluded for 12 years.
• Former Mossad Chief, Tamir Pardo said in an interview last Wednesday (Sept 6), that Israel “is an apartheid state … where two people are judged under two legal systems”. There is a growing list of retired officials that have endorsed the idea that Israel is an apartheid state, which has been sidestepped in Israeli discourse and international diplomacy, despite calls from rights groups. Pardo also said that the Palestinian plight is one of the country’s most pressing issues, seen as an existential threat by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; and during his time in the Mossad, he had warned Netanyahu that he needed to decide what Israel’s borders were. Responding to these comments, Netanyahu’s party called Pardo’s statements as slander and that he “should be ashamed”.
• Tens of thousands of Israelis poured out onto the streets last Saturday (Sept 9) to protest ahead of a key decision by the Supreme Court. The court is to decide on a highly controversial legislation passed by the Israeli government that would strip the court of some of its powers of government oversight. Critics condemned the move, saying it would remove judicial checks and balances, as one of the amendments would remove the court’s power to stop government decision or appointments on the basis of being “unreasonable”.
• Tensions surrounding Eritreans in Israel caused Eriterans to fear leaving their homes, according to reports last Wednesday (Sept 6). The week before last saw a violent clash between anti- and pro-Eritrean regime groups at a pro-government event organised by the Eritrean embassy, following which the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the “voluntarily or by other means” removal of all African migrants, especially those caught during the protests as they would no longer qualify for refugee status.
• Ahead of the anniversary of Iranian Mahsa Amini’s death which sparked massive anti-government protests on September 16, Iranian security forces detained her uncle, Safa Aeli, last Tuesday (Sept 5). The move was seen as concerted efforts to clamp down on dissent in the wake of the anniversary of Amini’s death. Aeli was reportedly followed by security forces for a week before he was arrested without a court order. His car and house were reportedly searched and his passport confiscated. France-based Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) reported last Tuesday (Sept 5) that security forces have been summoning, threatening or arresting family members of protesters killed.
• Amidst fears of escalation and growing mistrust, the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) leadership acknowledged “flaws” in the governance of the semi-autonomous region in northeast Syria, last Thursday (Sept 7), and that there were “mistakes on the ground”. Tribal leaders in the region accused the SDF of depriving them of their oil wealth after the SDF fought off ISIL, and that tribal Arab areas were neglected in favour of Kurdish-majority areas. SDF denied the claims that it has been discriminating against the majority Arab population under its rule.
• Anti-government demonstrations in Syria tore down a portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad last Friday (Sept 8). Protests had been ongoing over the past three weeks, and are reminiscent of the Arab Springs of 2011. Over 2,000 people marched in the government-held city of Swedia, in southern Syria. The worsening economy of the war-torn country had pushed many to break the silence on the mounting discontent at the cost of living and the rampant poverty. Demonstrators also tore down a portrait of the former President and al-Assad’s father, that was hanging on a government building.

Africa:

• An estimated 2,012 were killed and 2,059 were injured in Morocco’s 6.8 magnitude earthquake at 11pm local time (22:00 GMT), last Saturday (Sept 9)—the strongest the country had seen in a century. Tens of aftershocks were recorded, with the strongest at a magnitude of five. Six provinces on the Atlas mountains were hit, affecting eight to ten million people in those areas. There were also reports of damage to the famous red walls, and the collapsing of many of the old buildings in the old city of Marrakesh, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which were already prone to collapse due to their fragility. Many countries have expressed their sympathies, with the US, the UK, Turkey and Israel ready to send in aid.
• The African Union was granted membership to the G20 last Saturday (Sept 9). The move would increase Africa’s negotiating position in global discussions, and would have possible impacts on climate talks. The group had been divided on climate action solutions including committing to increase renewable energy standards, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and phasing out the use of fossil fuels. The AU’s membership came days after the Africa Climate Summit concluded last Wednesday (Sept 6), which saw the proposal of new global taxes and reforms to international financial institutions to fund climate change action, among which the switch to clean energy was the most prominent. The UN reported that while Africa only contributes about two to three per cent of global emissions, it suffers the most from climate change with extreme weather becoming more frequent in recent years.
• General Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema was sworn in as Gabon’s president after ousting President Ali Bongo Ondimba last Monday (Sept 4). The Bongo family had been ruling Gabon for decades after an election that was widely seen as greatly flawed. The coup was generally supported by the people but opposed by the African Union and the international community. Oligui promised in his inauguration speech that the military will return power to the people by organising free, transparent and credible elections. It was reported that Oligui plans to rewrite the constitution and electoral code, which analysts say would lengthen the transition period. Opposition candidate, Albert Ondo Ossa, said it was not a coup but a palace revolution where one brother replaced another, as Oligui is a cousin of Bongo.
• 17 soldiers and 36 volunteers assisting the Burkina Faso’s military were killed in an attack from rebel fighters in the Yatenga province last Monday (Sept 4), where residents were being resettled after forced to leave due to rebel fighting two years prior. The army announced the following day that military operations are underway to disable these terrorist forces, as several dozen rebels were killed and their weapons destroyed. Burkina Faso, like the rest of the Sahel region of Africa, is struggling against al-Qaeda and ISIL linked violence. The coups in Burkina Faso have led to an increase of attacks and violence in the country, and the number of civilians killed since the first coup has more than tripled to 762.
• A group affiliated with al-Qaeda has claimed credit for two recent attacks in Mali that targeted a civilian passenger boat and a military camp last Thursday (Sept 7). The death count and number of injured from these attacks have yet to be released, but the estimation is 49 civilians and 15 soldiers dead. Mali, part of the Sahel region that is experiencing major instability and coups, is struggling with increased violence from armed groups affiliated with al-Qaeda and the ISIL group. Mali’s interim government, led by coup leader Colonel Assimi Goita, declared three days of national mourning.