North America
- The US approved the US$23 billion (S$30.81) sale of 40 F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, along with modernization kits for existing jets, after Turkey ratified Sweden’s NATO accession last Saturday (Jan 27). The approval also included the sale of 40 F-35 fighters to Greece. Turkey’s initial request faced delays due to concerns over Sweden’s alleged support for Kurdish separatists. President Biden had urged swift approval, highlighting Turkey’s significance in the Black Sea region post-Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Senator Ben Cardin approved the sale but emphasised the need for Turkey to improve human rights and hold Russia accountable.
- Sergey Ochigava, a 46-year-old Russian man, was found guilty by a US federal court in California last Saturday (Jan 27), for stowing away on an aircraft. He had boarded a Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen to Los Angeles in November without a ticket, passport, or visa. Ochigava managed to bypass security by tailgating another passenger through a turnstile gate. On the flight, cabin crew members noticed him moving between unassigned seats, requesting multiple meals during service, and attempting to eat crew members’ chocolate. Border agents, unable to find any official record of him on the flight, discovered Russian and Israeli ID cards in his bag.
- US lawmakers pushed for new legislation to criminalise deep fake image creation last Friday (Jan 26), following the widespread circulation of explicit, fabricated photos of Taylor Swift on platforms like X and Telegram. X actively removed the images, but one garnered 47 million views before removal. At that time, no federal laws in the US addressed deep fake creation or sharing. Representative Joe Morelle emphasised the urgent need for action, citing the harm caused, especially to women. Globally, concerns about AI-generated content were rising, with Swift’s team considering legal action against the publishing site.
- Alabama carried out its first nitrogen gas execution last Friday (Jan 26). Kenneth Smith’s execution in Alabama drew condemnation from the UN, which deemed it cruel, while the state insisted it was carried out humanely. Smith, convicted in 1989 of murdering Elizabeth Sennett in a killing-for-hire, thrashed violently on the gurney, lasting around 25 minutes, according to witnesses. The execution, using nitrogen hypoxia, was developed as an alternative method due to challenges in obtaining lethal injection drugs. Smith’s last words expressed gratitude and love, and a witness noted the unprecedented nature of his reaction to the nitrogen gas. Nitrogen hypoxia causes cells to break down, leading to death.
- The Supreme Court cleared the way for border agents to remove the wire barrier in Texas last Monday (Jan 22). The Supreme Court sided with the Biden administration, allowing Border Patrol to remove razor wire in Texas that had been installed by state officials along the southern border. This decision was part of a broader conflict between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and the Biden administration over border enforcement. Despite federal jurisdiction over immigration matters, Governor Abbott had deployed National Guard troops and fortified the Rio Grande with razor wire. The Supreme Court’s decision specifically addressed the razor wire issue and did not resolve Texas’s recent actions in controlling a riverfront park in Eagle Pass, denying Border Patrol access.
- According to reports from last Tuesday (Jan 23), a helicopter carrying skiers crashed in Canada, resulting in at least three fatalities.Northern Escape Heli-Skiing did not immediately provide further details about the helicopter crash that occurred last Tuesday (Jan 23), emphasising their focus on assisting those affected. The company collaborated with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and authorities investigating the incident, as stated by John Forrest, president of Northern Escape. The crash involved at least seven people, some of whom were hospitalised with serious injuries, according to David Jephson of Terrace Search and Rescue. Additional helicopters converged near the crash site for search-and-rescue efforts as night approached. The rescue group received initial reports about the crash just before 4 p.m. local time. Northern Escape expressed profound grief in a company statement, and Terrace’s Mills Memorial Hospital prepared to receive patients from the incident.
South America:
- Sulfonic acid, potentially a very potent and lethal chemical, leaked into the Rio Seco in Joinville, southern Brazil. The treatment station was closed last Monday (Jan 22) morning in order to prevent the intake of contaminated water which could potentially affect dozens of neighbourhood’s access to drinking water. In response, citizens have been stockpiling bottled water in order to prepare for the potential crisis.
- As reported last Tuesday (Jan 23), hundreds fled the cartel battles in Southern Mexico after the Chiapas violence. Rival cartels fight for the control of routes used to smuggle drugs and migrants. Locals also describe cowering in their homes whilst bullets flew through their homes during a seven-hour gun fight. More than 700 residents have been displaced from their communities near the Guatemala border, as according to an official
- The Colombian Human Rights Ombudsman urged strong action by local authorities of high-risk areas for wildfires to prevent fires last Friday (Jan 26). This is while the environment minister warned the Andean country faced the new climate dangers. The government of leftist President Gustavo Petro had also said that it will declare a natural disaster to free up the resources for tackling fires ravaging Colombia as a dry season has been exacerbated by a strong El Nino
- Dozens were arrested in Ecuador over the hospital takeover attempt, as reported last Monday (22 Jan) The police in Ecuador have arrested over 68 people who were suspected to be members of criminal gangs over an alleged attempt to take over a hospital. The Ecuador state has imposed a 60 day state of emergency as it battles to control organised crime cartels.
- Authorities rescued a group of 30 migrants after the boat capsizes near Puerto Rico last Thursday (Jan 25), killing a total of two individuals. The survivors estimated that the boat was carrying between 30 to 50 passengers, according to the Coast Guard in a statement. The vast majority of migrants also reigned from Haiti as well as the Dominican Republic.
Europe:
- Protesting farmers in Europe blockaded roads and camped outside of the European parliament building in Brussels last Thursday (Jan 25), ahead of a EU leaders’ summit in the Belgian capital. Farmers have been protesting against rising costs in the agriculture sectors as well as falling prices for the produce.
- Belarus authorities arrested the families of potential political prisoners in a fresh crackdown. After conducting mass raids, interrogations and arrests of dozens of friends and relatives of political prisoners, at least 159 individuals were persecuted across the country last Tuesday (Jan 23) in a “massive security raid” carried out by the Belarusian State Security Committee, referred to as the Belarusian KGB, as according to the Viasna Human Rights Center.
- France announced it would tighten immigration law after the court scraps more measures. The French government stated it would be pushing through a controversial immigration law despite many of the measures being struck out as invalid, according to reports last Wednesday (Jan 24).
- French Prime Minister, Gabriel Attal, made a promise last Friday (Jan 26) to end rising fuel costs as well as the simplification of regulations. The farmer’s grievances included the increasing cost of farm diesel, late payment of the European Union (EU) subsidies, burgeoning bureaucracy as well as the competition from imports. He announced “10 immediate measures” to help which includes the scrapping the plan that would increase the cost of fuel.
- The state of Ukraine was reported to have uncovered a US$40 million (S$53.73 million) arms corruption scheme. The Security Service of Ukraine had mentioned that there were 5 charged over the plot to embezzle funds earmarked to purchase 100,000 mortar shells, as reported last Sunday (Jan 28).
Asia Pacific:
- North Korea fired cruise missiles off the east coast, according to reports by Seoul last Sunday (Jan 28). North Korea has heightened regional tensions with repeated missile tests in recent months, including a launch near the port of Sinpo last Sunday (28 Jan). Details about the missiles are yet to be disclosed. Last Wednesday (Jan 24), a new strategic cruise missile, Pulhwasal-3-31, was test-fired. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff reported close coordination with the United States to monitor provocations. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s aggressive policy has involved testing a new solid-fueled missile and underwater attack drones allegedly capable of carrying a nuclear weapon since January. Kim’s recent declaration designating South Korea as the “principal enemy” has raised concerns about preparations for war, with South Korea ready to retaliate strongly, citing overwhelming response capabilities.
- After 49 years on the run, authorities think they may have got their man. After 49 years on the run, authorities believed they may have found Kirishima, a member of a militant group responsible for deadly bombings in the 1970s. A patient near Tokyo, admitted under a different name and suffering from terminal cancer, claimed to be Kirishima. The East Asia Anti-Japan Armed Front, a radical, left-wing organisation to which Kirishima belonged, was behind bombings in Tokyo from 1972 to 1975, including an attack that killed eight at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ headquarters in 1974. Japan’s National Police Agency listed Kirishima as wanted for “serial bombings of companies.” The man’s claim underwent DNA testing to confirm his identity.
- India dismissed Pakistan’s accusation of its involvement in the 2023 killings of two Pakistani citizens on Pakistani soil, labelling the claims “false.” Tensions had escalated as Pakistan asserted having “credible evidence” linking the killings to Indian agents, labelling it a violation of sovereignty. India had dismissed the allegations as “malicious anti-India propaganda” and accused Pakistan of being an “epicentre of terrorism.” Specific details about the alleged targeted killings and the victims were not disclosed by Pakistan. The exchange of accusations compounded existing tensions between the two nations, following previous claims involving India in the murder of a Sikh separatist in Canada, which India denied.
- Japan sentenced a man to death for the Kyoto anime fire that resulted in the deaths of 36 people, as reported last Friday (Jan 26). Shinji Aoba, 45, was sentenced to death for the Kyoto anime studio fire that killed 36 people, mainly young artists, in one of Japan’s deadliest incidents in recent decades. Despite pleading guilty, Aoba’s lawyers sought a lenient sentence, citing “mental incompetence,” but judges rejected this claim, asserting that Aoba was aware of his actions. Chief Judge Masuda stated that Aoba was not mentally insane or weak during the crime, emphasising the severity and tragedy of the incident. The attack occurred in July 2019 at Kyoto Animation, and Aoba claimed he was motivated by the belief that his work had been stolen by the studio. Prosecutors sought the death penalty, pointing out Aoba’s accusation of plagiarism against Kyoto Animation. During the attack, he splashed petrol and set the studio on fire, resulting in national mourning and widespread shock in Japan.
- Dozens dead after fire breaks out in a China shop according to reports from last Thursday (Jan 25). The incident, which occurred in Jiangxi province, prompted President Xi Jinping to call for an investigation and decisive action to prevent similar tragedies. Footage from state-backed Global Times depicted smoke billowing from buildings and individuals jumping from windows. This incident followed the recent fire in a school dormitory in Henan province that resulted in 13 children’s deaths, with seven staff members subsequently arrested. Previous incidents, such as a coal company office fire in Shanxi province and a barbecue restaurant explosion in north-western China, had raised concerns about workplace safety nationwide.
Middle East:
- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) released its interim ruling last Friday (Jan 26), ordering Israel to refrain from committing acts of genocide, and to allow aid to enter the Gaza Strip – however, stopped short of calling for a complete ceasefire. The move marked a decisive step towards international accountability for Israel’s military onslaught in the besieged enclave. The Court found it was “plausible” that Israel has committed acts that violate the Genocide Convention, despite being unable to provide an immediate ruling on whether the country has committed genocide. The ICJ’s provisional measures to “prevent and punish” such acts are legally binding, but does not have the power to enforce them on Netanyahu’s administration, which rejected the ruling as “outrageous”.
- The death toll in Israel’s war on Gaza passed 26,000 last week, with hundreds of Palestinians fleeing further south last Wednesday (Jan 24), as Israeli forces advanced deeper into the city of Khan Younis, where Gazans were previously instructed to seek refuge from bombardment. The city, previously declared a “safe zone” from military activity in the northern Gaza Strip. Israel said its ground forces “encircled” the city of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip last Tuesday (Jan 23), after 24 of its soldiers were killed in the enclave in its largest single-day toll in the three-month war. Israeli forces targeted hospitals, ambulances and schools where thousands of civilians had been sheltering, while Gaza’s Ministry of Health warned that Nasser Hospital and Al-Amal Hospital in Khan Younis were in “grave danger” from the bombardments. Israel had also accused, in a 6-page dossier, 190 UN personnel in Gaza of doubling as Hamas or Islamic Jihad militants, including teachers. It had names and pictures for 11 of them. causing nine major Western countries to suspend aid to the UN Palestinian refugee agency. The organisation denied these allegations, criticising the move to cut funding as a “collective punishment” of Palestinians. UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said he was shocked such decisions were taken as “famine looms” in Gaza, while UN chief Antonio Guterres urged donor nations to maintain much-needed Gaza aid.
- A United Kingdom vessel shot down a drone belonging to the Iran-backed Houthi faction in the Red Sea last Sunday (Jan 28), according to the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence. has said, as tensions in the Middle East soar amid the ongoing war in Gaza.The Yemen-based group pledged to target Israel-linked vessels to create global pressure for Israel to end its bombardment of Gaza and allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave, causing disruptions to maritime trade in the region.
- Iran’s government denied involvement in a drone attack in Jordan that killed three US military personnel and injured dozens of others, last Sunday (Jan 28). US President Joe Biden and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron blamed Iran-backed groups for Sunday’s attack near the border with Syria. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed groups, claimed attacks targeting three bases, including one on the Jordan-Syria border. Jordan condemned the “terrorist attack” on a military advance post just inside its border with Syria and said it was cooperating with Washington to secure its frontier. Iran’s Foreign Affairs spokesman Nasser Kanaani said the attacks were in independent responses by such groups to “the war crimes and genocide of the child-killing Zionist regime” and that “they do not take orders from the Islamic Republic of Iran.” The deaths mark the first US casualties in the region since the Israel-Hamas war broke out on October 7. Regional tensions have flared as a result of Israel’s military affront in Gaza, with Western clashes against Yemen’s Houthi faction in the Red Sea, cross-border fire between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and these intensified attacks on US military bases in Iraq and neighbouring Syria.
- A civil case accusing United States President Joe Biden and other senior US officials of the “failure to prevent and complicity in the Israeli government’s unfolding genocide” began at a federal court in California, last Friday (Jan 26). Lawyers representing Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, attended the proceedings along with the plaintiffs – The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a US civil liberties group, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of the human rights organisation, Defence for Children – Palestine; Al-Haq, a Palestinian human rights group based in the occupied West Bank; and eight Palestinians and US citizens with relatives in Gaza. The CCR argued that by providing weapons to Israel, the US’s support violates the 1948 Genocide Convention. Meanwhile, according to the media, lawyers for the Biden administration argued the court does not have the authority to rule on such matters, citing the “separation of powers in the United States” in which the executive branch is “not amenable to judicial action by other branches of power”.
Africa:
- Mali’s military rulers announced the cancellation of the 2015 Algiers Accord peace deal with separatist rebels after months of fighting in the West African nation, last Thursday (Jan 25), due to other signatories ‘not keeping their commitments and hostility by chief mediator Algeria’. The agreement was strained last year as fighting between separatists and government troops escalated amid the withdrawal of the UN peacekeeping mission from Mali. The agreement was drawn between Bamako and armed groups mainly of the Tuareg ethnic group. The rebel alliance group, CMA, said it was not surprised by the decision, expecting the termination since “ “they brought in Wagner, chased out MINUSMA [the UN peacekeeping group] and started hostilities by attacking our positions on the ground”.
- Military-led West African nations Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, announced their immediate withdrawal from regional bloc ECOWAS, last Sunday (Jan 28), accusing the body of becoming a threat to its members. ECOWAS, aimed to promote economic integration, said it was committed to finding a negotiated solution. The 15-member bloc had previously suspended and imposed sanctions on the three nations, in response to the military coup d’états in recent years.
- 52 people were reported killed and 64 injured in attacks in the disputed Abyei region between Sudan and South Sudan, last Saturday and Sunday (Jan 27 and 28). Bulis Koch, the information minister for Abyei, reported that armed youth from South Sudan’s Warrap state carried out raids in Abyei last Saturday (Jan 27). It was the deadliest incident in a spate of attacks since 2021 related to the boundary dispute. Bulis Koch, the information minister for Abyei, reported that armed youth from South Sudan’s Warrap state carried out raids into neighbouring Abyei on Saturday. Tensions have increased in the region related to the location of an “administrative boundary” that contributes significant tax revenue. Hundreds of civilians took shelter at a UNISFA base, with a curfew imposed.
- US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken pledged US$45 million (S$60.26) to boost coastal West African security, extending funding of an ongoing programme in the region to US$300 million (S$401.76), during his trip Abidjan, in the Ivory Coast. Blinken praised counterinsurgency measures by the Ivorian military in warding off armed groups despite being wedged between Mali and Burkina Faso, amid violence in the Sahel region. The diplomatic trip was considered a show of support following recent democratic instability in West Africa, however analysts said the visits were attempts by the United States to build new security partnerships amid waning Western influence in the region.
- International watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused the Burkina Faso army of killing at least 60 civilians in drone strikes which the government said targeted armed groups, last Thursday (Jan 25). The deaths occurred in three military drone strikes since August, two at crowded markets and another at a funeral. The report claimed the military “used one of the most accurate weapons in its arsenal to attack large groups of people, causing the loss of numerous civilian lives in violation of the laws of war”, urging the government to investigate and hold those responsible to account.
