20 October 2016
Week in Brief: International
Europe
AUSTRIA: The government has bought the house in Braunau where Adolf Hitler was born, and plans to demolish it so it can’t become a neo-Nazi shrine.
BELGIUM: The Wallonian parliament has blocked the trade deal between the EU and Canada.
FRANCE: In the first debate between the candidates for the Republican leadership, Alain Juppé was judged to have performed better than Nicolas Sarkozy.
GERMANY: The Syrian terror suspect who was detained last week, after going on the run following a police raid on an apartment where bomb-making equipment was discovered, was found dead in a prison cell. He had apparently committed suicide.
Chancellor Merkel’s chances of a fourth term in office improved after two potential rivals for office withdrew from the race.
GREECE: A bomb exploded outside the home of a prosecutor in Athens. An extreme left-wing group claimed responsibility.
HUNGARY: The liberal newspaper Nepszabadsag was closed. The owners said it was making a loss, but thousands of protestors claim that the closure was a political decision dictated by Victor Orban’s governing Fidesz party.
UKRAINE: A separatist rebel leader, Arseny Pavlov, was killed by a bomb-blast in his Donetsk apartment block. Some blame the Kiev government for his assassination; others blame in-fighting among rebels; others claim that the Kremlin is attempting to bring maverick rebels under control.
Middle East and Africa
EGYPT: The authorities have agreed to release the remains of passengers who died in the Airbus A320 crash. Egypt has been reluctant to do so until French investigators agreed with Egyptian investigators that the crash was the result of a terrorist attack; French experts insists that there is insufficient evidence.
ETHIOPIA: A state of emergency has been declared as unrest among marginalised ethnic groups (the Oromo and the Amhara) continues. Reports claim that at least 500 people have been killed during demonstrations.
IRAN: Two US warships came under fire in the Gulf of Aden, apparently from Houthi rebels. USS Nitze retaliated by firing missiles at Houthi targets. Iran, which apparently backs the Houthis, announced that it is sending two warships to the region.
IRAQ: The battle for Mosul, Iraq’s second city which was seized by Isis in June 2014, has begun. A coalition force of about 40,000 (Iraqi troops, Kurdish peshmerga, Shia militias, Sunni militias and western special forces) will be supported by western airpower as they attempt to force Isis fighters (estimated to be between 5,000 and 10,000 strong) from the city. Mosul’s civilian population (estimated between 700,000 and 1.8 million) is largely Sunni (as is Isis); winning their trust will be as big a challenge for the largely Shia forces of Iraq as defeating Isis. Maintaining the coalition, consisting of forces backed by Turkey, Iran and the USA as well the Iraqi army, will also be a challenge. Iraq has complained about the presence of Turkish soldiers (ostensibly training Sunni militias for the assault on Mosul) on its soil. See comment A Tale of Two Cities.
Isis has begun to use a new improvised weapon – ‘off the shelf’ drones loaded with explosives.
LIBYA: An attempt to overthrow the UN-backed Government of National Accord has been made by a politician from the General National Congress (one of the two governments which the GNA is supposed to replace). Khalifa Ghweil has seized government offices in Tripoli with the help of armed groups. Gunfire and explosions around the city have been reported.
The Italian press has reported that Isis is buying weapons from the ‘Ndrangheta mafia with looted archaeological treasures, which the mafia then sell to Russian, Chinese, Japanese and Gulf collectors.
NIGER: An American aid worker has been abducted by suspected Islamist terrorists from Mali. Two guards were killed.
NIGERIA: Boko Haram released 21 of the girls kidnapped from school two and a half years ago. Four captured Boko Haram commanders were then released from custody.
SAUDI ARABIA: Saudi Arabia has suspended petrol deliveries due to be supplied to Egypt by Aramco under a 5 year contract. This is seen as a sign of growing tension between the two countries, apparently over the conduct of the wars in Yemen and Syria (the Saudis support the rebels fighting President Assad of Syria whereas Egypt is forging closer ties with Russia which supports Assad).
SOUTH AFRICA: Violent protests against tuition fees continue at universities. Demonstrating students are also calling for the ‘decolonisation’ of the syllabus.
SYRIA: Turkish and rebel forces have recaptured the village of Dabiq from Isis. Isis preached that the village would be the site of the final, apocalyptic battle between east and west.
The Saudi foreign minister said that Saudi Arabia will send more weapons and military support to the rebels, as peace talks have faltered.
Russia agreed to an eight-hour ceasefire in Aleppo to take place today.
See comment A Tale of Two Cities.
YEMEN: A 72-hour ceasefire has begun, to enable the delivery of aid. The war between Houthi rebels and forces backing the ousted president Hadi has created a humanitarian disaster, currently the biggest in the world; 4000 civilians have been killed, and 21 million are in need of food, shelter and medical attention.
Far East, Asia and Pacific
CHINA: A Long March rocket blasted two astronauts into space from the Gobi Desert. They will spend 30 days in China’s new space station, the Tiangong-2.
INDIA: At least 24 people died when crowds stampeded during a religious ceremony in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
MALDIVES: The Maldives has left the Commonwealth, after being criticised for not doing enough to tackle problems of human rights and corruption.
PAKISTAN: At least 25 people were killed and 69 injured when two buses collided near Khanpur.
PHILIPPINES: Two police officers have been detained and are to be charged with the murder of a woman who was killed by masked motorcylists.
President Duterte has made a state visit to China. Commentators see this as a further sign that he is trying to replace the USA (his country’s traditional ally) with China.
THAILAND: The popular and respected King Bhumibol Adulyadej died, aged 88. He was the longest reigning monarch in the world. A year of mourning has been declared.
America
BRAZIL: Clashes between rival gangs have resulted in 10 people killed in a jail in Roraima state and 8 people killed in a jail in Rondonia state.
USA: A Republican campaign office in North Carolina was fire-bombed in an arson attack. The third and final presidential debate took place on Wednesday.
This year’s Nobel prize for literature was awarded to Bob Dylan.
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