14 July 2016
Week in Brief: International
Europe
CYPRUS: Newly-discovered natural gas fields off the coast of Cyprus could lead to a détente between the Greek-Cypriot government and Turkey.
GERMANY: MPs passed new sexual assault laws, as two migrants were convicted of sexual assault over the New Year’s Eve attacks in Cologne.
A white paper on defence is due to be published, proposing a leading military role for Germany in Nato and in a European defence union.
GREECE: Hundreds of migrants broke out of a refugee centre on the island of Leros, in protest against criminal activities and violence among certain migrants inside the centre.
ITALY: Migrant fatalities are rising as people-smugglers are sending boats out from North Africa in concentrated groups.
A head-on collision between two trains near Bari killed 25 people and injured at least 50.
The Senate voted to stop supplying Egypt with spare parts for the F-16 fighter jets in protest at the lack of progress in the investigation into the murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni. Egypt retaliated by threatening to stop co-operating with Italy over the migrant crisis.
RUSSIA: At least 50 naval officers have been sacked in a purge of the Baltic Fleet by the defence ministry. The fleet is undergoing a £1 billion overhaul, with 30 new ships due by 2020.
SPAIN: The Barcelona and Argentina soccer player Lionel Messi and his father were found guilty of tax evasion. He was given a suspended prison sentence of 21 months and fined €2.09 million. His father was given the same sentence and fined €1.5 million.
A bullfighter was gored to death by a bull in Teruel, the first man to die in the ring in 30 years. Two men were killed in local bullfighting fiestas elsewhere in Spain.
Middle East and Africa
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO: Moise Katumbi, the leading opposition candidate to challenge President Kabila in elections later this year, claimed that he was poisoned by policemen last May in an attempt by the government to murder him.
EGYPT: A report by Amnesty International said that as many as four people every day are detained by security forces and disappear into secret detention centres where torture and abuse are routine.
IRAQ: The UN said that 900 Sunni men from Fallujah are still missing and at least 50 have been killed, having been detained by Shia groups after the recapture of the city from Isis.
ISRAEL: The police announced that they are investigating allegations of money laundering against prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
KENYA: Kenya is building a wall along its 440 mile border with Somalia to keep terrorists out. Israel is helping with the construction.
SOUTH AFRICA: Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to six years in prison for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp.
SOUTH SUDAN: Armed conflict between the followers of President Kiir and vice-president Machar broke out in the capital Juba, killing at least 270 people. The president and vice-president are engaged in talks about forming a government of national unity. Conflict between Kiir’s Dinka tribe and Machar’s Nuer tribe has periodically plunged the country into civil war since its independence in 2011.
SYRIA: On the last day of a three-day Eid ceasefire, airstrikes killed at least 22 people in Darkush (held by the al-Qaeda linked rebel group the Nusra Front), according to the Syrian Observatory For Human Rights.
Isis shot down a Russian helicopter, killing two pilots.
Rebel forces raided Aleppo’s ancient citadel, a base used by regime snipers since the start of the war.
TURKEY: Turkey and Israel have begun discussions about plans for a natural gas pipeline from newly discovered fields off the coast of Israel to Turkey. See also under Cyprus.
ZIMBABWE: Unpaid civil servants led a general strike. Anti-Mugabe demonstrators clashed with riot police. The authorities are trying to block internet apps and services in an attempt to close down growing protests about the cash shortage and corruption.
Far East, Asia and Pacific
AUSTRALIA: As vote-counting after last week’s election nears completion, Malcolm Turnbull’s centre-right coalition has won 74 seats out of 150, Labour has 66 seats, and other parties have 5. Results for 5 seats yet to be announced, which could give Mr Turnbull an absolute majority.
BANGLADESH: Terrorists armed with guns and petrol bombs attacked worshippers celebrating Eid in Kishoreganj. Two policemen, a woman and one of the attackers were killed and at least twelve people were injured.
CHINA: Storms and flooding killed 130 people and caused extensive damage in central and southern China.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration at the Hague ruled that China has no valid territorial claims in the South China Seas. China dismissed the judgement and refuses to relinquish its claims in the area. The judgement was a victory for the Philippines which brought the case three years ago and which, along with Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei, disputes China’s claims of sovereignty over various islands. See comment Might or Right.
JAPAN: In elections to the upper house, prime minister Shinzo Abe’s Liberal Democrat Party won two-thirds of the seats. It already has two-thirds of the lower house. This overwhelming majority means he can now push ahead with constitutional reforms (including revision of Article 9, the peace clause) and economic reforms. The voting age was reduced from 20 to 18.
KOREA, NORTH: The US Treasury has imposed financial sanctions on Kim Jong Un, ten other senior officials and five state agencies, for human rights abuses. North Korea test fired a ballistic missile from a submarine.
KOREA, SOUTH: The US and South Korea will establish the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence System, a shield against missile attacks from North Korea. China has objected, as the shield’s radar range could extend into Chinese territory.
SRI LANKA: The foreign minister announced that a special court will be set up next year to hear human rights abuse allegations arising from Sri Lanka’s civil war.
TAIWAN: Taiwan is braced for the arrival of typhoon Nepartak, with winds expected to be up to 163mph.
America
ARGENTINA: The assets of former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner have been frozen by a judge as part of the investigation into currency transactions allegedly made while she was president.
USA: Two men of colour were killed by police in two separate shootings – one in St Paul, Minnesota, and one in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Both killings were filmed by witnesses and broadcast on social media. The killings provoked peaceful protests and violent demonstrations across the country. A gunmen shot five policemen dead and wounded seven more during a protest march in Dallas. President Obama cut short his trip to Europe to fly to Dallas.
Bernie Sanders finally endorsed Hilary Clinton as the Democrat’s candidate for the White House. In return, Ms Clinton has agreed to a progressive manifesto which includes reform of financial markets and a minimum wage of $15. See comment The Dog Days of Summer.
President Obama announced that fewer troops than planned would be withdrawn from Afghanistan before 2017.
Two Russian diplomats were expelled, as a protest against the harassment of US diplomats in Russia. A US diplomat was attacked by a Russian policeman in Moscow last month.
The first death caused by the Zika virus in the US was recorded in Utah. The victim was elderly, with an underlying health condition.
VENEZUELA: Tens of thousands of Venezuelans crossed into Colombia to shop for essentials not available in their own country, when a bridge on the border was re-opened for twelve hours. The border was closed a year ago as an anti-smuggling measure.
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