North & Central America
U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton threatened sanctions on members of the International Criminal Court if it moved to investigate alleged U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan. In a warning to other nations, Bolton also said he would remember who cooperates with the court when “setting U.S. foreign assistance, military assistance, and intelligence sharing levels.” Critics see Bolton as a dangerous enemy to the world’s most prominent criminal tribunal. U.S. armed forces are accused of abusing, torturing, and raping at least 88 Afghan detainees in CIA interrogation centers between 2002 and 2014.
California will operate entirely on zero-emission sources by 2045, according to a new bill signed into law this week. With a population of almost 40 million, California is the largest political entity to declare such an ambitious goal. The state already gets around 32% of its energy from clean sources. In contrast, this week the Trump Administration is expected to announce a plan to make it easier for companies to release methane into the air. The administration claims that current Obama-era regulations are too costly and difficult to maintain.
Over one million people in North and South Carolina were told to evacuate before Hurricane Florence makes landfall. The category 4 storm is expected to hit the east coast by Thursday. High winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding are expected.
Protests erupted in Guatemala this week as President Jimmy Morales announced he would expel a UN-backed anti-corruption agency from the country by the end of the year. The agency, knowns as the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), is in Guatemala investigating the president’s family for alleged corruption. Outside observers such as the UN and the EU have criticized Morales’ decision.
South America
Brazilian presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro was stabbed in the stomach during a campaign rally last week. The far right candidate is a front runner in the election. He was in critical condition when taken to the hospital, but is now stable. This election season is turning out to be a contentious and violent one in Brazil. This was the second violent episode at a rally so far.
Colombian President Ivan Duque and ELN rebels are at an impasse due to Duque’s insistence that the rebels release all hostages before peace talks continue. The rebels claim they are working on releasing their sixteen remaining hostages, but maintain that their release was not part of the original peace deal. Duque, who became president in early August, has held a tougher stance against the rebels than his predecessor.
Europe
Sweden’s general election left the two main parliamentary blocs almost tied. The centre-left bloc has 40.6% of the vote and the centre-right has 40.2%, with 99% of votes counted. Sweden will now embark on long negotiations to determine a minority/majority government. The anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats made gains on their previous results, winning 17.6% of the vote. The governing Social Democrats fell to 28.4%, the lowest percentage in a century.
The EU’s top negotiator thinks Brexit is possible by November if both sides are realistic. However, British Prime Minister Theresa May is still struggling to gain support for her Brexit plan from within her own party. Eighty Tories have signaled they would oppose her plan if brought to a vote. A deal must be made before the U.K.’s scheduled exit in March 2019.
Middle East
The United States will cease contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, a relief agency for Palestinian refugees. The State Department called the organization an “irredeemably flawed operation” and criticized other countries for not contributing. The U.S. contributed about one-third of the organization’s $1.1 billion budget. Palestinians and others said the decision will make an already bad humanitarian situation worse, especially in Gaza.
More than 30,000 Syrians have been displaced in the latest offensive on Idlib, the last remaining stronghold of Syrian rebels. There are close to three million people in Idlib, half of whom are already internally displaced people from elsewhere in the country. If the Syrian government and its allies launch a full-scale ground and air assault on the region, it could result in the worst humanitarian crisis of the 21st Century, experts warn. However, an assault may not be imminent, according to some rebel leaders. This piece outlines the many competing forces and alliances involved in the Syrian Civil War and discusses the possible outcomes of an invasion by the Syrian government. To date, the war has caused over half a million deaths and forced 11 million people to flee their homes.
The Iraqi parliament is continuing debates over who should be the country’s next Prime Minister. Current PM Haider Al Abadi seems increasingly unlikely to keep his post. This week, the most prominent Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani withdrew his support seemingly due to a deteriorating situation in Basra. Without the support of top Shiite officials, Al Abadi would have to gain the support of new allies to maintain his post.
Leaders from around the world wished Jewish people a happy new year this weekend. The Jewish New Year began on Sunday at sundown. Iran’s Javad Zarif tweeted, “As the sun gives way to the moon, I wish all my Jewish compatriots and Jews worldwide a very Happy New Year filled with peace and harmony. Happy Rosh Hashanah.” In a year that saw Iranian and Israeli forces clash directly, the statement is a rare moment of regional tolerance.
Central & South Asia
Bombings killed at least 20 people, including two journalists, and wounded 70 others in an attack on a sports club in Kabul. The journalists worked for Tolo News. So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though the so-called Islamic State has carried out similar attacks in the district.
India’s supreme court overturned a 157-year-old law criminalizing gay sex, a huge victory for the country’s LGBT community. The colonial-era law was one of the world’s oldest bans on consensual gay sex and was struck down unanimously. People celebrated around the country, but stigma still exists. Many in India are extremely conservative, and gay people sometimes face harassment, threats, or blackmail. The South Asia director for Human Rights Watch told the New York Times she hoped the ruling would encourage other nations to act.
Bangladeshi photographer and rights activist Shahidul Alam is in jail for documenting recent student protests in his home country. This feature tells his story while highlighting the best of his work.
East & Southeast Asia
Typhoon Jebi hit western Japan last week, the strongest typhoon to hit the country in 25 years. At least 10 people have died, hundreds of flights were canceled, and a tanker was smashed into a bridge.
In response to China’s treatment of Uighurs and other minority groups, the Trump administration is considering sanctions against Chinese officials and companies. Beijing has put hundreds of thousands of ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims in internment camps, a move that has drawn widespread criticism and investigation. The sanctions would be one of the first times the administration has taken action against China because of human rights violations, according to the New York Times.
Cambodia’s opposition leader, Kem Sokha, has been released from jail. He was imprisoned last year on charges that are widely seen as political. The ruling party swept elections last month after deeming the opposition party “illegal,” and dismantling it. Sokha’s lawyer says he will not speak at this time.
The Women’s U.S. Open final was a dramatic affair that has inspired think pieces across the internet. But after the dust settled, Japan had its first Grand Slam Champion. Naomi Osaka, the Haitian-Japanese rising star, defeated her idol Serena Williams to claim her first major championship. Now, she sets off on a mission to become Japan’s first top-ranked tennis player in the world.
Africa
A Ugandan pop star turned opposition politician won a seat in parliament last year, then was arrested last month on charges of inciting violence. Now, he is in the United States for treatment, and says he was brutally tortured by Ugandan soldiers. Uganda’s security minister denied the claims.
Ten South Sudanese soldiers were sentenced to prison for killing a journalist and raping foreign aid workers in a 2016 hotel attack in Juba. NPR reports that “Government troops stormed through layer after layer of gates at the Terrain Hotel. Over several hours, the soldiers executed journalist John Gatluak Nhial near a stand of trees and gang-raped humanitarian workers, including an American, an Italian and a Dutch national.” The court also ordered the government to pay $2.2 million to the owner of the hotel, 51 cattle to the relatives of the journalist, and $4,000 to each rape victim.
More than 100 migrants died in a shipwreck off the coast of Libya this week. As we discussed last week, the journey from North Africa to Europe has become increasingly dangerous. Though fewer people are leaving North Africa for Europe than in 2017, those making the trek are becoming more desperate, leading to catastrophic events.
