The world at aglance NEWS 929 February 2020 THE WEEKTehran
Skewedelection:Theocratichardliners
wonasweepingvictoryinIran’s
parliamentaryelectionlastFriday,largely
thankstomanymoderatesboycottingthe
pollowingtothelimitedchoiceof
oppositioncandidates.Overallturnout
was42.6%,itslowestlevelsincethe
revolutionin1979,anditreportedlyfellto
just 25 %inTehran.Analystssaidthevote
mayhavebeentheleastrepresentativein
theIslamicrepublic’shistory.Almosthalf
ofthe 14 ,0 00 would-benewcandidates
hadbeendisqualifiedfromstanding,along
withabout 90 membersofthecurrent
parliament,wheremoderatesandcentrists
hadanear-majority.“Usually,theygiveus
achoiceofbadandworse,sowechoose
badtoavoidworse,”oneTehranresident
told TheTimes.“Thistimeitwasjustthe
worse,sowhybother?”
Kabul
Truceaheadofpeacedeal:Aseven-day
“reductionofviolence”inAfghanistan
beganlastFriday,settingthestagefora
peaceaccordtheUShopestosignwiththe
Talibanthisweekend,followedbythe
phasedwithdrawalofUStroops.Under
thetermsofthetruce,whichfollowsayear
oftalks,theTalibansaidithadinstructed
itscommandersandregionalgovernors
toceaseallattacksagainstAfghanand
foreignforces.“It’stimetocomehome,”
saidPresidentTrump.“Theywanttostop.
Youknow,they’vebeenfightingalong
time.They’retoughpeople.We’retough
people.Butafter 19 years,that’salong
time.”Apreviouslynegotiatedpeacedeal
betweentheTalibanandtheUSfellapart
atthelastminuteinSeptember,when
Trumpwithdrewhissupportforitin
responsetoafreshoutbreakofviolence.Juba
Unity
government:
Followingmonths
of negotiations,
the twosides in
South Sudan’s
long-running civil
war have formedaunity governme nt in
whatappea rs to bethemostserious
attempt in yearsto end theconflict. Under
thedeal,the rebel leaderRiekMachar has
been swor ninasvice-president, and
electionshavebeenmoote dtotake place
in three years’ time.His rival, President
Salva Kiir,hailed the“officialend of the
war” anda“newdawninSouth Sudan”.
However, on twoprevious occasions
similarpea ce deals have reached this
point, onlyto collapse. Thewar began
in 2013,two years afterSouth Sudan
became an independentstate. Since then,
400,000 people havebeenkilled ,and
2.2 million havefled abroad.HongKong
Cashforall:HongKong’s
government istogivea
handoutworthjustunder
£1,000 toeachofthe
territory’ssevenmillion
adultresidents,tohelp
counterthe economic
slumpcaused bymonths
ofanti-government
protestsand thecorona-
virus.“Thesocial
incidentsinthepast
monthsandthe
coronavirusepidemic
have dealt aheavyblow to
HongKong’s economy,”
said finance minister Paul
Chan.Other measures to
boosttheeconomy
include largetax
rebates and
lowerrents
forsocial
housing.Delhi
Religious
violence:
President
Trump’strip
toIndiathis
weekwas
overshadowed
bydeadly
clashes
between
HindusandMuslimsinDelhi.Atleast
23 peoplehavebeenkilledintherioting,
whichbeganwhenaHindunationalist
mobattackedagroupofMuslims
protestingagainstacontroversialnew
citizenshiplaw.NarendraModi’s critics
saytheHindunationalistPMhasfuelled
sectariandivisions(seepage 52 ).But
TrumplavishedpraiseonModiforhis
“democratic”and“tolerant”leadership.Maseru
PM accused of
murder:
Lesotho’s PM
Thomas
Thabane, 80, has
been charged
with organising
the murder of his
estranged wife, in
acase that has
gripped thetiny
country. Lipolelo
Thabane was shot dead in her car in 2017,
twodaysbeforehis inauguration. She had
reportedly refusedhim adivorce, andhad
just wonacourtbattletoretainher
pri vileges asFirstLady. He married his
secondwife–whohas alsobeencharged
–two monthslater.Both insistthey are
innocent.Thab ane’sruli ng All Basotho
Conventionparty hasurged himtoquit.Canberra
Plane mystery:Tony Abbott, Australia’s
former PM,has revealedin aTV
documentary that seniorofficialsint he
Malaysian governmentwere convinced
from “very earlyon”thatthe Malaysia
Airlines flight 370that disappearedin
2014 wascrashed by its pilot, Zaharie
AhmadShah, inadeli berateact of mass
murder-suicide. After the planewent
missing, Abbott’s government began the
largest searchinaviationhist ory, but the
fate of the aircraft,whichwas carrying
239 people, remainsamystery. Malaysia’s
government maintains it hasnoevidence
that thepilot wasresponsible.