The Week - UK (2020-09-12)

(Antfer) #1

The world at aglance NEWS 9


12 September 2020 THE WEEK


NewDelhi
Covidsurge:
Indiahasnow
registered4.
millioncases
ofCovid-19,
morethanany
othercountry
exceptthe
US.Itstally
doubledin
August,asthevirusspreadtoremoteareas
andcitiesexperiencedaresurgence.India
hasovertakenBrazilforsecondplacein
theCovidrankings,andisoncourseto
surpassAmerica’stally–about6.3million
–withinweeks.GiventhatIndia’stesting
levelsareafractionoftheUS’s,itmaywell
havedone soalready.However,recorded
deaths–ataround 74 ,0 00 – remainfar
lowerthanintheUSorBrazil.


Chushul,India
Shotsfired:Theescalatingtensionbetween
IndiaandChinaalongtheirdisputed
Himalayanbordertookadramaticturnon
Monday,wheneachcountryaccusedthe
other’ssoldiersoffiringwarningshotsin
anincidentnearChushul.Thetownhas
seenamassivedeploymentofIndiantroops,
positionedtothwartanyChineseingress;
Chinahasrespondedwithamassive
build-upofitsown.Bothsidesdescribed
theshootingsasa“graveprovocation”,
onethathasbrokenadecades-long
agreementbanningfirearmsalongthe
2,500-mileborder.Thecountriesfought
abriefborderwarin 196 2butnoknown
shotshavebeenfiredsince1975,when
fourIndiantroopswerekilled.InJune,
20 IndiansoldiersintheGalwanValley
furthernorthwerebeatentodeathin
hand-to-handfightingwithChinesetroops.

Khartoum
Deadly floods:
Sudan’sgovern-
ment has declared
athree-month
national emergency
in thefaceof devastatingNileflooding
thathassofar killed 100people, brought
about thetotalorpartialcollapseofmore
than100,000 homes, and forced more
than halfamillion people to flee.The
deadlyfloods have been caused mainlyby
unusually heavy rains upriver in Ethiopia:
in late August, the Nilehadrisen to 57 feet
aboveitsnormal level, thehighestin
almostacentury.Thelevelsof rainfall
andflooding in theregionhave already
exceeded historic disasters in 194 6and
1988, with more heavyrain expected.
According to the UN,some2,000 water
sourceshavebeencontaminated or
otherwiseput out of action.


Bangkok
Backinfavour:King
MahaVajiralongkorn of
Thailand hasreconciled
withhis mistress,Sineenat
Wongvajirapakdi,less
thanayearafterpurging
herfor disloyalty.Hehas
issuedanedictstatingthat
shehas done nothing
wrong. The episodehas
reinforcedthemarried
king’sreputation asa
capricious womaniser
at adelicatemoment
forthe royalfamily.
Thissummer,student
protesters havebeen
callingforreforms tothe
monarchy,in defiance
of Thailand’sstrict
lèse-majesté
laws.

HongKong
Noelection:Hundredsofpro-democracy
demonstratorstooktothestreetsofHong
KongonSunday–thedayonwhich
now-postponedelectionswouldhave
takenplace–inoneofthebiggestprotests
sinceChinaimposeditsnewanti-sedition
lawontheterritory.Heavilyarmedriot
policeusedpepperpelletstodispersethe
demonstrators,whowerecallingforan
endtothecrackdownondissent,andthe
releaseof 12 Hongkongerswhowere
arrestedwhiletryingtofleetoTaiwan.In
anincidentcaughtoncameraandwidely
circulatedonlineasanexampleofalleged
policebrutality,a 1 2-year-oldgirlwhohad
goneoutshoppingwasstoppedbyriot
police,whothenwrestledhertothe
groundwhenshetriedtorunaway.She
wasfined£200forviolatinglawsbanning
assemblyduringthepandemic.

Riyadh
Killersreprieved:
Five men con-
victedof the
murder of
the dissident
journalist
JamalKhashoggi
(pictured),have
had theirdeath
sentences over-
turned byacourt
in Riyadh, and
will serve 20yearsinjail.Khashoggiwas
killedinthe Saudiconsulatein Istanbulby
Saudiagents.Crown Prince Mohammed
binSalman insistedit was an unauthorised
operation,but aUNinvestigationfound
that Khashoggiwas the victimofa
“deliberate, premeditated execution” by
the Saudistate. InMay, Khashoggi’s sons
said they’dpardoned hiskillers, but ithas
beensuggested thatthiswas underduress.

Lhokseumawe, Indonesia
Refugees land:Around300Rohingya
Muslim refugees whohad beenstrandedat
seaformorethansix months have landed
in Indonesia’sAcehprovince.The refugees,
whohad set sailfromsouthern Bangladesh
at theendof Marchor early April,were
reportedlyrescuedby localfishermen after
theauthoritiesthreatened to turn them
away.The boat hadpreviously been
denied port in MalaysiaandThailand,and
around 30of itspassengersdiedduring
the voyage.The Indonesiangovernment
has nowpledgedto give themshelter,in
conjunction withthe Red Crossand UN.
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