The Economist June 4th 2022 7
The world this weekPolitics
Russian forces captured parts
of Severodonetsk, a town in
Ukraine’s eastern Donbas
region. Some Ukrainian
defenders were holding on,
but many of the 10,
thought to have been stationed
there retreated. Russian troops
have been advancing slowly in
the east of the country, assist-
ed by heavy artillery.
America said it would send
more weaponsto Ukraine,
including long-range rocket
launchers that will help the
country’s defenders shoot back
at the Russian artillery pound-
ing their positions in the east.
The Pentagon is supplying the
new kit on condition that it
not be used to strike targets in
Russia. President Joe Biden
reiterated that America does
not seek war with Russia, and
does not aim to oust Vladimir
Putin, Russia’s president.
In an interview on French
television Russia’sforeign
minister, Sergei Lavrov, said
that capturing Ukraine’s
Donbas region (he termed it a
“liberation”) was an “uncondi-
tional priority” for the Krem-
lin. He denied that Russian
soldiers were attacking
civilian infrastructure, despite
copious evidence that they are.
Mr Lavrov also denied rumours
that Mr Putin is seriously ill.
The Russian president
“appears in public every day”,
he insisted.
The European Union agreed to
ban mostimports of Russian
oil. However, the ban will not
cover piped oil, an exemption
sought by the Czech Republic,
Hungary and Slovakia, which
rely heavily on pipeline sup-
plies, and it will be phased in.
At first it will block around
65% of total Russian oil ex-
ports to Europe; by the end of
the year it will block 90%.The m23 rebel group, which
has long lurked in north-
eastern Congo, clashed with
the army near the city of Goma.
Congo’s government accused
Rwanda’s president, Paul
Kagame, of inciting the vio-
lence. Congo has been trying to
build new roads and trade
links with east Africa, which
the mayhem threatens.Around a hundred people,
mostly informal goldminers,
were killed in clashes in the
north-western desert of Chad,
close to the border with Libya.
The violence began as “a
mundane dispute between two
individuals”, said the country’s
defence minister.Off your bike
Lagos, Nigeria’scommercial
capital, started enforcing a ban
on motorcycle taxis. The
governor says they endanger
road users and enable crime.
For many locals, they are a
cheap and effective way to beat
the city’s awful traffic.A leaked report soon to be
issued by the International
Atomic Energy Agency, the un
nuclear watchdog, said that
unexplained nuclear material
had been found at three
undeclared sites in Iran, and
that Iran had “not provided
explanations that are
technically credible”.A former presidential candi-
date in Egypt, Abdel Moneim
Abul Fotoh , a 70-year-old
Islamist, was sentenced to 15
years in prison with hard
labour for disseminating “fake
news” and for joining a “terro-
rist” group, the government’s
term for the banned Muslim
Brotherhood.Shanghaieased covid-related
restrictions, allowing most
people to move freely around
the city. China’s financial hub,
home to 25m people, had been
locked down for over two
months. Restrictions were also
eased in Beijing, the capital,
which reopened parts of itspublic-transport system as
well as some malls, museums
and other gathering places.
Both cities have seen a decline
in infections recently.Taiwansaid 30 Chinese
warplanes flew close to its
airspace, prompting it to
scramble its air force. The
incident came less than a week
after Joe Biden vowed that
America would defend Taiwan,
were it to be invaded by its
giant neighbour.Sri Lanka’seconomic situa-
tion showed no signs of
improvement, as the govern-
ment continued negotiations
for a bail-out. A food shortage
is worsening. The agriculture
minister has urged farmers to
plant more rice. The govern-
ment has asked for aid from its
South Asian neighbours. In-
flation hit a new high of 39%.
Last month Sri Lanka defaulted
on its debts and riots prompt-
ed the president to sack the
prime minister, his brother.Pakistanis also facing an
economic crisis. Foreign-
currency reserves are down to
just $10bn and inflation
reached nearly 14% in May. The
government is in talks with the
imf for a bail-out, and has
raised the price of fuel by 20%.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan, the
ousted prime minister, has
been leading protests to de-
mand fresh elections. He
claims, without evidence, that
parliament sacked him at
America’s behest.Populists triumphed in the
first round of Colombia’s
presidential election. Gustavo
Petro, a left-wing ex-guerrilla,
won 40% of the vote. Rodolfo
Hernández, an ex-mayor who
likens his supporters to the
“brainwashed” terrorists of
September 11th 2001, came
second. A run-off will be held
on June 19th.At least 106 people were killed
in north-east Brazilwhen
heavy rains swept through the
region, causing floods and
landslides. It was the fourth
big flood in the country in five
months.British Columbia said it
would temporarily decrimi-
nalise the possession of some
illicit drugs. People caught
with up to 2.5 grams of
opioids, cocaine, metham-
phetamine or mdmawill not
be prosecuted. They will
instead be offered treatment.
The experiment, the first of its
kind in Canada, will run for
three years from January.Also in CanadaJustin
Trudeau, the prime minister,
proposed ways to toughen
gun-control laws. He wants to
freeze sales and transfers of
handguns and revoke the
firearms licences of people
who commit domestic vio-
lence or criminal harassment.America’s Justice Department
said it would conduct a review
of the police’s slow response
to the school shootingin
Uvalde, Texas on May 24th. An
18-year-old gunman murdered
19 children and two adults.
Police cordoned off the school
but took more than an hour to
confront the gunman, who
was shot dead by a Border
Patrol agent.Pomp and circumstanceBritain started four days of
celebrations to mark the
Platinum Jubilee of Queen
Elizabeth II. When she came
to the throne in February 1952
Winston Churchill was prime
minister and Harry Truman
was president of the United
States. Seventy years and 150
foreign visits later, it was
hoped the 96-year-old mon-
arch would attend at least
some of the festivities. An
official jubilee pudding was
named: a trifle with lemon
curd. The British weather was
forecast to be unsettled.