The world at aglance NEWS 917 August 2019 THE WEEKKerala state, India
Monsoon floods:More than 200 people
have died in monsoon floods and
landslides in the Indian states of Kerala,
Maharashtra, Gujarat and Karnataka.
Kerala suffered the highest casualties, with
95 dead. More thanathousand villages
were inundated, and hundreds of
thousands of people were evacuated to
relief camps last weekend. Meteorologists
said that though the average monsoon
rainfall had not increased, its pattern
seemed to be changing, with rain falling
for shorter but more intense periods. In
Myanmar, 59 people died as up to 20
inches of rain fell in one week. The east
coast of China was also hit by extreme
weather, with Typhoon Lekima causing
at least 49 deaths and forcing more than a
million people to flee their homes. Winds
of over 116mph were recorded in Zhejiang.Doha
Taliban peace deal:Following months of
negotiations, the US and the Taliban have
signalled they are nearingapeace deal in
Afghanistan, which could bring an end to
the 18-year conflict. Negotiators from both
sides meeting in the Qatari capital Doha
privately told allies that they were close to
adeal which would see the withdrawal of
all 14,000 US troops, most likely over two
years, and of 8,000 Nato troops, including
1,000 Britons. In return, the Taliban would
agree to renounce terrorism and cooperate
against it–although they have so far
rejectedaformal ceasefire. Afghan
officials have, however, accused the US
of undermining the country’s government
by excluding them from the talks, at the
Taliban’s request. Critics warn that the two
sides could merely be signingawithdrawal
agreement, notapeace deal.
Harare
Food crisis:
Nearly two and a
half million people
in rural Zimbabwe
need emergency
food aid, and another three million are
likely to do so in the coming months,
according to the head of the UN’s World
Food Programme. “We are talking about
people who truly are marching towards
starvation if we are not here to help
them,” David Beasley said last week, as he
launched an appeal for £270m in aid. The
country has been badly hit byadrought,
which cut the maize harvest by half, in
addition to the devastation caused by
Cyclone Idai in March. Zimbabwe is also
suffering an economic crisis. The price of
staple foods has more than doubled since
June, despite President Mnangagwa’s
promises of financial reform.Seoul
Trade war with Japan:
South Korea announced
on Monday that it would
officially drop Japan from
its “white list” of trusted
trading nations. Japan had
infuriated its neighbour
by placing controls on
exports to South Korea of
parts and materials crucial
for many of the country’s
manufacturers. Tokyo
cited security concerns,
but was thought to be
retaliating foracourt
decision last year which
orderedaJapanese firm
to compensate four men it
used for forced labour
during the Second
World War.Kolkata, India
Transgender
wedding:Atrans
couple became the
first to marry in
the state of West
Bengal last week,
the day after the
lower house of
India’s parliament
passedabill to
enshrine the rights
of transgender people in law. The bride,
Tista Das (pictured), and the groom,
Dipan Chakraborty, have both undergone
gender-reassignment surgery. They met at
atransgender legal clinic and were married
last week in Kolkata, inatraditional
Bengali ceremony. “I have always believed
love has no gender, and Dipan andIhave
proved it,” said Das.Aden, Yemen
Port city seized:
Southern
separatist forces
have seized key
parts of the port
city of Aden
from Yemen’s
government.
Previously, the
UAE-backed
Southern
Transitional Council (STC) had been
allied with the Saudi-backed Yemeni
government, and both had been fighting
Houthi rebels supported by Iran.
However, tensions between the two sides
came toahead last week, when the STC
captured the presidential palace, launching
what is effectivelyacivil war withinacivil
war. Aden has been the base of Yemen’s
government since 2015.Hong Kong
Violent clashes:Riot police fought with
protesters at Hong Kong airport this week,
as the territory’s political crisis entered an
ominous new phase. The airport, one of
the busiest in the world, was brought to
ahalt by thousands of pro-democracy
protesters, who occupied the main
terminal for two days. The protests,
now in their tenth week, have largely
been peaceful, but on Tuesday the crowd
attacked journalists from mainland China,
accusing them of being spies, and beat
police officers. The same day,acourt
injunction authorised the removal of
crowds from the terminal; flights
resumed on Wednesday. Hong Kong’s
chief executive, Carrie Lam, warned the
protesters they were heading downa“road
of no return”. The UN high commissioner
for human rights urged authorities to use
restraint in the increasingly violent clashes.