🗺️ Picks of the Week — Nov. 20
🗺️ Picks of the Week — Nov. 20
Ethiopian Humanitarian Crisis, Thailand Constitution Protests, Peru Interim President Resigns, Hurricane Iota Devastates Central America, Chinese Journalist Faces Prison, Solomon Islands Bans Facebook
Hello folks! Happy Friday and welcome to another bumper edition of Picks of the Week! Today we’ll visit Ethiopia where a humanitarian crisis precedes the potential of civil war; Thailand where mass protests have returned over constitutional changes to the monarchy; Peru where one interim president has been replaced by another; Central America who languishes after two devastating hurricanes; China where another citizen journalist has been arrested for reporting on Covid-19; and the Soloman Islands whose government is set to ban Facebook over nasty comments it received.
No podcast this week, so make sure you check out this week’s Election Dissection of Belize, Myanmar and Moldova, as well the latest news from Inside The Middle East.
And we’ll have Mr. Hurricane Man himself Josh Morgerman return to the podcast next week to talk about the record-setting 2020 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as how he recovers from the PTSD that comes from chasing the world’s most powerful cyclones. In the meantime, you can listen to Josh’s first appearance last year where we discuss his hit TV show, Hurricane Man. Okay Sophie, take it away…
Job Corner
We added 230 new jobs to the board over the weekend, taking us up to 980! Next week we’ll aim to eclipse that magical 1,000 mark. In the meantime, help out by spreading the word. 🙏
Data Corner
A couple of datasets used in today’s newsletter…
Humanitarian Crisis — Data on the world’s humanitarian crises, from ReliefWeb
Cyclones — Real time global cyclone data, from Colorado State University
Ethiopian Humanitarian Crisis
We start today where we left last week in Ethiopia where Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed launched a military offensive in Tigray against the governing Tigray People’s Liberation Front. Hundreds of people have been killed and thousands have fled to neighboring Sudan, crossing deserts and rivers to do so.
The UN has now warned that a “full-scale humanitarian crisis” is unfolding, with levels of refugee influx Sudan hasn’t experienced for more than 20 years. A communications blackout in Tigray continues to complicate reporting on the crisis, and hinders humanitarian responses. A UN spokesperson highlighted concerns about the nearly 100,000 Eritrean refugees in Tigray, warning that further mass displacement could take place if peace is not established.
Meanwhile Ahmed, who remarkably won the 2019 Nobel Peace Price, issued an ultimatum against the TPLF, claiming the three-day deadline he issued for the party to surrender has expired, and warned that his military would conduct a “final and crucial” push in the coming weeks.
Thousands flee Ethiopia, cross border to Sudan
Thailand Constitution Protests
Moving to Thailand next where renewed student-led anti-government protests have broken out over proposed constitutional amendments, and protestors have used rubber ducks to protect themselves. Police fired water cannons laced with tear gas outside parliament in Bangkok, and so far 55 people have been injured. The anti-government protesters also clashed with pro-monarchy supporters, while lawmakers debated changes to the country’s constitution that protesters have demanded for months.
The unrest, which began in 2014, reignited earlier this year when the opposition Future Forward Party was disbanded. Protesters’ demands include the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who seized power in a 2014 coup, constitutional amendments to allow for greater democratic participation, and reform of the country’s monarchy. Thailand’s lese majeste law punishes anyone who defames the monarchy with up to 15 years in prison.
Previous Picks of the Week 👀
🔎 Picks of the Week — November 13
🔎 Picks of the Week — November 6
🔎 Picks of the Week — October 30
🔎 Picks of the Week — October 23
Peru’s Interim President Resigns
We visit next where less than a week after replacing impeached President Martin Vizcarra, interim President Manuel Merino has resigned after two protesters were killed at the weekend and half of his cabinet stepped down. Thousands of Peruvians immediately took to the streets to protest parliament’s vote to remove Vizcarra, which many called a coup. Authorities responded to the protests with heavy repression, firing shotgun pellets and tear gas, injuring 94 people and killing two men in their twenties.
Analysts speaking to the Associated Press described the upheaval as the “most serious democratic and human rights crisis since Alberto Fujimori,” the former Peruvian president who was found guilty of extrajudicial killings, abductions, and enforced disappearances. Congress has since elected centrist lawmaker Francisco Sagasti as its new interim president, who now faces the task of restoring stability in a country already reeling from more than 35,000 Covid deaths, almost one million cases, and a crushing economic recession.
Peru’s interim president Merino resigns after protestors killed
Hurricane Iota Wreaks More Havoc in Central America
Moving to Central America now where just 10 days after Hurricane Eta devastated the region, the strongest hurricane of the year descended on many of the same countries, compounding catastrophic destruction, flooding, landslides, which has so far claimed at least 30 lives. In response to the region’s plea for aid, U.S. President-elect Joe Biden cited the hurricanes as a reason to prioritize the fight against climate change.
In Nicaragua, Hurricane Iota’s savage winds caused immense physical destruction and claimed at least six lives. In Honduras, heavy rainfall submerged whole villages. But this time, Iota also wrought havoc across the Colombian archipelago, especially on the small island of Providencia where 98 percent of the infrastructure was damaged. Other regions of Colombia, including Cartagena, Chocó, and Antioquia, were also affected by landslides and flooding.
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Chinese Journalist Faces Prison Over Covid Reporting
China is up next where a lawyer and citizen journalist who reported on the virus outbreak in Wuhan in February faces up to five years in prison for spreading false information. Zhang Zhan has been held in a Shanghai detention center since May, and had previously been detained in 2019 for voicing support for activists, according to Chinese Human Rights Defenders. She’s part of a growing number of citizen journalists to feel the wrath of the Chinese Communist Party.
Zhan is accused of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles,” a charge the Hong Kong Free Press reports is often used to silence dissenters. According to the BBC, at least three other citizen journalists have also disappeared for reporting on Covid, two of whom — Li Zehua and Chen Qiushi — have now been found. The Committee to Protect Journalists and the Coalition for Women in Journalism both published statements calling for Zhang’s immediate release.
Solomon Islands To Ban Facebook
We finish this week with the news that the Solomon Islands is planning to ban Facebook, after the platform allowed alleged abusive comments aimed at government ministers. The Oceanic nation’s communication and civil aviation minister, Peter Shanel Agovaka, told the Solomon Times that Facebook didn’t attempt to regulate character assassinations of ministers, including Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.
Although the government itself uses the social network to share information with the public, the Solomon Islands would join China, Iran, and North Korea in restricting Facebook. In response, Amnesty International deemed the move a “brazen attack on freedom of expression,” echoing the words of member of the opposition Peter Kenilorea Jr, who urged islanders to condemn the decision.
That’s it for today! See you next week for more podcast and global fun 👋