Vaccine efforts in the UK
The British government is now placed 3rd globally in vaccine doses per 100 people, behind Israel and the UAE, and has provided more than 17 million first doses across the nation. London is falling behind on first doses, at 84% of 70+ year olds, while the England average is at 94%. There are some fears that Boris Johnson’s plans for a full return to normality by the 21st of June are over-ambitious, but if he can keep vaccine supply consistent and on track, scientists believe it is very much achievable.
Italian ambassador assassinated in DR Congo
Following an ambush in Eastern Congo, the bodies of the Italian ambassador of the DRC and his bodyguard returned to Rome earlier this week. They were killed on their way to reach a school project with the United Nation’s World Food Programme, although it is unclear which of the 120 armed forces groups in eastern Congo committed the crime. Congo’s interior ministry has blamed Rwandan rebel militia Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), on the grounds that the local governor said they spoke Kinyarwanda—the Rwandan language. The FDLR have denied such claims, and described the attack as a ‘cowardly assassination’ which they do not identify with. The Italian prime Minister Mario Draghi has assured the mourning Italian public that he will continue to search and convict those who took their lives.
Political unrest in Haiti
The country’s opposition movement has now stretched into its 3rd week, with thousands of Haitians protesting again at the beginning of this week. Their marches are a form of resistance against President Jovnel Moise, who is accused of being an unreasonable dictator on account of his refusing to step down from office. The protesters argue he should have stepped down by the 7th of February, because his term started on the date of election as stated in the Haitian constitution. However, Moise is backed by the UN and the US in his presence in office until 2022—a five-year term starting from when he physically came to office. He has thus far refused to organise a transitional or provisional government, but due to the parliament’s dissolution last year, he is currently ruling by decree. 23 protesters have been arrested in the past few weeks, and with the increasing tensions it is likely there will be more by the end of the month.
New York Mayor takes action against anti-Asian hate crimes
Following the outbreak of COVID-19, crime and discrimination against Asian communities in the US have surged again. The media spotlight has finally paid attention to the issue, following a viral video of Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old San Francisco resident who had emigrated from Thailand and was brutally killed in late January. This lead to President Biden signing an executive action a few weeks ago to ban the government from using “inflammatory and xenophobic language” such as labelling the virus as “kung flu” or the “Chinese plague”. More recently, Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York spoke out this Tuesday saying that “If you dare to raise a hand against a member of our Asian communities, you will suffer the consequences,”. There is now an Asian Hate Crime Task Force focusing on the city, particularly on subway areas and the transit system where majority of these unprovoked, racially-fuelled assaults have taken place in the past few months. More recent examples of these crimes in New York include the stabbing of a Filipino in the face on the subway, and the beating of an Asian American woman in Queens. There is also a huge fear that the numbers of hate crimes in the Asian American community are under reported, so the real numbers are far higher and more tragic than those we see.
UAE under heat following Princess Latifa’s released tapes
This week, the BBC released the second part of the documentary on Princess Latifa of Dubai’s mysterious disappearance after she tried to escape via international waters and was caught by Indian government officials. Until recently, there was little communication between the Princess and those who are trying to aid her escape. However, video tapes that she recorded on a phone smuggled into her villa were included in the documentary this week. These new sets of videos include details of her not being allowed outside of her room, not being provided clothes or sanitation, and being blocked from any communication with the outside world. This has triggered another wave of speculation around the intentions and morality of her father Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum, who has confirmed in a statement that she is ‘being cared for at home”, and yet has not provided any evidence of her being alive and free. Her campaigners and lawyers are now working to free her from whatever form of torture she may be facing, although this may be difficult to do under UAE laws.
BBC News officially banned in China
It was announced that the Chinese government has banned BBC World News from broadcasting within the nation, which includes the removal of the network on television and radio alike. This is not particularly surprising, given that the British media regulator Ofcom revoked the China Global Television Network’s (CGTN) licence to broadcast here in the UK, so this move is likely a form of retaliation. The Chinese government has said that the BBC tends to “seriously violate” their broadcast guidelines, and their reporting on COVID-19 and the prosecution of ethnic minorities is not “truthful and fair”. They later commented that the BBC’s broadcasting “harm China’s national interests”. British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab described the ban as “curtailing freedom”, while the BBC statement writes that they are “disappointed” but will continue to report “fairly, impartially and without fear or favour.”
