EditorChief – Pike & Hurricane

What is your home country’s national pastime? What do you think of it?

EditorChief — Wed, 24 Mar 2021 10:40:46 +0000

Most guys play soccer/ football, but (mainly among girls) field hockey is quite popular. I used to play it for quite a long time and only found out later that playing field hockey is quite unusual in other countries. I have also refrained from calling it just ‘hockey’ to ‘field hockey’ as people will think I might be playing ice hockey, which is the more common hockey here in Sweden at least. – Ilse, Netherlands

Doing protests. Necessary! – Aimee, France

Drinking. I don’t think it’s healthy. – Kevin, Hungary

In Finland, we have a strong cabin culture, especially during the summer months. Many Finns have a “leisure home” or access to one through family or friends. My family has a cabin on the south coast of Finland. We spend nearly all summer weekends there, taking care of the cabin, going to the sauna (also a national past time) and enjoying nature. For some holidays, such as the Midsummerfest, the cities empty because people travel to the countryside to celebrate the longest day of the year. I love our little cabin and the seaside. – Julia, Finland

We’re big on ice skating, but we barely ever get ice. Weed and hockey are also popular. – Student, Netherlands

Backgammon! – Turkan, Azerbaijan

Many would say baseball, but in my opinion, apathy has become our national pastime. We are conditioned to ignore the misery of others, have become comfortable with not being informed, and have perpetual ‘us vs them’ mentality. Even during a pandemic, individuals cannot be bothered to endure something as simple as wearing a mask for the collective good. I believe exposing the shortcomings of U.S society has been long overdue. – Angelica, USA

Soccer – I’ve never enjoyed it myself, but in school we had to participate and most of my friends has some sort of relation to soccer. – Student, Denmark

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YNTR – March 2021: On Jammu and Kashmir, West Guinea, and Western Sahara

EditorChief — Tue, 23 Mar 2021 17:28:48 +0000

ASIA

Jammu and Kashmir crackdown

In the Jammu and Kashmir region––a region administered by India, as a state which consists of the larger part of Kashmir and has been the subject of dispute among India, Pakistan, and China since 1947––the methods of enforcing the revocation of the regions special status are still ongoing. The Indian government accompanied this revocation on 5 August 2019 by cutting off communication lines in the Kashmir Valley and deploying thousands of security forces to curb any uprising. Kashmiri politicians were taken into custody. The restrictions have been described as means for preempting violence and reactions in the Kashmir Valley was effectively reduced to silence because of cut-off communications, media-blackouts, and with imposition of Curfew (Section 144). So far, around 200 people have died, and more than 4,000 injured.

5 February 2021, Jammu and Kashmir’s Principal Secretary of Power and Information, Rohit Kansal, announced that 4G internet services would be restored in the entire union territory. The service had been suspended since 16 August 2020.

OCEANIA

Western New Guinea conflict

The Papua conflict between secessionist group Free Papua and the Indonesia government, has been ongoing since 1962. Papuans accuse the Indonesian government of indiscriminate violence and of suppressing their freedom of expression. Indonesia has also been accused of conducting a genocidal campaign against the indigenous inhabitants. Estimates of casualties of conflict range between 100,000–500,000.

In February 2021, conflict between the pro-independence West Papua Liberation Army and Indonesia’s security forces intensified in the Intan Jaya regency––a western regency of around 50,000 Papuans. Three West Papuan men were killed in mid-February by Indonesia’s military. Amnesty’s Indonesia office has called for an immediate, independent investigation into the killings.

It said such deadly attacks had become commonplace in Papua, inflicting suffering on civilians who flee to the bush or neighbouring districts to escape violence and raids by security forces.

Armed clashes have also caused the internal displacement of thousands of indigenous Papuans. About 8,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from Intan Jaya have sought shelter in neighbouring Jayawijaya Regency, and, according to solidarity groups, 400 IDPs have died in Jayawijaya due to diseases and other strains.

AFRICA

Western Saharan clashes

Armed conflict between Morocco and the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), represented at the United Nations by the Polisario Front (PF), in the disputed region of Western Sahara; a conflict that has been more-or-less ongoing since Spain relinquished control in 1975. Tensions deepened between Morocco and the PF in mid-October 2020 when Sahrawi protestors blocked a road connection Morocco to sub-Saharan Africa. On 13 November, Morocco launched a military operation into the demilitarized buffer zone of Western Sahara to clear protestors. Claiming that Morocco broke the ceasefire agreements in place since the 1990’s, the PF urged the UN to intervene; also accusing the Moroccan military of shooting at unarmed protestors. The Moroccan government has denied any wrongdoings and claimed the truce to remain in place. On November 14, the SADR declared war on Morocco.

In February 2021, the Mauritanian government–a long-standing ally of PF and SADR–is reportedly planning to soon withdraw its recognition of Polisario’s self-proclaimed SADR. This is a major setback for the PF, which has angered a growing list of countries, including Mauritania following its recent maneuvers. Mauritania emphasized that the potential decision seeks to adjust their neutral position in the Western Sahara conflict in favor of a realistic solution to end the struggles of thousands of Sahrawis living in dire conditions in the Tindouf camps–a set of refugee camps in neighboring Algeria for Sahrawi refugees heavily reliant on international humanitarian assistance.

Photo credits:

The Sahrawi refugees – a forgotten crisis in the Algerian desert by EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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YNTR – December 2020: Bangladeshi government’s crackdown on Rohingya refugees, Germany’s lax restrictions on New Years celebrations, and wide-spread hunger in Venezuela

EditorChief — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 11:10:00 +0000

Out of sight, out of mind

…seems to be a popular attitude of states to handle the ugly reality of an ever-worsening international refugee movement. The strategy to keep refugees on islands has moved to the core of the EU asylum system, and has recently hit fertile soil in Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government has begun transporting as many as 1,600 Rohingya refugees to the remote island of Bhasan Char.

Background

Overcrowding and severe weather conditions—as well as covid-19—are affecting the livelihoods of the over one million refugees that reside in the Cox’s Bazar region of Banlgladesh. The island of Bhasan Char is portrayed by Bangladeshi news outlet Daily Bangladesh as a welcomed alternative “environment where Rohingyas can stay safe”.

Critique

Humanitarian organizations, among them Human Rights Watch, have been outspokenly concerned with the relocation plans of the Bangladeshi government. There has been little transparency in the procedure, no independent international body has assessed the suitability of the island—formed only 20 years ago, far removed from the mainland, and prone to severe weather condition—for inhabitancy. Reports of relocations of Rohingya without consent are piling up.

Is this the Ode to the Healthcare Workers?

In the spring they regularly received applause from people’s balconies for continuing to risk their lives, but risking ones lives has long become a normality for nurses, doctors, and other healthcare personnel.

Despite harsh criticism from the EU and record numbers of covid-19 cases, Germany has decided to ease its restrictions for Christmas, putting an avoidable strain onto a healthcare system that is already reaching its limits.

Background

In the face of the “hardest Christmas of the postwar period”, as conservative politician Armin Laschet put it, the German government has decided to temporarily lift coronavirus restrictions.

Critique

The 3 bn euros of “Corona aid”, invested by the German government into the healthcare sector, won’t pay for the virus to take a break over the holidays. The government’s failure to ban fireworks on New Year’s Eve—the day that produces more emergency admissions to hospitals than any other day of the year—makes Germany’s failure to support healthcare workers ever more explicit.

Hunger in Venezuela

Once the largest producer of Latin America with an annual income of US$ 90 billion, Venezuela has seen a rapid economic decline since President Nicolás Maduro came to power. Today, 96% of the country’s population live in poverty and the coronavirus pandemic has left countless Venezuelans, especially children, without enough food, approaching the limits of an existential minimum.

Background

The economic crisis which has affected Venezuela long before the pandemic broke out, has produced a lack of essential medication and initiated a “brain drain” of medical staff, leaving the healthcare sector vulnerable and underequipped. Many Venezuelan families rely on payments from abroad, which have witnessed a decline in over 50% due to the corona pandemic. A request by the Maduro government to the International Monetary Fond (IMF) over a US$ 5 billion corona-aid-package has been denied on the grounds of Maduro’s government not being internationally recognized.

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YNTR – November 2020: Mória 2.0, Polio in Africa, and Australian bush fires

EditorChief — Sun, 01 Nov 2020 11:16:24 +0000

Introducing Mória 2.0.

After a fire in Europe’s biggest refugee camp left thousands of people homeless, much pressure has been directed towards governments for showing solidarity and accommodating larger numbers of refugees. And although some countries responded, over 8,000 asylum seekers, mostly families, remain on the Greek Island of Lesbos, in a provisional camp dubbed Mória 2.0. Oxfam, together with the Greek Refugee Council, has visited the new camp, reporting on “conditions … worse than they were at the original site that burned down.” Vulnerability to harsh weather conditions, poor healthcare, little access to running water, no sewage, and no access to legal aid are among the highly concerning findings of the visit.

Background

The European Commission provided a swift response to the near total destruction of the Móris, with a new Pact on Migration and Asylum, paving the way for a common European approach to migration. The EU has vowed to rebuild reception facilities that “will be of a European standard, durable infrastructure and will provide access to healthcare and adequate sanitation.” Other priorities include ending overcrowded conditions in reception centres, establish fast and effective procedures for determining asylum, increasing voluntary returns, and improving safety and security of asylum seekers.

Critique

The search for a common European solution to asylum has been increasingly scrutinized by politicians and civil society alike. German news magazine Der Spiegel writes: “Those who insist on a European solution don’t really want a solution at all, because it has long been clear that the 27 EU states will never agree on a common asylum policy.”

The end of Polio in Africa

… isn’t actually the end. Only shortly after the WHO announced the eradication of wild polio on the African continent, reports of a spread of vaccine-derived polio in Chad and the Sudan mark a significant setback. Adding to that, the outbreak of the global coronavirus pandemic has caused a temporary halt of 46 vaccine campaigns in 38 countries, making the newly acquired achievement a very fragile one.

Background

In many polio vaccination campaigns oral vaccinations are preferred due to easier distribution and no required equipment, such as sterile syringes. After an oral vaccination, a mild form of the virus replicates in the intestines and thereby forms antibodies. What this means, however, is that the virus can also be found in feces, which poses a risk in areas with lacking sanitation systems and not high enough levels of immunity. Due to corona, an estimated 80 million children under the age of one have missed their polio vaccine, seriously impacting these levels of immunity, making the spread of vaccine-derived polio somewhat of a vicious cycle.

Australia: After the flames

Scientists are beginning to take stock after the Australian bushfires 2019/2020. On average 1% of Australia’s forests burn every fire season, but the most recent one. Here an estimated 21% of forests stood in flames. 832 vertebrate animal species are considered affected by the recent fires, “196 of them had 10 to 30 percent of their Australian habitat scorched; 51 species lost 30 to 50 percent of their habitat; 16 species lost 50 to 80 percent; and three species had over 80 percent of their land incinerated.”

Background: The harm caused in the 2019/2020 fire season in Australia is unprecedented. Never before have the fires been so widespread and so destructive. Although the Australian flora and fauna is highly adapted to bushfires, and in parts even depend on them, hotter, earlier and more frequent fires interfere with these natural mechanisms.

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YNTR – June 2020: George Floyd, Antifa, Ebola, and more

EditorChief — Sun, 14 Jun 2020 08:14:30 +0000

USA. On May 25, George Floyd (46) was arrested for allegedly using counterfeit money to buy cigarettes. He died as a consequence of a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, kneeling on his neck for over eight minutes. Protests against racism and racist police violence have erupted throughout the USA, as well as abroad. Unlike as in many other cases, the officers involved in the murder of Floyd have been charged. The charges against Chauvin have been raised from third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter to second-degree murder. His previously uncharged colleagues are now accused of aiding and abetting murder. A few days after the killing of Floyd, hactivist group Anonymous released a video accusing Minneapolis Police Department of “a horrific track record of violence and corruption” in which the murder of Floyd was “merely the tip of the iceberg”.

France. Despite a police-ban thousands of people in France have protested against racist police violence after the murder of George Floyd. The case bares ressemblance to the killing of Adama Traoré (24) in 2016. Official reports claimed he had died of heart failure due to possible pre-existing health conditions. A second autopsy which had been requested by Traoré’s family, however, suggests he died due to the three police officers, that arrested him after he ran from them since e had no ID card with him, holding him to the ground with their bodyweight. They have not been charged. Two days prior to the killing of Floyd, the hashtag #MoiAussiJAiPeurDevantLaPolice has gone viral after singer Camélia Jordana had spoken out against police violence on TV. She stated that “there are thousands of people who do not feel save in the presence of a cop”.

France. Currently, a new law is being debated that would make it illegal to photograph or film police officers (in a manner that makes it possible to identify them). Diffusion of images of this kind could lead to a fine of 15 000€ and even one year in prison. The proposed law is criticised as disregarding the right to inform and making it even more difficult to hold police officers accountable for police violence. At the same time, French police has interrogated Mediapart journalist Pascale Pascariello who frequently reported on police violence and uncovered the lies of president Macron linked to a case of police violence. It is the fourth time in 18 months that police have tried to uncover the sources of Mediapart. Pascariello refused to answer the police’s questions during the one and a half hours of interrogation and criticised the police’s attempt to reveal her sources condemning “a climate of pressure on our profession and of intimidation vis-à-vis our sources”.

USA. In the wake of a disagreement between Donald Trump and Twitter, the US president threatened to introduce legislation that would weaken Twitter’s protection against liability for content by its users. Previously, Twitter had flagged a tweet by Trump on mail-in voting fraud as needing to be fact-checked and flagged another post as “gloryfing violence”. Yet, they decided to not remove the tweet as it is in public interest. The Trump administration had initially responded by retweeting the latter flagged tweet via the White House account which was subsequently hidden by Twitter.

USA. US president Trump has proposed to classify Antifa as a terrorist organisation. Antifa is a loosely organised anti-fascist movement that sees its roots in the radical left groups which resisted fascist dictators such as Hitler and Mussolini. However, Antifa conspiracy theories are wide-spread among groups and members of the political right. Due to its lack of characteristics typical for an organisation, legal experts view Trump’s plan as impossible and even unconstitutional.

Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). In the DRC, the eleventh Ebola outbreak was announced on the 31st of May 2020 in the northwest of the country, while in the East the tenth outbreak is not over yet. In the district around the city Mbandaka, 4 people have died. Meanwhile, in the Kivu province the appearance of new case prevented the previous outbreak from being declared as over. The country is under travel restrictions to prevent a spread of the coronavirus. It is a measure which might now also be helpful to fight Ebola.

Russia/Siberia. Near the city Norilsk in Siberia, 15 000 to 20 000 tons of diesel fuel have been spilled into the Ambarnaya river. The waters are heavily polluted and the installed booms will only be able to collect a small portion of the oil that is polluting the environment. The Russian president Putin has declared a state of emergency in Norilsk. The cause is suspected to be the thawing permafrost, followed by the abnormally warm temperatures in the Arctic regions which made the platform sink deeper into the ground.

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YNTR – May 2020: New government in Israel, Afghanistan & the Taliban, and attacks on civilians in Syria

EditorChief — Sun, 17 May 2020 15:30:13 +0000

Israel. The new government of Israel was sworn in on the 14th of May. Benjamin Netanyahu and Benny Gantz eventually succeeded in forming a government after one and a half years without a functioning government. The contract of the coalition says that for the first 18 months, Netanyahu will serve as premier. After this period, Gantz, who serves in the meantime as defense minister, will take on the role for another 1.5 years. Together they serve as prime minister and “alternate prime minister”.

Afghanistan. After attacks at a clinic and a funeral, president Ashraf Ghani orders the resumption of military attacks against the Taliban. While the Taliban deny any responsibility for the attacks, the government gave orders to the military to be rather offensive against armed groups, contrary to the defensive approach of the United States who is currently withdrawing troops. US officials had previously been in talks with Taliban and signed an “agreement for bringing peace”.

Syria. The report “Nowhere is safe for us: Unlawful attacks and mass displacement in north-west Syria” by the human rights organisation Amnesty International reports on attacks on schools and medical facilities in Syria. While civilians are targeted and massively affected, there is evidence for the use of cluster munition, which is against the international law. This puts new pressure on the ruling dictator al-Assad and the Russian military, which supports the Syrian government. The report is among others based on interviews with displaced people, teachers, doctors and humanitarian workers in aid organisations.

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YNTR – April 2020: Forest fires in Chernobyl, new fask force in Sahel, Maduro accused of drug trafficking, and more

EditorChief — Sun, 19 Apr 2020 08:50:27 +0000

Ukraine. Forest fires near the defunct nuclear plant of Chernobyl caused radation in the area to rise 16 times above the normal level. Police arrested a suspect who is accused of causing the fires that started in early April by setting grass and rubbish on fire. While the fires increased the level of air pollution in Kiev – located around 90km south of Chernobyl – making them the worst in the world, authorities claimed there was no rise in radiation levels in the Ukrainian capital. While reports said the fires were getting dangerously close to the nuclear power plant and waste storage facilities, the government assured that the fires were contained and under control.

Sahel. Eleven European states have formed a new task force, named “Takuba”, to fight terrorism in Mali and the Sahel. The states supporting the project are Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal and Sweden. The French-led task force is also supposed to support the French “Barkhane” mission in the Sahel as well as the joint troops of five Sahel states.

Venezuela. The United States are accusing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as well as other high-ranking politicians of drug trafficking and narco terrorism and offered a bounty of $15 million for the arrest of Maduro. According to US federal authorities, Maduro cooperated with dissident FARC members to “flood” the US with cocaine. The US government, which supports Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guidó, already imposed sanctions against Venezuela under Maduro for human rights abuses and argues that Maduro is responsibile for Venezuela’s economic and political crisis.

WHO. US President Donald Trump has accused the World Health Organisation (WHO) and European states of knowingly allowing covid-19 to spread beyond China. Consequently, hesuspended funding for the WHO. The UN agency had declared a global health emergency on Janaury 30. The day after, Trump announced a ban on all foreign nationals entering the US from China. He said: “Tragically other nations put their trust in the WHO and they didn’t do any form of ban and you see what happened to Italy […]”. Meanwhile, New York Times data suggests that almost 40 000 Americans and authorised travellers were able to enter the US from China since the travel ban was put into action on February 4 whereas Italy introduced a complete ban on all people travelling from China on January 31. The WHO criticised Trump’s travel ban for “increasing fear and stigma, with little public health benefit”, and Democrats and disease experts claim that the travel ban has little effect as the coronavirus had already started to spread within the US as well as internationally.

WFP. Due to fundig shortfall the World Food Programme (WFP) was forced to reduce their support for refugees in Uganda by 30% and for Yemen by 50%. In Uganda, 1.4 million refugees rely on food rations distributed by the WFP. Activists fear that these cuts will make refugees’ lives in midst the nationwide shutdown due to the coronavirus even more complicated. A speaker of the WFP said that due to a critical lack of finances they had no other option but to reduce their aid for Yemen by half, despite the humanitarian crisis in the country. According to the UN, about 80% of the Yemini population is dependent on aid. Starting in mid-April they will receive support every second month as opposed to every month.

Syria. For the first time, the UN’s Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) explicitly names the Assad regime as those responsible for the poison gas attacks of 2017. They accuse the Syrian air force to have used sarin and chlorine gas in attacks on Syrian cities in late March 2017. Human rights organisations see the OPCW’s report as a milestone in the investigation of war crimes.

Israel. On the way of forming a new government, opposition leader Benny Gantz, who holds the mandate to form a government, has been asking for more time. This was denied to him by President Rivlin. The possibility of a unity coalition that was in sight is slipping away. Since no party has a clear majority, the mandate goes back to the parliament and a fourth election round in Israel could be the consequence.

USA. Senator Bernie Sanders ended his campaign for the nomination as presidential candidate, saying “the path toward victory is virtually impossible.” Thus, Joe Biden is the only remaining candidate of the Democrats. Sanders wants to leave his name in the ballot, but assured that he is supporting Biden in the political fight against Donald Trump. Sanders is known to not only run a presidential campaign, but to mobilise the US American progressive left and to have created a movement concerned with social and environmental justice.

Photo Credits

pi-IMG_5623, zhrefch, CC0 1.0

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YNTR – March 2020: Weinstein sentencing, refugees teargassed in Greece, Uighur concentration camps in Xinjiang, and more

EditorChief — Tue, 24 Mar 2020 10:06:13 +0000

Scotland. In a fight against period poverty, the Scottish government has decided to make menstrual products freely available. While pads and tampons were already accessible for free in schools and universities, they are now also available to women outside the education system. The cost for this undertaking is estimated to be around £31 million.

USA. Movie director Harvey Weinstein has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for rape. He will now be extradited to California to be charged with multiple sexual assaults.

Luxembourg. In March public transport has become free in Luxembourg. The country with the highest rate of cars per people in the EU has taken this step to battle trafic congestion and help low income citizens.

Turkey/ Greece. After Turkish soldiers were killed in an airstrike in Syria in late February, Turkish PM Erdogan opened the Turkish border with the EU to be open for refugees to put prssure on the EU to grant Turkey more support. However, the EU, and particularly Greece were refugees previously staying in Turkey are attempting to cross the border, are unwilling to let them in. Greek police used tear gas against the people, some of them children, trying to cross the border. In the increasingly hostile anti-refugee atmosphere even journalists have been attacked by locals.

Australia. Wildfires that consumed more than 16 million hectares—approximately the size of Tunisia—are now either contained or extinguished. In early February, torrential rains—estimated at more than the accumulated rainfall for the entire year of 2019 and lasting for only three days—helped put out many fires which had been raging for months. Australia has lost more than 20% of its forests, more than one billion animals perished, and the weather is predicted to become hotter and drier in the years to come; making it likely that Australia runs the risk of experiencing an increasing amount of bushfires in the future. The fires lasted from October 2019 until February 2020.

Afghanistan. On the 29th February, the US signed a deal with the Taliban in preparation of a full withdrawal of foreign troops in Afghanistan. The deal includes a timeline for the U.S. and NATO troops to pull out, as well as assurances that the Taliban will prevent any militant groups from basing their operations within Afghan territory and posing a security threat to the U.S. and its allies. The deal was signed in Doha, Qatar—where the Taliban’s political headquarters are located—and has laid the foundation for negotiations between the Afghan government and the Taliban; though Afghan President Ashraf Ghani recently rejected a clause in the deal concerning the exchange or pardoning of Taliban prisoners. The war in Afghanistan has lasted 18 years and 5 months as of March 2020. It is the longest war in U.S. history.

Myanmar. The Maldives, represented by Human Rights lawyer Amal Clooney, will join the Gambia in litigations against Myanmar regarding their treatment of Rohingya Muslims in what has been recognized as genocide by various UN organs, International Criminal Court officials, human rights activists and several governments. The initial decision of the International Court of Justice on 23 January 2020, concerning the “Rohingya case” (The Gambia v. Myanmar), was that Myanmar is obligated to prevent further violence against the Rohingya. The case proceedings will continue, with the Court having set the dates 23 July 2020 and 25th January 2021 for the Gambia and Myanmar, respectively, to file their initial pleadings. In October 2016—and again in August 2017—the Myanmar armed forces and police launched a major crackdown on Rohingya people in the Rakhine State in northeastern Myanmar. Estimated death tolls are around 25,000; sexual violence perpetrated against women and girls at around 18,000; more than 100,000 cases of brutal beatings; more than 100,000 homes burned down; and around 750,000 people displaced. The de facto head of government and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has dismissed allegations of targeted systematic violence against the Rohingya people, and, ironically, defended the same Myanmar military responsible for her 15 year long incarceration which ended in 2010. The conflict is still ongoing.

China, Xinjiang. Estimates are that around 1-3 million Uyghur Muslims are interned in “re-education” camps administered by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in northwestern China. Former detainees report to have been tortured and otherwise mistreated. Whereas camps have been compared to concentration camps, the governor of Xinjiang refutes these comparisons and describes them as resembling boarding schools.

Photo Credits

pi-IMG_5623, zhrefch, CC0 1.0

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YNTR – February 2020: Greece’s floating wall, protests in Chile, Trump’s impeachment, and more

EditorChief — Sun, 23 Feb 2020 16:41:50 +0000

Greece. The Greek government has proposed to set up a floating wall to stop refugees from reaching the island Lesbos by blocking the main sea route between Greece and Turkey. Around 20 000 refugees are currently being held in a camp on Lesbos with a holding capacity of less than 3 000 people. According to Vasileia Digidiki and Jacqueline Bhabha of The Guardian, the floating-wall project is a sign of the failure of European migration policies.

Chile. The protests in Chile, which began in October 2019, are continuing despite concessions made by the government, including the drafting of a new constitution, submission for approval of which is scheduled for late 2021 provided that the required public spending can be afforded. While the concessions might have appeased some Chileans, others continue to protest against inequalities within Chile, as well as against the human rights violations and police repression (having led to the death of several protesters) they accuse the government of.

Switzerland. While most attendants of the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, which took place in January, arrived by private jet, a group of climate activists set out on a three-day protests march from Landquart to Davos. The march was one of several protests organised around the World Economic Forum to raise awareness on climate change and put pressure on politicians and big companies to take climate action.

USA. In a vote on the US president’s impeachment, Donald Trump has been acquitted of charges of impeachable crimes laid against him as all Republican members of the Senate except Mitt Romney voted against Trump’s impeachment. With the presidential elections in November, however, the long-term impact of the impeachment process remains to be seen.

Great Britain/ EU. On 31 January 2020, Great Britain left the European Union (EU). The European Parliament voted with a majority for the Brexit contract. While the Brexit party was celebrating the decision, the majority of delegates in Brussels were less enthusiastic about the development and some wore scarves with the writing “United in Diversity” on them. As a good-bye, they stood up together and, holding each others hands, sang the European anthem. During the one year transition period following the Brexit there will be a lot of work and (re-)negotiations to be done.

Australia. The Australian bushfires of the past months have fuelled the debate on climate change. Climate activists organised big demonstrations in major cities in Australia, but also worldwide, to protest against the coal mining industry, emission politics and for more climate action. The Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, who was on holidays in Hawaii shortly after the fires started, was widely criticised for his reaction to and handling of the situation, as were other Australian politicians. Morrison admitted that climate change could have a part in the events, but also said this is not the time to discuss it since there was an emergency to deal with. The public (domestically and internationally) expressed a lot of support, respect and empathy for the firefighters as well as critique of the government, because the firefighters do not receive enough resources.

Photo Credits

pi-IMG_5623, zhrefch, CC0 1.0

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YNTR – January 2020: Heat record in the EU, India’s Citizen Amendment Act, the cost of Australian bush fires, and more

EditorChief — Mon, 06 Jan 2020 17:44:49 +0000

Australia. As of January 6, 24 people and almost half a billion animals have died in Australia’s bush fires. Thousands had to be evacuated, almost 2 000 homes and vast amounts of land have been burned and the fires are still raging. A heat wave with a new temperature record followed the driest ever recorded spring contributing to this summer’s fires being particularly destructive. The smoke from the fires has made Sydney air quality one of the worst in the world on some days, and ash and debris threatens to contaminate drinking water, which without significant rain and tighter water restrictions might run out in Sydney by May 2022. The situation confirms scientists’ predictions that climate change will lead to more extreme bush fires, and has put focus on the Australian government, which is influenced by Australia’s mining history and the coal lobby, having failed to cut CO2 emissions. In December, protesters camped outside PM Morrison’s residence in Sydney demanding immediate climate change actions.

European Union. In the end of a decade of heat records, the EU has declared the climate emergency. The declaration includes a call for the Commission to ensure that all proposals are in line with the 1.5°C target, and urges EU member states to cut emissions so that European climate neutrality will be achieved by 2050, to “at least double their contribution to the international Green Climate Fund” and to stop all fossil fuel subsidies by 2020. The symbolic move is supposed to increase pressure on the upcoming European Commission to take a stronger stance in the fight against climate change. Yet, environmental campaigners warn that the declaration is not backed by sufficient action.

United Kingdom. In the UK’s third general election within 4 years, on 12 December 2019, the Conservative Party under the lead of Boris Johnson gained the biggest majority since Thatcher. Johnson had called for early elections in the hope to increase his parties majority in parliament and have his Brexit bill passed so that the UK will be able to leave the EU on 31 January 2020 which now is a likely possibility. The Scottish National Party (SNP) gained seats as well, whereas Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) lost votes so that now, nationalists are outnumbering unionists in Westminster for the first time.

Finland. After two weeks of nationwide postal-led strikes, Antti Rinne (Social Democratic Party) resigned from his post as Prime Minister following criticism voiced by his coalition government of how he handled the strikes. He was replaced by Sanna Marin who now is the world’s youngest serving PM. All five party leaders of the coalition government are women of which four are in their thierties. The government changes might have an impact on the EU as the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU is currently held by Finland putting the country in a central role in establishing the EU budget.

France. The nationwide strike against planned pension reforms that has caused major disruptions mostly to public transport is France’s longest strike since May 1968. Talks between unions and the government are scheduled for 7 January, yet Macron is intend to not back down on his plan that he argues is necessary to make the pension system fairer and more sustainable. Unionists warn that workers will lose out due to an increased age of retirement and decreased payouts. They call for blockades and mass protests from 7 to 10 January.

India. A citizenship law, the Citizenship Amendment Act, which excludes Muslims has sparked mass protests in India. PM Modi’s government has reacted with bans on protests, curfews and the shutdown of internet services. As of 31 December at least 25 people have been killed as police used water cannons, batons and live ammunition against protesters. Dozens were injured and more than 1 500 arrested by 21 December, among the detainees are journalists, activists and intellectuals. Some, however, see a positive development in the reluctance to discuss politics before the protests to a more open conversation about political matters.

USA. House Speaker Pelosi (Democrats) ordered an impeachment inquiry of Trump following allegations that the US president pressured Ukraine’s president to investigate the family of former Vice President Biden. On 18 December, the House voted to impeach Trump on grounds of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. A two-third majority of the Senate is still required. In the impeachment trial set for January, 20 Republicans would have to vote in favour of the impeachment along with all Democrats for it to go through.

Iran. The year 2020 wasn’t even a week old as the USA carried out an airstike in Baghdad that killed general Soleimani who is seen by many as a hero and revolutionary freedom fighter. Iran reacted by vowing revenge and pulling out of key agreements of the 2015 nuclear deal that the USA had already pulled out of in 2018. Trump, on the other hand, claimed to have acted to prevent a war and described Soleimani as “terrorist number 1”. He tweeted, the USA would attack 52 Iranian sites if Iran retaliated.

Photo Credits

pi-IMG_5623, zhrefch, CC0 1.0

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