Week of 8 February 2021

GREECE: The Covid-19 situation is becoming more serious in Attica, Greece’s wealthiest and most populous region, which includes Athens. Active infections in the region are estimated at 5,100, for a nationwide total of around 10,000; most concerningly, the ICU occupancy rate in the region is currently at 83 percent. On Thursday, the Greek government imposed a two-week ‘hard’ lockdown on Attica, which includes a night curfew and extensive use of click-and-collect services for shopping; nevertheless, cases are expected to continue to rise in the short term. 

ITALY: On Saturday Mario Draghi, the widely respected former director of the European Central Bank from 2011 to 2019, was sworn in as Italy’s new PM. Mr Draghi was asked to form a new government by the Italian head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, following the collapse of the coalition supporting Giuseppe Conte’s government back in January. Draghi seems to command the support of most of Italy’s parliamentary groups (left-wing LeU, centre-left Partito Democratico, liberal Italia Viva, centre-right Forza Italia, right-wing Lega, populist M5S) which has complicated the negotiations to form his new government. The main challenge he is expected to face is managing Italy’s post-pandemic recovery, which includes a €200bn recovery fund from the EU. 

NETHERLANDS: According to reports published this week, Amsterdam has overtaken the City of London as Europe’s largest share trading hub. In 2020, €17.6bn worth of shares were traded every day in London, compared with just €2.6bn in Amsterdam (then Europe’s sixth-largest trading hub). This year, the situation has changed dramatically, with just €7.8bn traded in London every day and €8.7bn in Amsterdam. This dramatic weakening of London’s position is closely linked to Brexit, as under EU law shares traded in euros must be traded either in the EU or in ‘equivalent’ markets, and the EU–UK deal struck last December did not grant ‘equivalence’ status to the UK. It remains an open question whether these developments are a short-term crisis or signal the end of London’s status as Europe’s financial capital. 

NIGERIA: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is expected to become the new director-general of the World Trade Organization (WTO) after the White House announced its support for her candidacy. The succession at the head of the WTO was a thorny issue in the final period of the Trump administration, as the former U.S. president had thrown his support behind South Korean trade minister Yoo Myung-hee; the impasse came to an end when President Joe Biden announced he would support Okonjo-Iweala, paving the way for Yoo Myung-Hee’s decision to drop out of the race. Okonjo-Iweala, who served two stints as Nigeria’s finance minister after a 25-year career at the World Bank, will be the first WTO director-general from Africa. She is expected to build her post-pandemic strategy upon the raising of living standards worldwide. 

Week of 18 January 2021

EGYPT: Scandal and arrests over ‘immoral’ cakes, generating debate – a pastry chef in Cairo has been arrested over cakes which were decorated with icing in the shape of genitals. Images from the birthday celebrations at the Gezira Sporting Club were shared widely across social media and blurred versions featured in tabloid newspapers. BBC Arabic dedicated a segment of their ‘Trending’ programme to discussing the debate that had sprung up on social media about the cakes. There have been a number of prominent stories concerning arrests in Egypt over the past few years for violating family values and immorality, including the story of two TikTokers who were arrested but later acquitted earlier this month.

ITALY: Earlier this week, the Italian Government led by Giuseppe Conte barely managed to weather a crisis following a split in the parliamentary coalition supporting it. Italia Viva, the centrist party led by former PM Matteo Renzi, left the coalition apparently due to disagreements on the post-Covid economic strategy. In separate confidence votes, PM Conte secured a slim majority in the Chamber of Deputies (321 out of 630) but only a plurality in the Senate (156 for, 140 against, 16 abstaining out of 321 senators). While winning a plurality allowed Conte to avoid an outright crisis, it will be hard for him to get significant pieces of legislation through, and some observers think a snap election may eventually be triggered before the current Parliament expires in 2023.

RUSSIA: Arrests in the face of opposition protests – top aides of Alexei Navalny, the man described by BBC News as ‘the most prominent face of Russian opposition to President Vladimir Putin’, have been arrested ahead of a large demonstration planned for Saturday. Navalny was poisoned with a nerve agent last August and nearly died, but returned to Russia this week, where he was immediately arrested. The protests are aimed at influencing Navalny’s release or the length of any sentence he is handed. The Guardian has reported, though, that even in prison, Navalny represents a threat to Putin. This week Navalny’s team released a massive-scale investigation into Putin’s wealth. The video, called ‘Putin’s Palace’ and published on YouTube on Tuesday 19th, is just under two hours long and has amassed almost 60 million views.

UNITED STATES: On Wednesday, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States. It was a historic inauguration from several points of view. Biden is the oldest sitting president and the first former vice president to ascend to the presidency since George H.W. Bush; Harris is the first woman, first Asian American and first African American to become vice president. Upon taking office, Biden immediately signed 17 executive orders aimed at undoing some of Trump’s legacy – measures ranged from rejoining the Paris Agreement to stopping the construction of the wall on the Mexican border.

Week of 7 December 2020

AUSTRALIA: Wildfire season is off to a dramatic start in Australia, as Fraser Island, a popular getaway near Brisbane, was severely damaged by fires in the last few days. The fire on Fraser Island reminded many of the tragic 2019–20 wildfire season, which made headlines across the world before Covid-19 and caused hundreds of casualties and an estimated A$100 billion worth of damages. The current season has been quieter so far, but experts argue that climate change is making Australia more fire-prone by the year due to the higher incidence of droughts and heatwaves. 

ITALY & EGYPT: Italian prosecutors are going to charge four senior members of the Egyptian security services over their alleged participation in the disappearance and murder of Cambridge PhD student Giulio Regeni, in early 2016. Regeni was tortured and killed in unknown circumstances while he was living in Cairo to work on his doctoral project about Egypt’s labour movement. The latest developments mark a further delicate moment in the already tense relations between Italy and Egypt following the murder. 

LEBANON: Hassan Diab, the acting prime minister of Lebanon, has been charged with negligence alongside three former ministers over the blast that destroyed a large part of the city on 4 August. Including the latest four charges, 37 people have now been declared ‘suspects’ in the case. The catastrophic explosion, which killed over 200 people, was triggered by the combustion of 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate and has been widely chalked up to the country’s long history of corruption. 

USA: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission and the attorneys general of more than 40 states have formally accused Facebook of taking illegal actions to out-compete and buy its rivals. The lawsuit focuses on Facebook’s acquisition of former rivals Instagram (in 2012) and WhatsApp (in 2014), which have helped the social network cement its global dominance and for which it paid sums that appear minuscule in hindsight. Facebook officials have replied that the accusations are unfounded, since regulators approved the acquisitions when they took place. This lawsuit represents the U.S. government’s most forceful and hostile action against Big Tech to date. 

Week of 5 October 2020

FRANCE: Macron announces plan to outlaw ‘virginity tests’ – French President Emmanuel Macron is looking to introduce legislation which would impose jail terms and heavy fines on doctors who issue ‘virginity certificates’ for traditional religious marriages. The legislation forms part of Macron’s attempt to strengthen France’s secular values and his recent round of swipes at what he calls ‘Islamist separatism’, having controversially described Islam as being ‘in crisis all over the world’. The WHO deems the practice of virginity tests a human rights violation. However, ANCIC, a French organisation which provides support on contraception and abortions, while supporting the government’s intentions, has called for a different approach – namely, ensuring an educational provision. The fear is that the practice will continue within communities, although it’s existence will be denied, and this poses a real risk to certain women, the organisation explains. 

GREECE: Courts convict leaders of neo-Nazi party Golden Dawn – the Appeals Court in Athens convicted members of the neo-Nazi political party Golden Dawn of heading up a criminal organisation in an important ruling which provoked intense protests in the capital. The case centred on the murder of anti-fascist rapper Pavlos Fyssas, who was chased down and killed by thugs in 2013, as well as other violent attacks on migrants and left-wingers. The Greek president called the day an important one for democracy. 

ITALY: Outdoor mask law announced – Italy joins various other regions around the world, including Paris and a number of Spanish autonomous communities, in mandating the wearing of face masks in all public spaces, indoors or out. This new law comes as case numbers have been steadily on the rise for several weeks in the country. Although, the WHO does not currently recommend the mandated wearing of face coverings outdoors. Italy stands apart from most other places, as the outdoor mask law is effective nationwide; unlike in Spain, for example, where it is up to the regional governments to mandate the measure (although, only one autonomous community out of 17, Canarias, has not imposed this rule). In Italy, the fine for not wearing a face mask stands between €400 and €1000.

MIDDLE EAST: Growing numbers in the region want out – the recently conducted Arab Youth Survey 2020 shows that just under half of young Arabs want to emigrate from the region, with the sentiment most strongly felt in the Levant. A lack of economic opportunities – exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic – has prompted many to consider routes to emigrate. Also, the BBC are reporting that a number of expats in the UAE are leaving, or are considering leaving, because of the effects of Coronavirus. Many young people in the region are feeling exasperated with the widespread corruption and ineffectiveness of their governments to provide security and opportunities. Most would, however, struggle to emigrate, given the visa requirements in many destination countries.

USA: Coronavirus blazes through the White House – after announcing that he and the First Lady had tested positive for Coronavirus earlier in the week, The Guardian has reported that as many as 22 of President Trump’s close associates and advisers in the administration and the GOP have also come down with the virus. The president has been criticised for his recklessness since testing positive, including a trip out to wave to supporting onlookers and the risk his infection posed to White House staff upon his return. Trump has this week tweeted: ‘Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life.’ This prompted a backlash from public health officials. 

I will be leaving the great Walter Reed Medical Center today at 6:30 P.M. Feeling really good! Don’t be afraid of Covid. Don’t let it dominate your life. We have developed, under the Trump Administration, some really great drugs & knowledge. I feel better than I did 20 years ago!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 5, 2020

Source: Twitter