Week of 25 January 2021

EU & UK: EU prompts Irish border row with vaccines threat – the EU briefly threatened the imposition of border checks on vaccines between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, in the midst of a disagreement within the bloc regarding the EU’s beleaguered vaccine rollout. This decision sparked a sharp rebuttal and anger from politicians in the UK, Ireland and other EU member states. Following emergency talks between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the threat was swiftly withdrawn. Both sides have officially agreed to draw a line under the brief saga, but the damage of this diplomatic fallout – whatever that may be – could well have been dealt nonetheless.

INDIA: Internet cutouts in ongoing farmers’ protests – mobile internet has been suspended in a number of areas around the Indian capital, Delhi, in the latest development in the continuing farmers protests. Tens of thousands are reportedly protesting against new agriculture laws. On Tuesday, protests ended in violence, with one farmer dying and hundreds of police officers reportedly injured. 200 protesters were arrested following the violence at Red Fort in the historical centre of Delhi. The BBC has been reporting extensively on the farmers’ protests.

ISRAEL/PALESTINE: First 5,000 doses of vaccine transferred to Palestinians – after mounting pressure from the international community, Israel, the country with the highest proportion of vaccinated individuals in the world, is to transfer 5,000 vaccine doses to Palestinian health care workers. Israel had claimed that, under the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority bore the responsibility of managing public health. The UN, however, pointed to the Geneva Convention on occupied territories, which takes precedence and stipulates that Israel ensure the distribution of the vaccine to Palestinians. Disagreement among experts over specific responsibilities nevertheless persists.

TURKEY: Four LGBT+ students arrested over artwork – a group of student ‘deviants’ at Bogaziçi University in Istanbul have been arrested because of their artwork depicting the Kaaba, a sacred Islamic site in Saudi Arabia, alongside images of rainbows. Students have been protesting over the appointment of a new rector, who is reportedly a loyalist of the ruling party. Homosexuality has always been legal in modern Turkey, although society is generally conservative and official opposition to the LGBT+ community is on the rise. 

Week of 30 November 2020

BANGLADESH: Rights of Rohingya continue to be violated – Bangladesh has been accused of violating the human rights of Rohingya refugees, after allegedly moving as many as 1,600 refugees to a remote island against their will. There is a lack of information surrounding the relocations, according to the United Nations. However, the BBC and Human Rights Watch are claiming that Rohingya refugees interviewed in October indicated they did not want to be relocated. The Rohingya are originally from Myanmar, but as many as 730,000 were forcibly displaced in a military operation, which began three years ago, in which a further 10,000 Rohingya were killed. 

DENMARK: “We are now putting a final end to the fossil era” – a significant majority in the Folketing (Danish parliament) has voted to stop all new permits for oil exploration in the North Sea. It was also voted through that all fossil activities will end by 2050. This is a significant step forward, as Denmark is the largest oil-producing nation in the EU and there are hopes this could trigger a chain reaction among other oil producers, including the UK and Norway.

THE EU & THE UK: Clock ticking down (yet again) on negotiations as Brexit deadline looms – negotiators have resumed talks once again in London as the 31st December deadline to ratify any new deal between the United Kingdom and the European Union draws nearer. It seems little has changed in terms of progress in the talks or rhetoric from either side, as the UK accuses the EU of making ‘11th-hour’ demands. Fishing rights remain a major source of contention, as well as the difficulties presented by each of the 27 EU member states possessing a veto which could render all and any outcomes of the negotiations ultimately null and void. 

ISRAEL: Law-makers back move to dissolve parliament, bringing prospect of new elections – Benny Gantz’s Blue and White alliance voted in support of dissolving parliament, setting the country on a course towards their fourth set of elections in two years. Gantz’s party was in a power-sharing agreement with Likud, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, and the two men were to share the role of prime minister in a rotation coalition. Politicians in Israel have been deadlocked over the budget and it marks yet another phase in a protracted political crisis, which also sees Netanyahu currently on trial on corruption charges.