Good Morning, Afternoon, and Evening wherever you are
Given that there is so much international news to cover that, sometimes five news stories isn’t enough, that’s why I am trying a new format, The Honorable Mentions. This is news that deserves attention but are not seen as the main headlines. I wanted to add this section, so some of you news nerds just like me, can get a bit more news then the usual five news stories.
It will be much shorter than the roundup as it will usually try to be more bite sized than the usual 5 story roundup.
I hope you enjoy it and stay tune for the March roundup coming next week!
In East Asia, South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, made a historic visit to Japan on March 16th, The first time a South Korean President has ever visited Japan. President Yeol will be meeting with Japan’s Prime Minister, Fumio Kishida to hold talks surrounding issues such as the use of forced labour of Korean women during Japan’s occupation of the Koreas in World War II, as well as the threats that both countries face from North Korea and China. The US has welcomed the visit as it pressures both South Korea and Japan to mend ties regarding their pasts and work together in regards to the security of their region and the Indo-Pacific. The visit came a few weeks after the South Korean government agreed to a deal to pay compensation to it’s citizens who worked in Japanese factories during World War II which led to a furious reaction from the country’s opposition and victims. By contrast the move was welcomed by both Japan’s government and US President Joe Biden, who called the deal “groundbreaking”.
While headlines surrounding Fox News have been focused on the lawsuit it faces against Dominion Voting Systems regarding false claims that it's presenters made regarding the results of the 2020 election, There was an interesting Ukraine Questionnaire that was sent by Fox News presenter, Tucker Carlson to those who announced to run as the Republican nominee for the 2024 Presidential election as well as to those who are seen as being interested to run. The most noteworthy of answers came from potential presidential , Ron Desantis, the governor of Florida, Desantis’s answers to the questionnaire showed a reluctance of continuing military support to Ukraine as Desantis said it was not a “vital” national interest.
Desantis’s position on the war has sparked condemnation from some notable Republican politicians such as Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina who told CNN “To say this doesn’t matter is to say that war crimes don’t matter, [Putin] is going to go beyond Ukraine, “If you don’t get that, you’re not listening to what he’s saying.” However, Desantis puts himself on the same lane as former President Donald Trump and Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem. Although, both Desantis and Noem had a different view regarding Russia as when they both served in congress, they condemned Russia’s annexation of Crimea and in Desantis’s case, pushed the then Obama administration to send weapons to Ukraine.
Trump, has repeated for both Ukraine and Russia to end the war immediately and promised that there would be no new funding to Ukraine. While Noem criticized the Biden Administration for it’s use of economic sanctions as she sees them as “creating a new alliance between China and Russia.” Both candidates have said that the Russian Invasion of Ukraine is a fight that is of interest for Europe, not America, with Noem adding that “We should not waste taxpayer dollars at the risk of nuclear war.”
By contrast, other Republican politicians such as former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Former Vice President, Mike Pence, and South Carolina senator, Tim Scott, have all signaled to continue support for Ukraine.
While foreign policy is not a big issue for American voters, it has become one of the big issues for Republican voters as many of them want to restrict or cut off aid to Ukraine.
Protests have erupted in Pakistan as Pakistani authorities attempt to arrest the country’s former prime minister Imran Khan. Khan is facing charges over failing to appear at court regarding criminal charges over corruption. In a tweet Khan claimed that the court appearance was a “plot to kill him” and that he would only appear in court by video conference vowing that he will appear for all cases. Police have been attempting to arrest Khan however they have yet to succeed as Khan’s supporters have prevented the police from arresting him at his home in the capital city of Islamabad.
Khan was Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, was seen as an outsider, known for his illustrious career as one of the best cricket players in the world and a national treasure for the country rather than a career as a politician. Khan’s premiership has been defined by his fight against corruption, establishing a closer relationship with China and Russia, and a softer approach when dealing with the Taliban controlled government in Afghanistan.
Last April, opposition parties passed a motion of no confidence accusing him of mismanaging the economy and poor governance. Khan accused the US of conspiring a coup against him. Then last November, Khan almost lost his life after an assassination attempt which saw a gunman shoot at his leg three times. Khan has accused the current government for what had happened. While there has been so far no evidence to suggest that was the case, The government have been preventing him to run for the next election as they have pushed the date of the next election and also filed dozen of court cases.
The government have denied the claims made by Khan and have accused him of trying to whip up support from his supporters.
From an embattled former Prime Minister to a successfully re-elected one, Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas’s Reform party maintained it’s position as the largest party in the Estonian Parliament. Meaning that it’s all but likely that Kallas will remain as Prime Minister. It will all depend on who will be her coalition partners in her government. The election was seen as a test for Kallas’s policies surrounding Ukraine which under her premiership saw Estonia being one of the most vocal countries calling for more support to Ukraine and harsher sanctions on Russia.
Some opposition parties have been critical of Kallas for focusing too much on support for Ukraine rather than looking after issues in Estonia. Nevertheless, the election has vindicated Kallas’s policies and shows that the Estonian public are supportive of her approach on the issue. Her re-election will be welcomed by officials in Ukraine since they see her as a reliable ally who can advocate for them in not just the EU, but also in NATO along with the two other Baltic countries Latvia and Estonia.
Kallas made headlines at the beginning of the war appearing on the International media circuit, not just advocating for Ukraine, but also giving the perspective of a country that was once a part of the former Soviet Union and critical of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ambitions regarding the former Soviet states.At a time when the world is so divided on so many issues including Climate Change. A historic agreement was reached regarding a treaty over Protecting the World’s Oceans. The High Seas Treaty is an agreement that has been agreed to after 10 years of negotiations where it aims to help place 30% of the seas into protected areas and recuperate marine nature. The delay over getting an agreement was due to disagreements regarding funding and fishing rights. Prior to agreement, two thirds of the world’s oceans are considered international waters.
Meaning all countries have a right to fish, ship and do research in these areas. Only 1% of these waters were considered “high seas” (protected areas). What will happen in these areas is that there will be limits on how much fishing can take place as well as the routes for shipping lanes and exploration activity.
During the two weeks of negotiations, delegates from across the world were hammering down the final details of the agreement specifically around marine genetic resources. These are biological material from plants and animals that have been used for pharmaceuticals, industrial processes and food. For many of the world’s rich countries, they have the resources and funding to take advantage of these materials, however poorer countries make sure that the benefits of these materials is shared equally.
About 71 percent of the earth’s surface is covered by water, with oceans holding 96.5 percent of all Earth’s water. As climate change continues to affect the world in different ways, the world’s oceans have also been victims of the crisis. For example, species such as the Dugong, which has been nicknamed “the sea cow” and has inspired tales of mermaids, has been driven to the edge of extinction according to conservation experts due to habitat loss and degradation of their environment due to water pollution. Last year, it was reported that the Dugong is functionally extinct in waters near China
The High Seas Treaty will be huge for many of the world’s species who live in oceans as making sure the waters are protected areas, is one step in preventing their extinction. The news will also be positive for climate activists after the Biden administration’s approval of the large scale oil- drilling project off the coast of Alaska, known as the Willow Project.
Sources for Honorable Mentions:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-64858944
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/14/politics/desantis-republicans-ukraine-aid/index.html
https://edition.cnn.com/2023/02/26/politics/ron-desantis-supported-ukraine-russia-kfile/index.html
https://americanindependent.com/kristi-noem-joe-biden-ukraine-invasion-russia-crimea/
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-21/imran-khan-claims-he-avoided-court-death-trap/102122544
https://tradingeconomics.com/pakistan/corruption-rank
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/24/1165728882/pakistan-imran-khan-conspiracies-politics
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-64815782
Great idea! I like the bite-sized chunks of news beyond the top stories.
I like it.