Week of 12 October 2020
ARMENIA AND AZERBAIJAN: Last weekend, the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan struck a ceasefire to suspend fighting over the contended region of Nagorno-Karabakh. However, fighting has quickly resumed with both parties blaming the other for breaking the truce and launching attacks on civilians. Many countries around the world, including Russia and Turkey, have urged the two countries to respect the ceasefire and initiate talks, with little success so far.
CHINA: A long article on The Atlantic investigates how milk tea has become a symbol of anti-China sentiment and pro-democracy activism in East Asia. It started when Thai actor Vachirawit Chirawee liked an Instagram post suggesting that Hong Kong was not China. This sparked a heated debate on identity and democracy, and Thai, Taiwanese and Hong Kongese activists began to use their respective signature drinks as symbols of identity – Thai tea (made with condensed milk), Taiwanese bubble tea and Hong Kong–style milk tea, all characterised by the use of milk as opposed to the Chinese habit of drinking tea without milk. The hashtag #milkteaalliance is now extremely popular on social media.
FRANCE: President Emmanuel Macron has announced a curfew in Paris and eight other major French cities, with a total population of nearly 20 million, to curb the rapid increase in COVID-19 cases in the country. The curfew will be in place from 9pm to 6am for a minimum of four weeks, starting at midnight on Friday. During curfew, people are generally expected not to leave their homes unless they have cogent reasons to do so, such as health or professional reasons; curfew breakers are subject to a €135 fine. France registered upwards of 30,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday and is the second hardest-hit European country so far after Spain, with a total of more than 800,000 registered cases.
KYRGYZSTAN: President Sooronbay Jeenbekov resigned on Thursday, in a new dramatic development in the crisis following Kyrgyzstan’s 4 October general election. The election result was annulled on 6 October amid mass demonstrations and protests due to alleged electoral fraud. The annulment prompted the resignation of PM Kubatbek Boronov, who was replaced by nationalist activist Sadyr Japarov. Following Jeebenkov’s resignation, the new PM Sadyr Japarov became acting president as well.
USA: The confirmation process of Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court, Judge Amy Coney Barrett, is drawing to a close. Senate hearings began on Monday and Republican leaders, who can count on a 53–47 Senate majority, expect to complete this stage by the end of next week and get a final vote before the 3 November election. During the hearings, Judge Barrett has refrained from answering some questions about her political convictions, stating that as an ‘originalist’ she will bring no political agenda to the Supreme Court. According to some observers, a Justice Barrett could potentially be key in overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalised abortion in all 50 states.
