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between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the threat was swiftly withdrawn.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.
