Global Beat: Trump Removes U.S. from Paris Accord, and More
June 2, 2017
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Global Beat is your weekly stop for news from around the world. Join us every Friday morning for important stories you should know about.
This week, President Trump is withdrawing the United States from the Paris Accord climate change agreement; a powerful new Ebola vaccine is headed to the Democratic Republic of Congo to fight a small outbreak; Yemen is on the brink of total collapse; and more.
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Americas
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he is withdrawing the United States from the Paris Accord. The historic, comprehensive global pact to fight climate change was agreed to by 195 countries in 2015 and aims to significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions. Only two countries did not sign on: Syria and Nicaragua (the latter because it was not tough enough to fight climate change). The process of withdrawing could take up to four years.
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- In Mexico, the price of America’s hunger for heroin – Joshua Partlow, Washington Post
Central & South Asia
An exiled Azerbaijani journalist and human rights activist was abducted in neighboring Georgia and forcibly taken back to Azerbaijan, where he will be detained for three months before his trial. Efqan Muxtarli has been charged with illegally crossing the border into Azerbaijan with €10,000 cash. His lawyer said he was beaten up by his kidnappers. Muxtarli has been known for years as a critic of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
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- India's slowing growth blamed on 'big mistake' of demonetisation – Michael Safi, The Guardian
China & East Asia
Newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered an investigation into why the country’s Defense Ministry did not inform him that four more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launchers than agreed upon were brought into South Korea. The controversial U.S. anti-ballistic missile system is designed to intercept missiles fired by North Korea. Moon, who was critical of deploying THAAD in the recent presidential election, was “shocked” to learn about the additional launchers. The U.S. Defense Department said it has been “completely transparent” with the South Korean government about the deployment of THAAD.
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- China is rapidly closing the innovation gap, European firms say – Sophia Yan, CNBC
Europe & Russia
A 38-year-old openly gay doctor and son of an Indian immigrant was elected as Ireland’s next Taoiseach (prime minister) today. Leo Varadkar is the first openly gay prime minister of Ireland. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Ireland in 1993. Varadkar is seen as socially liberal and economically conservative. The election was called after Enda Kenny announced he was stepping down as Taoiseach.
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Middle East & North Africa
The United Nations warned this week that Yemen faces “total social, economic, and institutional collapse” from conflict, famine, and disease if urgent action is not taken. UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Stephen O’Brien told the Security Council that two years of a proxy war between the Yemeni government, backed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and Houthi rebels, backed by Iran, have taken a dramatic toll, with nearly 7 million people on the brink of famine in addition to a resurgence of a cholera outbreak.
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- Saudi Arabia and UAE block Qatari media over incendiary statements – Patrick Wintour, The Guardian
Southeast Asia & Oceania
Fighting between the Philippine military and Islamist militants in the southern part of the country continued this week, with troops discovering the bodies of 16 civilians killed by ISIL-affiliated Abu Sayyaf. Last week President Rodrigo Duterte declared a 60-day period of martial law in the south as militants took control of parts of Marawi City on Mindanao island, home to about 200,000 people. Duterte is under fire for joking that soldiers can rape up to three women during the period of martial law. The Philippine military accidentally killed 10 of its own troops in Marawi on Thursday.
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- United States demands Cambodia repay $500 million loan from Vietnam War era – Michael Sullivan, NPR
Sub-Saharan Africa
A powerful new Ebola vaccine is headed to the Democratic Republic of Congo to fight a small outbreak. According to the World Health Organization, there have been 19 cases reported since late April, which has caused concern in the region following the outbreak that devastated West Africa between 2014 and 2016 that killed more than 11,000 people. The vaccine, called rVSV-ZEBOV, was recently tested in Guinea and is highly effective, with efficacy between about 70 and 100 percent.
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- The resurgence of the democratic movement in Zimbabwe – Morgan Tsvangirai, The Zimbabwean
