Global Beat: Saudi Women’s Rights, Russian Hackers, and More
March 17, 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, Saudi Arabia held its first ever Girls Council meeting… without any women; the United States charged two Russians for cyber attacks; Malaysia and Australia have agreed to share intelligence on ISIL militants in Southeast Asia; and more.
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Americas
The U.S. Department of Justice announced on Wednesday that two members of the Russian intelligence agency, FSB, and two hackers hired by the Russians had been indicted in connection with the theft of 500 million Yahoo user accounts in 2014. This marks the first ever U.S. criminal cyber charges against Russian government officials. The charges include hacking, wire fraud, trade secret theft, and economic espionage in an effort to seek information for intelligence purposes, targeting journalists, dissidents, and U.S. government officials.
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Central & South Asia
After failing to investigate war crimes committed during the country’s civil war within a two-year deadline, Sri Lanka now faces a censure by the United Nations. The UN resolution adopted in October 2015 called on Sri Lanka’s police forces to prosecute suspects in 11 high profile cases considered to be "emblematic" of the culture of impunity that exists within the country. While the UN Human Rights Council acknowledged Sri Lanka had taken some steps towards reconciliation, it stated that the measures had been "inadequate" and "lacked coordination and a sense of urgency."
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- Modi wins landslide election victory in India’s biggest state – Rupam Jain and Tommy Wilkes, Reuters
China & East Asia
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said Wednesday that China has no interest in a trade war with the United States. Tensions between the two countries remain high after U.S. President Donald Trump accepted a call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, departing from decades of U.S. policy in Asia, and questioned the "One China" policy, which he later backed away from. The United States has also been concerned with China’s continuous building of man-made islands in the South China Sea. President Trump plans to host Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit next month at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to a senior administration official.
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- South Korea to elect new president in May, government says – Choe Sang-Hun, The New York Times
Europe & Russia
Emboldened after Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for a second referendum on independence from the United Kingdom, Sinn Féin, Northern Ireland’s largest Irish republican party, wants one too. Newly elected Sinn Féin leader Michelle O’Neill stated that the country should hold a referendum on leaving the UK and joining the Republic of Ireland as "soon as possible," and that Brexit would be a "disaster." Northern Ireland voted to remain in the European Union with a vote of 55 percent to 44 percent last year.
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- European court rules employers can ban women from wearing Islamic headscarves and religious symbols – Lizzie Dearden, The Independent
Middle East & North Africa
Saudi Arabia held its first ever Girls Council meeting this week, a promising step for a country that has long been criticised for its record on women’s rights. However, during the launch of the Girls Council in the al-Qassim province, not a single woman was pictured. The launch was led by Prince Faisal bin Mishal bin Saud, the province’s governor, who said he "was proud of the conference" and that "it was the first of its kind in the kingdom." He stated that women are looked at as sisters and that men feel the "responsibility to open up more and more opporunities that will serve" their work. While females face many restrictions in the country, Saudi Arabia’s new master plan, Vision 2030, aims to increase female participation in the workforce from 22 percent to 30 percent.
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- Putin deepens Middle East influence with Kremlin summits – Tim Lister, CNN
Southeast Asia & Oceania
Malaysia and Australia have agreed to share intelligence on ISIL militants in Southeast Asia, citing the group as "a common foe." The two countries are preparing for a possible return of ISIL militants from Iraq after Iraqi forces have recaptured 30 percent of Mosul. Australia has agreed to provide Malaysia with technical support and equipment to deal with this threat. More than 250 people have been arrested in Malaysia between 2013 and 2016 for suspected militant activities linked to ISIL, with seven people arrested on Monday.
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- Singapore boat captain charged with trespassing in Indonesian waters – Francis Chan, The Strait Times
Sub-Saharan Africa
An oil tanker was hijacked off the Somali coast in the first suspected instance in the region since 2012. According to Ali Shire Mohamud Osman, the district commissioner in Alula, the men holding the ship claimed to be fishermen whose equipment had been destroyed by illegal fishing vessels, but more information is being sought to determine if they are in fact pirates. The vessel, owned by the United Arab Emirates, was carrying oil and its tracking system had been turned off. The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry has confirmed all eight members on board were Sri Lankan nationals.
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- South Africa proposes law to legalize some trade of rhino horn – Thuso Khumalo, Voice of America
