Weekly Roundup
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Africa:
At least 18 were killed and four reported missing when a river boat capsized on the Niger River in central Mali.
Bosco Ntaganda, a former Congolese warlord, pleaded not guilty to charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the conflict in Ituri in 2002-3 at the Hague on Wednesday.
East & Southeast Asia:
Chinese stocks slid this week as authorities ramped up efforts to control stock price swings. A journalist and hedge fund manager were held for questioning on Wednesday.
Japan’s parliament voted to introduce a wide-reaching national identity system that will include bank account and social security information.
Millions of workers began a 24-hour strike in India on Wednesday to protest labor reforms that would facilitate shuttering workplaces and eliminating jobs.
On Thursday, China commemorated the country’s victory over Japan in WWII alongside the U.S., France and the UK in a carefully orchestrated military parade.
Europe:
ECB President Mario Draghi hinted at an extension of quantitative easing after the Eurozone released revised projections for inflation (0.1%) and GDP growth (1.4%) for 2015.
Germany, France and Italy on Wednesday published an open letter calling for a reform of EU laws governing asylum seekers, while calling for the redistribution of refugees.
Hungarian authorities introduced road blocks to prevent nearly 3,000 refugees from entering the Budapest train station in order to travel to other EU countries.
Eight people were killed when a fire broke out in an apartment building in Paris’ 18th arrondissement.
Middle East:
At least 10 were killed in a car bomb attack in Latakia, considered to be a Syrian government stronghold, on Wednesday.
US & Canada:
U.S. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) became the 34th senator to offer her endorsement of the Iranian nuclear deal, in a key victory for the Obama administration.
The U.S. army will admit women to its elite Ranger School, which sees recruits undergoing a challenging 61-day endurance test. Two women recently passed the test.
A U.S. judge refused to dismiss charges against six police officers in the death in custody of Freddie Gray in Baltimore in April 2015.
South & Latin America:
Guatemala’s former president, Otto Perez Molina, resigned his post on Thursday in the wake of a corruption investigation.
Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff predicted a national deficit of $8.4 billion, or 0.5% of GDP, in a budget presented to Congress Monday.
International news:
Pope Francis on Wednesday allowed Catholic priests to pardon women “for the sin of abortion” on the condition they show a “contrite heart.”
Image source: Bloomberg
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