News Timeline: October 2016

 

October 2 – Latin America / International Organizations: COLOMBIA / NOBEL PRIZE
The Colombian people reject the final peace agreement between the Colombian government and FARC in a national referendum. It fails by the narrowest of margins with 50.2 percent voting against it and 49.8 percent voting in favor.[1] It is a surprising outcome of the peace negotiations that took four years to end the 52-year war. Those who voted against the deal argue that the agreement is too lenient on the rebels and do not trust them to lay down arms for good. (October 7): The Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to end the conflict with the FARC in Colombia. He dedicates the award to all victims of the conflict and vows to continue the search for a peace solution.
A List of all Nobel Peace Prizes since 1901.

October 3 – Russia / North America: RUSSIA / UNITED STATES
Russian President Vladimir Putin suspends an agreement with the United States on the disposal of surplus weapons-grade plutonium. Signed in 2000 and amended in 2010, the deal called for the disposal of 34 tons of weapons-grade plutonium from each country, the material big enough to build 17,000 nuclear warheads.[2] The cancellation of the deal, once an example of successful post-Cold War cooperation between the U.S. and Russia, shows a corrosion of the relations between the two sides.

October 4 – Latin America: HAITI
The category four hurricane Matthew, with winds of about 140mph, makes landfall close to Haiti’s westernmost point, devastating the island country that was still recovering from the 2010 earthquake and subsequent outbreak of cholera. The hurricane killed an estimated 546 people, with more than 120 still missing.[3]  It left entire towns in ruins, caused extensive flooding and mudslides, damaged roads and buildings, and left 1.4 million people in need of immediate assistance. The hurricane damaged fishing boats and destroyed large areas of crops causing concerns about famine. Corrupt and inefficient government is blamed for the extent of casualties.
Satellite images showing destruction in Haiti after Hurricane Matthew

October 4 – Europe / Middle East: TURKEY
Almost three months after Turkey imposed the state of emergency after the failed July coup, Turkish police raids and closes down TV stations, including an opposition and pro-Kurdish channel IMC TV, and suspends more than 12,000 police officers who are accused of links to the exiled Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen. The government accuses Gulen of being the mastermind behind the coup. The state of emergency allows the government to rule by decrees without the need of legislative approval. In the last three months, more than 81,000 people have been arrested or suspended in wide-sweeping purges.[4] Turkey’s government also declares that the current state of emergency will be extended by another three months.

October 6 – South Asia: Pakistan
Pakistani parliament passes a law that closes a loophole that allowed those behind so called “honor killings” to go free if pardoned by a victim’s relative. The tightening of the law means the killer will face a mandatory life sentence. “Honor killings” usually involve a woman being killed by a relative who believes that she has brought shame upon the family or community. These “shameful behaviors” include alleged marital infidelity, refusal to accept an arranged marriage, demanding a divorce, and being raped. According to Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), in just 2015, 1096 women were killed in such “honor killings”.[5]
Renewed focus on “honor-killings” in Pakistan (video 2:53 min).

October 9 – Africa: ETHIOPIA
The Ethiopian government declares a six-month state of emergency in response to months of anti-government protests. The unrest started after possibly hundreds of people died in a stampede on October 2 during the popular Irreecha harvest festival in the Oromia region.[6] The panic was triggered by teargas and shots fired by the government security forces. The government has been trying to end unrest in Oromia for months that grew out of grievances of being excluded from the country’s political process and the economic development, such as the development around the capital, Addis Ababa (situated in the Amhara region). Protests have also spread to the Amhara region. The Oromo and Amhara people, who constitute the country’s largest ethnic groups, complain about being marginalized, while the minority Tigray people dominate Ethiopia’s military and politics.

October 11 – International Organizations: SAVE THE CHILDREN
The Save the Children organization issues a report “Every Last Girl” that looks at some key barriers preventing girls from around the world from achieving their full potential. They include child marriage, gender-based violence and harmful practices, poor access to good-quality services – including health and education, economic exclusion, and girls’ lack of a voice in private and public spheres due to gender discrimination. Each year, 15 million girls are married before the age of 18 and in developing countries one in nine girls are married before the age of 15. The report points out that child marriage “triggers and exacerbates a cycle of disadvantage.”[7] The report includes the Girls’ Opportunity Index that ranks where girls’ rights are most at risk. The index is based on five factors: child marriage, adolescent fertility, maternal mortality (as an indicator of girls’ access to good-quality healthcare), women MPs (relative to male MPs), and lower-secondary school completion. According to the Index, Niger, Chad, Central African Republic, Mali, and Somalia are ranked at the bottom. The top five countries that provide best opportunities for girls are Sweden, Finland, Norway, Netherlands, and Belgium. The United States ranks at number 32 because it has a low women representation in parliament, relatively high adolescent fertility and maternal mortality rates compared to other countries in its income group.
The Report “Every Last Girl” and Girls’ Opportunity Index.

October 13 – East Asia: THAILAND
Thailand’s King Bhumibol Adulyadej dies at the age of 88. He ruled as king and head of state for 70 years, which makes him the world’s longest-reigning monarch. Although the king’s powers in Thailand are limited by the constitution, King Bhumibol Adulyadej played a crucial role as a unifier and a moderator during many coups, and was greatly respected by many Thais. But he was also protected by lèse-majesté laws, which allow critics of the monarchy to be jailed for three to fifteen years. His critics say that he endorsed the military takeovers and failed to condemn human rights abuses. King Bhumibol’s only son, Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, is expected to become Thailand’s new king. Some worry that he does not enjoy his father’s stature.
More about Thailand’s Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn.

October 24 – Africa: SOMALIA
The last 26 hostages held by the Somali pirates since 2012 are released after a ransom was paid. The hostages are sailors from China, Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan who were on board of ship FV Naham 3 when it was captured south of the Seychelles. Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been dramatically reduced in recent years from total attacks of 176 in 2011 to 0 in 2015.[8] This is thanks to an international cooperation that resulted in creating counter-piracy task forces with numerous national vessels that deter and disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean.
Facts and figures about the Somali pirates activities since 2008.

October 24 – Europe / North America: NORWAY / UNITED STATES
The Norwegian government says that it invited 300 US troops to be stationed at the Vaernes military base around 620 miles from the Russian border.[9] The troops will be deployed in January 2017 and the program will be evaluated later that year. So far the United States stored military equipment in Norway, which is a NATO member, but not troops. Recent conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as Russia’s annexation of Crimea have raised tensions between Russia and the West.
See a map with a route of Russian warships passing Norway and other European countries on its way to Syria.

October 21 – Middle East / International Organizations: SYRIA / UNITED NATIONS
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein speaks at a special session of the Geneva-based Human Rights Council and describes the bombardment of Syria’s war-ravaged eastern Aleppo as “crimes of historic proportions.” He compares what it used to be beautiful ancient city of Aleppo to a slaughterhouse – where children and women are deliberately bombed. He blames the international community for the failure to protect the civilians and urges the Council to act to end the bloodshed. He also says that the Syrian conflict has killed over 300,000, wounded and traumatized countless others, resulted in the abduction, summary execution or arbitrary detention of tens of thousands and displaced a half of the Syrian population.[10] (October 26): An airstrike on a school in the town of Haas in the Idlib province kills close to 40 people and injures more than 100, most of them children.[11] The United States blames either Syria or Russia of being behind the attacks; however, Russia denies these claims. Idlib province is in the hands of opposition forces.

October 26 – Europe: FRANCE / EUROPEAN UNION
The French authorities dismantle the “Jungle” migrant camp in Calais which housed about 7,000 migrants in squalid conditions. It is estimated that about a 1,000 of them are unaccompanied minors.[12] The migrants were moved to shelters and reception centers across France. Refugees, mainly from the Middle East and Africa, first set up the Jungle makeshift camp in 2002 in Calais close to the English Channel hoping to reach the United Kingdom. Many of them wanted to join their families that are already in the UK and tried to smuggle themselves in cargo vehicles entering the English Channel. The “Jungle” migrant camp became a symbol of the European Union’s failure to solve the migrant crisis.
Smoke over the Calais “Jungle” camp video (1.42 min)

October 27 – International Organizations / Russia:
NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANIZATION (NATO) / RUSSIA
The United Kingdom deploys hundreds of troops and military personnel to the NATO member-countries in eastern Europe as part of the NATO’s plan to strengthen its presence in the region. These troops will join other already stationed in the Baltics, but also Poland and Romania.[13] From 2017, NATO will have four multinational battalions in the eastern Europe led by the U.S., UK, Canada, and Germany with 1,000 troops each. It also plans to strengthen its presence in the Black Sea region. The largest buildup of NATO troops since the Cold War is in response to Russia’s significant military buildup near its western border, tripling its defense spending since the year 2000, and its aggression against Ukraine and annexation of Crimea.[14]
See map of Russia’s anti-NATO troops reinforcement.
See map of NATO troops deployment in eastern Europe.

October 28 – International Organizations / Russia / Middle East:
UNHRC / RUSSIA / SAUDI ARABIA / HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH / AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
For the first time since the beginning of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHCR) in 2006, Russia is not elected as the Council’s member and is replaced by Croatia. The Human Rights Council is an inter-governmental body within the United Nations, which consists of 47 States responsible for the promotion and protection of all human rights around the globe. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, despite criticism, is elected and will serve another 3-year term until 2019. In June 2016, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International issued a joint statement condemning Saudi Arabia for human rights violations in its military campaign in Yemen and in its own country, with reports of jailing of the opposition, torture, discrimination, and conducting 157 executions just in 2015. As a member of the UNHCR, Saudi Arabia uses its power to block any investigations into these allegations. The two organizations called for Saudi Arabia to be suspended from UNHRC.[15]
More about the membership in UNHRC

October 31 – Middle East: LEBANON
Lebanon’s parliament elects Michel Aoun, the Maronite Christian, as president after a two-year deadlock. The country’s previous president, Michel Suleiman, left office at the end of his term in May 2014. Several attempts to pick a new president have failed mainly because of the MPs’ disagreements about the civil war in neighboring Syria.

 

Sources:
[1] “Colombia referendum: Voters reject Farc peace deal.” BBC News. 3 October 2016. Web. 20 October 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37537252.
[2] “Putin suspends plutonium disposal deal with U.S.” CBS News. 3 October 2016. Web. 24 October 2016. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/putin-russia-plutonium-disposal-deal-suspended-us-hostile-actions-reports/.
[3] “The United Nations is with you,’ Ban tells people of Haiti after witnessing hurricane’s wrath.” UN News Centre. 15 October 2016. Web. 19 October 2016. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55311#.WAe13PkrKUk.
[4] Sariyuce, Isil and Tim Hume. CNN. “Turkish police use post-coup powers to shut down TV station.” 4 October 2016. Web. 27 October 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/04/europe/turkey-police-officers-suspended/.
[5] Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. “HRCP Annual Report 2015.” 31 Mach 2016. Web. 24 January 2017. http://hrcp-web.org/hrcpweb/?s=+Annual+Report+2016+.
[6] Horne, Felix. “Anger Boiling Over in Ethiopia.” Human Rights Watch. 11 October 2016. Web. 30 October 2016. https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/10/11/anger-boiling-over-ethiopia.
[7] “Every Last Girl.” Save the Children. 2016. Web. 18 October 2016.  http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/sites/default/files/images/Every_Last_Girl.pdf
[8] “Key Facts and Figures.” The European Union Naval Force ATALANTA (EU NAVFOR). 2016. Web. 24 October 2016. http://eunavfor.eu/.
[9] “US troops to be stationed in Norway in break with tradition.” BBC News. 25 October 2016. Web. 30 October 2016. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37761376.
[10] “‘Crimes of historic proportions’ being committed in Aleppo, UN rights chief warns.” UN News Centre. 21 October 2016. Web. 30 October 2016. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=55364#.WBNkxS0rLIU.
[11] “Russia or Syria was behind deadly Idlib school attack, says US.” The Guardian. 27 October 2016. Web. 31 October 2016. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/27/airstrike-on-syrian-village-kills-26-people-reports-say.
[12] “The Desperate Children of the Calais Jungle.” BBC News. 17 October 2016. Web. 28 October 2016.
[13] Masters, James. “NATO bolsters presence in Eastern Europe as Russia tension rises.” CNN. 27 October 2016. Web. 28 October 2016. http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/27/europe/nato-russia-troops/index.html.
[14] North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Press conference by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. 25 October 2016. Web. 28 October 2016. http://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/opinions_136414.htm?selectedLocale=en.
[15] “UN: Suspend Saudi Arabia from Human Rights Council.” Human Rights Watch. 29 June 2016. Web. 31 October 2016. https://www.hrw.org/news/2016/06/29/un-suspend-saudi-arabia-human-rights-council.