Pope Francis recently made an unofficial visit to France to meet with religious figures and activists from around the Mediterranean to discuss the flow of migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. He is working to fight against policies implemented by European countries meant to discourage migrants from making the dangerous crossing.
Diplomatic relations between India and Canada have hit an all-time low. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of murdering a Canadian citizen on sovereign territory. Nijjar is considered a terrorist by the Indian government with the Indian National Investigation Agency accusing Nijjar of “trying to radicalize the Sikh community across the world in favor of the creation of ‘Khalistan,’” and “trying to incite Sikhs to vote for secession, agitate against the government of India and carry out violent activities.” So far, the Indian government has refused any involvement in the matter.
On September 12th, Guyana allowed bids from several international oil companies, including Exxon and TotalEnergies, for the right to explore 14 offshore oil blocks. Negotiations with the bidders will take place next month. However, neighboring Venezuela has voiced its displeasure with the Guyanese auction, arguing that Guyana does not have sovereign rights over the area and therefore cannot grant rights to third parties for oil exploration.
On Tuesday, Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame announced in an interview with Jeunea Afrique that he plans to run for another term in 2024. Despite exceeding the constitutional term limits, an amendment passed in 2015 will allow him to run for two additional five-year terms. This would extend his time in power until 2034, adding to recent trends from African leaders changing their constitutions to retain control.
On September 9th, a federal judge in New York ordered the nation of Argentina to pay $16 billion to minority shareholders of YPF, over the Argentine government’s 2012 seizure of a majority stake in the energy company. Following this concern, the current Peronist administration led by President Alberto Fernandez and Vice President Cristina Kirchner, who was President when YPF was expropriated, could be replaced by political outsider Javier Milei, a fierce libertarian with an economist background.
On September 12th Rwanda's government signed a deal to build an “experimental” civil nuclear reactor, making it the second African country to adopt civil nuclear energy. It is expected that the reactor will be operational by 2026 and will be able to produce “electricity, hydrogen and synthetic fuel." However, the reactor will not initially supply the country's energy grid, but it will serve to explore options for renewable energy.
The Taliban welcomed China’s new ambassador to Afghanistan with all the pomp and circumstance they could muster last Wednesday. The lavish ceremony was held at the presidential palace where the Taliban’s Prime Minister Mohammad Hasan Akhund shook hands with Zhao Sheng before accepting his credentials. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs played down the meeting claiming, “this is the normal rotation of China's ambassador to Afghanistan and is intended to continue advancing dialogue and cooperation between China and Afghanistan.”
Nipah, which was first reported among humans in 1999 and in Kerala in 2018, is believed to originate in fruit bats, which are increasingly in contact with humans in rapidly expanding and industrializing regions like Kerala. While the disease has a much higher fatality rate than COVID-19 (perhaps 40% across limited cases), it is also far less contagious.
On September 14th, the European Central Bank (ECB) raised Eurozone interest rates to a record high of 4% from 3.75%. This is the tenth consecutive increase in interest rates that the ECB has implemented with the goal of lowering inflation rates. The hope is that higher interest rates will cause people to buy less, which in turn will drive down the prices for individual items.
On September 14, the Taiwan Aerospace & Defense Technology Expo (TADTE) returned to Taipei for the first time in four years. Despite the robust international presence at the expo, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense drew the spotlight featuring numerous advanced weapon systems with a new attack drone taking center stage.
The Patterson Journal of International Affairs 