World in Brief - The Economist Roundup

 

World in Brief

The Economist Roundup

The head of the CIA will reportedly help mediate a deal between Hamas and Israel to free Israeli hostages. In the coming days William Burns, along with Israel’s spy chief, will meet with Egyptian and Qatari officials. Earlier this month Qatar and France helped broker a deal that would allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, on the condition that some of the medication is delivered to Israeli hostages. Negotiations to free hostages, however, have been slow.

 

The Iraqi and American governments are set to begin formal talks to end America’s military presence in Iraq and engage in bilateral relations. America’s military has been in Iraq since 2003 and currently has around 2,500 troops stationed there to help prevent a resurgence of Islamic State. Iraq’s government has repeatedly called for America’s withdrawal from the country.

 

Turkey officially approved Sweden’s NATO membership with a signature from Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the president. That makes Hungary the final hold-out; all 31 NATO members must ratify applications. Earlier Laszlo Kover, the speaker of the Hungarian parliament, which returns from recess next month, said he felt no urgency to move on the matter.

Pakistan accused India of running a “sophisticated and sinister” campaign of extraterritorial killings. Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi, the foreign secretary, said his government had credible evidence of Indian agents carrying out two assassinations in Pakistan last year. Mr Qazi likened the killings to the murder of a Sikh activist in Canada, which India was alleged to have ordered.

 

Kenneth Eugene Smith, a convicted murderer in America, became the world’s first person to be executed by nitrogen gas. Appeals by his lawyers to the Supreme Court, claiming cruel and unusual punishment, failed. Three American states, including Alabama where the execution took place, have approved nitrogen for executions because of difficulties in sourcing lethal-injection drugs.

 

Thousands of people marked Australia Day, the holiday commemorating Britain’s arrival down under in 1788, by taking part in “Invasion Day” rallies. They see the holiday, traditionally celebrated with barbeques and parties, as glorifying injustices suffered by Aboriginal people during colonisation. Woolworths, the country’s largest supermarket chain, refused to sell Australia Day merchandise this year, citing a lack of demand.

 

Apple said it would allow alternative app stores and in-app payment methods on its iPhones and iPads in the European Union. It is a response to an EU law which aims to level the playing field for tech companies. But developers who distribute their apps through a non-Apple app store will still have to pay a fee after hitting 1m downloads.

A preliminary judgment on genocide at The Hague

On Friday the International Court of Justice in The Hague will give its first response to the case brought by South Africa arguing that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Lawyers for South Africa contend that the killing of more than 25,000 people and the forced displacement of tens of thousands of others amount to genocide against Palestinians. Israel says that its forces are fighting Hamas in a war of self-defence initiated by the group’s horrifying attack on Israel on October 7th.

A full judgment will take years. But an interim ruling on Friday could demand “emergency measures”, namely that Israel suspend military operations while the ICJ investigates further. Such a ruling would suggest that the court believes there are plausible grounds to argue that Israel has committed genocide. That would be a moral victory for Israel’s critics. More likely, though, is a legal fudge which would not demand a ceasefire. In any case, the court has no power to enforce its ruling.

Tiny Tuvalu and the great-power contest

Tuvalu, a Pacific nation of 11,000 people, heads to the polls on Friday. Voters will elect 16 MPs—all independent, since the island has no political parties—who then form a government and pick a prime minister. The outcome will have an outsized impact on global powers.

Like all Pacific islands, Tuvalu is caught in the tensions between America and China. In November it signed a treaty with Australia—America’s biggest regional partner—which allows Tuvaluans to migrate down under. Rising seas risk consuming their islands. In return, Australia was given the power to veto Tuvalu’s future security agreements (ie, with China).

The deal divided lawmakers. Enele Sopoaga, a former prime minister of Tuvalu, promises to scrap it should he be reinstated. The new government will also review long-standing diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which is losing Pacific allies fast. Tuvalu is one of only three remaining. For small countries, the draw of the Chinese yuan is strong.

Giants of the sea

The world’s biggest cruise ship, the Icon of the Seas, will make its inaugural voyage from Miami this weekend. Royal Caribbean paid more than $2bn for the behemoth, which can carry 9,950 people on 20 decks. It has seven pools, an onboard water park and an ice rink. One week in its cheapest room costs about $3,000.

The ship’s debut comes at a happy time for the cruise industry. Bookings have bounced back from the pandemic. Around 36m people are expected to cruise this year, up 21% from 2019, according to the Cruise Lines International Association, a trade group.

The Icon joins a growing list of mega-ships. The OOCL Valencia, one of the world’s biggest container ships, began sea trials in China on January 9th. According to Alphaliner, a data firm, there are now 184 mega container ships. Those can carry between 18,000 and 24,000 containers.