World update: April 18-19 2020
Stories from North Korea, Libya, Austria, and more
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THESE DAYS IN HISTORY
April 17, 1895: Representatives of the Empire of Japan and China’s Qing Dynasty sign the Treaty of Shimonoseki, ending the First Sino-Japanese War. Reflecting the decisive Japanese victory, the treaty obliged the Qing to renounce Chinese claims on Korea, cede islands in the Taiwan Strait (including Taiwan itself) to Japan, pay reparations, and establish “most favored nation” trade status with Japan. European powers France, Germany, and Russia intervened to force Japan to give up control of the Liaodong Peninsula, which had been another stipulation of the treaty. The newly independent Korea quickly fell under Japan’s sway, which brought the Japanese into Russia’s orbit and led to the 1904-1905 Russo-Japanese War.
April 17, 1975: The Cambodian Civil War ends with the Khmer Rouge capture of Phnom Penh and the ouster of the short-lived Khmer Republic. The Khmer Rouge briefly restored the Cambodian monarchy before embarking on one of the most brutal genocides in history, in which upwards of 25 percent of the Cambodian population was killed through a mix of mass executions, forced labor, and other more indirect forms of violence. That genocide finally ended when Vietnam invaded Cambodia in 1979 and ousted the Khmer Rouge.
April 18, 1897: The Ottoman Empire declares war on Greece, marking the official start of the already-begun Greco-Turkish War.
April 18, 1988: US Naval vessels in the Persian Gulf launch an attack on several Iranian ships and naval positions in what the Pentagon termed “Operation Praying Mantis.” This was a retaliation for Iran’s decision to mine the Gulf as part of its war with Iraq, as on April 14 a US frigate in the Gulf as part of a mission to protect Kuwaiti-flagged oil tankers struck an Iranian mine. The US destroyed two defunct oil platforms used by the Iranian military and sank one Iranian frigate and four smaller boats. It was the largest US naval battle since World War II.
April 19, 1775: Two military engagements between British regulars and American colonial militia in the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord mark the start of the American Revolution. The British force succeeded in destroying some cannons and ammunition at Concord but was driven back into Boston by the militia. A large (15,000 man) militia army recruited from across New England then surrounded and besieged the city, which the British evacuated the following March.
COVID-19
Worldometer’s coronavirus figures for April 19:
2,406,575 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide (+75,804 since yesterday)
1,616,446 active cases
165,031 reported fatalities (+4984 since yesterday)
Dozens of supertankers have been chartered to take on loads of oil and deliver it…nowhere. Worldwide demand for oil products is so low that some 160 million barrels of the stuff is currently just bobbing up and down in the waves in the hulls of around 60 supertankers and many smaller ships, parked mostly off the US Gulf coast and outside Singapore. And more may be on their way. This is courtesy of commodity traders who refuse to sell their product at the current ultra-low prices and are instead stashing it for when prices theoretically rebound. Meanwhile, I’m sure it’s fine to have those ships just sitting around, loaded with oil, off the shores of a couple of very heavily populated regions. What, really, could go wrong?
MIDDLE EAST
ISRAEL-PALESTINE
13,491 confirmed coronavirus cases (+226) in Israel, 322 confirmed cases (+9) in Palestine
172 reported fatalities (+8) in Israel, 3 reported fatalities (+1) in Palestine
Thousands of Israelis hit the streets of Tel Aviv despite coronavirus restrictions on Sunday to protest against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Citing Netanyahu’s corruption indictment, they called on Benny Gantz to give up his efforts to form a national unity government that would leave the prime minister in office for at least another year and a half.
IRAN
82,211 confirmed cases (+1343)
5118 reported fatalities (+87)
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said on Sunday that it has increased its naval patrols in the Persian Gulf. The US Navy said its ships had a run in with a group of Iranian patrol boats while on maneuvers in the Gulf on Wednesday. The IRGC warned the US to “refrain from any adventurism” and said that it “sees the dangerous actions of foreigners in the region as a threat to national security and its red line and any error in calculation on their part will receive a decisive response.”
Iranian authorities have begun reopening Tehran, allowing “low risk” businesses to resume operations in the capital as they already have in other parts of the country. Iran’s coronavirus outbreak appears to be waning, at least for now. But with Ramadan starting on Thursday or thereabouts, most Islamic countries including Iran are maintaining their bans on large gatherings and are advising people to break the fast and pray in their own homes rather than holding the communal celebrations that typically mark the holy month.
ASIA
CHINA
82,747 confirmed cases (+12) on the mainland, 1026 confirmed cases (+2) in Hong Kong
4632 reported fatalities (unchanged) on the mainland, 4 reported fatalities (unchanged) in Hong Kong
On Saturday, Hong Kong authorities arrested 15 activists for their involvement in any of three “unapproved” pro-democracy protests last year. This appears to be a push by Beijing to crack down after the fact on the protest movement using the pandemic as a distraction, and additionally it potentially sidelines these activists ahead of a legislative council election scheduled for September. These arrests came after China’s liaison office in Hong Kong issued a statement saying that both it and Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office are authorized to intervene in Hong Kong affairs, a stance that seems to be at odds with the region’s Basic Law and the agreement that handed Hong Kong from British to Chinese control in 1997. The challenge to regional autonomy is likely to spur new demonstrations.
NORTH KOREA
No acknowledged cases
According to Radio Free Asia, North Korean officials have been telling people since late March via public lectures that there are coronavirus cases in the country. Normally I would say you should discount anything that emerges from the US government-funded Radio Free Asia, especially under the current administration, but it is impossible to believe that North Korea has been virus free this entire time, despite Pyongyang’s insistence.
In another story that hinges on the lack of credibility of either party, North Korean officials have denied Donald Trump’s claim that he recently received a “nice note” from Kim Jong-un. Trump made the comment in his daily political rally/pandemic press conference on Saturday. The North Koreans said they would investigate the reason for Trump’s statement. I can offer at least one suggestion, which is that he lied.
AFRICA
LIBYA
51 confirmed cases (+2)
1 reported fatality (unchanged)
Forces aligned with Libya’s Government of National Accord are pressing their advance on the town of Tarhouna, southeast of Tripoli. That town has been used as a forward operating base by the “Libyan National Army” in its offensive against Tripoli, and its loss would be a substantial blow to the LNA’s efforts. I have seen reports that Tarhouna has already been captured by the GNA but at this point I don’t believe they’ve been corroborated. The LNA says it’s repelled an attempt to take the town.
MALI
224 confirmed cases (+8)
14 reported fatalities (+1)
Despite the threat of violence and of the pandemic, Malian voters turned out on Sunday for the second round of that country’s parliamentary election. Well, some of them did, anyway. Malian elections are generally not well attended events, and the first round on March 29 drew only around 36 percent turnout. The early estimate for Sunday’s turnout puts it around 23 percent, with accusations of voter intimidation and irregularities marring the proceedings. The second round involves runoffs in the elections in which no candidate received a majority of votes in the first round. Once the dust settles, the main question will be whether parliament is willing to amend the Malian constitution to devolve power away from Bamako to the country’s regional governments. That’s viewed as an important part of the effort to tamp down on extremist violence, particularly in the restless northern part of the country.
NIGERIA
627 confirmed cases (+85)
21 reported fatalities (+2)
At least 47 people were killed in attacks on several villages in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state on Saturday morning. There’s no word as to who the attackers were apart from “bandits.” Northwestern Nigeria is increasingly plagued by gang attacks that don’t seem to have any ideological motive beyond looting and kidnapping for ransom.
CHAD
33 confirmed cases (unchanged)
no reported fatalities
Of the 58 Boko Haram fighters captured by Chadian forces in a military operation in the Lake Chad region last month, 44 were found dead in prison on Thursday, allegedly poisoned. Human rights activists are alleging that Chadian authorities denied the prisoners food or water, an accusation the Chadian government rejects.
LESOTHO
No confirmed cases
Lesotho Prime Minister Thomas Thabane has ordered that country’s military to deploy in the streets to “restore order” due to some unspecified threat from law enforcement. Thabane has been embroiled in a scandal over the murder of his first wife, Lipolelo, in 2017—a crime for which his current wife, Maesaiah, has now been charged. He announced earlier this year that he’ll step down in July but continues to resist calls for him to leave office immediately.
EUROPE
AUSTRIA
14,749 confirmed cases (+78)
452 reported fatalities (+9)
Several European governments are keen to see their citizens make use of similar sorts of tracking apps that countries in Asia have used to get a handle on the spread of the coronavirus. The thing is, their citizens are not quite as keen on the idea. This seems to be particularly true in Austria and Germany, though I can’t imagine why folks in either of those countries would be squeamish about enhanced government surveillance of their movements. The thing is, privacy activist groups don’t seem to be making much of a stink about these apps, and at least in Austria’s case the app does seem fairly benign from a privacy standpoint. Participation is voluntary, for example, and they only store data locally rather than in a central database. Still it would appear most Austrians aren’t comfortable with using it.
AMERICAS
BRAZIL
38,654 confirmed cases (+1932)
2462 reported fatalities (+101)
Having been whipped into a frenzy by their president, hundreds of people took to the streets in Brasilia on Sunday to demand an end to lockdown measures meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Bolsonaro addressed the crowd, which ranged from people who are just unhappy about the lockdown to the real Bolsonaro diehards who want a return to military dictatorship. He did not wear a mask and apparently coughed a few times during his remarks. I’m sure it’s fine.
GUATEMALA
257 confirmed cases (+22)
7 reported fatalities (unchanged)
According to the Guatemalan government some 50 people who were deported from the United States earlier in the week have now tested positive for the coronavirus. The Trump administration continues to demand that Guatemala accept asylum seekers who are waiting to have their cases heard in the US immigration system, even though it apparently has no interest in screening those deportees for the virus and could therefore trigger a much wider Central American outbreak.
CANADA
35,056 confirmed cases (+1673)
1587 reported fatalities (+117)
The US and Canadian governments have agreed to extend their border clampdown for another 30 days, through at least the end of May. Their initial 30 day border tightening was supposed to expire this week. The two countries have agreed to keep cross-border traffic to essentials only, which basically means goods, not people. Only those people who can justify their travel, like healthcare workers and people involved in shipping those goods, are allowed to cross the border at this time.
Hopefully handshakes will still be allowed (White House photo via Flickr)
UNITED STATES
764,636 confirmed cases (+25,844)
40,575 reported fatalities (+1561)
Finally, in announcing that he was cutting US funding for the World Health Organization, Donald Trump accused it of kowtowing to China while failing to inform the United States of the early severity of the coronavirus. Given Trump’s well-earned reputation for honesty, I’m sure it will stun you to learn that he’s lying:
More than a dozen U.S. researchers, physicians and public health experts, many of them from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were working full time at the Geneva headquarters of the World Health Organization as the novel coronavirus emerged late last year and transmitted real-time information about its discovery and spread in China to the Trump administration, according to U.S. and international officials.
A number of CDC staff members are regularly detailed to work at the WHO in Geneva as part of a rotation that has operated for years. Senior Trump-appointed health officials also consulted regularly at the highest levels with the WHO as the crisis unfolded, the officials said.
The presence of so many U.S. officials undercuts President Trump’s assertion that the WHO’s failure to communicate the extent of the threat, born of a desire to protect China, is largely responsible for the rapid spread of the virus in the United States.
Trump is desperate to deflect blame for his own failures onto anybody else—China, the WHO, he’s even blamed the Obama administration. But while there’s plenty of blame to go around, there’s no escaping the very large share of it that rests on Trump’s shoulders. Even with China’s obfuscations and the WHO’s limitations, US officials had time to start preparing for an outbreak that they frittered away. Add to that Trump’s decision to gut his own pandemic planning team in 2018 and his culpability is clear.