Patrick PiersonBy Patrick Pierson.
Both the brother and son of Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales have been arrested on corruption charges. Costa Rica filed a complaint at the International Court of Justice over a Nicaraguan military base located along a disputed territorial border between the two countries. Notorious Mexican druglord Joaquin ‘El Chapo’ Guzman has been extradited to New York. Kidnapping remains a serious threat to overall security in Colombia. In Brazil, clashes between rival gangs have continued for a second week. Brazil is stepping up anti-drug trafficking efforts in a bid to curtail the intergang violence.
Earlier this week, Philippine protesters voiced their support for President Duterte’s anti-US foreign policy agenda. China continues its efforts to rid the country of corrupt government officials. Malaysian PM Najib Razak has called on Myanmar to cease all discrimination against the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority. Two kidnapping victims have been released by the IS-affiliated Abu Sayyaf group in the Philippines. Piracy is on the rise in the Sulu and Celebes Seas west of the Philippines. US officials warn that North Korea may have plans for a missile test-launch in the coming weeks.
Is Belgrade becoming the ‘new Calais?’ Denmark is set to deploy dozens of special forces to assist in the fight against Islamic State. A number of men have been sentenced to jail in Kosovo for supporting Islamic State. Recent reports from Germany suggest the terror group is actively attempting to recruit young Germans via social media. Over a dozen individuals have been dealt prison sentences in Belgium for their role in creating fake IDs for Islamist militants in Europe.
In preparation for August elections, Kenya has launched a massive voter registration drive. An outbreak of the plague has been spotted in rural Madagascar. US airstrikes outside Libya’s Sirte killed more than 80 IS militants this week. A suicide attack on a Malian army base killed dozens and injured more than one hundred this week. Suicide bombers targeting Nigeria’s University of Maiduguri left two people dead and 15 injured. Uganda arrested 101 former members of the Congolese rebel group M23 after the fighters fled disarmament camps in Uganda.
