SYRIA
Elections to go ahead
President Bashar al-Assad has insisted that parliamentary elections scheduled for August will go ahead, although only parties belonging to the National Progressive Front—a coalition that accepts the hegemony of Assad’s Ba’ath party—may run. An estimated 1,400 civilians have died in the violent crackdown against protests since March. The EU and the US have imposed sanctions on Syria, but have ruled out military intervention, and Russia has blocked UN Security Council resolutions condemning the actions of the regime.
EGYPT
Mubarak on trial
Hosni Mubarak and his two sons will stand trial for corruption and ordering the killing of protesters during the wave of protests that swept the former Egyptian president from power in February. If convicted of “pre-meditated killing,” Mubarak could face the death penalty. The Egyptian military has been in charge since Mubarak stepped down last February. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for September.
PALESTINE
Budget crisis
Palestinians may be going without more than just their daytime food and water during Ramadan. The Palestinian Authority’s 150,000 employees received only half pay in July due to a worsening budget crisis. Foreign donors have given only $330m of a total $970m commitment to the PA for the year, and in May Israel delayed the transfer of tax revenues in response to the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. The World Bank has judged Palestinian borrowing “unsustainable.” President Mahmoud Abbas has promised to “endure in this confrontation and face the pressure.”
USA
Recall vote
Wisconsin will hold nine state senate recall elections in August. Six Republicans and three Democrats will fight to keep their seats, after voters petitioned against them in the fallout from Governor Walker’s controversial “budget repair bill,” which effectively eliminated labour unions for public employees. The state has held only two recall elections in its 150-year history. The recent petition campaigns were marred by violence, threats, and allegations of fraud. Democrats, who need to win three seats to gain a majority in the state senate, see this as a potential turning point in the struggle against the anti-union Tea Party.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
ICC verdict near
The International Criminal Court will hear closing statements in the trial of Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the end of August. Lubanga, the first person to be tried by the ICC following his 2006 arrest, is charged with using child soldiers in the bloody conflict in the mineral-rich Ituri region. To date, the DRC’s civil conflict has claimed more than 5m lives. Critics of the ICC claim it focuses only on African atrocities and fails to capture the biggest offenders. It issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi in June.
Elections to go ahead
President Bashar al-Assad has insisted that parliamentary elections scheduled for August will go ahead, although only parties belonging to the National Progressive Front—a coalition that accepts the hegemony of Assad’s Ba’ath party—may run. An estimated 1,400 civilians have died in the violent crackdown against protests since March. The EU and the US have imposed sanctions on Syria, but have ruled out military intervention, and Russia has blocked UN Security Council resolutions condemning the actions of the regime.
EGYPT
Mubarak on trial
Hosni Mubarak and his two sons will stand trial for corruption and ordering the killing of protesters during the wave of protests that swept the former Egyptian president from power in February. If convicted of “pre-meditated killing,” Mubarak could face the death penalty. The Egyptian military has been in charge since Mubarak stepped down last February. Parliamentary elections are scheduled for September.
PALESTINE
Budget crisis
Palestinians may be going without more than just their daytime food and water during Ramadan. The Palestinian Authority’s 150,000 employees received only half pay in July due to a worsening budget crisis. Foreign donors have given only $330m of a total $970m commitment to the PA for the year, and in May Israel delayed the transfer of tax revenues in response to the reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas. The World Bank has judged Palestinian borrowing “unsustainable.” President Mahmoud Abbas has promised to “endure in this confrontation and face the pressure.”
USA
Recall vote
Wisconsin will hold nine state senate recall elections in August. Six Republicans and three Democrats will fight to keep their seats, after voters petitioned against them in the fallout from Governor Walker’s controversial “budget repair bill,” which effectively eliminated labour unions for public employees. The state has held only two recall elections in its 150-year history. The recent petition campaigns were marred by violence, threats, and allegations of fraud. Democrats, who need to win three seats to gain a majority in the state senate, see this as a potential turning point in the struggle against the anti-union Tea Party.
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
ICC verdict near
The International Criminal Court will hear closing statements in the trial of Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo at the end of August. Lubanga, the first person to be tried by the ICC following his 2006 arrest, is charged with using child soldiers in the bloody conflict in the mineral-rich Ituri region. To date, the DRC’s civil conflict has claimed more than 5m lives. Critics of the ICC claim it focuses only on African atrocities and fails to capture the biggest offenders. It issued an arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi in June.
