And in the Rest of the World…

THE Panama Papers is a scandal of global proportions. More than 200 countries and territories were linked to the 11.5 million leaked documents, connected to the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca. They implicate numerous world leaders and celebrities in secretive offshore dealings.

Over a year ago, an anonymous source released the documents to the German daily, Suddeutsche Zeitung, which shared them with The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The ICIJ and a global coalition of news outlets investigated the papers, before publishing their findings on Sunday (April 3).

These revelations have caused quite a stir; their ramifications are still growing. Use the map below to see the different reactions from around the world, and then check out the selection of quotes relating to other world news.

 

Deportees returning from Europe

“Turkey is not a safe third country for refugees. The EU and Greek authorities know this and have no excuse.”

— Giorgos Kosmopoulos, head of Amnesty International in Greece, on the EU-Turkey deal

This week, more than 300 people, in two batches, have been placed on boats in Greece and deported to Turkey. Under the EU-Turkey deal, refugees and migrants who illegally cross into Greece after March 20 may be sent to Turkey. In a “one-in, one-out” exchange, a vetted Syrian refugee in Turkey will be resettled in Europe. Amnesty International has condemned the deal, claiming that it has “fatal flaws”, because Turkey has been forcibly sending people back to Syria – a violation of international law.

 

Officials embroiled in Subi Reef dispute

“The Chinese side has been working to…ensure and facilitate the freedom and safety of navigation in the region.”

— Lu Kang, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, on China’s new lighthouse in the South China Sea

On Tuesday (April 5), China unveiled a new 55-metre-high lighthouse. This lighthouse sits on Subi Reef, in the disputed Spratly Islands. The reef is also contested by Vietnam and the Philippines. The Philippines claimed China’s actions “are in violation of the 2002 Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)-China Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea”. The US had previously sent a guided-missile destroyer to sail past Subi Reef; it cited the need to uphold freedom of navigation. This angered officials in China, who deemed the act as “extremely irresponsible”.

 

Fighters from Azerbaijan and Armenian-backed forces

“…even if you don’t have a full-scale war there could be low-intensity fighting which completely destroys the peace process.”

— Thomas de Waal, a senior associate at the non-profit think tank Carnegie Europe, on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Peace in Nagorno-Karabakh is fragile. A ceasefire, brokered on April 5, was violated 115 times in the immediate 24-hour period that followed. Nagorno-Karabakh is technically part of Azerbaijan. But its ethnic Armenian people and government have been trying to secede from it since 1988. A full-scale war, which lasted from 1991 to 1994, resulted in 30,000 people dead. This year, hostilities broke out on April 2, with both sides accusing the other for starting the fighting. The ceasefire only came amidst diplomatic pressures, attempting to prevent another full-scale war.

 

The one billion people who use WhatsApp

“I don’t really want to be in the business of observing conversations…”

— Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp, on why the company has adopted new encryption standards

This week, WhatsApp switched on end-to-end encryption for all of its one billion users. This means that no one – no government, no telco, not even WhatsApp – can view your messages, unless they hold onto your unlocked phone. All types of messages – texts, images, voice recordings, videos – whether for individuals or groups, are now end-to-end encrypted. This comes after the bitter encryption battle between the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Apple Inc., where the balance between personal privacy and law enforcement’s ability to conduct warranted searches has been debated.

 

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff

“…serious deviation from her official duties in detriment to the interests of the nation and an abuse of the trust placed in her.”

— Jovair Arantes, spokesman for the special impeachment commission (SIC), on why President Rousseff’s impeachment process should begin

On Wednesday (April 7), the SIC agreed: the lower house of Brazil’s congress should begin impeachment proceedings against President Dilma Rousseff. When she was the chairman of Petrobas – the state-run oil company – corruption was alleged to have taken place. Also, she has been accused of cronyism. Ms Rousseff appointed her mentor, Mr Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, as chief of staff; this raised questions of whether she did it merely to shield him from prosecution for corruption. Under Brazil’s laws, senior political figures may only be prosecuted in its Supreme Federal Court.

 

The Indonesian police and navy

“A U.S.-flagged boat will also be sunk if it were to be found fishing illegally in the country.”

— Susi Pudjiastuti, Maritime and Fisheries Minister, on illegal fishing in Indonesian waters

Under President Joko Widodo, Indonesian police and navy continue to take tough action against illegal fishing. On Tuesday (April 5), 10 Malaysian and 13 Vietnamese fishing boats were sunk in Indonesian waters. This is the third time the Indonesian authorities have sunk illegal fishing boats. Mr Joko justified this policy by stating that illegal fishing costs his country US$20 billion ($27 billion) annually. While he has called this “shock therapy”, Indonesian officials have had to carefully manage tensions with Beijing, because its fishing boats have also appeared in Indonesian waters recently.

 

Fighters in Libya

“…this is not a site that wants to facilitate the private sales of firearms.”

— Monika Bickert, Head of Global Policy Management at Facebook, on Libyan fighters buying firearms through Facebook

Fighters in Libya are using Facebook to buy weapons, according to a report by the Small Arms Survey and the Armament Research Services (ARES), published on Thursday (April 7). These weapons include heavy machine guns and heat-seeking missiles, assault rifles and submachine guns. The growing number of arms trades are made in closed or secret Facebook groups. Facebook’s policy forbids the private sale of firearms. It currently has a Community Operations Team that reviews and may remove content that has been reported.

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Featured image World map by Flickr user Martyn Wright. CC BY 2.0. 

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