JANUARY IN REVIEW

The following are some of the major events that have been dominating global headlines in the month of January:

Turkey begins operation against Kurdish militias in Syria

Turkey launched a major military operation against the Kurdish militia group, People’s Protection Unit (YPG) near the border with Syria in late January. Although the Turkish government insisted that the operation will be swift, reactions were mixed with critics arguing that President Recep Erdogan is attempting to gain political mileage ahead of a key election by targeting the Kurds. The operation codenamed “Olive Branch” centred largely in the Syrian towns of Afrin and Manbij where the Turkish military has been launching air and artillery strikes. On a larger scale, the operation also raised the prospect of a protracted conflict between the Turkish-allied Free Syrian Army and the YPG in which both have previously fought alongside each other against the Islamic State (IS) group.

Two Koreas hold first formal talks in months

The two Koreas held their first talks in two years in January ahead of the Winter Olympic Games in the South. The talks came after the North’s leader, Kim Jong-un extended an “olive branch” during his New Year’s address by offering to send a delegation to the games. The relationship between the two Koreas has turned sour amid Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile tests that drew strong condemnations from previous presidents. Although tension remained high in the Korean Peninsula, many had hoped that talks that were held at the heavily-fortified border in Panmunjom will usher in more breakthroughs including the resumption of higher-level talks on other pressing issues such as the former’s nuclear programme. For now, it is a good sign that both countries will march under the same flag for the Olympics in Pyeongchang, the first time since the Turin games in 2006.

Adverse weather causes travel chaos in Europe

The winter season has been harsh for many travellers in Europe amidst a combination of severe storms, strong winds and snowfall that caused major disruptions at the start of the year. To begin with, the United Kingdom was hit by heavy rains that flooded many cities and towns while strong winds also disrupted transportation across the Netherlands, cancelling flights and rail services. Toward the end of January, France was also hit by record rainfall that caused water-level to rise in many rivers including the Seine in Paris. Major attractions such as the Notre Dame Cathedral and Musee d’Orsay were also forced to shut down as precautionary measures against the floods. Up north, heavy snowfall was also recorded in Finland, Sweden and Norway where severe flight disruptions were reported at major airports.

Mounting pressure on Kabila as violent protests erupt in D.R. Congo

The tension in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) went up a notch in January as deadly street protests erupted across the country. The violence broke out as protesters demanded that Joseph Kabila, the country’s president for 17 years to step down. Live rounds and tear gas were fired in the capital, Kinshasa, killing several people. Kabila’s opponents, including the Catholic church, urged the embattled leader to hold an election as scheduled, instead of holding on thus violating the constitutional term that he ceded his authority in 2016. Despite a promise to hold the election by end of 2018, many believed that the leader is in the process of establishing a dictatorship in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

US government shuts down amid budget deadlock

The United States government went into a partial shutdown in January following the failure of Senate members to agree on the year’s funding bill. The shutdown came as Republican Donald J.Trump marked his first-year in office amidst escalating differences with rival Democrats over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) immigration policy as well as the border wall with Mexico. The shutdown resulted in closures of some national parks and cancellations of federal-funded events though disruptions were thought to have been minimal as it began over the weekend. A breakthrough was eventually made three days later when the Senate Democrats agreed to end a filibuster and invoke cloture with the promise that Republicans would allow debate on a separate piece of legislation known as the DREAM Act.