World Weekly: 21 March – 27 March

New suspect detained after police raid in Brussels.

After terrorist attacks that occurred in Brussels on Tuesday, 22 March, the police have conducted more raids in relation to the bombings and a potential new terrorist plot. The attacks, which occurred in the district of Schaerbeek, killed 31 people and left another 270 wounded. European security officials confirmed that one of the suicide bombers was involved with creating the bombs used on Paris. During a raid in Schaerbeek, police officers arrested a 34-year old male who was reportedly linked to the suspected leader of the Paris attacks. Following the attacks, Belgium’s nuclear agency withdrew badges of some staff, denied access to others, and increased overall security at nuclear plants. Accounts of the victims’ last moments are also beginning to surface.

Source and more information can be found here.

Pope Francis washes feet of migrants.

On Holy Thursday, many migrants had tears running down their faces as Pope Francis washed and kissed their feet, imitating what Jesus did to his apostles. Soon after becoming pope in 2013, Francis had similarly washed the feet of Muslims. Although the event wasn’t attended by many, those who did were personally greeted by Francis. The twelve migrants who participated included five Catholics (including an Italian Catholic), three Muslims, one Hindu, and three Coptic Christians. Pope Francis hoped to make a ‘gesture of brotherhood’ through this ritual. He also condemned the recent terrorist attack in Brussels and further emphasized the need for a balance between both aiding migrants and general security.

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Serbia’s Government complains about genocide and war crimes.

Serbia’s government complained last Friday about the biased judging of Serbs during the UN war crimes tribunal.  It claimed that the decisions of the tribunal were unfair as there were no major punishments given to “orchestrators of the policies of crimes”. However, the government chose to remain silent on the conviction of former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic. Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years in prison for the massacre of Muslims and Croats during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia. The Serbian government did not wish to politicize this verdict, in fear of ruining their reputation.

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John Kerry’s meeting in Moscow signals what could be the end of a century-old conflict.

On 25 March, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry completed his third trip to Moscow within a year. The meeting was primarily to discuss Syrian peace initiatives; however, it had also been a seemingly successful attempt to ease the hostility between the superpowers. Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the important role of the U.S. in the Syrian peace initiative. During a meeting with Kerry, he praised President Barack Obama for his “supreme political leadership”, and credited the U.S. for the groundwork on Syria. Although the two countries still hold conflicting views on the political unrest in Ukraine, this meeting could signal the beginning of a promising future.

Source and more information can be found here.

Rhinos are being relocated from South Africa to Australia.

The first group of 80 rhinos is expected to arrive in Australia from South Africa in May as part of The Australian Rhino Project. The project aims to protect the endangered animals by relocating them to Australia. In South Africa, rhinos are poached for their horns, which can be sold for $400 000 – $500 000 each. In 2015, a record of 1 400 rhinos were killed, significantly more than were born in the same period of time. After transporting rhinos to Australia, project leader Ray Dearlove hopes to breed them for future repopulation. They will be returned to Africa after poaching issues “are sorted out”.

Source and more information can be found here.