Syria Bombs Busy Market Breaking Truce: Daily Brief
Syrian government forces and their Russian allies intensify their air offensive against rebel-held Idlib; Egypt's security forces raid Turkish news agency; South Africa fails to show leadership in promoting rights; Brazilians suffer under Bolsonaro's policies; EU has unique opportunity to push for reforms in Vietnam; dramatic surge in global civil unrest likely to continue, and environmental dangers become a top concern.
At least 21 civilians are reported to have died in air strikes that hit a busy market and an industrial zone in the Syrian rebel-held city of Idlib. Despite a ceasefire, the Syrian-Russian military alliance has continued to launch indiscriminate attacks. On a more positive note, Russia’s bid to block financing for United Nations investigations into war crimes in Syria has been defeated.
Egypt’s security forces have raided the Cairo office of Turkish news agency Anadolu. The whereabouts of at least one Turk and several Egyptian journalists are unknown.
Several Southern African countries struggled to promote human rights at home, Human Rights Watch said at the South Africa launch of its World Report 2020. South Africa in particular failed to curb outbreaks of xenophobic violence, or to show leadership in promoting rights in the region despite its strong institutions.
From Indigenous people trying to defend the Amazon, to LGBT people who have to withstand the president’s homophobic comments, to residents of poor communities who fear police violence - many Brazilians are hurting because of President Jair Bolsonaro’s policies.
The upcoming decision about an EU trade deal with Vietnam will give Members of the European Parliament an unprecedented opportunity to push for positive change in the country.
One in four countries experienced a dramatic surge in civil unrest last year - a trend that is likely to continue into 2020, according to research by a leading risk analysis company.
And lastly: For the first time in the World Economic Forum’s 15-year history, environmental dangers filled the top five items in its annual list of concerns. The year 2019 was the second hottest on record for the planet’s surface, and the past decade was the hottest in 150 years, a group of scientists revealed.