What We’re Watching: Australia-HK extradition, Ivorian PM dies, WHO reviews itself

July 09, 2020

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Australia ends extradition with Hong Kong: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said his country would suspend an extradition treaty with Hong Kong in response to China's new security law, which severely compromises the city's autonomy. Morrison also said Canberra would give around 10,000 Hong Kong students and visa holders in Australia a path to permanent residency. Australia-China ties have been deteriorating in recent months — in response to Morrison's calls for an investigation into China's handling of the pandemic, Beijing slapped fresh tariffs on Australian goods in May. Australia's latest move follows a similar one by Canada last week, while Britain has also condemned China's draconian security law and said it will offer 3 million Hong Kongers a path to citizenship. We're watching to see whether the international blowback will have any effect on Beijing's policy.

Who will run for Ivorian president after PM's death? The prime minister of the Ivory Coast died suddenly on Wednesday, following his first cabinet meeting since returning from heart surgery in France. The passing of Amadou Gon Coulibaly, 61, upends the race to replace President Alassane Ouattara, who had designated Coulibaly as his successor ahead of an election set to occur in just three months. Outtara has been in office since 2011, when he took power following a brief yet bloody civil war that erupted after his predecessor Laurent Gbagbo refused to leave office even after losing the 2010 election. Now Ouattara will either have to change his mind and run for reelection, or pick another candidate for the ruling party to face Henri Konan Bedie, an aging former military coup leader, as well as Gbagbo. This political uncertainty could have big implications for the future of the Ivory Coast, which in recent years has moved beyond its violent past to become one of Africa's best-governed countries.

"Independent" panel to review WHO on coronavirus: The World Health Organization has appointed a committee to evaluate the global response to the COVID-19 crisis, as well as the WHO's own handling of the pandemic. The move comes at a critical time for the global public health body, which has come under fire from President Trump for being too cozy with China. The WHO denied that the review had anything to do with pressure from the US, which last week announced its withdrawal from the body altogether. The question now is whether a panel appointed by WHO member states will be powerful enough to conduct a credible probe.

Advancing Indigenous economic reconciliation and our energy future

Enbridge

Enbridge and Six Nations Energy Development LP have joined forces to advance a 200-megawatt wind energy project in Saskatchewan, which will produce emissions-free energy to support over 100,000 homes. The project is Enbridge’s first Indigenous partnership in wind energy and the first Indigenous partnership in the province. Six Nations, a consortium of Indigenous groups from Saskatchewan, will have the opportunity to acquire equity ownership of at least 30% of the project, supported by loan guarantees of up to $100 million from the Saskatchewan Indigenous Investment Finance Corporation. Learn more here.

Partnering for the future: Indigenous communities and energy transition

Listen: In this episode of Energized: The Future of Energy, host JJ Ramberg and Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel talk to Justin Bourque, President of Athabasca Indigenous Investments, and Mark Podlasly, Chief Sustainability Officer of First Nations Major Project Coalition. They discuss how a partnership deal between Enbridge and 23 Indigenous communities in northern Alberta is improving life for those communities and how Indigenous peoples are investing in the energy transition—and their futures.

Myanmar junta calls for peace talks with minority militias — not pro-democracy fighters

FILE PHOTO: At a secret jungle camp in Myanmar's eastern Karen state, a fitness coach and other civilians are training with armed ethnic guerrillas to fight back against the country's military takeover.

REUTERS/Independent photographer

After a year of rebel victories that have left Myanmar’s ruling junta on the defensive, its chairman, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, invited ethnic minority armies to peace talks in a state television broadcast on Tuesday.

Listen now: How partnering with Indigenous communities can help shape the future of energy

Enbridge

In this episode of “Energized: The Future of Energy,” a podcast series from GZERO Media's Blue Circle Studios and Enbridge, host JJ Ramberg and Enbridge CEO Greg Ebel talk to Justin Bourque, President of Athabasca Indigenous Investments, and Mark Podlasly, Chief Sustainability Officer of First Nations Major Project Coalition. They discuss how a partnership deal between Enbridge and 23 Indigenous communities in northern Alberta is improving life for those communities and how Indigenous peoples are investing in the energy transition—and their futures. Listen to this episode at gzeromedia.com/energized, or on Apple, Spotify, Goodpods, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What We’re Watching: Australia-HK extradition, Ivorian PM dies, WHO reviews itself

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What We’re Watching: Australia-HK extradition, Ivorian PM dies, WHO reviews itself

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Latinos make up the largest minority group in the US, accounting for nearly 15% of eligible voters. They are also one of the fastest-expanding electoral forces – first-time Latino voters account for half of the growth in US eligible voters since 2020.

Trudeau has been accused of turning a blind eye to foreign interference for years. But on Monday, his team showed a sign of progress as it took a series of carefully orchestrated steps designed to push back at India's prime minister.

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Subscribe to GZERO Media's newsletter: Signal

On Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented his much-discussed “victory plan” to Ukraine’s parliament.

From the IDF’s offensive in Rafah to its more recent invasion in Lebanon, there have been myriad examples of Israel taking escalatory steps that Washington has vocally opposed.

This unexpected alliance between South Africa’s long-ruling ANC and the Democratic Alliance has shown early signs of promise.

After a year of rebel victories that have left Myanmar’s ruling junta on the defensive, its chairman, Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, invited ethnic minority armies to peace talks in a state television broadcast on Tuesday.