Migrants Gather at US Border as Controversial Immigration Policy Expires

In early 2020, at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Trump administration passed a new border policy called Title 42, which allowed US authorities to more easily send migrants who had recently arrived in America back to their home countries. This piece of legislation is due to expire on 11 May, prompting a sudden increase in the number of migrants that have been arriving at the US-Mexico border.

Thousands of people have gathered, despite the fact that it is not yet clear whether or not they will be allowed to enter the US. President Joe Biden has taken steps to prepare authorities for the surge in numbers, though he has conceded that the next few days are likely to be “chaotic”. The Department of Homeland Security have released their latest plans, which include increasing the number of processing points for migrants and greater reliance on “Expedited Removal”, a quick form of removal for those deemed to be ineligible to enter the US.

Currently, the uncertainty surrounding the change in policy is leaving those waiting at the border in a state of fear, as they do not yet know whether or not their safe passage is going to be guaranteed.

Five Children Killed in Three Days of Gaza Strip Bombings

Ceasefire talks remain uncertain as violence resumes in the Gaza Strip this week. On Tuesday 9 May, Israeli airstrikes targeted the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad. According to the Israeli army and Palestinian officials via The Guardian, Operation Shield and Arrow took out three senior operatives. 

In retaliation, 400 rockets were fired into Israel on Wednesday. Near the Gaza periphery, the defence ministry evacuated thousands of Israelis from their homes in anticipation of the escalating violence. The Palestinian Joint Command named their military response Operation Revenge for the Free.

Tensions have been rising following the death of Khader Adnan, a political figure associated with Islamic Jihad who went on hunger strike in Israeli custody. On 23rd April, the chair of Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI) visited Adnan in prison and urged that he needed immediate hospitalisation. An Israeli court rejected these demands. HaMoked, an Israeli human rights group, has claimed that Israel is holding the highest number of Palestinians in administrative detention for 20 years.

Many governments and international bodies around the world are condemning the murder of children and civilians during the air strikes. Deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq has said Israel must take ‘all feasible precautions to spare civilians and civilian objects in the conduct of military operations’ in abidance with international humanitarian law. At least 33 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since the start of Tuesday.

Electoral Showdown in Thailand

Thailand headed into its latest general election on Sunday. 63 candidates are vying for the premiership, while 500 seats in the House of Representatives are being contested by hopefuls in 70 parties. 

After years of military coups and protests, voters are hoping for real democracy and progressive change. In 2006, a coup deposed Thaksin Shinawatra’s government, which had won over voters with modern policies like universal healthcare and micro-credit schemes. Yet another coup in 2014 ousted Yingluck Shinawatra and installed the current incumbent prime minister, former army chief Prayuth Chan-ocha. 

Now, the Shinawatras’ party Pheu Thai (For Thais), led by Thaksin’s youngest daughter Paetongtarn, is again the frontrunner of the election. For years, Pheu Thai has been the most formidable party in Thai politics – pushing progressive policies, boasting strong patronage networks, and brandishing the banner of democracy. It now promises to oust military generals from politics, end military drafting, and approve equal marriage.  

However, a new challenger has emerged: Move Forward, a more radical and youthful party which has pledged to reform lèse-majesté laws punishing criticism of the monarchy – an issue that even Pheu Thai has been comparatively careful with. Move Forward has drawn crowds of young voters, which analysts consider significant as there will be four million first-time voters this election. Its Harvard-educated prime ministerial candidate Pita Limjaroenrat has just pulled ahead of Paetongtarn in opinion polls. 

Though most still believe Pheu Thai will clinch the win, it could be a tight race.

Polling stations opened at 8am (01:00 GMT), with a preliminary result expected tonight.

(CW: euthanasia, assisted dying) Portuguese Parliament Votes to Legalise Euthanasia

After three years of debate on the topic, Portugal is set to legalise euthanasia in some limited circumstances. Under the new law, Portuguese nationals and legal residents over the age of eighteen will be allowed assistance in dying if they are terminally ill and in unbearable pain, but unable to take their own lives with medical assistance, as long as they are deemed to have the capacity to make the decision. Foreign nationals will not be permitted to travel into the country for euthanasia.

Though five parliamentary votes have passed the legislation in the last four years, there has been rigid opposition in the deeply Catholic country, not least from the conservative President, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, who has used his presidential veto repeatedly to block the law. De Sousa has, however, acknowledged that all legal anomalies which were present in earlier versions of the bill have now been removed, and he is now compelled to sign the bill into law within eight days, unless ten percent of Portugal’s members of parliament request that the country’s Constitutional Court reviews the legislation. 

Many opponents of the law hope that the court forces the proposal to go to a nationwide referendum. However, if the ten percent threshold is not met, the law may come into action as early as the autumn. Though more countries allow passive euthanasia and medically assisted suicide, this law makes Portugal the fifth country in Europe – behind Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Spain – to legalise active euthanasia.

Deadly Cyclone Mocha makes Landfall in Bangladesh and Myanmar, uproots World’s Largest Refugee Camp

Thousands of people took shelter in local schools and monasteries as the strongest storm to hit the coast of the Bay of Bengal in decades made landfall on the coastline of Bangladesh and Myanmar. 

The category-five cyclone left destruction in its wake, uprooting temporary structures erected in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, the largest refugee camp in the world housing Rohingya refugees from the neighbouring country of Myanmar. More than 1,300 bamboo shelters have been destroyed, but authorities report no casualties as the camp seems to have escaped the central thrust of the cyclone. 

Elsewhere, streets turned to rivers in the town of Sittwe in Myanmar as the storm resulted in large-scale flooding and landslides in low-lying regions. The destruction of telecom towers, houses and billboards flying off buildings were reported in nearby areas, including in Yangon, the country’s largest city. 

Authorities report the killing of at least three people, but casualties seem to have been prevented due to evacuations ahead of the cyclone by both countries. The full extent of the damage is still being assessed. 

PwC Embroiled in Global Tax Scandal

Over the past week, PwC plummeted into crisis after it emerged that the firm used confidential government information to advise clients in Australia and the US. 

A parliamentary inquiry initiated by Australian senator Deborah O’Neill uncovered internal PwC emails from 2014 to 2017 showing that dozens of partners worldwide were sent government secrets and used them to help clients. 

In 2015, PwC was contracted by the Australian government to provide recommendations for new multinational tax laws. In breach of trust, former PwC adviser Peter Collins shared classified information from this engagement – including multiple tax initiatives, expected effective timings, and a confidential copy of an OECD draft paper which outlined strategies to reduce tax avoidance globally. 

PwC partners then formed “a global team” and worked on using this information to profit in multiple jurisdictions. 14 US companies primarily in the tech sector and “a significant number” of “not PwC Australia clients” received advice on preemptive compliance with Australia’s upcoming laws. 

On 8 May 2023, Australian chief executive Tom Seymour resigned after admitting involvement in the scandal at an emergency partner meeting days earlier. He was followed by two other Australian executives. 

The firm has since apologised to the Australian parliament. Current acting chief executive Kristin Stubbins has vowed to build “stronger trust and transparency”. Law firm Linklaters has been retained to undertake investigations into the scandal. In an internal note, global chairman Bob Moritz promised to support partners whose clients were affected. Senior PwC global executives also flew into Sydney on the weekend, showing international concern from the firm. 

Despite this, PwC partners have “lost all trust”, and Deborah O’Neill has called for a total clean-out of all partners involved.