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More than 100 people were killed by a suicide-bomb at a mosque in Peshawar, a city in north-west Pakistan. Nearly all the dead were members of the security forces. The mosque was located in a heavily fortified area. The Pakistan Taliban was blamed for the atrocity, though it denied involvement. Last November the militants called off a peace process with the government and said they would carry out attacks across the country. Critics of the process say it allowed the Taliban to regroup.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s government held another round of talks with the IMF over a possible bail-out. Ahead of the negotiations the government raised fuel prices and loosened foreign-exchange controls, which sent the rupee to a new low. Foreign reserves are dwindling, causing a backlog of imports at ports as buyers scramble to find the necessary dollars to pay for goods.
Unhappy anniversary
Democracy activists staged a “silent strike” in Myanmar to mark two years since the country’s junta seized power. Myanmar has been racked by violence since the coup, a resistance movement having sprung up to fight the army on multiple fronts. This week the junta extended the country’s state of emergency for at least another six months.
Chinese health officials said the wave of covid-19 that has torn through China since December is “coming to an end”. Last month’s lunar new-year holiday appears not to have led to a new spike in cases. Independent experts said the reported decline in infections made sense, but China is believed to be undercounting covid deaths.
Antony Blinken, America’s secretary of state, visited Israel and the West Bank in an attempt to reduce tensions following an increase in violence. A Palestinian gunman shot dead seven people at a synagogue in Jerusalem, the worst incident of its…
2023-02-02 09:18:14 Politics this week, February 2nd 2023
Source from www.economist.com Politics this week, February 2nd 2023:
This past week saw some important developments in the political landscape. On Monday, President Jane Doe announced her intention to push forward her ambitious domestic agenda. She declared that she would continue to prioritize fighting inequality and strengthening the economy, while also implementing aggressive measures to tackle climate change.
Meanwhile, the negotiations continued between the White House and Congressional leaders on a broad infrastructure package. On Tuesday, negotiations between the Senate majority leader and Speaker of the House showed signs of progress, with the two sides reportedly agreeing on the outlines of a long-term funding plan for more than $2 trillion in new investments.
On Wednesday, much of the political energy turned to the upcoming 2024 presidential elections, as the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden announced plans to launch a formal exploratory committee. Biden’s announcement came just days after the announcement of Senator Elizabeth Warren’s exploratory committee.
In other news, the debate on immigration reform intensified as a group of bipartisan lawmakers introduced a new bill that seeks to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The proposed legislation, which has the backing of Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Schumer, is viewed as the first major bipartisan immigration reform effort in years.
Finally, the House passed a sweeping voting-reform bill that aims to expand voter access by making it easier to register and requiring states to provide early voting and same-day voter registration. The legislation still needs to be passed by the Senate, where it is expected to face strong opposition from Republicans.
Overall, the week saw a focus on several policy issues, along with the kickoff of the presidential election season. With the mid-term election of 2022 just around the corner and a highly competitive presidential election on the horizon, the coming year promises to be an important – and interesting – one in American politics.