Compass World: Khashoggi's Children Receive Compensation
LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN
Achi Mayan People Demand Reparations
Hundreds of Achi Mayan indigenous peoples protested outside of the Guatemalan presidential palace calling for the government to uphold a 2014 reparations agreement. The reparations agreement was made between the Guatemalan government and descendents of Achi Mayans forced to leave their homes by the construction of the Chixoy hydroelectric dam in the 1980’s. According to Al Jazeera, construction of the World Bank and IMF-backed hydroelectric project displaced more than 3,000 families in 33 communities between 1977 and 1983. The agreement was made after the Obama administration pressured then-President Otto Perez Molina by suspending military aid to the country. According to one of the demonstrators, Vice President Jafeth Cabrera agreed to respond to the group's demands and pursue the application of the original agreement.
INDO-ASIA-PACIFIC
Facebook and the Australian Election
Facebook pledged that it would not allow advertisements related to its upcoming national election in May to be purchased outside of Australia. This decision comes in response to greater scrutiny of content on social media platforms both worldwide and within Australia. In the wake of the white nationalist massacre in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 50 people, Australia passed legislation that fines firms and potentially jails executives if certain content is not removed. Australia’s competition authority is also scrutinizing Facebook’s practices in online advertising and news distribution.
MIDDLE EAST & CENTRAL ASIA
Khashoggi's Children Receive Compensation
According to CNN, the children of Jamal Khashoggi have received millions of dollars' worth of property, one-off payments and large monthly allowances as compensation for the killing of the Saudi journalist. Khashoggi was assassinated by agents of the Saudi government in October 2018 after leaving the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His family could also receive millions of dollars in “blood money” payments following the trial of Khashoggi’s alleged killers in Riyadh. CNN’s source claimed that, in total, the family stands to receive more than $70 million in assets and cash.
EASTERN EUROPE & RUSSIA
Caputova Wins Slovak Election
Zuzana Caputova won the Slovak presidential election on March 31, becoming the first woman to ever be elected to the office in the country’s history. She is also the youngest candidate to ever win the presidency in Slovakia’s history. She defeated high-profile diplomat Maros Sefcovic, nominated by the governing party, in a second-round runoff with 58 percent of the vote. Caputova ran on an anti-corruption platform, and observers believe her election to be a result of decreasing public confidence in the government. Caputova was previously a lawyer who rose to prominence when she led a case against an illegal landfill lasting fourteen years.
AFRICA
Zimbabwe Court Bans Corporal Punishment
A court in Zimbabwe banned the use of caning against juvenile convicts, stating that it was inhumane and violated the constitution. Nine judges sitting on a case referred to the Constitutional Court by a High Court in 2014 said authorities must explore other means of correcting errant juveniles other than using the cane. The state-run Herald news portal reported that the case was in respect of a 15-year-old convicted for rape and who had been sentenced to six lashes by a lower court. Lawyers of the convict challenged the legality of the sentence. The judgment stressed what it said was international best practice where such punishments had been expunged from law books. It focused on the damage and suffering that such punishment did to its victims.
WESTERN EUROPE & CANADA
Prince Harry Speaks Out Against Fortnite
At a YMCA in London, Prince Harry, also known as the Duke of Sussex, rantedagainst the existence of Fortnite, referring to it as being “created to addict.” He says there is no benefit to having it in one’s house and that the game should not even be allowed. The internationally popular video game has received criticism from some doctors as being potentially addictive. Some gamers have suffered major consequences due to video game addiction with thousands even turning to online forums to find help quitting. The United Kingdom is currently considering whether more regulation is necessary.
Writing contributed by Ben Richmond and Benjamin Barth.