The Erawan Shrine in Bangkok, Thailand was destroyed by an improvised explosive device. At this time, no one has taken responsibility for the blast which killed 19 and wounded 123. The shrine houses a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu creation god Brahma. The bombing was calculated to cause the maximum number of casualties and will undoubtedly affect Thailand’s reputation as a tourist destination.
Phra Phrom
Russian President Putin is on a three day visit to Crimea, the part of Ukraine annexed by Russia in April 2014, an annexation still not recognized by many countries in the world His visit was accompanied by a resurgence of violence as Russian-speaking separatists try to tighten their control over eastern Ukraine. Poland’s new President Andrzej Duda will visit Estonia next week and he is expected to push hard for NATO troops to be stationed in what he terms “front-line” states (the Baltic states and Poland) to contain Russian aggressive moves. The situation in eastern and central Europe is definitely getting more tense.
South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir has refused to sign a peace agreement that was forged in Ethiopia. The agreement was designed to end a civil war in the young country (South Sudan was created four years ago after a secession movement from Sudan). Apparently, Kiir believes that the agreement gives too much authority to the rebel leader, Riek Machar. The civil war has been going on since 2013 and has displaced about 1.6 million people. South Sudan is plagued by food insecurity affecting nearly 5 million people and outbreaks of disease such as malaria which has decimated the country.
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