Heavy rains have pummeled China and the death count continues to rise as more bodies are found. The rains have been exceptionally heavy, but many in China believe that the flooding is more centrally related to construction projects the government has undertaken to move water from the southern parts of the country to the more arid north. Billions of dollars of crops have been destroyed as well.
Daesh (the Islamic State) has claimed responsibility for a massive bombs blast that killed at least 80 Hazara protesters in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Hazara are Shia Muslims originally from the province of Hazaristan in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, they have been persecuted for centuries by Sunni Muslims in both Afghanistan and Pakistan. The BBC identifies the following key characteristics of the Hazara people:
Who are the Hazaras?
- Of Mongolian and Central Asian descent
- Mainly practise Shia Islam, in predominantly Sunni Afghanistan and Pakistan
- Thought to be the third largest ethnic group in Afghanistan
- Estimates suggest they make up 15-20% of Afghanistan’s population, which is thought to be about 30 million
- At least 600,000 Hazaras live in Pakistan, most of them in Quetta
- Legend has it they are descendants of Genghis Khan and his soldiers, who invaded Afghanistan in the 13th Century
Turkish President Erdogan continues to seize control of Turkish civil society. Following the passage of a declaration of a state of emergency, Erdogan has taken over many additional schools and charities. He has also ordered the arrest of a key aide of Fethullah Gulen and is pressing the US very hard to extradite Gulen. It appears as if the purge of the Turkish military will leave the military under his personal control.
World Politics News 
Leave a comment