Typhoon Mangkhut (Ompong), a category 5 hurricane, struck the Cordillera region of the Luzon province in Philippines on September 15. As of September 19, the death toll has risen to 81 with another 59 reported missing. Authorities predict that the number of fatalities could easily hit triple digits. According to Francis Tolentino, senior advisor to the Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte, 5.7 million people were effected nationwide. The typhoon has now crossed into the Yunnan Province, weakening in intensity due to the mountainous region. With regards to those missing, the mayor of Itogon, Victorio Palangdan, believes there is a “99 per cent [chance] that they really are all dead.” Itogon is the most severely affected area, suffering 66 casualties.

Many people killed in Itogon were independent miners that had been illegally mining on the site of Antamok. Mining company Benguet Corp abandoned Antamok in the 1990s over concerns of environmental degradation; however, thousands still mined illegally. The workers claimed to have obtained permission to mine from Benguet Corp, but the company has since denied this. As a result of poor mining practices, mountain slopes have become prone to destabilization, leaving the terrain more susceptible to landslides following heavy rain. On September 20, a village in the city of Naga experienced heavy rains which caused a landslide resulting in the deaths of 12 people. President Duterte and his government are considering enforcing stricter regulations on mining in the country in order to try and limit future damages associated with these risks.

Berta Cáceres Murder Trial Delayed

The first of the two trials investigating the death of Berta Cáceres has been postponed. The trial, originally scheduled for September, was delayed due to the chaos caused by a formal allegation of corruption and abuse of authority levelled against the three judges set to preside over the case. Cáceres, formally the coordinator of the Council of Popular and Indigenous Organisations of Honduras, (COPINH), was murdered in La Esperanza, West Honduras on March 2, 2016 at the age of 44. She protested against the installation of a dam in her home country of Honduras, an issue she had been publicly opposed to since the project was announced in 2011. As the coordinator and media figurehead for COPINH, Cáceres campaigned against the internationally funded dam on the Gualcarque River.

The trial will also hear the charge of attempted murder on Cáceres’ fellow environmental activist Gustavo Castro. In accordance with Honduras law, dismissals and replacements of the judiciary staff will be released within the 72 hours following the adjournment. Eight men were anticipated to stand trial in these particular proceedings, two of whom are in fact employees of Deserrollos Energeticos (DESA), the company responsible for the damn project. Another suspect is set to stand in a separate trial at an undetermined date. Despite these nine men facing charges, the family of Cáceres have expressed considerable doubt over whether all of the “intellectual authors” of her brutal killing have been caught.

Toronto City Council to Be Cut in Half

On September 19, Ontario’s top court ruled in favour of a stay allowing for the reduction of the City of Toronto’s Municipal Council, and the elimination of Regional Chair elections in several municipalities across the province. Bill 5, introduced by Ontario’s Progressive Conservative provincial government, would reduce the electoral map from the current 47 wards to just 25, effectively reducing seats on council by half. The ruling comes just a month ahead of the upcoming municipal elections to be held October 22.

The announcement was made in late July, on the last day to register as a candidate. Legislation was proposed by Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government in early September, inciting confusion as to potential implications for voters and candidates. With election campaigns already underway in 47 wards, Ontario Superior Court Justice Edward Belobaba found the bill to be in violation of freedom of expression rights for both candidates and voters, and deemed Bill 5 unconstitutional. Subsequently, Ford took the decision to invoke the notwithstanding clause (Section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms). The rarely-invoked clause allows portions of the Charter to be overridden and for judicial review to be nullified. The decision was largely met with negative backlash, and has been called both “unnecessary and unprecedented.” The current mayor of Toronto, John Tory, opposed the move taking place mid-election. The current stay issued by the provincial supreme court invalidates all concerns raised by the “lower court ruling.” According to the Toronto elections site, the new ward map will be available shortly.

In the final judges’ ruling, they stated that “while the change brought about by Bill 5 is undoubtedly frustrating for candidates who started campaigning in May 2018, we are not persuaded that their frustration amounts to a substantial interference with their freedom of expression.” Opponents to the council slashing have raised concerns over the representation of women and people of colour on the Council, two major Toronto demographics that are already disproportionately underrepresented in the current 47-ward council structure.

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Sweden’s two primary rival blocs remain in political deadlock following this week’s general election. Voting took place on September 9 to elect the 349-member Riksdag, with an overall voter turnout reported at 84.4 per cent. The Riksdag, the national legislative body, elects the Prime Minister of Sweden. All votes are set to be counted and recounted prior to the final result being announced September 16.

The two rival blocs, the red-green coalition and the centre-right alliance, are separated by a narrow margin, with the red-green leading by only one seat. Each coalition holds close to 40 percent of the vote. The far-right Sweden Democrats received close to 17.6 per cent of the vote, up 13 per cent from previous years. Currently, the country is led by Stefan Lofven, who brought the red-green Social Democrats to power in 2014.

This is the first general election since Sweden opened its doors to 163,000 refugees in 2015, the highest per capita of any European country. Since then, Sweden has seen the prominence of smaller, outlying parties vying for and winning seats, including the far-right Sweden Democrats, who in the past election received 17.6% of the votes, a 13% increase from previous years. Both blocs have openly refused to consider the Sweden Democrats as a coalition partner. Led by Jimmie Akesson, the party has been historically anti-immigration, neo-Nazi, and neo-fascist.

Though Lofven stated he intends to remain in power, other parties have already called on him to resign. Experts foresee months of coalition talks ahead between the rival blocs.

Since publishing, the final tally of votes was released. Lofven’s Social Democrats won the most seats with 28.3 per cent of the vote. No coalition has formed a government yet.

Hungary and EU clash on migrant policy

‘We don’t see these people as Muslim refugees. We see them as Muslim invaders,’ said
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in an interview with German newspaper Bild. This statement is the latest in his country’s notoriously anti-immigrant sentiments and policies. After winning his third consecutive election in April, Orbán has been in control of Hungary since 2010. Orbán is currently standing off with the European Union over anti-immigration laws, after years of clashing with the EU on this very issue; Hungary has been opposed to accepting refugees since 2015. On August 24, Hungary passed a law which raised even more concerns for the EU. The “Stop Soros” bill, passed in Hungarian parliament prevents people from supporting migrants or ‘presenting immigration in a favourable light.’ The punishment for violation is imprisonment. After several warnings to refute this controversial law, the European Parliament took action against Orbán for the “Stop Soros” bill. While the European People’s Party (EPP), which Orbán was once a member of, stopped supporting him earlier this month, both Poland and Czechia have pledged to support Hungary by to vetoing any EU action against them.

Rescue boats in the Mediterranean halted

NGO rescue boats in the Mediterranean are no longer operating. Their absence poses a serious risk to shipwrecked migrants crossing from Libya to Europe. The number of drowning incidents while crossing the Mediterranean is rising, with the risk of death three times higher than before. The sea has not had rescue boats operating in its waters since August 26, the longest period without their presence since rescue operations began in 2015. This is also the second time this year that there’s been a lapse in service.

The current lack of rescue ships is a result of anti-immigration policies from both the Maltese and Italian governments, who have also closed their ports to rescue vessels. Since late August, only the Libyan coastguard patrols the water, and they have an agreement with Italy to take refugees back to Libya. People found in these waters are usually held in detention centres operated by Libyan officials. According to multiple aid agencies, including Doctors without Borders (MSF) and SOS Mediterranee, migrants held in these camps are often subject to torture and abuse.

The Italian closed-ports policy, implemented earlier this year by Italy’s new populist government, led to the country’s lack of involvement in a recent shipwreck rescue. Hundreds of migrants drowned in early September, after a boat’s engine failed and an insufficient number of rescue crews were supplied by coastal countries. Both Italian and Maltese governments have since been criticized for choosing not to send rescue ships, or to allow NGO ships to dock on their shores.

An influx of migrants in recent years, most crossing the Mediterranean via Libya from Africa and the Middle East, has been met with a rise in xenophobic policies across Europe. Many migrants are political asylum seekers, and many are children. The international Organization for Migration, a UN organization, states that almost 13,000 people have died trying to cross the Mediterranean since 2014.

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