Monday Briefing | May 4, 2015
Stories to Follow
Baltimore Riots
Protests over the death of Freddie Gray in police custody in Baltimore turned violent this past Tuesday. The National Guard was called out and a nighttime curfew was imposed on the city until Sunday. Protests have spread across the country with thousands marching against police tactics. In New York, more than 140 people were arrested. Gray’s case has sparked nationwide protests and debate over police killings of suspects while in custody or in the course of arrests. Six Baltimore cops have been charged in connection with Gray’s death.
Read More: The New York Times, The Economist, BBC, MSNBC
Abe’s Visit to the U.S.
Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, is in the U.S. this week for a visit that mainly focuses on stronger U.S.-Japan ties. At the summit meeting earlier this week, he discussed with President Obama new guidelines for U.S.-Japan Defense Cooperation and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Abe addressed a joint session of Congress as well, the first time a Japanese leader has done so. Though he has expressed “deep repentance” over Japan’s role in WWII, Chinese and South Korean media denounced him for failing to issue a new apology for Japan’s conduct during the war, which included the sexual exploitation of Asian women by Japanese troops and other war crimes.
Read more: The White House, BBC, The Guardian, Foreign Policy
Indonesian Executions
Defying international condemnation and rejecting eleventh-hour pleas for clemency, the Indonesian government executed eight men convicted of drug smuggling after midnight on Wednesday, including seven foreigners. The executions have angered some of Indonesia’s largest aid donors, especially Australia, who announced that it would withdraw its ambassador to Indonesia as two of its citizens were among the executed men (a Brazilian national and four Nigerian nationals were also executed). Meanwhile, Indonesia has defended the executions, saying that the killings were necessary to fight the country’s “war against drugs.” Indonesia is one of the few countries that still execute narcotics traffickers: most other countries imprison them.
Read more: The New York Times, Al Jazeera, The Economist
Upcoming Events
Extreme Weather and Climate: Hazards, Impacts, Actions
May 6, 8:00am – 5:00pm | Columbia University Morningside Campus Alfred J. Lerner Hall Room 555
Presented by the Columbia University Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate. A list of panels is available here. RSVP at: http://bit.ly/1EPe4BO.
Challenges and Opportunities in the Eurozone’s Recovery
May 7, 6:30pm – 7:45pm | 19 University Place, Ground Level, The Great Room
Lecture delivered by Columbia Professor Dr. Finel-Honigman. RSVP at: http://bit.ly/1DNdrmV.
GSAS Master’s College End of Semester Toast
May 8, 6:30pm – 8:30 pm | Amity Hall (80 W 3rd St)
To RSVP, email gsas.mastercollege.rsvp@nyu.edu with your name and the name of this event, or join this event on Facebook.
JPI Spring 2015 Release Party
May 8, 8:30pm | Swift Hibernian Lounge (34 E 4th St.)
Let’s celebrate all the hard work that has gone into the Spring 2015 Issue! RSVP here.
End of the Year BBQ
May 10, 3:00pm | Brooklyn Bridge Park (Pier 5) (6 Joralemon St, Brooklyn)
IRPA is happy to invite everyone to celebrate the end of the semester this coming Sunday. RSVP here.
In Your Spare Time
Watch:
President Obama’s Anger Translator at the 2015 White House Correspondents Dinner
Keegan-Michael Key, of “Key and Peele” on Comedy Central, cuts loose with the 44th POTUS.
Read:
Wang Jianlin, a Billionaire at the Intersection of Business and Power in China
The New York Times has published an investigative article on “the richest person in Asia,” revealing his close ties with China’s top politicians and their business associates.
Visit:
Performing for the Camera
A retrospective at NYU’s Grey Art Gallery of the works of Hong Kong photographer Tseng Kwong Chi.
This week’s Monday Briefing is brought to you by Xing Lu. Xing is a first year master’s student in politics. She graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, earning a bachelor’s degree with a major in business administration and a minor in economics. Xing has previously served as an editorial intern for the Chinese Business Network and co-founded a micro-finance non-governmental organization in China. Her areas of interests include development, democratization and international relations in East Asia.
