The world at a glance . . . International

last updated 8 January 2015

Pro-Western coalition collapses: Following months of bickering, Ukraine’s two pro-Western blocs this week severed their governing coalition. The pro-Western camp has long been split between parties loyal to Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and those loyal to his 2004 Orange Revolution partner, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. The two leaders routinely accuse each other of corruption and incompetence. This week, they finally split when Yushchenko accused Tymoshenko of sucking up to Russia by failing to condemn the invasion of Georgia. The parliament now has a month to form a new coalition or call early elections.

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Tainted baby formula: Powdered milk tainted with the industrial chemical melamine has sickened more than 6,000 babies in China, three of whom have now died. Many of the afflicted babies are suffering from painful kidney stones. Sanlu Group, which makes the formula, fired its manager this week and issued a public apology, saying some of its suppliers had added the chemical to their raw milk to simulate higher protein content. But Chinese regulators said the company knew of the contamination as far back as March and did nothing until a New Zealand affiliate exposed the problem last week. Investigators are now testing milk at all dairies that supply milk to powder companies; so far, 20 percent of dairies tested yielded contaminated milk.

Bangkok

New prime minister: The Thai parliament elected another politician close to ousted premier Thaksin Shinawatra as prime minister this week, even as the opposition vowed to prevent him from taking office. Somchai Wongsawat, a brother-in-law of Thaksin, replaces Samak Sundaravej, who was forced out last week because he was illegally paid for hosting TV cooking shows. Samak had been seen as a puppet of Thaksin, who fled to London in 2006 amid corruption allegations. Yet Somchai is even closer to Thaksin. “He has direct relations,” said opposition leader Somsak Kosaisuk. “How can people accept this?”

Melbourne

Terrorists guilty: An Australian court this week found a Muslim cleric and six other men guilty of terrorism, in the country’s largest terrorism trial to date. Algerian-born cleric Abdul Nacer Benbrika and his followers were convicted of plotting to blow up a Melbourne soccer stadium. The men were arrested in 2005 after a massive investigation involving 16,400 hours of electronic surveillance and 98,000 intercepted telephone calls. “We do maximum damage, maximum damage,” Benbrika said on one of the recorded calls. “Damage their buildings with everything, and damage their lives just to show them. That’s what we are waiting for.” The terror cell Benbrika led appears to have been homegrown and not affiliated with al Qaida or another international group.

Sanaa, Yemen

U.S. Embassy bombed: Militants attacked the U.S. Embassy in Yemen this week, killing at least 10 guards and civilians, none American. Six militants also died. The attack appeared to be the result of a carefully planned and coordinated plot: First, several militants jumped out of a car and fired rocket grenades and machine guns at embassy guards; then a second car drove straight into the gate and exploded. Reports said both cars were painted to resemble police vehicles. A group calling itself Islamic Jihad in Yemen claimed responsibility for the assault and threatened further strikes. Yemen has long had a strong al Qaida presence. Last April, the U.S. State Department ordered non-essential staff to leave Yemen, following terrorist attacks on the U.S. Embassy and on a residential compound. In 2000, al Qaida attacked the USS Cole in a Yemeni harbor, killing 17 Americans.

Gulf of Aden, Somalia

Piracy soars: A spate of pirate attacks prompted the European Union this week to authorize a naval mission to the Horn of Africa to protect cargo ships and other vessels. This week alone, pirates were holding more than 100 passengers from nine ships, including a South Korean cargo ship, a French yacht, and a Japanese chemical tanker. “We have never seen this before, the number of ships that have been attacked,” said Noel Choong of the Piracy Reporting Center in Malaysia. So far this year, pirates in the region have launched at least 50 attacks—sometimes stealing the ships’ cargo, but more often holding passengers and crew for ransom.

Harare, Zimbabwe

Political deadlock ends: Months of violent political struggle ended this week when President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai signed a power-sharing agreement. Under the new deal, Mugabe remains president, a position he has held for 28 years, and Tsvangirai becomes prime minister. But the pact, negotiated by South African President Thabo Mbeki, does not spell out how governing duties will be split between the two men, who are bitter enemies. Mugabe has had Tsvangirai beaten and jailed on multiple occasions, and following a disputed presidential election in March, Mugabe unleashed a series of attacks on Tsvangirai’s supporters. But Tsvangirai said he would rise above his resentment. “I have signed this agreement because my belief in Zimbabwe and its people runs deeper than the scars that I bear from this struggle,” he said.