• Demonstrators have taken to the streets in protests across Europe and in the US to demand an end to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s biggest political and security crisis since the 1990s, as Bosnian Serbs threaten to secede and fears grow about a slide towards renewed conflict. During celebrations of Orthodox Christmas Serb nationalist leaders issued statements aimed at provoking their Muslim neighbours. Shots were fired near mosques during prayers — and nationalist songs glorifying convicted Serbian war criminals were sung at street demonstrations.
(“Protests Call for Action to Prevent Bosnia from Sliding into War,” Al-Jazeera, Jan. 10, 2022; “OSCE Warns Against Hate Incidents Destabilizing Bosnia,” Reuters, Jan. 12, 2022)
• The number of asylum applications in Mexico nearly doubled in 2021 from two years earlier. According to the the head of Mexico’s commission for refugee assistance most asylum applications are from Haitian and Honduran migrants.
(“A ‘Roofless Prison’ for Haitian refugees,” In These Times, Feb 2002; “On Mexico’s Southern Border, the Latest Migrant Surge is Haitian,” NPR, Dec. 17, 2021)
• Early in 2020 as the coronavirus pandemic filled hospitals across the U.S., JP Morgan Chase earned goodwill from its customers by issuing a temporary pause on payments for mortgages, credit cards and car loans. At the same time, the nation’s largest bank had quietly begun to unleash a lawsuit blitz against many of its struggling customers. Starting in early 2020 and continuing to today, Chase has filed thousands of lawsuits against credit card customers who have fallen behind on their payments.
(“A Return to Robo-Signing: JP Morgan has Unleashed a Lawsuit Blitz on Credit Card Customers,” Pro-Publica, Jan. 5, 2022)
This week’s News Summary was narrated by Anna Manzo.
