- Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte’s war on drugs escalated when police carried out a deadly raid on the home of Mayor Reynaldo Parojinog’s on the island of Mindanao. The late-night raid killed the mayor, his wife, brother, sister and his security guards. The Mayor of Ozamiz was among 150 Philippine government officials including mayors, judges and police officers that Duterte had linked with the drug trade. Since Duterte was sworn in as president last July, over 7,000 people have been killed in his violent campaign against drugs, including two other mayors. (“Philippine Police Killed a Mayor and Much of His Family. Was It a Raid Gone Wrong, or a Massacre?” Los Angeles Times, Aug. 7, 2017; “Philippines Sees Bloodiest Day in Its Deadly War on Drugs,”target=”_blank” New York Post, Aug. 16, 2017)
- Indian and Chinese soldiers briefly clashed in the disputed Kashmir region of the Himalayas in mid August, with soldiers throwing stones at each other near Pangong Lake, a major tourist destination. Indian Police officials told the Guardian newspaper that summer clashes were relatively common along the de facto border known as the Line of Actual Control, but this season’s conflict has been prolonged. (“Indian and Chinese Troops Clash in Disputed Himalayan Border Region,” The Guardian, Aug. 16, 2017; “A Himalayan Spat between China and India Evokes Memories of War,” The Economist, July 29, 2017; “What’s behind the India-China Border Stand-Off?” BBC, July 5, 2017)
- The rally of white supremacists, neo-Nazis and militia groups in Charlottesville, Virginia, that resulted in the death of anti-racist protester Heather Heyer, was the largest gathering of the far right in a generation. Far right extremist groups, which fragmented in the in the aftermath of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing carried out by rightwing terrorist Timothy McVeigh that killed 168, are eager to display a new clean “frat boy” image which was on display during the Tiki Torch light march in Charlottesville on the University of Virginia campus. (“A New Generation of White Supremacists Emerges in Charlottesville,” Pro Publica, Aug. 13, 2017; “Organizer of Charlottesville White Nationalist Rally Has Maine Roots,” Bangor Daily News, Aug. 15, 2017)
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