On July 6, President Wade said he will "learn a lesson" from recent violent protests against his government. In the first address to the nation after the riots, he said that the incidents were regrettable and showed the fragility of Senegal's democracy. Riots started on June 23 after the President announced proposed changes to the constitution which would allow him to seek a third term in office. Wade abandoned his plans following the violence. The President's spokesperson said the legality of Wade's candidature in the next elections, slated for February 2012, will be decided by the country's constitutional council. Meanwhile, ex-Prime Minister and Opposition leader, Mickey Sall accused Wade of hiring mercenaries from the neighboring countries of Ivory Coast, Guinea, and Nigeria to intimidate opponents and civil society members. Comment: The proposed electoral changes were also seen as a move to line the presidential succession in favor of Wade's son, Karim, an unpopular minister. Riots have been fueled by already persistent anger against rolling power cuts and rising cost of living. (AFP, Reuters, RNW Africa) 

The extremist Islamist group, al-Shabab, announced that it will allow aid agencies to resume operations in areas under its control. Al-Shabab controls large parts of southern and central Somalia and had banned aid agencies in 2009 accusing them of being spies and anti-Islamic. The announcement comes as the Horn of Africa is under the grip of a brewing food crisis and the region is suffering from the driest year in 60 years. Mohamoud Raghe, spokesman of al-Shabab, said that the aid agencies will be allowed to work in order to help bring relief to the worst-hit areas. Comment: 54,000 Somali refugees have crossed over to Kenya and Ethiopia in June fleeing the extreme drought conditions. More than 50 percent of child refugees arriving in Ethiopia are malnourished; the numbers are also as high as 30-40 percent in those arriving in Kenya. According to the UN, the lifting of the ban will help stem the flow of refugees and curtail deaths. (BBC, Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald)

On July 9, the Republic of South Sudan is set to become the world's newest nation. The situation however remains tense in the region. Fighting continues in the Southern Kordofan state in the North, and 73,000 people were forced to flee since June 5 amid the renewed clashes. Meanwhile, a UN draft resolution is set to authorize a peacekeeping force for South Sudan consisting of 7,000 military personnel and 900 international police with a mandate to consolidate peace and security and help promote development. Comment: The independence follows a 2005 peace deal after three decades of guerrilla struggle which led to approximately 2 million deaths. The country will become Africa's 54th nation; however, the nation will be at the bottom of the development index with a majority of its to-be citizens living on less than a dollar a day. (Bloomberg, NY Times, Washington Post)

Mr. Kyaw Win, the Deputy Chief of Mission at the Burmese Embassy in Washington D.C., sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday, outlining his reasons for defecting to the United States. In the letter, Mr. Win explained that he had been "deemed dangerous" by the Burmese government for "actions to improve bilateral relations between Burma and the U.S." and his fears that "my life and those of my family are in danger." Mr. Win continued to say that he had lost confidence in the [Burmese] government after purported democratic elections last year left the military junta in control of the country. He warned that, "senior military officials are consolidating their grip on power and seeking to stamp out the voices of those seeking democracy, human rights, and individual liberties," citing the recent conflict with Kachin forces near the Burmese border with China. Comment: Mr. Win is the second senior Burmese diplomat to seek asylum in the United States, after Major Aung Lyn Htut requested asylum in 2005. His defection complicates the Burmese government's attempts to validate the genuine democratic nature of last November's elections that the government hoped would ease economic sanctions instilled by Western nations. (Irrawaddy, Asia One News, Sydney Morning Herald, Herald Sun, Washington Post) 

HONG KONG: 228 arrested after heated rally  

On July 1, the anniversary of Hong Kong's transfer back to Chinese sovereignty, thousands of angry citizens protested a government proposal to scrap by-elections and rising housing costs. The organizers of the rally estimated that 218,000 turned out for the event, while police estimated the number of attendees was around 54,000. Participants were upset with the government's plan to eliminate by-elections to the legislature because they felt it would be an infringement of their democratic rights. Comment: The impetus behind the government's proposal was last year's efforts to implement a de facto referendum on democratic reforms. At that time, five pro-democratic legislators resigned from office, one from each district, triggering a by-election that all citizens could vote in. This is the fourteenth year Hong Kong has held a pro-democracy rally on July 1, which also coincides with the founding of the Chinese Communist Party celebrated on the mainland. (BBC, Taipei Times, AP) 

NORTH KOREA: Emergency food aid from the EU resumes 

On Monday, the EU announced plans to send 10 million euros worth of food aid to North Korea under the condition that they will be able to strictly monitor its distribution. The Korean Herald reports that 50 Korean-speaking personnel will freely monitor the distribution of aid at hospitals, food supply centers, orphanages, markets and homes. The EU's Aid Humanitarian Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva said, "The purpose of this aid package is to save the lives of at least 650,000 people who would otherwise die from lack of food" citing EU experts who observed severely malnourished children in hospitals and nurseries prior to the decision to resume aid. The World Food Programme's Asia Regional Director Kenro Oshidari, said that a combination of yearly food deficits and damage to harvests due to climatic factors have put North Korea in a "dire situation." Comment: Food aid to North Korea was stopped in 2008 under suspicions that it was being diverted to the military and political elites. The acceptance of Korean-speaking monitors of food aid distribution is not typical of the North Korean leadership; this may be a sign that the food situation in North Korea is becoming more severe. The European Commission also noted the widespread consumption of grass when making its announcement to resume aid. (ABC News, Chosun Ilbo, Korean Herald, NYTimes) 

Yingluck Shinawatra became Thailand's first female Prime Minister following the national election on Sunday. Her party, Pheu Thai (for Thais), won a landslide victory with 265 seats in the Thai parliament; roughly 60 percent of the total seats available. Seemingly addressing growing concerns that the military would depose Ms. Shinawatra by military coup, much like her brother back in 2006, the outgoing Defense Minister commented on the outcome saying, "we will allow politicians to work it out" and that "the people have spoken clearly so the military can't do anything." Comment: The Thai military, a close ally of the Monarchy and the Democrat party, has been instrumental in initiating 18 coup and/or coup attempts. The last coup against Ms. Shinawatra's brother Thaksin Shinawatra, enveloped Thailand in years of political turmoil between the rural based Red Shirts and the urban based Yellow Shirts. (Sydney Morning Herald, Inquirer, The Telegraph, Bangkok Post, BBC)

For the second week since protests reignited, the number of demonstrators has significantly risen throughout the country. On Monday, hundreds of protesters stormed into a court that released on bail seven officers accused of killing protesters during the February uprising.  A similar occurrence was replicated in a Suez court, after they released at least 10 policemen charged with killing 17 people during the uprising. Thousands of irate revolutionaries have vowed to gather millions of protesters in Tahrir Square July 8. Comment: Protests continue as the interim military government delays trials and acquits accused members of the Mubarak regime, including three ministers charged with corruption last Tuesday.  Regardless of the continuous clashes between the public and security forces, many protesters are promising to continue until their demands are met. During the February uprising, military aircraft hovered over the skies in an attempt to instill fear in the people, which only widened the public anger and strengthened the cause of the protesters. A military aircraft reportedly broke the sound barrier over the Egyptian capital last Wednesday, which could possibly strengthen a second wave of civil resistance. (Aljazeera, Elaph, BBC, Alarabiya, Elaph)

Israeli officials are allegedly "upset" and are "boycotting" a UN diplomat after a recent UN report surfaced, news sources reported last Wednesday.  The report, which was written by the UN's senior representative in Lebanon, Michael Williams, criticized the use of "unnecessary force" by Israeli soldiers against thousands of Lebanese unarmed demonstrators in mid-May. The report also claims that the violence was initiated by a fraction of the protesters who carried out a "provocative and violent act." Seven people were reported dead, and over a hundred were injured by Israeli live ammunition. Comment: Israeli-UN diplomatic tensions could escalate as the Palestinian Authority is prepping to gather enough votes for state recognition by the UN. Israel is currently campaigning against the vote, and PM Natenyahu is in Europe searching for commitments against the vote for a Palestinian state. While Romania has pledged its support for the Israeli efforts this week, Bulgaria failed to do so. A number of former EU leaders have recently called for the recognition of a Palestinian state.  Later this month, the UN Security Council plans on meeting to discuss "the possibility of Palestine becoming a United Nations member state." (BBC, JTA, Aljazeera, WSJ, ArutzSheva, Wafa)

On Wednesday, Somali pirates unsuccessfully attempted to hijack a Saudi oil tanker (Brlenti Velots).  The armed captors failed to seize the vessel after clashing with the Yemeni Coast Guard, which had sent a number of special units in response to the ship's distress signals.  Yemen's official news agency announced that the crew was rescued safely, and "the Somali pirates have been killed in the rescue operation of the tanker that was heading for Britain."  Conflicting reports on the extent of the ship destruction and the fire damage later surfaced the same day.  Comment: Yemen's growing security challenges create exploitation opportunities for Somali pirates to expand their operations in Yemeni waters.  Recent reports discovered Somali pirates using an isolated Yemeni island (Socatra) for refueling purposes, which would enable them to stay in the waters for longer durations to intercept international vessels. (Aden-news, Elaph, Yemenpost, Saba, Xinhua)