Samoans Go to the Polls After Tumultuous Campaign
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NEED TO KNOW
Samoans Go to the Polls After Tumultuous Campaign
SAMOA
Samoans go to the polls on Aug. 29 to elect a new parliament in the wake of their previous government collapsing due to political infighting. The fast-rising cost of living will be on their minds.
The price of chicken has more than doubled in the last five years, for example, Samoan taxi driver Muaautasi Kirifi Su’a told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. “If (families) can’t afford weekly expenses, especially not being able to afford the right food, their children will get sick, and some people won’t live long,” he said.
Those conditions have been tough for incumbent prime minister Fiamē Naomi Mata’afa, who became the Pacific Island country’s first female leader in the 2021 elections, which ended four decades of rule by the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), led by Tuilaʻepa Saʻilele Malielegaoi. Mata’afa, known as the Pacific’s “Iron Lady,” appears steadfast in asserting that she is the best choice on the ballot, however.
Asked about her greatest accomplishments, she cited leading a robust recovery after the coronavirus pandemic and hitting economic growth targets.
Mata’afa is the daughter of Samoa’s first prime minister, who ran the country after independence from New Zealand in 1962, noted Radio New Zealand. She has faced numerous crises, from votes of no confidence, the sinking of the Manawanui, a New Zealand naval surveying vessel, on a Samoan reef, a power shortage, and an outbreak of dengue.
The energy crisis entailed weeks of rolling blackouts that plunged villages into darkness and disrupted daily life and business. In April, CNN reported that Mata’afa forecast a 16-percent loss in gross domestic product due to the shortages. Samoans were scrambling to find kerosene lamps to light up the evenings.
Mata’afa’s Fa’atuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi political party, known by its acronym, FAST, fractured in the wake of these problems. In January, Mata’afa fired party chairman La’auli Leuatea Polata’ivao from her cabinet after criminal charges were levied against him. Now she heads the newly formed Samoa Uniting Party and will face La’auli, who heads the rebranded FAST. The general election presumably will filter out those who can’t muster public support.
Misinformation has become a major issue in the campaign.
Recently, FAST party officials alleged that Mata’afa was involved in the May 2024 death of Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, a retired University of Hawaii professor, Samoa Global News reported. Mata’afa has sued for libel.
Samoan writer and artist Papalii Sia Figiel has been charged with the brutal murder, according to Hawaii News Now. The case has understandably caused a stir in the small country of around 200,000 people. Sinavaiana-Gabbard was Figiel’s mentor. Sinavaiana-Gabbard was also related to local politicians and to Tulsi Gabbard, who is currently the U.S. director of national intelligence.
Samoans say that no matter who wins, they will be glad the election is over. That’s because, as the Dev Policy Blog noted, “It brings to an end a tumultuous 2025.”
THE WORLD, BRIEFLY
Russia Launches Major Strikes on Kyiv Amid Stalled Peace Negotiations
UKRAINE
Russia launched a series of strikes on the Ukrainian capital Thursday as peace talks remained stalled despite pressure from US President Donald Trump, NBC News reported.
Ukrainian officials said the strikes hit more than 20 locations in Kyiv, killing at least 23 people – including four children – and injuring at least 63 others. Ukraine’s air force noted that Moscow fired 629 drones and missiles overnight, marking the heaviest bombardment since July, when a strike on Kyiv killed 31.
Explosions rocked the center of the capital, damaging homes and cutting power for about 60,000 residents. Among the damaged buildings were those of the European Union delegation and the British Council, though no staff were harmed.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it targeted Ukraine’s military-industrial sites with long-range weapons, saying all objectives were hit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the assault as proof that Russia had chosen “ballistics over the negotiating table” and renewed calls for tougher sanctions on Moscow.
The attack coincided with renewed uncertainty over US-mediated peace negotiations to end the three-year-old conflict.
Earlier this month, Washington expressed confidence in organizing a summit between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, following a meeting between Trump, Zelenskyy, and European leaders at the White House.
However, those attempts appear to have faltered, as Moscow has shown little urgency or willingness to compromise.
Complicating the talks was also Russia’s rejection of a proposal to put a European-led peacekeeping mission in Ukraine as part of a peace deal, noted Politico.
On Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed Trump’s earlier claims that Putin might accept European peacekeepers as part of a settlement, saying Russia held a “negative attitude” toward the idea.
Peskov added that NATO’s expansion was “one of the root causes” of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Moscow continues to demand that Kyiv cede more eastern territory, while Kyiv insists Ukraine will not give up Donbas, warning that to do so would provide a springboard for future Russian offensives.
Meanwhile, Ukraine acknowledged this week that Russian troops had pushed into the eastern-central region of Dnipropetrovsk for the first time since the invasion began, though Ukrainian officials said the Russians were repelled after heavy fighting near two villages, the BBC added.
Indonesians Protesting Lawmakers’ Lavish Allowances Clash with Police
INDONESIA
Riot police in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta this week deployed water cannons and teargas to disperse thousands of stone-throwing protesters demonstrating against a number of issues, including the lavish allowances that lawmakers receive and education funding, the Guardian reported.
Thousands of students, workers, and activists demonstrated outside the parliament on Monday and Thursday, where they threw rocks and bottles at police and set fires as they tried to break into the building.
Authorities blocked streets, leading to major traffic jams, and deployed hundreds of security personnel. According to local civil rights groups, police arrested around 600 people during the protests, Reuters noted.
While Monday’s demonstrations were relatively peaceful, Thursday’s rallies turned deadly when a police tactical vehicle ran over a motorcycle ride-sharing driver, killing him.
President Prabowo Subianto and other officials apologized for the incident and vowed to conduct a full investigation, Channel News Asia added.
The unrest initially sparked because of a $3,075 monthly housing allowance that 580 members of parliament have been receiving since September 2024, on top of their regular salaries, according to Al Jazeera.
But it soon evolved to highlight the economic hardship many Indonesians are facing, growing discontent with government policies and anger over the country’s “corrupt elites.”
Labor unions have listed a series of demands, including better wages, stronger anti-corruption measures, and the revision of Indonesia’s 2020 Job Creation Law.
Another point of discontent is the growing role of the military in civilian life: In March, Indonesia passed a law allowing the armed forces to take on more civilian roles.
In July, the government said the military would start manufacturing pharmaceuticals. This month, it announced 100 new military battalions to be trained in agriculture and animal husbandry.
Public anger is also fueled by the strict austerity measures enacted by Subianto, which include cuts to education, health, and public works.
Meanwhile, corruption remains endemic in Indonesia, and citizens perceive police and lawmakers as widely corrupt. Analysts think the sudden rise in demonstrations might signal a new level of anger toward the Subianto administration.
Germany Backs Voluntary Military Service Bill
GERMANY
In an effort to boost its defense forces, the German government this week passed a draft bill that introduces voluntary military service and opens the door to conscription if more troops are needed, the BBC reported.
Conscription in Germany ended in 2011 under then-Chancellor Angela Merkel. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Chancellor Friedrich Merz made strengthening Germany’s military a priority.
The proposed law also aligns with US President Donald Trump’s calls for Europe to assume greater responsibility for its own defense.
It now requires approval from a parliamentary majority to be enacted.
Before the draft bill was passed, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius reiterated that the new military service would initially be on a voluntary basis, according to Euronews.
Starting in 2026, the military will send all young men and women a questionnaire covering their health, education, and interest in military service. Filling it out will be mandatory for men and optional for women, in line with the German constitution.
The goal is to increase the number of soldiers in service from 182,000 to 260,000 by the early 2030s to meet new NATO defense targets. The defense ministry also wants the number of reservists to reach 200,000.
However, if not enough recruits enlist voluntarily or if the security situation worsens, the bill allows the parliament to reintroduce conscription with an amendment.
Some members of Merz’s center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party opposed the voluntary model, saying the draft bill lacks the basis to be effective. They call for an automatic trigger under which, if recruitment targets are missed, conscription would be enacted without requiring parliamentary approval, wrote Politico.
Germany’s military remains severely understaffed, and the country faces additional hurdles to rearmament after largely leaning towards pacifism since World War II, according to the Washington Post.
Despite the military efforts to make enlisting look appealing – for example, by advertising high salaries and free medical care – a recent survey showed that a majority of young people are not interested in enlisting or taking part in any other form of compulsory service, Deutsche Welle noted.
Meanwhile, anti-war group Rheinmetal Entwaffnen criticized the bill, writing on social media that they reject participation in “the wars of the ruling classes,” and refuse to fight for a state that cuts back on social infrastructure.
A group of about 70 anti-war activists protested against the military service proposal outside a Bundeswehr career center in Cologne, according to police.
DISCOVERIES
Monsters in the Galaxy
Scientists recently discovered the oldest and most distant black hole in the universe, a finding that is upending our understanding of the mysterious celestial bodies.
In their study, researchers at the University of Texas at Austin’s Cosmic Frontier Center reported that the black hole is 13.3 billion years old, created during a time when the universe was just 3 percent of its current age.
What stood out was not only its age but also its size. It’s up to 300 million times bigger than the Sun, making it extraordinarily large for a black hole that developed so soon after the Big Bang.
Lead author Anthony Taylor and his colleagues suggested that the gargantuan object must have either formed from an unusually large “seed” black hole or grown incredibly fast by pulling in matter more quickly than standard theories usually allow.
“If you look at black holes in the universe, it’s not an issue to have very massive black holes because they have 13.8 billion years to grow to the monsters they are today,” Taylor told NPR. “However, this black hole is already massive, but it only had 500 million years to grow.”
He added that the finding is “putting stress on some of our models of how black holes form and how they grow.”
Using data from NASA’s James Webb Telescope (JWST), the research team said the supermassive black hole is located at a distant galaxy called CAPERS-LRD-z9.
However, the exact distance between the galaxy and our solar system couldn’t be established because of the odd way distances work in the expanding universe.
“…It’s actually a very challenging question, so much so that we almost avoid doing it,” noted Taylor.
Still, CAPERS-LRD-z9 is no ordinary galaxy: It belongs to a new class of galaxies known as “Little Red Dots,” known for being very compact, red, and really bright.
These galaxies appeared in the early days of the universe and could hold answers – or more questions – about how the early cosmic bodies evolved.
“This is a good test object for us,” Taylor explained in a statement. “We haven’t been able to study early black hole evolution until recently, and we are excited to see what we can learn from this unique object.”