The Spanish justice system has given up on trying to bring former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to trial for sedition. This is due to the left-wing government of PM Pedro Sánchez watering down the crime of sedition so much that it no longer covers what Puigdemont did in October 2017, which was to declare Catalonia an independent republic before fleeing the country. Sánchez’s decision to tweak the law is believed to be an attempt to gain the votes of Catalan separatist parties in the national parliament in order to maintain his position as Prime Minister.

In the United States, US Attorney General Merrick Garland has appointed a special counsel to lead the investigation into two batches of classified files that were allegedly taken by President Joe Biden when he was Vice President. This move is similar to the probe involving former President Donald Trump, who stashed over 300 classified files from the White House at his Mar-a-Lago pad. This appointment of a special counsel could harm Biden in two ways: it gives Republicans fodder to investigate the President in the House, regardless of Trump’s own mishandling of sensitive government information, and it could weaken the political argument to prosecute Trump as a presidential candidate in 2024.

Australia and Papua New Guinea are currently negotiating a security agreement, as the US and its allies in the region are worried about China’s growing influence in the Pacific. The leaders of the two countries have promised transparency, but the details of the agreement have not been made public. If a deal is struck, it would be a big win for Australia in its efforts to counter China’s influence, as Papua New Guinea has many natural resources that China is eager to access.

In the Czech Republic, citizens are voting in the first round of a presidential election featuring three distinct frontrunners. The leading candidate is Petr Pavel, a retired general and former top NATO official who is running as a safe, Europhile pair of hands and a strong supporter of Ukraine. Just behind him is Andrej Babiš, a Eurosceptic populist agriculture tycoon who was Prime Minister from 2017-2021. Babiš has been plagued by allegations of corruption, but was cleared this week by a Czech court.

Article by Prague Forum