Week 165 (01-07/08/2022)
A boy pushes a cart at the commercial crossing of Kerem Shalom which has been shutdown by Israel since Tuesday, in the southern Gaza Strip August 4, 2022. Picture: REUTERS
AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST
According to the United Nations (UN), famine in Madagascar might be the first to be caused by climate change (02/08). In the southern part of the country, that is often associated with tropical forests, baobab trees, and lemurs, rain has barely fallen in the last three years. Similarly, the government of Madagascar blamed the West’s carbon-fueled lifestyle for the famine. However, some experts and scientists disagreed and blamed the poor governance and poverty instead.
The extension of the closure of Gaza crossings limits aid, goods, and people movements between Israel and Palestine (04/08). Israel extended the closure for fear of retaliation after it arrested a senior leader of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, Bassam al-Saadi. Following the arrest, mediators from Egypt are seeking to lower tensions between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Hundreds of protesters, said to be loyal supporters of the Shia leader Muqtada al-Sadr, stormed into the Parliament amid political turbulence in Iraq (04/08). The cause of the political chaos is the nomination of the new prime minister, Mohammed Shiya al-Sudani. According to the Iraqi authorities, over 100 people injured in the protest.
In Ethiopia, children become prime victims of a deadly combination of drought and conflict (04/08). The Tigray region in Northern Ethiopia has turned into a hotbed for this unfortunate situation. Global relief organization ShelterBox tries to help out by sending supplies for 13,000 people in Ethiopia. Besides Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Kenya also face similar situation. However, the world’s attention is only directed to Ukraine.
ASIA
China fired (04/08) multiple missiles into the sea off the eastern part of Taiwan. The shots were part of a long-range live-fire training mission and took place just a day after Taiwan hosted United States (US) House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, whom has also left the region—earlier, Beijing warned that Taipei will pay a price for hosting Pelosi. Meanwhile, a Chinese military expert said the conventional missiles has for the first time flown over airspace covered by Taiwanese defense missile.
Reported in the Washington Post, US Speaker Nancy Pelosi met with leaders of Singapore, Taiwan, and Malaysia, but not with its close security ally South Korea. During Pelosi’s visit to Asia, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol was reported on staycation, attending a theater performance in Seoul and socialized over dinner and drinks with the actors. Some accuse his action is out of concerns about retaliation from Beijing, its largest trading partner. In response, the South Korean administration has said that the president’s summer holiday was planned ahead of Pelosi’s Asia.
Reported on CNN (05/08), at least 549 people in Pakistan has been killed and more than 46,200 houses damaged by flash floods over the past month. The past month was the wettest in three decades, with 133% more rain than the average for the past 30 years. Meanwhile, the hardest hit province Balochistan government said it needed more funds and appealed to international organizations for assistance. The central government has said that they are doing their best to provide for extensive relief and rehabilitation of flood victims.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, the first US cabinet official to visit the Phillipines’ new president Ferdinand J. Marcos, has reiterated (06/08) the US’ commitment to the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty, which pledged support in case of foreign attack. The message was conveyed as tension between US and China spike as well as the latter’s increasing presence in the resource-rich South China Sea, part of which the Phillippines is also a claimant. Accordingly, Marcos has said that he will not cede “even a square inch of territory” to any foreign power.
AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA
On Tuesday morning (02/08), New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced she would provide NZD 15 million to support Samoa’s climate change priorities. The statement was announced at a press conference alongside Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa. The fund will be allocated to build Samoa’s resilience to the impacts of climate change and its transition to a low emissions economy. Currently, Samoa is focusing on rebuilding its education, health, and tourism sectors following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Australia approved a recommendation of the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) to give the Moderna vaccine for at-risk children (03/08). Children aged six months old to under five who have severe immunodeficiency, disability, and complex health conditions can receive the Moderna injection starting September 7. The Australian government has secured the supply of the Moderna vaccine and will immediately distribute it to the vaccine site. With this progress, Health Minister Mark Butler hopes that Australia could get past the peak of the COVID-19 wave in winter.
Thursday (04/08), Fiji officially launched Fiji’s first ever Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) 2021, joining Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, and Tuvalu. MICS 2021 is the largest source of statistical data to monitor children and their families’ well-being. The purpose of MICS 2021 is to support the government in providing data and can assist in decision-making to align the services provided according to the needs of the people. In addition, it aims to strengthen the country’s progress towards national goals and global commitments to promote the well-being of women and children.
On Friday (05/08), researchers recorded that Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai released the most water vapor into the atmosphere, which could temporarily warm surface temperatures in years to come and deplete stratospheric ozone. In addition, excess water vapor can also increase the formation of special noctilucent clouds, which looks like wisps that glitter in the night sky. The study’s lead author and atmospheric scientist Luis Millán said this event was the first time this type of injection had occurred in the entire satellite era.
EUROPE
A grain ship has left Ukraine for the first time since the Ukraine-Russia war (03/08). The shipment was made possible after Kyiv and Moscow agreed on a grain and fertilizer export deal which was brokered by Turkey and the UN last month. There are 17 more Ukrainian ships loaded with agricultural products that are waiting for approval to set sail.
A court in Russia has sentenced American basketball player Brittney Griner to nine years in prison and fined her RUB 1 million (USD 16,301) (04/08). In February, Griner was arrested at a Russian airport for bringing vape cartridges with cannabis oil. Her lawyers had argued that she was using cannabis for medical reason and never used it whilst in Russia.
The presidents of Russia and Turkey met in Sochi on Friday (05/08). The two leaders talked behind closed doors over a late lunch. It was expected that they were discussing their economic agenda and Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Authorities in France are planning to give vitamins on Saturday (06/08) to a stranded beluga in the Seine river. The whale was first spotted on Tuesday. Although it looked malnourished, it has refused food, prompting authorities to try to give it vitamins that could stimulate its appetite. Seeing a beluga in France is a rare thing, as they are normally found in cold Arctic waters.
LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
A few weeks after being charged with handling millions of dollars in allegedly illicit cash, Enrique Peña Nieto was the subject of many lines of investigation by Mexico’s attorney general’s office (03/08). According to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office, Peña Nieto is being looked into for offenses involving his business that are connected to the elections, money laundering, and illegal enrichment.
In an effort to reverse the nation’s spiralling economic catastrophe, Sergio Massa, Argentina’s new minister of the economy, promised to put an end to the country’s rampant money printing (04/08). The deficit will be reduced, or private lending will be used by the government to fund its budget. He stated that the government is examining four loan offers from three foreign banks and a sovereign wealth fund without giving an exact amount of the prospective agreement.
Authorities said hundreds of personnel were involved in the operation as rescue efforts for 10 miners trapped in a northern Mexico coal mine that had collapsed and flooded intensified Thursday (05/08). According to officials, the fall happened after the miners entered a nearby location that was submerged in water a day before. Since the collapse, the authorities had not heard from the trapped miners. According to Undersecretary of Defense Agustín Rádiala Suástegui, the miners are trapped between two 200-foot deep mine tunnels that are more than half filled with water. Pumps were being used by rescuers to remove water from the flooded mine.
Nicaragua’s police said Friday they have begun an investigation against a Roman Catholic bishop who has been an outspoken critic of President Daniel Ortega’s government (06/08). They accused Bishop Rolando Álvarez, leader of the Matagalpa diocese, of allegedly “organizing violent groups” and inciting them “to carry out acts of hate against the population”. The police statement said the investigation would include a number of people and warned that they would not be allowed to leave their homes while the investigation was carried out.
THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA
Ayman al-Zawahiri, the leader of al Qaeda, has been killed in a drone strike (02/08). The United States (US)’ President Joe Biden said he “authorized a precision strike that would remove him from the battlefield, once and for all”. Zawahiri had been a visible international symbol of al Qaeda since the death of Osama bin Laden 11 years ago.
US Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan has sparked Beijing’s fury (03/08). Pelosi had ignored Beijing’s warning to not visit the island, saying that China could not “prevent world leaders or anyone from travelling to Taiwan to pay respect to its flourishing democracy, to highlight its many successes and to reaffirm our commitment to continued collaboration”. However, Beijing was not the only one who did not approve of Pelosi’s visit. US President Joe Biden had warned Pelosi that a visit to Taiwan was “not a good idea right now” due to the heightened tensions between the US and China.
Families of the victims of the Parkland school shooting continued to take stand and offered victim impact statements in the shooter’s death penalty trial (03/08). The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, had pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder last year. His defense attorneys have been asking for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole instead.
Data released by Statistics Canada showed a 72% increase in hate crime rate between 2019 and 2021 in the country (05/08). The rise was said to be partly caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that exacerbated discrimination issues. In 2021, there were 67%, 64%, and 6% jump in hate-motivated crimes targeting religion, sexual orientation, and race or ethnicity respectively.