Week 139 (31/01-06/02/2022)

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Two babies in a refugee camp in Idlib, north-west Syria, have died due to freezing weather. | Picture: Anadolu Agency

AFRICA AND THE MIDDLE EAST

A lioness in a zoo in Iran attacked and killed a zookeeper whilst being fed (01/02). After mauling the keeper, the lioness escaped her cage and roamed the zoo with another escaped lion. The animals were recaptured hours later.

Two babies in a refugee camp in Idlib, north-west Syria, have died due to freezing weather (02/02). The country’s decade-long civil war has forced millions of people to flee to the opposition stronghold, where many of them live in camps without warm clothes and heater. The babies’ deaths enhance the urgency of providing more humanitarian support for displaced children.

The national football team of Senegal set a new historical milestone after beating Burkina Faso 3-1 (02/02). This means Senegal will go to their third Africa Cup final and face either Egypt or Cameroon. The Senegalese team is ranked number one in Africa and twenty in the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA)’s global list.

A military officer in Zambia became a national headline following his heroic act (03/02). Lance Corporal Humphrey Mangisani risked his work by helping a pregnant woman to give birth in a corn field. He meant to take the woman to the hospital but she already went into labor. Mangisani’s commander later promoted him to full corporal, saying that his action could change the negative perception of soldiers.

ASIA 

Cambodia’s foreign minister said (03/12) that a non-political representative from Myanmar had been invited to attend the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting later this month. The decision to invite a non-political representative instead of Myanmar’s foreign minister came after members of the bloc had not reached a consensus. Earlier on Wednesday (02/12), ASEAN urged an “immediate” end to violence in Myanmar and for the junta to allow a special envoy tasked with facilitating talks to visit as soon as possible.  

For the first time in four months, Japan reported more than 1,000 serious COVID-19 cases. On Friday (04/02), the serious cases reached 1,043, climbing by 131 cases from the previous day. The surge of serious cases is fueled by the Omicron Variant. Meanwhile, the government is considering a two-week extension of the curbs in 13 regions, including its capital Tokyo. 

Sri Lanka’s President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa urged the country’s expatriates to send money home as economic crisis deepens. The message was conveyed during the country’s Independence Day on Friday (04/02). As of now, people in the country are facing shortages of milk powder, cooking gas, kerosene, and other essentials. Meanwhile, cash shortages have hindered imports of raw materials for manufacturing and worsened inflation, which surged to 12.1 percent in December. 

India’s biggest cultural icons, Lata Mangeshkar, has died (06/12) at the age of 92 due to “multi-organ failure”.  Mangeshkar is a singer who defined music and melody for generations across South Asia. To honor her contributions, India has declared two days of national mourning and she will be given a state funeral.

AUSTRALIA AND OCEANIA

 Tonga received more help from French Polynesia after being hit by a volcanic eruption and tsunami (31/01). A ship from French Polynesia is heading to Tonga with 300 tonnes of supplies including lumber and tarpaulins for temporary accommodation for local people. Previously the French military had sent a patrol boat with 40 tonnes of supplies, whereas New Caledonia sent 10 tonnes.  

Fiji received support for the COVID-19 vaccine from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) (01/02). Australia and New Zealand will provide vaccines to partner countries in the Pacific by the end of 2022 through a partnership with the UNICEF. Australia will provide more than 530,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine to Fiji, bringing the total vaccine supplied by Australia to 1.6 million. Meanwhile, New Zealand is committed to assist the COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Fiji. UNICEF Pacific Representative Jonathan Veitch thanked the Australian and New Zealand governments for supporting efforts to protect the public, especially children, from the ongoing threat due to Covid-19.

 Australia’s medical assistance team (AUSTMAT) has arrived in Kiribati to help monitor the COVID-19 situation and prepare for the next phase (03/02). The medical assistance team consists of five people including doctors, nurses, and logistics staff, who will stay in Tarawa for ten days. AUSTMAT also brought 27,300 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine for local health authorities.

 Thousands of people gather in Canberra, Australia to demand freedom from being vaccinated (05/02). The protesters traveled from Canberra’s Glebe Park to the Old Parliament building carrying “no vaccine mandate” placards. The demonstration caused traffic chaos, and locals were advised to avoid the protest area. Meanwhile, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Police intervened the demonstrators’ plan to camp and park their vehicles at the Patrick White Lawns.

EUROPE

 The United Kingdom (UK)’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that any increased military activity on Ukraine’s border would be “a tragic miscalculation” (02/02). Russia repeatedly denies planning to invade Ukraine and instead accuses the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members to supply Ukraine with weapons to undermine Russia’s progress. It also insists that Ukraine should not be allowed to join NATO.

 Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is facing a difficult balancing act as he tries to maintain his support for Ukraine as well as his long-term relation with Russia (03/02). In his next meeting in Kyiv, Erdoğan will offer to mediate between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Erdoğan will be monitored by NATO to ensure he does not give in to Putin’s demands to the alliance, which include withdrawing the NATO troops from Russian border.

 The presidents of Russia and China released a joint statement, saying they would support each other’s foreign policy and work together on wider security issues (04/02). The two presidents also criticized the United States (US)’ negative influence in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Despite showing its support for Russia in the latter’s dispute with NATO, China said it does not necessarily support any attack on Ukraine as it is one of Beijing’s most important trading partners.

 In an attempt to reduce tensions between Russia and the US and NATO, France’s President Emmanuel Macron will meet and negotiate with President Vladimir Putin to reduce Russian military build-up on Ukraine border (04/02). Macron’s visit to Moscow is coordinated together with Germany and the US. The trip also serves as Macron’s chance to showcase his leadership credentials ahead of April presidential election.

LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

 The United States (US) repatriated immigrants from Venezuela to Colombia on Monday (31/01). The Venezuelans were sent to Colombia having previously settled in the country. Furthermore, the repatriation is also because the US cannot send migrants to their countries of origin.

 President of Argentina, Alberto Fernandez, stated that his country will stop dependence on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the US. Opposition lawmakers challenged President Fernandez’s remarks on Thursday (03/02) because it did not represent Argentina’s interests. President Fernandez just renegotiated Argentina’s debt with the IMF last week.

 As of Saturday (05/02), 24 people were reported to have died due to landslides and floods in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Furthermore, more than 1,546 families have also been displaced. Unfortunately, the intensity and frequency of extreme rain are predicted to increase due to global warming.

 Paraguay’s Organization for Conservation and Sustainable Development stated on Friday (05/02) that the heat waves lasted longer than expected. These heat waves cause water shortages and forest fires that threaten biodiversity. This problem could impact Paraguay’s biodiversity in the long term.

THE UNITED STATES AND CANADA

 Canada has faced a wave of “Freedom Convoy” protests over the past week. This wave of protests is against the vaccination mandate, especially for truckers. On Thursday (03/02), Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the demonstrations were still under control and would not yet deploy military intervention.

 Statistics Canada reports Canada lost 200,000 jobs last month. In their release on Friday (04/02), this increase in the unemployment rate was the first time since April 2021. The worst sectors affected were accommodation and food services.

 The United States (US) reported more than 330,000 customers lost power. As of Friday (04/02), Poweroutage reported that the power loss was caused by damage to infrastructure due to the winter storm that hit last week. Power restoration could take days and it is not going to be a quick process.

 Johns Hopkins University released that the US death toll from COVID-19 hit 900,000. The high mortality rate is due to low vaccination rates and a lot of misinformation. President Biden said on Friday (04/02) that Americans need to get vaccines and booster shots urgently.