20 November 2022

Weekly Newsletter

Military & Armed Conflict

North Korea reportedly launched a suspected ICBM capable of reaching the US,Iranian rockets hit Kurdish headquarters in Iraq,Israel struck an air base in Central Syria,an oil tanker was hit by an armed drone off the coast of Oman,Cote d'Ivoire militaryannounced plans to gradually withdraw from the UN's peacekeeping force in Mali,thousands were displaced in the Democratic Republic of Congo as M23 rebels neared the key city of Goma,and Turkish police arrested 46 over a bombing in Istanbul.

Russia-Ukraine

Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited the recently recaptured city of Kherson on Mondayamid renewed calls for peace talks from the US.Meanwhile, Moscow reportedly launched dozens of missiles across Ukraine in one of its biggest barrages since the start of the war on Tuesday.Ukrainian officials claimed that the strikes hit 15 energy facilities,while Poland's Bureau of National Security convened an emergency meeting after a missile landed in its border region with Ukraine, killing two civilians.Despite widespread speculation of it being a Russian missile, US officials said that preliminary investigations indicated it was an air-defense missile launched by Ukraine - an assertion challenged by Zelenskyy.Russia continued to strike Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout the week, which, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, is a consequence of Ukraine's unwillingness to negotiate.Elsewhere, on Friday, Russia's defense ministry accused Ukrainian forces of executing more than 10 prisoners of war after a video shared on social media appeared to document what Russia said amounted to a war crime.Ukraine said it would investigate the allegations on Sunday, though it claimed that they're unlikely to be true.This came as the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights alleged that both Russia and Ukraine have mistreated prisoners throughout the course of the eight-month war.

World Politics

On the sidelines of the G20 summit, which opened in Bali on Tuesday,Chinese Pres. Xi rebuked Canadian PM Trudeau over leaks to the mediaand US Pres. Biden met with Xi for the first time since taking office.Meanwhile, the Biden admin. said that the Saudi crown prince should be granted immunity in a lawsuit over the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi,the US announced plans to open an investigation into the killing of Palestinian journalist Abu Akleh,and a report accused the UAE of meddling in US politics.Elsewhere, Haiti's PM sacked some of the country's top government officials,Ghana's junior finance minister was fired over a gold mining scandal,the UK's King Charles III sought an amendment to the Regency Act,and thousands protested Mexico's electoral reform plan.In other news, Israel's PM-elect announced an agreement to legalize dozens of West Bank settler outposts,and the UK and France signed a deal on channel migrants.

US Politics

As votes continued to be counted after the Nov. 8 midterm elections,Republicans won control of the House,Kari Lake vowed to challenge her loss in the Arizona governor race,Doug Mastriano conceded defeat in the Pennsylvania governor race,and Los Angeles elected its first Black woman mayor.Meanwhile, Mitch McConnell won reelection for the Senate GOP leader,Republicans nominated Kevin McCarthy for House leadership,and Nancy Pelosi announced plans to step down as Democratic House leader,after which, Hakeem Jeffries announced his bid to replace her.In other news, a federal judge blocked the US's Title 42 border policy, Trump announced his 2024 presidential run,the Jan 6. Committee said that Trump failed to attend his deposition testimony,a report revealed that foreign governments spent over $750k at Trump's Washington hotel,federal prosecutors decided not to charge former-Trump lawyer Giuliani in a Ukraine lobbying probe,and the House GOP moved forward with a Hunter Biden probe.

Civil liberties

A report alleged that the Greek government covertly funded the illegal spyware company Predator,Iran issued its first death sentence tied to the ongoing protests -the latest of which reportedly included children among the dead -jailed activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah ended his hunger strike in Egypt,and Kuwait hanged seven people in its first executions since 2017.Meanwhile, Malta announced plans to ease its total ban on abortion,and the US Senate advanced the Respect for Marriage Act,which was backed by the Mormon Church.

Crime & Justice

Five were killed in an LGBTQ+ nightclub shooting in Colorado,three were killed in a shooting at the University of Virginia,the Waukesha Christmas parade killer was sentenced to life in prison,Canadian police charged a Quebec man with terrorism over an alleged Haiti coup plot,and a Dutch judge delivered a verdict in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

Money & Economy

US home sales fell for the ninth straight month in October,Morgan Stanley said the US might avoid a recession, but Europe likely won't,the UK's chancellor announced plans for billions in tax increases and spending cuts,a US court approved a $6B student loan settlement,and crypto exchange FTX's digital assets were seized by authorities in the Bahamas.

Health

Violent COVID protests rocked China's city of Guangzhou,Moderna said its omicron COVID booster is effective against new subvariants,and the FDA said lab-grown meat is safe to eat.

Business

Walmart agreed to pay $3.1B in an opioid settlement,the head of Tesla's board defended a $55B pay deal for CEO Elon Musk,who described his skyrocketing workload at a business forum,as he gave Twitter employees an ultimatum to be "extremely hardcore,"and later locked out staff after mass resignations.Meanwhile, Starbucks workers across the US went on strike,Yale and Harvard law schools withdrew from the US News & World Reports annual rankings,and academic workers at the University of California held a strike for better pay and benefits.

Weather & Environment

Negotiations at the COP27 stalled on a "loss and damage" fund, with an agreement finally reached early Sunday,an investigation found that Egypt's "super coral" is threatened by oil pollution,and a three-nation alliance between Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Indonesia was formed to protect global rainforests.

Sports

The Soccer World Cup began in Qatar, with officials announcing two days prior that beer wont be sold at stadiums,a study concluded that soccer equipment designed for men poses a risk to female players,Cristiano Ronaldo said he feels "betrayed" by Manchester United,and Australia overturned Novak Djokovic's ban, allowing him to play in the 2023 Australian Open.

Space

NASA launched its Artemis moon rocket.

Accidents

A Gaza residential building fire killed 21.

In other news

According to a UN report, the world population reached 8B..