02 April 2023

Weekly Newsletter

Military & Armed Conflict

The US Senate decided to advance legislation to repeal authorizations for past wars in Iraq,Turkey's parliament ratified Finland’s NATO membership,Iran's foreign minister said Tehran may set a deadline for talks on restoring the 2015 nuclear deal,the US said it would stop sharing nuclear arms data with Russia,and North Korea published alleged evidence of its nuclear capabilities,and fired two ballistic missiles off its coast.Meanwhile, at least six Palestinians were injured in an attack by Israeli settlers,Israeli missile strikes in Syria reportedly wounded two,at least six were killed in a blast in Afghanistan,and Myanmar's military vowed to take decisive action against the nation's armed resistance.

Russia-Ukraine

On Monday, NATO condemned Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin's plan to send tactical nuclear weapons to neighboring Belarus.On Tuesday, Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned that a potential change of political forces in Washington - namely from the upcoming 2024 presidential election - could signal a shift in support for Ukraine.This came as Russia revealed a new foreign policy doctrine on Friday that singled out the US, accusing it of fomenting "existential threats" to the nation's security and stability.Meanwhile, on Thursday, Washington accused Moscow of offering food to North Korea in exchange for weapons - an allegation Pyongyang denied.On the ground, a drone attack was launched on Kyiv on Tuesday as Russia reportedly continued to make advances on the Donetsk city of Bakhmut.Meanwhile, representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate refused to leave the Monastery of the Caves on Wednesday amid an eviction order due to its alleged ties to Russia.

World Politics

Taiwanese Pres. Tsai Ing-wen stopped in New York on her way to Central America,as Beijing warned her against meeting with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthyand Taiwan's former Pres. Ma Ying-jeou visited China,Japan announced plans to restrict its semiconductor equipment exports,Malaysia's former PM Najib Razak lost a bid to review his corruption conviction,and US VP Kamala Harris spoke in Ghana,as she began a trip to Africa.Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ordered the US to pay compensation to Iranian companies for freezing their assets,Russia detained a Wall Street Journal reporter on espionage charges,four bankers were found guilty of lacking due diligence after allowing an associate of Putin to deposit large sums of money,and Wimbledon reversed its ban on Russian and Belarusian players.Elsewhere, Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu delayed his government's judicial overhaul plan,Saudi Arabia moved closer to joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization,the UK joined a Trans-Pacific trade pact,Humza Yousaf was selected to replace Scotland's Nicola Sturgeon,and Former Brazilian Pres. Jair Bolsonaro returned to Brazil.

US Politics

Former Pres. Donald Trump was indicted by a New York grand jurydespite reports that the jury would be dismissed and the decision delayed until late April,and the most recent national polls showed that Trump leads Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in the 2024 presidential election.Meanwhile, the House Foreign Affairs Committee subpoenaed the State Dept. to turn over a cable from US diplomats in Afghanistan before the US withdrawal,Pres. Joe Biden banned government agencies from using commercial spyware,the GOP-led House passed a wide range of energy proposals,and the Census Bureau reportedly considered updating race and ethnicity questions on its survey.

Crime & Justice

A shooting at a Nashville school killed six,an inquiry into one of Canada's worst mass shootings called for stricter gun control laws,and founder of crypto exchange FTX Sam Bankman-Fried was charged with bribing a Chinese official.

Civil Liberties

The UN said the EU is complicit in crimes against humanity in Libya,South Korea published a report outlining North Korea's alleged human rights abuses,the Taliban arrested a prominent Afghan advocate for girls' education,Bangladesh police arrested a journalist over allegations that he promoted "false news,"and Burkina Faso suspended France 24 broadcasts in the country.Meanwhile, Kentucky and West Virginia advanced laws to limit transgender treatments for minors.

Money & Economy

A study predicted that the world population could peak in 2050 before rapidly declining,First Citizens Bank announced plans to buy deposits and loans of failed Silicon Valley Bank,a US Senate panel claimed that Credit Suisse violated a 2014 plea deal,and a Palestinian teachers’ strike calling for increased pay continued.

Health

The US White House confirmed that Biden will sign a bill to end the nation's COVID emergency,a US judge struck down an Affordable Care Act mandate requiring insurance plans to provide free preventive care,the US Food and Drug Admin. approved over-the-counter Narcan,and the World Health Organization considered adding obesity drugs to its "essential" medicines list.Meanwhile, Chile detected its first case of bird flu in humans,Pope Francis was hospitalized due to a bronchitis infection,and Italy introduced a bill to ban lab-grown meat.

Weather & Environment

At least 21 were killed as tornadoes battered the central US,the UN passed a resolution asking the ICJ to rule on the world's government's climate obligations,a report found that Pakistan's female agricultural workers are still struggling from last year's floods,and four cheetah cubs in India were born 70 years after extinction.

Business

Twitter said parts of its source code were temporarily leaked online,two anonymous sources claimed that Elon Musk is planning a trip to Beijing,Google accused Microsoft of anti-competitive cloud computing practices,Meta is reportedly considering banning political ads in Europe,a report found that TikTok's popularity among children in Britain increased in 2022,and China's e-commerce giant Alibaba announced plans to split into six separate units.Meanwhile, Crypto giant Binance was sued for allegedly evading US laws,a new trial to determine compensation for a former Tesla employee found to have been subjected to racism began,and the US Dept. of Justice sued transport company Norfolk Southern over February's train derailment in Ohio.

Science & Technology

The Musk-funded Future of Life Institute urged a pause in the development of Artificial Intelligence (AI),Italy temporarily blocked OpenAI's ChatGPT over privacy concerns,Goldman Sachs predicted AI could eventually automate 300M jobs,and scientists discovered water inside tiny glass beads on the Moon.

Accidents

Mexico opened a homicide probefollowing a fire at a migrant center that killed dozens,and a floor collapse at an Indian temple killed at least 36.