North & Central America
Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court hearing began today. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will grill him on his positions on Roe v. Wade, health car, gun control, same-sex marriage, and the reach of executive power, among other topics. Opening remarks were delayed due to dozens of protestors, who, along with Democratic senators, said the hearing should be delayed due to a last-minute document dump of more than 42,000 pages from Kavanaugh’s time in the George W. Bush White House.
Nike has entered the debate over kneeling during the U.S. national anthem with its new ad campaign, which features former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick alongside the phrase, “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything.” In 2016, Kaepernick started the trend of kneeling during the national anthem to protest the police killings of unarmed black men. His actions have spurred a national discussion about police brutality, racial inequality, and respect for the American flag. The new campaign spurred some to burn Nike products in protest Nike. Others, including many athletes, applauded the brand.
In Nicaragua, violent protests have led to at least 322 deaths over the last four months. Now, the administration of President Daniel Ortega says the situation has “normalized.” However, to citizens throughout Nicaragua, life is far from normal. This piece focuses on the stories of Nicaraguans who are afraid to attend school, speak freely, and go out at night.
South America
A devastating fire tore through Brazil’s Museo Nacional Sunday night, destroying much of its 20 million item archive. The 200-year-old museum in Rio de Janeiro is Brazil’s oldest and most important historical and scientific museum, holding oldest human fossil in the Americas, the bones of creatures unique to Brazil, and Latin America’s oldest collection of Egyptian mummies and artifacts. “It is an unbearable catastrophe. It is 200 years of this country’s heritage. It is 200 years of memory. It is 200 years of science. It is 200 years of culture, of education,” Luiz Duarte, a vice-director of the museum, told TV Globo. Experts had warned of a fire risk for years, and Monday demonstrators gathered at the museum gates to protest government budget cuts they blame for the fire. The museum did not have a sprinkler system in place, the smoke detectors were not working, and the two fire hydrants closest to the museum did not hold any water. The building itself was a historical relic and was once home to the Brazilian royal family.
There is no migration crisis in Venezuela, according to Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez. Rodriguez is blaming “enemy countries” for inflating emigration numbers to weaken Venezuela, and has accused Colombia of using fake numbers to receive international funding. Colombia has accepted around 600,000 Venezuelans since 2014. According to the UN, 2.3 million people have fled Venezuela since the economic crisis began in 2014.
Europe
Though migration from North Africa to Europe has slowed since its 2015-16 peak, the journey has become more dangerous. The death rate for migrants traveling from Libya to Italy rose to one in 18 during the first six months of 2018. In 2017, the rate was one in 42. Meanwhile, the debate within Europe on how to handle refugees rages on. Far-right leaders in Italy and Hungary are staunchly opposed to the pro-immigration policies of France and the European Commission.
Sweden heads to the polls this weekend, with expectations that the leading coalition will be weakened. Though the Social Democrats and Greens (nicknamed the red-green bloc) lead the center-right Alliance in polls, they are expected to lose some seats in parliament. If results are as expected, the leading coalition will be forced to gain the support of the Center Party and the Liberals to stay in power.
A Ukrainian rebel leader was killed in a cafe blast last week. Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic, was assassinated in what Russia calls a terrorist attack. The region surrounding Donetsk has been contested since fighting broke out in Ukraine in 2014.
Middle East
Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is turning toward the Syrian rebels’ last stronghold: Idlib province. Aid groups, the United Nations, Turkey, and the United States warned against an attack on Idlib, where millions of civilians live and have nowhere left to go. A defeat of the opposition in Idlib would end the seven-year Syrian Civil War, but could have disastrous humanitarian consequences. The World Health Organization warned of acute levels of malnutrition (1.6 million people in Idlib already rely on food assistance) and fighting would displace hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians. On Tuesday, at least 23 raids hit the area in what could be the beginning of a major offensive. Civilians, including children, were among the dead.
Saudi Aramco is ramping up its operations on its joint-refinery project with Malaysia’s Petronas. Combined with other upcoming projects, the refiner project, called RAPID, is expected to increase Asia’s crude processing capacity by nearly 1.3 million barrels per day.
Iraq has begun the process of forming its government. Through a parliamentary system, Iraqi parties will seek alliances until one alliance has the 166 seats required to hold a majority. The new government will be tasked with uniting an ethnically diverse country that recently declared victory over ISIS, while balancing relations with both Iran and the U.S. There is some optimism as one bloc includes several religious and ethnic groups including Shia and Sunni Arabs, Turkmen, and Yazidi and Christan minorities.
Central & South Asia
In an effort to revive its economy and increase its cooperation with the rest of the world, Pakistan’s military reached out to India about reviving peace talks. The two countries have been enemies since independence in 1947. India is wary to restart peace talks, as the country holds elections early next year and failed talks could cause backlash against the ruling party at the polls. The renewed desire for peace with India may be fueled by China, which has invested heavily in Pakistani infrastructure projects.
East & Southeast Asia
A Myanmar court found two Reuters reporters guilty of breaching a state secrets law on Monday, and sentenced them to seven years in jail. The judge said the reporters collected and obtained confidential documents. The reporters, who were in Myanmar to investigate security forces killing Rohingya villagers, had pleaded not guilty. The United Nations, the United States, the European Union, Canada, Australia, and press freedom groups had urged for the journalists to be acquitted.“It is unacceptable that these journalists were prosecuted for reporting on major human rights violations against the Rohingya in Rakhine State,” said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called for the reporters’ immediate, unconditional release.
At least 7 are dead due to the largest typhoon to hit Japan in a quarter century. Typhoon Jebi first made landfall at around noon on Tuesday, and is continuing to ravage Japan with wind and rain.
Africa
Amid deadly violence between militia groups in Tripoli, around 400 prisoners escaped from the Ain Zara prison. Clashes between militias in the capital led the government to declare a state of emergency. Many of the prisoners are reportedly supporters of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. In a separate incident, two people were killed and several others injured when rockets hit a camp housing hundreds of displaced people.
Germany has returned the human remains of people killed during a genocide in colonial Namibia. A Namibian government delegation received the remains in a church in Berlin. Tens of thousands of Herero and Nama people were murdered in an anti-colonial uprising more than 100 years ago, and the bones had been sent to Germany for research meant to prove the racial superiority of white Europeans. The research has since been discredited. More than 25 skulls were handed back, though Germany is still negotiating with Namibia on how to formally apologize.
Other
Developed countries such as the U.S., the U.K., and Japan seem to have dramatically reduced carbon emissions in the last decade. But that changes when you include “outsourced” emissions. This article takes a look at how shifting manufacturing to less developed countries has allowed countries like the US to seem more green than they are.
