In early February, in the aftermath of a ransomware attack that targeted computer servers around the world running on VMware “ESXi” software, the Italian government reported that the attack was most likely the work of criminals, not a state actor or state-like actor. A statement from the Italian government affirmed that
In early January, Malawi Health Minister Khumbize Chiponda announced that the opening of public schools in the country’s two major cities, Blantyre and Lilongwe, would be delayed, according to Reuters. The move was announced as part of an effort to combat a recent surge in cholera cases. Since an outbreak
On November 7th, the Ethiopian government and Tigrayan forces made efforts to maintain the November 2nd ceasefire agreement made in Pretoria. An agreement which was mediated by the African Union (AU) by means of a telephone hotline between the two parties. The two parties continued talks in Kenya starting on
On October 3, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, while on a week-long trip to Colombia, Chile, and Peru, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro, leader of Colombia’s new leftist government, discussed taking steps to improve intelligence sharing and related drug trafficking matters between the two states, though no agreements were
After making a rare visit to Myanmar on account of talks with its military regime, U.N. general-secretary’s special envoy Noleen Heyzer, said that she would not visit the country again unless she was able to meet with former leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Suu Kyi has been imprisoned since last year’s
On August 15th, the Nicaraguan Catholic Church reported that Óscar Benavidez, a priest from the northern Siuna diocese, had been detained after conducting Mass, Reuters reported. Relations between the Church and President Daniel Ortega’s government have been increasingly strained in recent months. The government has shut down Catholic radio stations,
Almost a month after he fled to Singapore and resigned his position as president, the Singapore Government has stated that former Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will not be receiving privileges in Singapore. Sri Lanka has been embroiled in protests since March, amid economic turmoil that began in 2019 but
The Andean Community, a free trade area comprising Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, stated on August 29th, 2022 that they would like states such as Venezuela, Chile, and Argentina to join the bloc, according to Reuters. The presidents of the member states were in Lima in order to formally pass
It was reported on Monday that France has recorded about 1,700 infections of monkeypox. According to Reuters, the French government has vaccinated over 6,000 people and has opened around 100 vaccination centers focused on combating monkeypox. Minister of Health, Francois Braun, told BFM TV on Monday that the government would
On August 8, Palestinian officials reported that a Palestinian security officer, Said Alaadin, was killed by unknown assailants in a refugee camp, Ain el-Hilweh, in southern Lebanon, according to Reuters. Alaadin was an officer in the Fatah party, with the responsibility of liaising between Fatah and Lebanese security forces according
During the lead-up to the NATO summit in Madrid from June 29-30, NATO diplomats disclosed that NATO’s new Strategic Concept would directly reference China as a “systemic challenge” for the first time, according to Reuters. However, member states were also said to be in dispute over how to describe the
On 18 July 2022, the European Union (EU) announced that they will buy more firefighting planes to bolster its existing fleet. Prior to the announcement, the EU had a fleet consisting of 12 planes and a helicopter, according to Reuters. Speaking to Reuters, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič
Sri Lanka will elect a new president on July 20th as the country deals with the worst crisis in the time since independence from Britain in 1948. Sri Lanka’s embattled president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, officially resigned from his position on July 14th, 2 days after fleeing the country on a military
In the midst of an unprecedented 13-year drought, the Penuelas reservoir of central Chile, the main source of water for the city of Valparaiso, has shrunk from a lake that held enough water for 38,000 Olympic regulation-size swimming pools to one that holds enough water for just two. Over the
The Mexican city of Monterrey, capital of the state of Nuevo León, has been in the grip of a water crisis for weeks. For 6 years now, Monterrey, which is home to 5 million inhabitants, has suffered from below average rainfall and drought conditions. While the area has always been
Guinea-Bissau’s highest court has overturned the convictions of two alleged drug kingpins, who had both been sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2020, in a ruling issued on 23 June 2022. The two men, Guinea-Bissau citizen Braima Seidi Ba, and Colombian national Ricardo Ariza Monje, had been arrested
