July 31, 2020
Hong Kong has begun to tighten restrictions as coronavirus cases hit record highs (Reuters). Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam reported that more than 100 cases were reported on Sunday, the most since the pandemic began in late January (Reuters). The government has increased testing especially for individuals in high-risk areas (NYT). Social gatherings are now […]
July 30, 2020
Ecuadorian Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrin told reporters last week that the country was monitoring a fleet of Chinese fishing vessels off the Galapagos Islands (Reuters). Vessels like these pose a threat to the marine life of the Galapagos Islands, and species such as sharks, manta rays and tuna (El Universo). Patrols are currently surrounding the […]
July 15, 2020
On July 9th, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the nation would immediately suspend their extradition agreement with Hong Kong (Reuters). This decision came as a direct response to the passing of China’s controversial national security law in Hong Kong (CNN). Opponents of the security law stated that it would drastically reduce many democratic […]
July 12, 2020
Russian and Chinese officials cast vetoes to block the UN Security Council from extending approval of aid deliveries to Syria from Turkey for a year (Reuters). Officials of the UN said this resolution is essential to save millions of lives in Syria (Al Jazeera). The UN approval of aid deliveries is authorized until Friday (Al […]
July 1, 2020
On June 19th, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison revealed that several governmental organizations were the victim of a state-based cyber-attack (Al Jazeera). The cyber-attacks were not a single breach, but an aggregation of attacks on the federal, state, and territorial levels of government agencies (ABC). During a press conference, Morrison did not name a specific […]
July 1, 2020
Beijing is currently experiencing a second wave of the Coronavirus outbreak, which began on June 11th, 2020 (South China Morning Post). The second wave brought an end to a 55-day streak without the transmission of any new Coronavirus cases (South China Morning Post). The new wave spread from the Xinfadi market, a major wholesale produce […]
June 18, 2020
Torrential downpours and poor weather have led to flooding and mudslides in South China. Over 230,000 people have been displaced by the floods (Channel News Asia). At least nine people have been killed, while five others are still missing (South China Morning Post). China’s worst floods in recent years happened in 1998 when more than […]
April 22, 2020
New research shows that China’s Mekong River dams held back large amounts of water during a damaging drought in Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam (NY Times). The findings by Eyes on Earth Inc, a research and consulting company specializing in, were published in a US-government funded study (Bangkok Post). The drought, which saw the […]
April 22, 2020
As governments worldwide made major disaster declarations due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many victims of domestic violence found themselves locked at home with their abusers. Forced to shelter in place, victims of domestic abuse all over the world became even more vulnerable. UN Secretary General António Guterres urged all governments to put women’s safety first […]
April 12, 2020
The Chinese government has reopened the city of Wuhan – where it’s believed the novel coronavirus originated – after more than two months of complete lockdown (The Hill). As of just after midnight Wednesday, the city’s 11 million residents are now permitted to leave without special authorization (Washington Post). More non-essential businesses will open their […]
