On June 3, illegal waste was reported at the Port of Tanjung Pelepas (PTP), located in the southern state of Johor, Malaysia (Bernama). According to the Environment and Water Minister, Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man, 1,864 tonnes of electric arc furnace dust (EAFD) was found (Reuters). The waste was abandoned by Romania on June 15, as […]
Posted July 27, 2020
Zimbabwe police arrested prominent journalist Hopewell Chin’ono and opposition leader Jacob Ngarivhume on Monday (AP News). Police accused Chin’ono and Ngarivhume of inciting violence prior to protests planned for July 31st, which aim to speak out against government corruption (Al Jazeera 1). Chin’ono has been a leader of this charge, using his platform to encourage […]
Posted July 27, 2020
Japan’s health ministry has approved dexamethasone, a widely used steroid, as the second treatment for coronavirus (Reuters). The approval comes after the drug was proven to be effective in reducing the number of deaths caused by the coronavirus in Britain (Straits Times). The drug proved to reduce the chance of death by a third, on […]
Posted July 27, 2020
An all-girls robotics team invented an inexpensive new ventilator model that will help the thousands of Covid-19 patients in their homeland (Good News Network). The Afghan Robotics Team, which has won international awards for its robots, started work in March when the pandemic hit the war-torn nation (Reuters). The ventilator can be replicated for as […]
Posted July 27, 2020
A summit of European Union leaders began on Friday to discuss coronavirus recovery strategies, including a 1.85 trillion euro recovery fund. Leaders failed to reach an agreement following the summit’s fourth day, but eventually reached a $2.1 trillion deal Tuesday (AP 2). Disagreements between the pro-recovery spending Franco-German coalition and the so called “frugals,” being […]
Posted July 27, 2020
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a delay of Parliament’s opening (New Indian Express). This announcement came as a response to the spread of COVID-19 in Australia’s two most populous states, Victoria and New South Wales (Reuters). Morrison asked the speaker of Parliament to cancel the two-week session that started on August 4th (Reuters). Morrison stated […]
Posted July 27, 2020
On July 1st, the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new rule allowing homeless shelters to ignore the gender identity of transgender individuals (Vox). The new rule does not allow homeless shelters to exclude transgender people, but it lets homeless shelters determine housing based on gender assigned at birth (Vox). […]
Posted July 27, 2020
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that sanctions were being imposed on Venezuelan Chief Justice Maikel Moreno (Reuters). In addition, Pompeo announced a $5 million reward for any information leading to Moreno’s arrest or conviction (Reuters). Pompeo accused Moreno of accepting bribes to influence the outcomes of criminal proceedings in Venezuela (El […]
Posted July 27, 2020
In order to fight a sharp increase in coronavirus cases, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa reinstated a nightly curfew and an alcohol ban within the country (Al Jazeera). The curfew lasts from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., during which residents may only leave their homes to seek medical care or travel to or from work […]
Posted July 17, 2020
An estimated 5.4 million Americans lost their health insurance within the first few months of 2020 amid mass layoffs during the coronavirus pandemic (The Independent). According to a study by Families USA, the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis have caused the greatest health insurance losses in American history (The Hill). The estimated increase […]
Posted July 17, 2020
