World Status Report

This report intends to give the UTD Community a snapshot of international risks, and other issues as reported by the linked media and official sources from the U.S. and other countries.

More health and security information for each country can be found in the travel advisories issued by the governments of the United States, Canada, the UK, New Zealand, and Australia, and the CDC, ECDC, and WHO sites. Not all advise in these sites will apply to US travelers.

Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.

Security

• According to the latest UN OCHA reporting, during the first ten months of 2022 a total of 727 Palestinian-owned structures have been demolished or seized (ERCC), including 81 EU-funded assets worth over EUR 245 000, forcibly displacing 849 Palestinians and adversely affecting 25,731 across the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
• IED incidents affecting civilians have multiplied in the Niono cercle (Segou) due to heavier fighting between the Malian armed forces and Non State armed groups (ERCC). The latest IED explosion on 10 December killed a humanitarian worker, and injured two other civilians.
• Since 18 November, more than 100 men and women have reportedly been publicly whipped in several Afghan provinces (UN News), and last week, Taliban authorities carried out what is believed to be the first public execution since they seized power in August 2021.
• Jamaica reimposes ‘state of emergency’ (CNN). A widespread state of emergency has been declared across Jamaica to fight violent crime, the island nation’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a public address Wednesday.

Demonstrations

• Sudan protesters face tear gas, stun grenades on uprising anniversary. Sudanese security forces used stun grenades and tear gas on Monday to disperse crowds of protesters rallying in Khartoum on the fourth anniversary of the uprising that toppled former leader Omar al-Bashir, a Reuters reporter said.

Infrastructure

• Europe faces a much tougher task to rebuild gas stocks next year compared with this winter (Reuters), meaning energy bills are likely to stay high and governments could have to implement painful rationing measures they have so far avoided.

Natural Disasters

• Northeast Monsoon have caused a series of floods and landslides in several states in Malaysia (ERCC). As of 19 December 2022, a total of 81 flooded areas and 15 landslides, and 5 roads and 3 bridges in 20 districts in 5 states (Johor, Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Terengganu) with a total of 8,201 families/28,686 persons displaced in 308 evacuation centres.
• Heavy rain has affected parts of northern Morocco over the past week (ERCC), causing severe weather-related events and leading to casualties and damage.
• Heavy rainfall and strong winds have been affecting central Indonesia (in particular Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi Islands) since 17 December (ERCC), causing floods, rivers overflow and strong wind-related incidents that have resulted in casualties and damage.
• At least 169 dead after devastating floods in DR Congo’s Kinshasa (Al Jazeera English on MSN.com). At least 169 people have died as a result of destructive rains in the capital Kinshasa, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and officials said on Friday.
• Australian Communities Brace for Christmas Floods (Voice of America). Floods in the state of South Australia are forecast to be the worst since 1956, after official analysis showed when waters are expected to peak. Thousands of properties are expected to be inundated.

Health

• Climate change has driven an “unprecedented” number of larger and more deadly cholera outbreaks around the world this year (UN News), WHO said on Friday. Available data points to cases of infection in around 30 countries, whereas in the previous five years, fewer than 20 countries reported infections, on average.
• Hunger Threatens Congo’s Goma After Fighting Cuts Supply Routes (U.S. News & World Report). Since fighting surged in the province again in October, prices for everyday essentials such as maize, beans and charcoal have almost doubled because the violence has made roads impassable and has forced farming cooperatives to close

in Rutshuru, the breadbasket of the province.

• Smog in Lahore (Daily Times). Lahore, Pakistan has been hit with another wave of closures, with the Lahore High Court authorising a 10 pm curfew on all markets and restaurants in an attempt to reduce unhealthy smog levels in the provincial capital.
• Beijing Sees COVID-Linked Deaths After Virus Rules Eased (Voice of America). Deaths linked to the coronavirus are appearing in Beijing after weeks of China reporting no fatalities, even as the country is seeing a surge of cases.
• Air quality plummets in Indian capital as temperature falls. Air pollution worsened in New Delhi on Monday to the “very poor” category after a few days of clear skies, as lower temperatures and calmer winds trapped pollutants.

Please note the publication date of this report and go to the direct sources linked for the most up-to-date information.  The information in this report may change without prior notice.

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