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

• Gunmen kidnap 32 people from southern Nigeria train station (Reuters). Gunmen armed with AK-47 rifles have abducted more than 30 people from a train station in Nigeria’s southern Edo state, the governor’s office said on Sunday. Nigeria last month reopened a rail service linking the capital Abuja with northern Kaduna state, months after gunmen blew up the tracks, kidnapped dozens of passengers and killed six people.
• China holds large-scale joint strike drills aimed at Taiwan (AP News). The Chinese military held large-scale joint combat strike drills starting Sunday, sending war planes and navy vessels toward Taiwan, both the Chinese and Taiwanese defense ministries said.
• Russia’s Wagner group ramping up operations outside of Ukraine, U.S. warns (Politico). Top U.S. officials are increasingly tracking the movements and efforts of a Russian private military group outside of Ukraine as Moscow continues to use the organization to launch influence operations in Africa and Europe.
• Iran sentences three more protesters to death amid international criticism (Reuters). Iran’s judiciary has sentenced three more anti-government protesters to death on charges of “waging war on God”, its Mizan news agency reported on Monday, defying growing international criticism over its fierce crackdown on demonstrators.
• Honduras extends, expands state of emergency meant to fight crime (Reuters). The Honduran government on Saturday extended a state of emergency declaration for 45 days, expanding it to additional areas of the country in an effort to fight criminal gangs amid high levels of violence.
• At least 29 killed in Mexico capture of Chapo’s son (Reuters). Nineteen suspected gang members and 10 military personnel were killed in a wave of violence surrounding the arrest of Mexican drug cartel boss Ovidio Guzman in the northern state of Sinaloa, Defense Minister Luis Cresencio Sandoval said on Friday.
• Brazilian police arrested at least three hundred people after thousands of supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro stormed and vandalized (AP) Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace in scenes reminiscent of the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

Demonstrations

• Thousands of local Serbs in Kosovo protest over security concerns in country (Anadolu Agency). Thousands of local Serbs on Sunday gathered in southern Kosovo to express their security concerns after two Serbs on Friday were shot and wounded.
• Kurds from around Europe demonstrate over killings in Paris (AP News). Thousands of Kurds from around France and Europe marched through Paris on Saturday to show their anger over the unresolved killing of three Kurdish female activists in the French capital 10 years ago.
• Thousands of Israelis protest new government’s policies (AP News). Thousands of Israelis took to the streets Saturday evening to protest plans by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new government that opponents say threaten democracy and freedoms.

Infrastructure

• Subway train collision in Mexico City kills 1, injures 57 (AP News). Two subway trains collided between two stations Saturday in Mexico City, killing at least one person and injuring 41, authorities said.

Natural Disasters

• Heavy rainfall has been affecting northern Philippines since early January (ERCC), causing floods and landslides that have resulted in evacuations and damage.
• Heavy rainfall affected Java Island on 6-8 January (ERCC), causing flooding and a number of landslide events across Jember, Brebes, Semarang regencies, and resulting in casualties.
• South Kivu province in far eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo continues to be affected by floods and landslides caused by heavy rainfall (ERCC), which have resulted in an increased humanitarian impact.
• Heavy rainfall, strong winds, thunderstorms continue to affect northern-central California and western Nevada since early January (ERCC), causing floods, mudslides, and a number of severe weather-related incidents (particularly due to strong winds) that have resulted in an increased number of casualties.
• Parts of Gauteng Province and North West Province in South Africa were heavily affected by floods on Saturday the 10 and the 11 of December 2022 (ERCC), washing away people’s livelihoods. Joint rapid assessments identified that more than 40,000 people have been affected.

Health

• US COVID markers rise; XBB.1.5 keeps fast pace (CIDRAP). The CDC fine-tuned its projection for XBB.1.5, which is still spreading quickly, mainly in the northeast.
• Africa CDC says Uganda’s Ebola outbreak is coming under control (Reuters) Africa’s top public health body said on Thursday that the Ebola outbreak in Uganda was coming under control, as it had been 39 days since the last confirmed case of the virus had been reported in the country.
• Aid workers in Syria fear cholera spread if cross-border support halted (Reuters) Humanitarian workers operating in the last opposition-held part of Syria fear a cholera outbreak sweeping the region will deepen further if the United Nations is forced to stop aid deliveries across the border from Turkey.

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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