World Status Report
July 13, 2023
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
- Burkina Faso – Killing of civilians, forced displacements (ERCC). On 5 July, a non-state armed group, riding on about 30 motorbikes, raided the locality of Bogande (Gnagna province, East region). They broke into houses in which they executed at least 12 inhabitants, including women, and set some houses on fire. Upon leaving, the armed men ordered the populations of neighbouring localities to leave or risk reprisals.
- In Ukraine, explosive objects are scattered over an area double the size of Austria, putting 14 million Ukrainians at risk (UN News). Mine action may need to become part of the culture of Ukraine for decades to come. An additional consequence of widespread landmine contamination is that it threatens, among other things, Ukraine’s economy and access to critical resources.
- Mexico’s Rising Femicides Linked to Organized Crime (InSight Crime). Increased militarization and the so-called “war on drugs” have played a key part in the recent increase in gender-based violence in Mexico, according to a policy brief published by the Wilson Center.
- Conflict-torn Sudan is on the brink of a “full-scale civil war” that could destabilise the entire region (Yahoo! News), the United Nations warned Sunday, after an air strike on a residential area killed around two dozen civilians.
Demonstrations
- Israel: Major protests across country as judicial reform advances (BBC). Tens of thousands of protesters blocked roads across Israel, after vowing to escalate action against the government’s planned judicial reforms.
- Protests in Bangladesh after Quran burning (Associated Press). Thousands of members of an Islamist group rallied Friday in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka to protest the burning of Islam’s holy book in Sweden.
Infrastructure
- Mexican military to take over airports as president takes aim at corruption, mismanagement (ABC News). Mexico’s armed forces are taking control of the capital’s main airport, and the government plans to give the military control of nearly a dozen more across the country as the president takes aim at corruption and mismanagement.
Natural Disasters
- Iceland – Volcanic Eruption (ERCC). After a week of unusual seismic activity, including thousands of earthquakes, on 10 July a volcanic eruption began on the Reykanes peninsula. The eruption’s site is about 30 km from Reykjavik, between the city and the main international airport at Keflavik.
- USA – Floods, update (ERCC). Heavy rainfall has affected the Northeast Region of the USA since 9 July, causing floods that have resulted in casualties and damage. The most affected States are New York, Vermont and New Hampshire.
- Vietnam – Severe weather (ERCC). On 9-10 July, heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and strong winds have affected parts of Quang Tri Province in central Vietnam, resulting in damage.
- Pakistan – Monsoon and floods, update (ERCC). Since 25 June, 80 people died and 142 were injured in rain-related accidents, mostly in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
- China – Landslide (ERCC). A huge landslide triggered by torrential rains occurred in Hubei Province on 8 July, resulting in casualties.
- Indonesia – Landslides and floods (ERCC). Heavy rainfall and strong winds since 6 July have been triggering landslides, causing floods and resulting in casualties and damage.
- Philippines – Floods (ERCC). On 8 July, southern Philippines, in particular the Guindulungan and Sultan sa Barongis barangays in the municipalitiy of Lambayong, Maguindanao Province, have been impacted by heavy rainfall that caused the Talayan River overflow and resulted in flooding-related incidents.
- India – Severe weather (ERCC). Monsoon rainfall has been affecting northern India, causing floods, triggering landslides and resulting in casualties and damage across northern Indian states, including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
- Japan – Severe weather, update (ERCC). The number of casualties and the amount of damage is increasing in south-western Japan, particularly southern Honshu and most of Kyushu, following torrential rain that has been causing floods and landslides since the beginning of July.
- Mongolia – Floods, update (ERCC). The flood triggered by heavy rains occurring since 3 July continues to affect people in Mongolia’s capital, Ulaanbaatar. The water levels of the Selbe and Tuul Rivers continue to flow at dangerous flood levels.
Health
- Avian influenza in domestic cats – Poland – 2023 (ECDC). On 6 July 2023, media sources reported that in Italy (Lombardy region) five dogs and one cat in a poultry farm tested positive for influenza A(H5N1) virus. The poultry farm is experiencing an outbreak of avian flu. On 5 July 2023, Polish authorities provided ECDC with an update on the situation, confirming that a total of 45 samples from sick or dead cats were tested, of which 24 were positive for influenza A(H5N1) virus. Taking into consideration the currently available information, ECDC advises avoiding contact with dead or sick cats and practice proper hand hygiene when handling or feeding cats.
- A deadly disease spread by ticks (Euronews) and usually found in the Balkans, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East could soon spread across Europe as climate change pushes the insects to move up through the continent, according to scientists. Experts have been ringing alarm bells over the potential spread of Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, or CCHF, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has listed among its 9 “priority diseases”.
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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