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

• India to end free movement policy with Myanmar for ‘internal security’ (Reuters). India said on Thursday it would end a decades-old visa-free movement policy with Myanmar for their border citizens for reasons of national security and to maintain the demographic structure of its northeastern region.
• Congolese city Goma under threat as thousands flee rebel advance (Reuters). A rocket landed near a university in the Congolese city of Goma on Wednesday as thousands of civilians fled a fresh advance by M23 rebels that threatens to isolate the city of around two million people.
• Russia blocks war critic Nadezhdin from facing Putin in presidential vote (France24). President Vladimir Putin is set to secure another six-year term in the March 15-17 contest, in which all major opposition politicians have now been barred from running.
• Israeli forces intensify strikes on Rafah in southern Gaza (Reuters). Israeli forces bombed areas in the southern border city of Rafah where more than half of Gaza’s population is sheltering on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected a proposal to end the war in the Palestinian enclave.
• Mexico sends 400 soldiers to Juarez amid spike in violence (Border Report). The office of Juarez Mayor Cruz Perez Cuellar has confirmed the arrival of 300 Mexican soldiers and 100 National Guard members to a city experiencing a spike in violence.
• At least nine people were killed in militant attacks in Pakistan (Reuters) as the country voted in a general election after temporarily cutting mobile phone services and closing some land borders to maintain law and order.

Demonstrations

• Thousands protest in Slovakia claiming government is softening on corruption (Euronews). Thousands protested outside Slovakia’s Parliament on Wednesday over populist Prime Minister Robert Fico’s plan to abolish the special prosecutor’s office, which is tasked with tackling major crime and corruption.
• Haiti’s prime minister urges calm as violent protests seek his ouster (AP News). Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry urged calm in a public address early Thursday following three days of violent protests that have paralyzed the country demanding his resignation.

Environment

• Iceland – Volcanic eruption (ERCC). A volcanic eruption occurred on 8 February at 6.11 UTC following a short seismic activity in the area north of Sylingarfell Mount. The eruptive fissure is approximately 3,000 m long, from the southern part of Sundhnúkur Mount and the eastern part of Stóra-Skógfell Mount, in the same location of the 18 December 2023 eruption.
• USA – Severe weather, update (ERCC). Heavy rainfall and strong winds continued to affect southern and central California since 4 February, causing floods, landslides and a number of severe weather-related incidents that have resulted in more casualties and damage.
• Philippines – Landslide, upodate (ERCC). Following the landslide that occured on 6 February in Maco Municipality in Davao de Oro Province, Mindanao Island, southern Philippines, the number of casualties is increasing. 
• Australia – Bushfires (ERCC). Several bushfires have been affecting south-western Western Australia, in particular the Perth Capital City area and the Albany City area, over the past week, causing population evacuation and damage.
• The world experienced its hottest January (Reuters), continuing a run of exceptional heat fueled by climate change, the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service said. Last month surpassed the previous warmest January, which occurred in 2020, in records going back to 1950.

Health

• World News in Brief: Unprecedented cholera spike in Africa (UN News). In just the first four weeks of the year, 10 African countries reported more than 26,000 cases and 700 deaths, which is nearly double the number reported last year over the same period. Zambia and Zimbabwe have been worst hit, but Mozambique, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia and Nigeria are also in the grip of “active outbreaks”, with a high risk of further spread. Increased flooding associated with climate change has helped the spread of cholera, a preventable waterborne disease. More cyclones and droughts have also reduced access to clean water, creating an ideal environment for cholera to thrive.
• Dengue spreads fast in Brazil prompting emergency health measures (Reuters). Dengue fever has surged in Brazil’s hot rainy season, forcing health authorities to take emergency measures and start mass vaccination against the mosquito-borne illness.

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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