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 

• Venezuela: Rights probe points to ‘unprecedented’ repression (UN News) – Violence used against opponents of the Venezuelan authorities has reached unprecedented levels, a top independent human rights probe alleged on Tuesday, citing arrests, sexual abuse and torture as just some of the methods used by the Government of President Nicolas Maduro to stay in power. 
• At least 16 killed in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, Palestinian officials say (The Guardian) – On Sunday night and Monday morning, the dead includes five women and four children, Palestinian health officials have said. Rescuers said an airstrike early on Monday destroyed a residential building in the densely populated Nuseirat refugee camp in the heart of central Gaza, killing at least 10 people, including four women and two children. 
• Israel says halting Hezbollah attacks is now a war goal as officials warn of wider operation (AP News) – Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to take heavier military action to halt the near-daily attacks, which began shortly after the outbreak of the nearly yearlong Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel has regularly launched airstrikes on Lebanon in response and has targeted and killed senior Hezbollah commanders.  
• Extremists attack a military training camp in Mali’s capital and authorities close its airport (AP). Extremists attacked a military training camp in Mali’s capital on Tuesday, the army said, as explosions were heard in the area. Within hours, the government said it was temporarily closing the airport in Bamako.   
• Reminder to Exercise Increased Caution in Kenya. The U.S. Embassy in Nairobi reminds U.S. citizens in Kenya that they should exercise increased caution due to the risks of terrorism and kidnapping. Locations frequented by U.S. citizens and other foreigners and tourists in Nairobi and elsewhere in Kenya continue to be targets to terrorists. While attacks can occur at any time, concerns are heightened in proximity to anniversaries of prior terrorist attacks, such as September 11th, the September 21st Westgate Mall attack, and the October 7th Hamas attack against Israel. 

Infrastructure 

• Ecuador to implement nationwide blackout overnight on Wednesday (Reuters) – Ecuador will implement a nationwide blackout for maintenance in the country’s electricity system overnight on Wednesday, from 10 p.m. local time to Thursday at 6 a.m., the government said in a statement on Sunday. The measure is aimed at “preventative maintenance” in National Transmission System sites and in the power distribution network, the statement said. The transmission work will cost around $1.19 million, while maintenance on distribution will cost around $1 million. 
• Concerns mount over Senegal fiscal shortfalls ahead of election (Reuters) – Senegal’s slower economic growth, its widening fiscal deficit and a potential delay in International Monetary Fund financing could cloud the outlook ahead of Nov. 17 parliamentary elections, analysts say. Election planning will now clog up the calendar just as the West African nation is preparing for the next review of the $1.9 billion IMF loan that it secured last year in a bid to stabilize public finances. 

Environment 

• At least 15 dead since July and thousands of hectares scorched as wildfires sweep Peru (AP News) – Prime Minister Gustavo Adrianzén told reporters that the fires were started by human activity and that 22 of the 24 regions that make up the country have active outbreaks. He added that clouds, smoke and winds were hampering the operations of the aircraft available to fight the fires. 
• Eastern and south-eastern Asia – Tropical cyclone activity (ERCC) – Intense tropical cyclone activity is ongoing across the Philippine sea, South and West China Sea. Typhoon BEBINCA made landfall in the Shanghai area on 16 September leading to evacuations, damage, and disruptions across the Shanghai direct-administered municipality area. Its influence in the Philippines resulted also in ten fatalities and two missing people. For the next 24 hours, moderate to locally very heavy rainfall is expected over northern Philippines. Red warnings for floods are in effect over the north-eastern and parts of eastern Philippines. 
• Heavy floods in Mali – Floods (ERCC) – Heavy rainfall has been affecting Mali, resulting in severe flooding, casualties, and damage. According to UNICEF, as of 16 September, at least 62 people died, 118 have been injured, and 179,949 have been affected, including 71,946 children across 19 regions in Mali.  
• Portugal – Wildfires (ERCC) – Several parts of northern and north-western Portugal, particularly the Aveiro district are experiencing wildfires that are resulting in injuries, evacuations, and damage. According to media, one firefighter died of heart failure during the firefighting operations in Oliveira de Azeméis city area. In addition, four people have been injured and one neighborhood has been evacuated due to a wildfire in the Albergaria-a-Velha municipality area. 
• Three firefighters die as Portugal battles dozens of wildfires (Reuters) – Three Portuguese firefighters died on Tuesday in one of dozens of forest blazes ravaging the country’s central and northern regions, bringing the death toll from the latest wildfires to seven people since Saturday, authorities said. Portugal is fighting over 50 active wildfires on its mainland and has mobilized around 5,300 firefighters, as well as calling for European Union help. Authorities have closed several motorways, including a stretch of the main highway linking Lisbon and Porto, and suspended train connections on two railroad lines in northern Portugal. 
• Central-Eastern Europe – Severe weather and floods, update (ERCC) – Heavy rain and strong winds have been affecting central and eastern Europe, particularly Romania, Poland, Austria, Czechia, and Slovakia, causing floods and river overflow, resulting in casualties and damage. 

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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