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 

• Russia launches one of its fiercest missile and drone attacks at Ukraine’s infrastructure (AP News) – A Russian strike on a nine-story building in the city of Sumy in northern Ukraine killed eight people and wounded dozens, an official said Sunday, as Russia launched a massive drone and missile attack described by officials as the largest in recent months. Among the eight killed in Sumy, 40 kilometers from the border with Russia, were two children, said Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko. More than 400 people were evacuated from the building.  
• UN chief condemns Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy system (UN News) – The large-scale strikes occurred overnight and reportedly caused severe damage, power outages and civilian casualties. “Attacks on energy infrastructure will only increase the suffering of civilians with the looming winter weather,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said in a note to journalists. “Directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international humanitarian law.  Any such attacks are unacceptable and must end immediately,” he added. 
• Biden allows Ukraine to use US arms to strike inside Russia (Reuters) –  President Joe Biden’s administration has allowed Ukraine to use U.S.-made weapons to strike deep into Russia, two U.S. officials and a source familiar with the decision said on Sunday, in a significant reversal of Washington’s policy in the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Ukraine plans to conduct its first long-range attacks in the coming days, the sources said, without revealing details due to operational security concerns. 
• China’s second mass attack in a week spurs soul-searching (Reuters) – A former student went on a stabbing rampage at a vocational college in eastern China, killing eight people and injuring 17, police said on Sunday, prompting further soul-searching just days after the deadliest attack in the country in a decade. Saturday’s knife attack took place at the Wuxi Vocational College of Arts and Technology in Yixing, part of Wuxi city in the eastern province of Jiangsu. The suspect, a 21-year-old man, was arrested at the scene and confessed, police said. 

Demonstrations 

• French farmers back on the streets as Mercosur talks fuel discontent (Reuters) – Farmers will protest across France on Monday as the prospect of a trade deal between European and Mercosur countries sharpens discontent over foreign competition that fueled a farming crisis earlier this year. A push by the European Union and South America’s Mercosur bloc to conclude long-running trade negotiations by the end of the year has rekindled anger in France. 

Infrastructure 

• Gaza aid access ‘at a low point’ (Reuters) – Aid access in Gaza is at a low point with deliveries to parts of the besieged north of the enclave all but impossible, a U.N. humanitarian official said on Friday. The remarks run counter to a U.S. assessment earlier this week that Israel is not currently impeding humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, avoiding restrictions on U.S. military aid. Israel has said it has worked hard to assist the humanitarian needs in Gaza. 
• Tanzanian government says rescue efforts will continue at collapsed building where 13 died (AP News) – Rescue efforts continued for a third day Monday after a building collapsed and killed at least 13 people in Tanzania’s commercial capital, with the government saying it will push on until all those trapped inside are saved. The number of people trapped was unclear. Several people have told local media they have lost contact with relatives who they believed were inside. 

Environment 

• Haiti – Floods (ERCC) – Heavy rainfall affected the southern Haiti from 10 to 12 November, causing floods that have resulted in casualties and damage. As of 15 November, at least one person died in Ile-à-Vache and two are still missing in Port-à-Piment and Les Cayes municipalities due to flooding in the South Department in south-western Haiti. At least 3,558 families and 3,554 houses have been affected across Les Cayes, Torbeck, Saint-Louis-du-Sud, Maniche and Port-Salut which are the most affected municipalities. 
• Philippines, China, Viet Nam – Tropical cyclone MAN-YI, update (ERCC) – Tropical cyclone MAN-YI crossed north-central Luzon after it made landfall in the vicinity of Dipaculao, north-eastern Central Luzon region as a typhoon with winds up to 259 km/h. On 18 November at 6.00 UTC, its center was located over the South China Sea approximately 270 km west of Batac city, Ilocos Norte, with maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h National authorities report that, as of 18 November, there were two injured, more than 685,000 displaced people and 1,145,942 affected people across six regions.  
• Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico, El Salvador – Tropical cyclone SARA, update (ERCC) – On 18 November at 3.00 UTC, its centre was located inland in south-eastern Mexico, approximately 36 km east-southeast of Candelaria Municipality, Campeche state with maximum sustained winds of 46 km/h. Following its influence across north-eastern Central America, the IFRC Disaster Response and Preparedness reports three missing people and 20,000 affected in Honduras, 123,276 affected people in Belize, and almost 8,000 affected people in Guatemala.  

Health 

• Jeddah conference closes with adoption of global pledges to tackle antimicrobial resistance (UN News) – The 4th Global High-Level Ministerial Conference on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) wrapped up on Saturday with the adoption of the Jeddah Commitments, which lay out practical, actionable and cross-sectoral steps stakeholders can take to address this complex health issue. 
• India’s north shrouded in smog as Delhi pollution hits season high (Reuters) – Toxic smog engulfed much of northern India on Monday and pollution readings in New Delhi hit their highest of this pre-winter season, after dense fog overnight. Visibility dropped to 100 meters in the capital and at least eleven flights were diverted. Operations at airports and railway stations continued, but with delays, officials said. 

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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