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 

• Fifteen arrested over alleged bribery and corruption after North Macedonia nightclub fire kills 59 (EURO News) – Authorities detained 15 people after a massive fire tore through an overcrowded nightclub in eastern North Macedonia on Sunday, killing 59 people and injuring more than 150. The blaze broke out around 2:30 am during a concert by a local pop group at the club, Interior Minister Panche Toshkovski told reporters. He said 39 of the dead had so far been identified. 
• Syrian troops exchange fire with Lebanese army, armed groups in northeast Lebanon (Arab News) – The mountainous frontier has been a flashpoint in the three months since militants toppled Syria’s Bashar Assad, an ally of Tehran and Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, and installed their own institutions and army. 
• Colombian diplomat hit by a stray bullet in Sao Paulo as a robbery attempt was taking place nearby (AP News) – A Colombian diplomat in Brazil was wounded by a stray bullet on Friday and hospitalized to undergo surgery, authorities said. Vice Consul Claudia Ortiz Vaca was passing by a robbery attempt on a vehicle in central Sao Paulo, local police said. An off-duty police officer witnessed two suspects approach a car and intervened, security officials said in a statement. It’s unclear whether the gunshot came from the officer or one of the suspects, and where she was struck by the bullet. 
• Suicide car bomber hits buses carrying security forces, killing 7 in southwestern Pakistan (AP News) – A suicide car bomber targeted a convoy of buses carrying security forces in restive southwestern Pakistan on Sunday, killing at least five officers and two civilians, the military and police said. Ten people were also wounded in the attack in Naushki, a district in Balochistan, said Zafar Zamanani, a local police chief. The dead and wounded, some of whom in critical condition, were transported to a hospital. 

Demonstrations 

• Calls in Serbia for independent investigation into claims of a sonic device attack at peaceful rally (AP News). Calls were mounting in Serbia on Monday for an independent investigation into reports that security forces used a prohibited sonic weapon on crowds at a huge peaceful anti-corruption rally last weekend, even though authorities vehemently denied it.  

Infrastructure 

• Electricity gradually returns to Cuba after substation failure left millions in the dark (Associated Press) – Electricity service in Cuba was gradually restored Sunday, more than 36 hours after a substation failure left the entire island in the dark. 

Environment 

• Mozambique, Madagascar – Tropical cyclone JUDE (ERCC) – 16 people died and 13 in Nampula, two in Zambezia and one in Niassa provinces – two people are missing and 59 others were injured. Additionally, almost 2,000 people have been evacuated in nine evacuation centers and 302,653 people have been affected across the provinces of Nampula, Zambezia, Tete, Niassa and Sofala. In South of Madagascar, more than 14,000 people have been affected and more than 4,000 houses have been damaged or destroyed.  
• Bolivia – Flood (ERCC) – Since 13 March, heavy rainfall has been affecting western Bolivia, particularly the Viacha city area, in the Ingavi province of the La Paz department, causing rivers overflow and floods that have resulted in damage. As of 17 March, more than 6,000 people have been affected and several croplands have been destroyed. 
• Peru – Floods and landslides (ERCC) – Heavy rainfall has been affecting Peru since December 2024, causing floods, flash floods and triggering landslides that have resulted in casualties and damage. As of 14 March, UN OCHA reported a total of 168,428 affected people, more than 80,000 damaged and 3,172 destroyed homes. A state of emergency has been declared for at least 962 districts. 
• Italy – Severe weather and floods (ERCC) – As of 17 March, at least 150 persons are isolated  and about 60 persons have been  evacuated across the province of Florence.  Several dozen people living in the  villages below the Lamone and Sieve river valleys received an evacuation order. More than 60 schools have been closed in Tuscany region, one main road has been closed between Firenze, Pisa and Livorno cities and several landslides have been recorded in Bologna province in Emilia-Romagna region. 

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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