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

• Israeli tanks and troops pressed towards Gaza City on Thursday (Reuters) but met fierce resistance from Hamas militants using mortars and hit-and-run attacks from tunnels as the Palestinian death toll from nearly four weeks of bombardments mounted. At the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt (Reuters), more foreign citizens, including about 400 Americans, are approved to depart Gaza. It was unclear how many would be able to cross Thursday.
• Ukraine is currently experiencing its most intense shelling (The Guardian) this year, with more than one hundred settlements hit over the last twenty-four hours. Russian troops have bombarded Ukrainian towns and villages across a 600-mile frontline. In recent weeks they have pulverized the southern city of Kherson – which Ukraine took back last year – and targeted numerous settlements in the eastern Donbas. North Korea sent one million artillery rounds (Bloomberg) to Russia for apparent use in Ukraine, a South Korean lawmaker briefed by the country’s intelligence service said. That would be enough to supply Russia for about two months of shelling.
• Myanmar’s ruling military junta said it lost control (AFP) of the town of Chinshwehaw after fighting with three ethnic armed groups since Friday. The armed groups say they have gained control of several military posts and strategic roads that link Myanmar with China, Myanmar’s biggest trade partner. A billion-dollar rail project is planned in the town as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.
• UN Peacekeepers Wounded in Mali Blast: Spokesman (The Defense Post). Several peacekeepers from the UN mission in Mali, currently in the process of withdrawing from the country, were “seriously injured” on Wednesday when their convoy fell victim to an improvised explosive device, a UN spokesman said.
• Philippine police search for six kidnapped Chinese nationals (Reuters on MSN.com). Philippine authorities were trying to track the whereabouts of six Chinese nationals who were abducted in the capital region this week, police said on Thursday.
• Lula militarizes Brazil’s main ports, airports amid rising crime (Reuters). Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Wednesday temporarily militarized security at some of the country’s most important ports and airports, as he seeks to tame rising crime after several deadly incidents in Rio de Janeiro state.
• Environmental defenders and anti-fossil fuel activists in Uganda (HRW) routinely face arbitrary arrests, harassment, and threats for raising concerns over a planned oil pipeline in East Africa, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The 22-page report documents the Ugandan government’s restrictions on freedom of expression, association, and assembly related to oil development, including the planned East African Crude Oil Pipeline (EACOP). Civil society organizations and environmental defenders regularly report being harassed and intimidated, unlawfully detained, or arbitrarily arrested.
• US calls for immediate cessation of attacks in North Darfur, Sudan (Yahoo News). The United States is troubled by reports of an imminent attack on El Fasher, North Darfur, and is calling on the warring parties in Sudan to immediately cease further attacks, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday.

Environment

• El Salvador – Tropical Storm PILAR (ERCC). Since 30 October, tropical storm PILAR brought heavy rainfall and strong winds across the western regions of El Salvador, resulting in casualties and damage.
• Mexico – Tropical cyclone OTIS update (ERCC). On 25 October Category-5 Hurricane Otis made landfall over the Acapulco City area bringing heavy rains and winds that caused widespread floods and landslides. According to UN OCHA, 46 people died and 58 are still missing as of 31 October. In addition, more than 296,000 children are in need of humanitarian assistance and 177,804 students have been affected by school closure, 273,844 houses have been damaged, and critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, schools, ports and airports, suffered significant damage.
• Vanuatu, Solomon Islands – Tropical Cyclone LOLA, update (ERCC). Tropical cyclone LOLA made landfall on 22 October (UTC) in Solomon Islands and on 24-25 October (UTC) on northern Vanuatu causing widespread and severe damage.
• Indonesia – Landslides (ERCC). In the past week, several landslides triggered by heavy rainfall, affected the Yahukimo District in Highland Papua Province, resulting in casualties and damage.
• Storm Ciaran smashed into northern Europe with strong winds and driving rain (Reuters), killing one person in France and forcing the closure of airports, rail and ferry services, and schools. In Britain, the Channel Islands were among the worst hit areas, with Southern England also badly affected.

Migration and Displacement

• Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing overwhelmed as Afghans face expulsion (Reuters on MSN.com). Pakistan’s northwestern border crossing was flooded with thousands of people looking to cross into Afghanistan on Thursday, a day after the government’s deadline expired for undocumented foreigners to leave or face expulsion.

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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