Compiled by Kelly Dobso, Trinity Gates, Stephanie Cannon, Michael Banks, Jessie Bowers, and Dinah Gorayeb
Breaking News:
Iran’s Compromise with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
On February 21st, Iran struck a deal with the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, that will give its inspectors access to monitor nuclear activity for the next three months in exchange for sanctions relief. The IAEA announced that it plans to continue “necessary monitoring” of Iran's nuclear activities, although it is unclear exactly what it would entail. The deal took place after Iran’s parliament voted to suspend the Additional Protocol with the IAEA if the U.S. did not lift oil and banking sanctions.
Ghana Receives First Historic Shipment of COVID-19 Vaccinations from COVAX Facility
Over six hundred thousand doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from the UN-partnered COVAX initiative arrived in Ghana on February 24th, making it a historic first of the international partnership to provide equitable inoculations. The World Health Organization (WHO) stated that further supplies of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab would reach the Ivory Coast later this week. These are the first COVID-19 shots from the COVAX scheme to be distributed outside India, where the vaccine is produced under license. UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore described their arrival as “the historic moment for which we have been planning and working so hard,” as the world ramps up the most extensive immunization campaign in history.
The Arrest of Spanish Rapper Pablo Hasél Prompts Protests Across Spain
After the arrest of Pablo Hasél, a well-known Spanish rapper, protests across major Spanish cities erupted and continued throughout the week. Protests started peacefully but became violent when police became aggressive with protesters. A smaller group of protesters split from the main group and attacked the Barcelona stock exchange before looting shops and vandalizing. The musician was arrested after he tweeted and expressed support of terrorism and criticized and mocked the royal family; Hasél is likely to face nine months of jail time. Protests were in support of Hasél and criticized the government for limiting free speech. Nearly 10,000 signatures on an Amnesty International petition also began circulating that called for the crime of insulting the crown to be removed from the penal code.
North America
Biden Administration Begins Conducting Airstrikes in Syria
The United States conducted airstrikes on February 25 to retaliate against Iran’s recent launch of rockets at U.S. targets in Iraq. Bombers targeted buildings in Syria used by Iranian-backed militias and reportedly killed 22 people. The clash comes amid U.S.-Iranian talks to comply with the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Ban on Green Cards Lifted
President Biden ended the ban on green cards enacted by the Trump administration last spring. Trump had banned legal immigration to protect American jobs and the economy; however, Biden, after reversing the policy, stated “it harms the United States, including by preventing certain family members of United States citizens and lawful permanent residents from joining their families here.”
Asia and the Pacific
COVID-19 Cases Sharply Decline in India
During the summer, fall, and early winter, health officials in India were overwhelmed with the burden of up to 90,000 new Covid cases each day throughout the country. Hospitals had to turn away patients, and doctors struggled to care for the patients throughout the world’s second-most populous country. However, the daily number of new Covid cases in India has dropped to 10,000 cases each day, with no virus deaths being reported in the country’s capital of Delhi on February 9. Health officials largely contribute the steep drop in cases to the government’s drastic policies, including circuit-breaker lockdown and social distancing restrictions.
South Korea Administers First COVID-19 Vaccines
On February 26, South Korean health officials administered the country’s first COVID-19 vaccines. The recipients were residents at long-term care facilities. The COVID-19 vaccines administration signaled the launch of a campaign by health officials to begin giving vaccines throughout the country.
South Korea’s prime minister hopes that the vaccine campaign will contribute to achieving herd immunity from Covid-19 in the country by fall this year. Although South Korea was a leader in mass testing and contact tracing measures early in the pandemic, vaccine rollout has been much slower than in other countries. As health officials continue administering vaccines to medical staff in hospitals and care homes, South Korea will be closer to once again being a leader in curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Africa
Three Killed in Attack on UN World Food Programme Convoy in DR Congo
On Monday, February 22nd, the United Nations (UN) announced the death of the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a World Food Programme (WFP) staff member, and an Italian embassy official were killed on Monday during an attack on a UN convoy in the east of the country. The officials were traveling from Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province of the DRC, to visit a WFP-run school feeding program in Rutshuru. In a statement, the agency stated, “WFP will work with national authorities to determine the details behind the attack, which occurred on a road that had previously been cleared for travel without security escorts.” According to the media, there was no immediate claim of responsibility, although a number of armed insurgent groups are active within that region of the DRC.
Europe
German Court Prosecutes Former Syrian Intelligence Officer in Torture Case
Eyad al-Gharib, a former member of Syria’s intelligence forces who sought asylum in Germany, was sentenced to four and a half years in prison. The decision and court case were notable because it was the first court case in the world that reviewed state-sponsored torture under Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government. Gharib has worked at the al-Khatib detention center, also known as Branch 251, where torture through electric shocks, beatings, and psychological torture was used to get forced confessions. Inhumane living conditions, such as a lack of medical care and food, were also cited as inciting further torture and human rights violations. Gharib was a low-level officer, but his indictment speaks to the level of accountability all members of the al-Assad regime face in light of the Syrian civil war.
Latin America and the Caribbean
Indigenous Communities of the Amazon Threatened by Facebook Ads
Parts of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil are illegally sold on Facebook via Facebook marketplace ads. The land, which includes plots of protected national forests and reserved land for indigenous peoples, ranges from half an acre to thousand-acre plots. The company has clarified that buyers and sellers must comply with local laws and regulations and work with local authorities to remedy the issue. Local activists are also taking initiative to stop what is known as ‘land grabbers,’ from furthering the issue.’ This comes in the wake of a report from the state’s space agency, Inpe, which released a statement claiming that deforestation in the Amazon is at a high it has not seen since 2008. Blame for a 10% loss of rainforest vegetation in the past year alone is being placed on the Bolsanaro administration.
Chinese Loans in Latin America Dry up, Straining Relations
China’s two biggest policy banks made no state-to-states loans to any Latin American state in 2020. It comes amid a regional economic slide that was exacerbated by the pandemic. China also conducted clinical trials and planned to manufacture vaccines in five countries throughout the region. While the pandemic has opened doors for China to provide aid and promote its interests in the region, Latin American state governments are behind on their payments to Beijing. China’s growing economic and diplomatic influence in the region has worried U.S. policymakers. As a result, the Chinese government has taken a hit, and its Latin American partners’ economic situation is only deteriorating.
Powerful Gang Leader Breaks out of Haitian Prison
At least seven prisoners and a police officer were killed and another person injured on Thursday after several inmates, including influential Haitian gang leader Arnel Joseph, escaped from a prison in Port-au-Prince. Before his arrest, Joseph was deemed ‘the most-wanted gangster in Haiti.’ Approximately 40 prisoners were apprehended, but this is not the first time an incident of this nature has happened. The prison, known as Croix-des-Bouquets Civil Prison in Port-au-Prince, was the site of another major break in 2014 in which more than 300 inmates escaped.
Middle East
Increased Fighting in the Yemen Civil War
The civil war between the Saudi-supported government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Iran-supported Houthi movement is at its most intense since 2018. The Houthis recently focused their energies on seizing the city of Marib, which contains an oil refinery and supplies gas to the entire country, and houses 1.5 million refugees. On February 4th, President Biden withdrew support from the Saudi War effort, stating that “this war has to end,” and “to underscore our commitment we are ending all American support for offensive operations in the war on Yemen, including relevant arms sales.” On February 6th, the United States also revoked the Houthis group’s designation as a terrorist organization. On the same day, the group started its attacks on the Marib city and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.
Russian’s Warplanes Carry out Airstrikes against the Islamic State (IS) in Syria
The Islamic State recently killed 12 soldiers through deadly ambushes and hit-and-run attacks in the Syrian desert. The Russian jets, which support a pro-Assad government group in the region, are attempting to secure a road between Homs and Deir al-Zour, an operation that killed at least 10 IS militants.