The World This Week
Hundreds of thousands without water and power after Hurricane Fiona
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| Destruction after hurricane Fiona [Photo Courtesy: google/reuters] |
In a natural disaster that showed the
true insufficiency of Puerto Rico’s power grid and water systems, over a
million residents are left without power, and over 600,000 are without access
to clean water.
The hurricane, which first made
landfall on Sunday, the 18th of September, has left the country in shock. Roads
are washed away. Power lines are down. Gas pumps are not working properly due
to the lack of electricity, making it hard to find fuel.
A
resident of Puerto Rico, Julie Santiago, told Fox News “I still can’t believe
we’re talking about generators not working in hospitals… For me, it’s
unbelievable. I have no words.”
Iran protest turns deadly, some of
the worst civil unrest the country has seen in years
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| Iran protests for Mahsa Amini [Photo Courtesy: google/hindustantimes] |
31 civilians have been killed in
Iranian security crackdowns on nationwide protests that erupted over the death
of Mahsa Amini, who died in custody after being arrested by the morality
police, according to an Oslo-based NGO.
The Iran Human Rights (IHR) confirmed
that protests are taking place in over 30 cities, and has raised alarm over
mass arrests of protesters and activists.
Director of the IHR Mr. Mahmood
Amiry-Moghaddam has said “The people of Iran have come to the streets to
achieve their fundamental rights and human dignity... and the government is
responding to their peaceful protest with bullet…”
Allegedly, the Iranian government is
trying to disrupt internet access to the outside world via outages of WhatsApp
and Instagram.
Independent
experts affiliated with the U.N. said on Thursday, the 22nd, that Amini was
severely beaten by the morality police, and called for an impartial investigation.
Italian election polls predict new right-wing government
For the first time since World War
II, Italy may have a far-right government. The most popular in Italian polling
is the Brothers of Italy party, spearheaded by Giorgia Meloni, the only major
opposition party to current Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
Meloni and her party stand extremely
conservatively on current issues, proposing a deep flat tax, the elimination of
unemployment benefits, and supporting Ukraine’s war efforts against Russia.
Italy’s presidential election is also
not directly by voters, but rather by the Parliament; Meloni and other
right-wingers also want to change that and have presidents directly elected by
voters.
The election will take place on Sunday, the 25th of September.
Japan opens doors to foreign tourists after two years of closed borders
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Japan
effectively closed its borders to all foreign tourists. Since June, Japan has
allowed visitors with strict restrictions on quarantining, and enforcing a cap
on daily arrivals.
Japan announced on the 23rd
that starting from Oct. 11, Japan will allow visa-free independent tourism
without a travel agency required.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a
domestic travel incentive scheme as well, looking to boost the Japan economy
through tourism while lowering the cost-of-living for residents and citizens
through subsidies.
Although Japan never mandated lockdowns
or masks or vaccines nationally, there was a social voluntary lockdown, and local
governments pushed to curb the spread of Covid-19, and now after 2 years, Japan
finally looks to bring its booming tourism industry back to pre-covid times.
Foreign prisoners released with mediation by Saudi Crown Prince
On the 21st, Russia released 10
foreign prisoners of war captured in Ukraine, including five Britons, two
Americans, a Croatian, a Moroccan, and a Swedish national.
Author
Anubhab Roy
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