World Briefing: August 28, 2024
The Pentagon on Tuesday warned of a “potential environmental catastrophe” in the Red Sea as it said that an oil tanker set on fire by Yemen’s rebel Houthis now appeared to be leaking crude. The Greek-flagged tanker Sounion, carrying 1mn barrels of crude, was hit last week by missiles launched by the Iran-backed Houthis. A large-scale oil leak would represent the first serious environmental damage as a result of the campaign waged by the Houthis against international shipping in the Red Sea since November. The Yemeni Islamist group claims to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza following Israel’s war in the enclave in response to Hamas’s deadly attack on the Jewish state on October 7. - FT
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday that Kyiv has developed its first ballistic missile and that’s it’s performed well in tests. In a wide-ranging press conference he said the country is leaning into becoming self sufficient in certain types of weapons, especially drones. On the upcoming peace summit, he said he’d like it to be held in a global south’ country and that he’s open to representatives of the Russian Federation attending as otherwise many countries would not attend. F-16s have already been used to bring down incoming Russian missiles and jets but that the country needs more. Zelensky said any dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin is currently "empty and meaningless" as he does not want to end the war diplomatically. Asked several times to explain his strategy to invade the Kursk region, he said the main point “is to force Russia to end the war,” adding that he wants it to be fair for Ukraine.
Israel launched raids across the occupied West Bank on Wednesday, where its forces killed at least nine Palestinians and sealed off the volatile city of Jenin, according to Palestinian officials. Israel has carried out near-daily raids across the West Bank since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack out of Gaza triggered the ongoing war there. Palestinian militant groups said they were exchanging fire with the Israeli military. The governor of Jenin, Kamal Abu al-Rub, said on Palestinian radio that Israeli forces had surrounded the city, blocking exit and entry points and access to hospitals, and ripping up infrastructure in the camp. The Israeli military confirmed it was operating in the West Bank cities of Jenin and Tulkarem but did not provide further details. - AP
Special counsel Jack Smith on Tuesday filed a superseding indictment in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump, slimming down the allegations against the 2024 presidential nominee in light of the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. The replacement indictment thrusts the question of Trump’s effort to steal the 2020 election back into the critical final months of the 2024 campaign. For much of this year, the ex-president’s legal and political narratives merged through his claims that he was the victim of a conspiracy by the Biden administration to weaponize justice against him. - CNN
More than 31.8 million Nigerians are acutely short of food due to security challenges and the removal of fuel subsidies, the government said on Tuesday, citing a study by several of the country's international development partners. The scale of the shortages, which have led to malnutrition among women and children, was set out by the development partners at a meeting with the government on Monday and Tuesday, the ministry of budget and economic planning said in a statement. The findings indicate a sharp rise from the 18.6 million people assessed as vulnerable to acute food insecurity from October to December 2023 by the U.N. World Food Programme. “The surge in food commodity prices, which is as a result of the removal of fuel subsidy in addition to security challenges, has placed millions of Nigerians in a precarious situation," the ministry said. Raids, opens new tab by bandits wielding guns and machetes have forced many farmers to leave their fields, contributing to higher food prices and soaring inflation as Nigeria faces the worst cost of living crisis in a generation. - Reuters
In his annual speech to ambassadors Finnish president Alex Stubb issued a thinly-veiled criticism of the quality of diplomatic cables he’s getting from them. “I encourage you to show a certain kind of courage in your office: in your reports and recommendations, bring up your own analyses even if they are contrary to the main trends. It is your task to look at the world from Finland’s perspective from where you are stationed. No one will do that on your behalf.” We suspect this is a complaint of many world leaders about their envoys stationed overseas.
Two workers were killed and one was seriously injured in what officials termed a "possible explosion" at Delta Air Lines' Atlanta Technical Operations Maintenance facility at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, according to Delta TechOps and first responders. Delta TechOps said the Tuesday morning accident took place at its wheel and brake shop. Responders to the "possible explosion" found "three Delta employees on the floor," and the medics said they tried to control "major bleeding," according to the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Department's incident report. - ABC News
