World Briefing: August 30, 2024
Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first sit down interview since becoming a candidate but stayed stubbornly vague on addressing the Gaza humanitarian disaster - instead emphasizing the need for Israel to defend itself. Otherwise in the CNN interview with her vice presidential pick alongside, she offered “her most expansive explanation to date on why she’s changed some of her positions on fracking and immigration,” the network reported. Harris also said she would name a Republican to serve in her Cabinet if elected. Asked to describe her day-one objectives should she win, Harris did not list any specific steps, like signing executive actions or orders.Instead, she reiterated her focus on strengthening the economy: “First and foremost, one of my highest priorities is to do what we can to support and strengthen the middle class.”
The baby in Gaza who was recently paralyzed by polio was infected with a mutated strain of the virus that vaccinated people shed in their waste, according to scientists who say the case is the result of “an unqualified failure” of public health policy. The infection, which marked the first detection of polio in the war-torn Palestinian territory in more than 25 years, paralyzed the lower part of one leg in the unvaccinated 10-month-old child. The baby boywas one of hundreds of thousands of children who missed vaccinations because of the fighting between Israel and Hamas. Scientists who have been monitoring polio outbreaks said the baby’s illness showed the failures of a global effort by the World Health Organization and its partners to fix serious problems in their otherwise largely successful eradication campaign, which has nearly wiped out the highly infectious disease. Separately, a draft report by experts deemed the WHO effort a failure and “a severe setback.” - AP
One of the F-16 fighter jets sent from Nato allies to Ukraine has been destroyed, a Ukrainian military source has told the BBC. The aircraft went down amid a barrage of Russian missiles on Monday, killing pilot Oleksiy Mes, Ukraine's military said. It marks the first loss of its kind since the planes were delivered earlier this month. The cause of the crash was not a direct result of an enemy missile strike, the Ukrainian military claims. - BBC
Ukraine should prepare for a worst case scenario for the winter amid the deteriorating power situation after a series of targeted Russian strikes on critical infrastructure, according to a Kyiv-based energy expert. The preparedness should include neighboring countries, which may face a fresh wave of asylum seekers towards Europe. The prognosis is totally out of sync of what the Zelensky administration is saying. Exacerbating the situation (in the Kyiv district I’m currently in we’ve more hours per day without power than with) is Russia’s targeting of power substations with ballistic missiles fitted with cluster munitions, making access for repair crews v difficult…
Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia faces an arrest warrant if he ignores a third demand to appear before prosecutors over the country's disputed presidential election, the latest summons said Thursday. Gonzalez Urrutia, 75, ignored two prior demands to appear this week as part of a probe into his claim that he was the rightful victor of last month's presidential election. President Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of the election, but the opposition -- which had been leading in the polls -- cried foul, publishing its own voting records on a website appearing to show a convincing win for Gonzalez Urrutia. The United States, the European Union and several Latin American countries have refused to recognise Maduro as having won without seeing detailed voting results - France 24
Backed by Western tech and finance, Ukrainian firms are making hundreds of cheap one-way attack drones every month.They are enabling long-range strikes on air force bases, oil and ammunition depots, and command centres inside Russia. Terminal Autonomy is producing more than 100 AQ400 Scythe long-range drones a month, with a range of 750km (465 miles). The company also makes hundreds of shorter range AQ100 Bayonet drones a month. It is one of at least three companies now producing drones in Ukraine at scale. The drones are made of wood and assembled in former furniture factories. Francisco Serra-Martins, a former Australian Army Royal Engineer, set up the company with his Ukrainian co-founder, backed by US finance. He describes his drones as "basically flying furniture - we assemble it like Ikea". The Bayonet drone costs a few thousand dollars. A Russian air defence missile used to shoot it down can cost more than $1m (£750,000). Prof Justin Bronk, of the Royal United Services Institute, says targeting Russian airbases has so far been the only effective way Ukraine has to respond to Russia's glide bombs. It has forced Russia to move aircraft to bases further away and reduce the frequency of their attacks. - BBC
A court in Thailand on Thursday found Daniel Sancho Bronchalo, a member of a famous Spanish acting family, guilty of premeditated murder, sentencing him to life in prison for murder. Sancho, a 30-year-old chef with a YouTube channel, was convicted of killing Edwin Arrieta Arteaga, a 44-year-old plastic surgeon from Colombia, when both men were vacationing on the Thai holiday island of Koh Pha-ngan in August last year. The case came to light when waste collectors found what the domestic press described as body parts in a sack at a garbage dump. Shortly after that, Sancho reported to police that Arrieta was missing, and police then gathered evidence linking the two men. He was arrested by Thai police a few days after the murder and subsequently confessed to his involvement - Euronews
A package containing 16 bricks of suspected cocaine was discovered by guests on a beach in the Florida Keys, according to authorities. In a Facebook post, the Monroe County, Fla., Sheriff’s Office said the package was discovered Sunday by guests of the Islands of Islamorada resort, a resort nearly 80 miles outside Miami. The package, wrapped in blue tape with a photo of a beach buggy on the front, was turned over to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection for further inspection. Earlier this month, more than 100 pounds of cocaine worth $1 million washed up on a beach in the Florida Keys in the aftermath of Hurricane Debby. The U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) in Miami reported that the storm blew ashore 25 packages of cocaine totaling up to 70 pounds onto a beach in the Florida Keys. Researchers with the United Nations say that approximately 90% of cocaine that is consumed in North America comes from Colombia, with less than 2% coming from Peru and the rest from other parts of South America. - NPR
