Today’s newsletter covers the Solomon Islands, the FARC in Colombia, a presidential veto in Portugal, methane emissions from coal mines in Australia, and more.
Solomon Islands: New Zealand also sends troops, Chinatown a ‘no go zone’
New Zealand decided to join forces with Australia, Fiji and Papua New Guinea to stabilize the situation as the Solomon Islands is in the middle of a violent political unrest. Chinatown is a no go zone to clean the area and secure buildings that were set on fire. The Chinese community was particularly targeted by rioters. The two most important islands of the archipelago have a longstanding conflict, which escalated since the prime minister decided to cut ties with Taiwan in favor of China.
The U.S. officially removed the FARC from terrorist list
The United States removed the FARC from the list of foreign terrorist organizations to be able to work with former members turned politicians. The president of Colombia respects the decision but would have preferred another one.
Portuguese president rejects decree on euthanasia and assisted suicide again
The president of Portugal asks the parliament to change the decree on euthanasia and assisted suicide again. The text has inconsistencies regarding the conditions for medically assisted death to be legal. The law will not be approved before 2022 as the president has dissolved the parliament less than a month ago.
Satellite images reveal high methane emissions from coal mines in Australia
A Dutch group of scientists studied satellite images of six Australian coal mines. Results suggest that coal mines emit a lot more methane than what Australia reports. One is particularly on the spot. Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. Australia didn’t sign the COP26 pledge to cut down methane emissions.
Somewhere else in the world…
- Honduras elected its first female president. The ruling party conceded its defeat. The Honduras leader was unpopular and implicated in a drug trafficking case with the United States. He could be indicted after he leaves office.
- In Switzerland, a woman had surgery to have the gallbladder removed. She woke up with no Fallopian tubes and an ovary less.
- Emma Coronel Aispuro, the wife of the Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has been sentenced to 3 years in prison. Arrested in February, she had pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges.
- CNN suspended his news anchor Chris Cuomo. He is suspected to have been trying to influence news coverage on his brother and New York governor, Andrew Cuomo. The governor stepped down in August as he faced allegations of sexual harassment on at least 11 women.
- The Economist ranks Tel Aviv as the world’s most expensive city for the first time. It was 5th last year but prices of alcohol, groceries and transport significantly increased. Singapore and Paris are the second most expensive places to live in. In 2020, Paris, Hong Kong and Zurich shared the top position. The ranking is based on a survey comparing local prices of 200 products and services converted in US dollars in 173 cities around the world.
