This is a roundup of news articles, reports, and other materials focusing on (in)security issues and reflects a wide variety of opinions. It does not reflect the views of Security in Context. The goal is to shed light on knowledge production on security-related issues of public interest from critical perspectives and from global south readings by highlighting media from four particular regions: Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, and developing Asia. Entries may include academic journal articles, think tank reports, non-governmental organizations releases, official documents or government-commissioned research, and regular news items. The material included covers SiC's key security issues: Climate Change, Security and International Relations, Migration and Displacement, Covid-19 and Capitalism, Technologies of Surveillance, Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Sexuality, Arms and the Military-industrial Complex, and Censorship.
You may send your own recommendations for inclusion in each roundup to submissions@securityincontext.org.
Latin America and the Caribbean
EU To Release €43 Million Aid Fund On Disaster Preparedness For Latin America And The Caribbean
July 14, 2023
The EU-Latin America and Caribbean Forum, hosted by the European Union, will announce the start of a huge 43 million euro initiative to provide disaster relief aid to the Latin American and Caribbean island regions. This announcement happens just in time for the hurricane season, and will be a timely source of aid for the upcoming months.
Record debt among Brazilian families
July 12, 2023
The Brazilian CNC revealed that the percentage of Brazilian families with overdue debts has increased to 78.5 percent. This is the highest debt ever recorded since the CNC began data collection in 2010.
IMF says Dominica’s economy is expanding strongly
July 6, 2023
The IMF stated that Dominica’s economy has strongly rebounded from the pandemic, with a report 6.9 percent growth rate. This was accomplished through the construction of climate-resilient infrastructure, a rebound of tourism, and a substantial rise in agricultural productive output.
BVI to establish local meteorological service
July 2, 2023
The local overseas administration in the British Virgin Islands has planned to establish a local meteorological service to provide increased capacity for forecasting. This comes with a nationwide policy initiative to increase sustainability and safety for the nation’s citizens.
UN Secretary General Guterres Calls For International Force To Help Quell Gang Violence
July 2, 2023
The UN Secretary General calls on international support for the domestic battle against crime violence in Haiti. He claims that Haitians are trapped in a series of harmful cycles, which will have a generations-long impact on the citizens of Haiti.
Africa
Khartoum internet, mobile networks cut as fighting rages
July 14, 2023
Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, experienced an hours-long blackout on Friday during the violent clashes that continue to resonate across the city. More than 1.5 million people have been forced to flee the city due to air strikes and general warfare.
July 13, 2023
This study highlights how sub-Saharan Africa is still grappling with fungal infections and the reemergence of fungal infections, including cryptococal meningitis and pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia, both of which are HIV-related opportunistic infections.
Migrant boat from Senegal carrying 200 people missing off Canary Islands
July 10, 2023
Spanish rescuers are searching for a boat of 200 Senegalese migrants off the coast of the Canary Islands after the boat seemingly disappeared.
Rare snowfall in parts of South Africa
July 10, 2023
A dusting of snow has fallen on South Africa for the first time since 2012 as the country continues to be impacted by climate change.
July 7, 2023
The Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Ethiopia is calling for food distributions that were halted in June 2023 to resume due to 20 million people in the nation relying heavily on food distribution in order to survive.
Middle East
Israel approved record number of housing units in illegal settlements, says Peace Now
July 14, 2023
The Israeli government has approved over 12,000 illegal housing units in Palestinian territory this year. This rapid expansion of illegal Israeli colonies does not bode well for the peace process or the autonomy of Palestine.
July 12, 2023
Egypt struggles to strike a balance between acquiring cheap fossil fuels and meeting renewable energy pledges. While little progress has been made since the COP27, it’s encouraging that Egyptian officials are acknowledging climate plans from the conference and taking some steps to achieve renewable energy aspirations.
Police disperse all anti-overhaul protesters blocking Ayalon Highway in Tel Aviv
July 8, 2023
Massive protests in Tel Aviv are broken up by Israeli police as many gather against the Israeli government’s proposed judicial overhaul. The judicial reform would limit checks and balances for elected Israeli officials.
UAE pledges $15 million to rebuild Palestinian city of Jenin after Israeli raid
July 6, 2023
The UAE looks to support Palestinians as Israel launches military offensives in the West Bank amid a spike in Israeli settler violence. It remains to be seen whether their pledged funds and condemnation of Israel will jeopardize future relations between the two countries.
Israeli air strikes and ground operations in Jenin may constitute war crime: UN experts
July 5, 2023
UN experts call Israel’s airstrikes on a refugee camp in Jenin a violation of international law which may be a war crime. Palestinians in occupied territory must have the presumption of innocence and need to be protected from Israeli aggression.
Developing Asia
July 14, 2023
The shelter can withstand a blast as strong as the Hiroshima and Nagasaki blasts even if the center of the blast is only one kilometer away. The construction of the shelter comes as a group of Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers urge the Japanese government to provide financial support for nuclear shelters in municipalities with military bases.
Ambitious solar and coal projects in Pakistan's Thar desert draw skepticism from locals
July 12, 2023
A UK-based company called Oracle Power is developing the largest solar project in Pakistan to date, in the country’s Thar desert. But the company is also developing coal projects to mine for lignite, a particularly polluting kind of coal. Moreover, both the solar and the coal projects raise concerns around water scarcity and the displacement of villagers.
Three resistance groups pledge to protect Chinese investment in Myanmar
July 5, 2023
Three ethnic armies assisting resistance groups fighting Myanmar’s junta regime have issued a joint statement promising to protect Chinese-backed oil and gas projects in their area, amidst growing pressure from China to do so.
Climate change adds risk to investments in hydropower in Nepal
July 5, 2023
Hydropower is the main source of energy in Nepal, but hydropower installations are becoming increasingly threatened by the increasingly severe floods caused by climate change.
China to impose export controls on key materials for chipmaking as West's 'chip war' escalates
July 3, 2023
As the US and the Netherlands impose export controls on advanced semiconductor equipment, China announces export controls on gallium and germanium beginning August 1. China is currently the world’s largest supplier of gallium and a major supplier of germanium.
Sri Lankan government announces intent to roll back labor laws amidst dire economic crisis
July 2, 2023
Even in the midst of Sri Lanka’s recession, the Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment has announced changes to labor laws that would diminish worker protections, including rollbacks of termination laws and regulations on working hours.
Key Issues
This section includes the latest and most pressing news regarding SiC's key security issues.
Mass graves discovered in Darfur as Egypt hosts Sudan summit
July 13, 2023
At least 87 remains have been found in a mass grave in the West Darfur area of Sudan, as a regional meeting sponsored by Egypt to address the Sudanese situation gets under way. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were allegedly responsible, according to credible material released by the UN human rights office on July 13, the day the conference in Cairo began.
China sends large group of warplanes, navy ships towards Taiwan in forceful display
July 12, 2023
Between July 10 and July 11, Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) saw 11 Chinese military aircraft, four naval vessels, two helicopters, and one KA-28 anti-submarine warfare helicopter tracked in the southwest of the ADIZ, according to the island's defense ministry.
Deadly Rohingya camp violence following ICC prosecutor visit
July 7, 2023
Conflicts between two opposing insurgent groups broke out in Bangladeshi refugee camps after an International Criminal Court (ICC) mission visited the settlements to gather evidence, resulting in at least seven deaths of the ethnic Rohingya community.
Myanmar launches fake bank accounts to evade Western sanctions on MOGE
July 6, 2023
The Myanmar administration created a bogus corporation to acquire sanctioned funding from international partners for its oil and gas business, according to an internal document leak. The regime-controlled Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE), which earns hundreds of millions of dollars from natural gas projects and is Myanmar's military junta's main source of foreign money, had its banking information replaced. The regime's energy ministry has asked the Central Bank of Myanmar to open "Kant Kaw" bank accounts in US dollars, Chinese yuan, and Thai baht at the state-owned Myanmar Economic Bank.
At SCO meetings hosted by India, Putin promotes unity while Xi criticizes decoupling
July 4, 2023
Putin's first global summit since armed mercenaries threatened to march on Moscow in late June, hosted online by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, raised worries about his power. Putin assured Shanghai Cooperation Organization officials that Russia is unified and thanked them for their support during the Wagner paramilitary group's attempted mutiny. Xi urged SCO members to fight protectionism and decoupling, referring to U.S. and allied efforts to curtail trade and investment with China in sensitive sectors.
US$10.3b transactions inked at China-Africa exhibition with highest-ever participation
July 1, 2023
The third China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, Hunan's capital, saw 120 transactions totaling US$10.3 billion, much fewer than prior editions. Chinese authorities claimed 99 cooperation projects worth US$8.7 billion were presented during the four-day expo that ended on July 2nd. 11 African nations started 74 matching programs.
