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The Daily Brief: Taliban Takes Control Of Two-Thirds of Afghanistan

The Taliban advances over Afghanistan, taking over 18 of the 34 provincial capitals as of Friday

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Map of Afghanistan ca 1875

Josef Chavanne (1846-1903)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Summary:

  • In just weeks, the Taliban in Afghanistan have managed to take over half of the provincial capitals in the country. 
  • On Friday, Afghan Parliament member Gul Ahmad Kamin reported the second largest city Kandahar was taken under siege by the extremists, along with a handful of other cities, as they descended closer to Kabul.
  • The Taliban released a statement claiming “Hundreds of weapons, vehicles and ammunition were seized,” after government soldiers surrendered to the rapid advances made.
  • No government officials have admitted to the captures, although as of Friday the group controls 18 of the 34 provincial capitals, and more reports of house raids and harassment were perpetrated against Afghans by the group. 
  • United Nations (UN) secretary general Antonio Guterres released a message on behalf of the UN committee, stating they are “deeply disturbed by early indications that the Taliban are imposing severe restrictions on human rights in the areas under their control, particularly targeting women and journalists,” claiming “prolonged civil war” or “isolation” is threatened. 
  • The situation in Afghanistan is currently being monitored hourly by the UN. The United States military has warned that all of Afghanistan has a minimum of 30 days before potential take over by the Taliban. 
  • American Senator Mitch McConnal claimed the U.S. should consider airstrikes to avoid security threats, stating “it is not too late to prevent the Taliban from overrunning Kabul. The Administration should move quickly to hammer Taliban advances with air strikes, provide critical support to the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) defending the capital, and prevent the seemingly imminent fall of the city.”
  • Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States have all agreed to deploy soldiers to help with evacuations, as the number of Afghans displaced reaches 400,000. 

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Zambia Faces Social Media Blackout Amidst Elections

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By  Rei-artur  pt  en  Rei-artur blog, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
  • Citizens in Zambia have complained about the shutdown of various social media sites following the Presidential and Parliamentary elections, including WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. 
  • Voter turnout reached an unpredicted high on Thursday, as voters still waited to cast their ballot even as voting came to an end at 6PM local time. 
  • A police spokeswoman on national TV stated “Social media may spark a lot of violence… If social media is not responsibly used then it can cause a lot of harm to our country especially at this time when results will be announced.”
  • Election results are expected on Friday, but the restrictions raised some concerns about the fairness of the elections. The government has yet to comment on the social media blackout. 


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Elon Musk Meets With German Politician About Construction of “Gigafactory”

File:Tesla's Gigafactory on 2017-08-08 by Planet Labs.jpg

Planet Labs, Inc., CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Tesla Founder Elon Musk recently met with a potential German Chancellor Armin Laschet to talk about the “Gigafactory” construction. 
  • The Tesla “Gigafactory” to open in Germany will be an electric component factory run by Tesla Inc, previously aimed to start in July before met with multiple environmental group lawsuits. 
  • Laschet thanked Musk for his business, as the meet with Musk helped to fuel his campaign as he was met with a sharp decline in the polls.
  • The decision to allocate around $10 million to the construction of the factory was met with some backlash, as groups argued it should be allocated towards school or home constructions. 

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2 Teachers Plus 2 Educators Lose Their Lives within Days of Coronavirus Infection 

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  • Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has been against the mask mandate especially for kids in schools. 
  • Broward School District voted to make masks mandatory for students as schools are set to open in a week however, the Governor has threatened to withhold pay for any School District’s employee pay who enforces the mask mandate.
  • Delta has been rampantly spreading. Florida has one of the highest death rates from COVID-19 in the US; New Jersey being the highest. 

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Another Friday, Another Mosque Attack on the Palestinians 

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  • Israeli forces attacked the Ibrahimi Mosque while Muslims performed their sacred Friday prayers. 
  • Israeli Defence Ministry claimed that the Friday prayers were blocking the construction at the Mosque which are being undertaken to accommodate Jewish and Muslims visitors to the Mosque. The Mosque is divided with barriers for Muslims and Jewish visitors.
  • The site has seen a lot of conflict in its History as in 1994 a Jewish worshipper started shooting at Muslim worshippers casusing the loss of many lives. 

Philippines Puts More Lockdown Restrictions as COVID Cases Rise

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  • Healthcare workers are being overworked with the rise of infections in Manila. The country is trying to vaccinate as many people as possible to get the cases under control.
  • The work shifts which usually are 8 hours long have been turned into 16 hours without a break as new cases keep pouring in.
  • A huge number of children have been admitted to the hospital. There is a chance that the lockdown might be pushed to the 20th of August. 

All views expressed in this editorial are solely that of the author, and are not expressed on behalf of The Analyst, its affiliates, or staff.

Daily Brief

Salman Rushdie Severely Stabbed due to his Publication of the Book “The Satanic Verses”

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Salman Rushdie 2014
  • Salman Rushdie, an author, was severely stabbed in his neck and abdomen on stage by a suspect named Hadi Matar, causing him to be on a ventilator and potentially losing an eye.
  • An Iranian leader back in the 20th century wanted Rushdie killed because of his novel, Satanic Verses, that many Muslims found disrespectful. This led Salman to go into hiding for almost a decade.
  • Translators from different countries reading this book were harshly stabbed to death when the book came out and Iranian leader, Ayatollah Khomeini called for Salman’s execution for three million dollars.
  • The Iranian government has not yet responded to this issue, but many Iranians in the media claim him to be an apostate who later became an atheist.

All views expressed in this editorial are solely that of the author, and are not expressed on behalf of The Analyst, its affiliates, or staff.

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Daily Brief

China Threatens Consequences if Pelosi Visits Taiwan

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  • US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has landed inTaiwan. Prior to the visit, China’s Foreign Ministry has voiced their disapproval, stating that “China will take resolute responses and strong countermeasures to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
  • US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized in response  that “The speaker will make her own decisions about whether or not to visit Taiwan,” and that the US is looking to Beijing to “act responsibly and not to engage in any escalation going forward.”
  • The US has made it clear that members of Congress routinely visit Taiwan and that this trip is non-threatening and has precedent. Even so, some officials have expressed concern that China may invade Taiwan’s air defense zone or send missiles near Taiwan in retaliation.
  • Pelosi has criticized China’s leadership and vocalized support for Taiwan in the past. She is currently on her tour of Asia, with scheduled visits to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan.

All views expressed in this editorial are solely that of the author, and are not expressed on behalf of The Analyst, its affiliates, or staff.

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Daily Brief

First Grain Ship Departs Ukraine After Six Months of Russian Blockade

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Odesa pristav
  • The first shipment of grain departed the port of Odesa on Monday after Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports for the last six months trapped around 20 million metric tons of wheat and corn.
  • Russia recently made a deal with Ukraine, brokered by the UN and Turkey, allowing grain exports to resume, appeasing fears of a global food supply crisis and rising prices.
  • Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba celebrated the shipment, calling it a “day of relief for the world, especially for our friends in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.”
  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was more hesitant to celebrate the shipment, stating “it is too early to draw any conclusions and make any forecasts” and he wants to “see how the agreement works and whether security will be really guaranteed.”

All views expressed in this editorial are solely that of the author, and are not expressed on behalf of The Analyst, its affiliates, or staff.

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Daily Brief

Concerns Rise As US Teeters on the Brink of Recession

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  • The US economy declines for the second quarter in a row, causing, what other countries would consider, an economic recession. 
  • The prices for groceries, gas, and other basics are rising at the fastest pace since 1981. The US Central Bank is quickly trying to raise borrowing costs in order to cool the economy and ease the prices on goods, but with the contraction, at the annual rate of 0.9% in the 3 months to July, many are still getting concerned. 
  • President Biden struggles to convince the public that the economy is sound, with the unemployment rate at a low 3.6%. But with inflation in the US hitting 9.1% in June, the fastest price appreciation in 4 months, consumer spending has slowed at an annual rate of 1%. 
  • Many other countries, such as China and the UK, have been hit harder by the surge in energy prices and the War in Ukraine, causing risks from abroad. Other countries are facing much more serious problems and once they’re hit, their problems can spill over and affect the US. 

All views expressed in this editorial are solely that of the author, and are not expressed on behalf of The Analyst, its affiliates, or staff.

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Daily Brief

North Korea Could Possibly Be Preparing another Nuclear Test

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  • North Korea could be preparing a seventh nuclear test, especially after Mr. Kim announced that the country is fully ready for any military confrontation with the US at a Korean War Anniversary event. 
  • A US special representative in North Korea states that Jong-Un has tested an unprecedented number of missiles this year—31 to 25. Jong-Un also stated that threats from the US required North Korea to achieve the urgent historical task of strengthening its self-defense. 
  • Jong-un also stated that South Korea is reviving a plan to counter North Korea’s threat by mounting precautionary strikes; in June alone, South Korea launched 8 missiles of its own.
  • The North Korean regime is especially angry with South Korea’s new president Yoon Suk-yeol and his so-called Kill Chain strategy. This strategy allows South Korea to launch ballistic missiles and air strikes on North Korean targets if it ever feels threatened. 
  • North Korea has also not been getting as much engagement with Washington ever since Biden replaced Trump, and could be hinting at some sort of deliberate escalation by the North, and preparations have been underway at the Punggye Ri test site since March.

All views expressed in this editorial are solely that of the author, and are not expressed on behalf of The Analyst, its affiliates, or staff.

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Daily Brief

Russia Limits Gas Supply to Germany

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Black Sea port of Theodosiya panoramio
  • Gazprom, a major Russian energy provider, has stated it will reduce the supply of gas to Germany by half via the Nord Stream 1 pipeline due to repair work. 
  • Germany has said that they see no technical reason for the decrease in gas supply. The European Union continues to accuse Russia of weaponizing energy, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stating, “This is an open gas war that Russia is waging against a united Europe.”
  • Ukraine and Russia signed an agreement to allow the export of grain via the Black Sea after Russia continued to block millions of tonnes from being exported. The next day, Russia struck missiles at the port, some of which hit the infrastructure of the port.
  • The US and Ukraine are optimistic that the agreement will still be implemented, with the US State Department stating, “Despite these attacks, we do understand that the parties are continuing preparations to open Ukraine’s Black Sea ports for food and fertilizer exports…we also continue to expect that the Black Sea agreement will be implemented.”

All views expressed in this editorial are solely that of the author, and are not expressed on behalf of The Analyst, its affiliates, or staff.

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