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We need to talk about how the Ukraine war is affecting the most vulnerable people worldwide
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Russia's brutal war on Ukraine is still going on. There is no sign of a ceasefire yet. There are massacres and war crimes being reported, for which journalists all over the world are collecting proof. We'll need them for the hopefully many legal fights in the future as we hold those responsible accountable.
In the meantime, the war in Ukraine also affects other countries around the world. Here's an unfinished list. But wait, first:
Why this matters: Millions of people are affected by this war, not just people living in Ukraine or Russia. We live in a very connected world, and wars have very grave consequences for our neighbouring as well as far-away countries because of The Economy.
Okay, here's the list:
Lebanon
Wheat and cooking oil prices are through the roof. Why? More than 60% of the country's wheat comes from Ukraine; and it doesn't have much reserves on its own. Remember the Beirut port blast in August 2020? Yeah, that not only killed more than 200 people but it also destroyed the main grain silos. Still, nobody has been held responsible for what happened. The country already has deep money problems (inflation is super high). 'We're now looking to India, US and Kazakhstan for food,' says the government. Hopefully, they find a quick solution. According to Agriculture Minister Abbas Hajj Hassan, "there is no wheat crisis today in Lebanon", the supermarket shelves and bakeries, however, are telling a different story. The most vulnerable group? Those who couldn't afford much even before the war in Ukraine; for example, the 1.5 million refugees from Syria.
Somalia
The prices have risen here as well. Unlike Lebanon, Somalia isn't all that dependent on wheat imports. Instead, it needs so-called 'food assistance programs' like that of the World Food Programme (WFP). They give out cash to those who need it so they can buy food themselves. The war in Ukraine affects how much cash people in Somalia get (it's a lot less now). The most vulnerable group? About 1.4 million children under five and four million people who are 'reliant on emergency food aid'. And the drought the country is currently experiencing (it's been building up since 2020) isn't making the food situation easier. People are like, 'we just hope 2022 is not going to be the next 2011.' Back then, almost 260,000 people are believed to have died from hunger.
Egypt
Egypt is the world’s top importer of wheat – and this is not a compliment. The country, unfortunately, is super-vulnerable to the current war in Ukraine as a result. The prices have not gone up for the population (they're still getting subsidized bread; meaning the government keeps the prices low) but they might soon. Why? Last year, Egypt imported more than 70% of its wheat from either Russia or Ukraine. Now, they're quickly looking for alternative suppliers as they have reserves for at least four months. France has offered (but wheat from there has been considered too moist), Australia and Canada, too (but shipping costs are very high). Local harvest is coming but not here yet. The most vulnerable people? Again, people who didn't have much money even before the war in Ukraine started.
Peru
People in Peru are protesting, blocking highways to Lima and blaming President Pedro Castillo for the highest-in-26-years inflation and the higher prices on food and transport (by 9.54%). 'This is because of the Ukraine war, you guys,' he keeps saying. Compared to other countries in the region, such as Argentina or Venezuela, Peru imports most of its oil. Unfortunately, time is running out. Pedro Castillo losing popularity points by the hour (he's only been in office since last year, and has already survived two impeachment votes) and the protests have become violent, killing at least six people.
- For my German readers: I also talked about this in Die Wochendämmerung podcast last week. Listen here.
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We are in a political crisis in Pakistan right now
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Pakistan's Parliament fired Imran Khan, the country's Prime Minister, and his government in a no-confidence vote.
Why this matters: Pakistan is a nuclear nation. Some 220 million people live here.
Why was there a no-confidence vote?
The basic charge against Imran Khan is mismanagement, especially in Punjab (one of the largest provinces; a lot of people live there). And as the saying goes (It's not really a saying but): Without Punjab, you can’t run Pakistan. 'You didn't handle the pandemic right. Plus, look at all the inflation!'
That's all?
Not quite. Human rights reports have criticized his government for cracking down on the media, in particular. Several top journalists (and Khan critics) lost their jobs; others were intimidated, detained and threatened in organized social media campaigns.
Who is Imran Khan?
The 69-year-old coming-from-the-Upper Class politician was elected Prime Minister in 2018 (with a very small mandate), promising a 'new Pakistan' and an end to the corruption that has for decades been part of Pakistan’s politics. But his public story began much earlier, having been the captain of the country’s national cricket team (they won the Cricket World Cup in 1992) and a global jet-setter. And then a few years later, in 1996, he turned to politics (watch his speech), establishing his own party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. He's known for doling out government subsidies, building shelters and soup kitchens for the poor, and providing health care to low and middle-income households. It’s not over the top to say that Imran Khan is a legend to many Pakistanis.
What does the US got to do with Pakistan?
Well, Khan believes that a foreign conspiracy ousted him from power. He has accused U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu of being involved in the plot to overthrow his government, suggesting that Lu had warned Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington that there would be implications if Khan survived the no-confidence vote. 'We didn't. Plus, where's the evidence?' says the US. Rumour has it that the U.S. wasn't exactly happy about the fact that Khan had visited Russia at the beginning of the war either.
What now?
A new general election will be held in October. Imran Khan is expected to run in that election as well.
Until then?
Some analysts expect that lawmakers will now choose the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif as the until-then-Prime Minister. He's a member of a Pakistani political dynasty aka the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and a former chief minister of Punjab. He's an unpopular choice for many; so unpopular that a lot of Khan supporters protested across cities in Pakistan and outside of his brother's home in London, U.K., 'he's corrupt, the whole family is corrupt, we shouldn't let this family back into power!' Others shouted 'No Khan, no remittances'.
Btw, I asked journalist Schayan Riaz (lives in Germany; his family is from Pakistan) about media tips outside of the news bubble to get a better sense for his country. He came through with a
- Book recommendation: A Case of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif. This is a satire graphic novel about Dictator General Zia Ul-Haq and how he apparently died because of a crate of mangoes aboard his flight that was loaded with explosives.
- Podcast recommendation: Notes on a Scandal by Saba Imtiaz and Tooba Masoof (both journalists based in Pakistan) is a true crime podcast about the poet Mustafa Zaidi and his death under mysterious circumstances in 1970. It tells you a lot about Pakistani high-society and how it corresponds to today.
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We might need to change our theory of how the Universe works
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After a decade of measurements, more than 400 scientists at the Fermilab Collider Detector in Illinois, United States felt confident to say that they have discovered something that could lead to a new, more complete theory of how the Universe works.
Why this matters: Physicists have a theory (not proof) about how the Universe works. For example, it can't explain Dark Matter (invisible stuff in space), nor Dark Energy (why space keeps expanding and expanding). Nor can it explain gravity. This might be a biggest game changer in our understanding of the Universe since Einstein's theories of relativity more than a hundred years ago.
Tell me more. ASAP.
OK. So, they found a particle called W boson. 'It's more massive than our theories predicted and we're shooketh,' they say. 'We still need to run some more tests to actually believe it. But... if the results are verified by other experiments, the world is going to look different.'
- Good to know: The Fermilab Collider Detector is a particle physics lab. Until 2009, it used to be the world’s highest-energy particle accelerator. Then the Large Hadron Collider was built in close to Geneva, Switzerland, and famously observed the Higgs boson a few years later.
So what? It's just a bit more massive than expected. No need to body-shame.
Not 'just a bit'. The study published in the Science journal compared it to measuring the weight of a 350kg (800 pound) gorilla to within 40 grams (1.5 ounces). The implications of this 'miscalculation' are enormous (I'm really trying not to body-shame anyone.) You see, physicists have so far always used the so-called Standard Model of particle physics to describe and predict the most basic building blocks of the Universe, and what forces govern them. This Model has never missed. Until now.
But what does this mean?
'We probably discovered a new and fifth force of nature,' they say.
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OTHER NEWS YOU MIGHT FIND INTERESTING
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First, the bad news
Hungary: Far-right nationalist prime minister and long-time Vladimir Putin-ally Viktor Orbán won his fourth consecutive election in Hungary. Did you know he's a model for many Republicans in the United States?
Singapore: An Australian man (we don't need to repeat his name) killed a 73-year-old ethnic Malay Muslim man and hurt his wife in Singapore because they were ethnic Malay Muslim. He has been sentenced to (only) five and a half years in prison; and he intends to appeal.
Tunisia: This is a like a never-ending nightmare. At least 13 people were killed and 10 others are missing after two boats carrying African migrants sank off the coast of Sfax, Tunisia. At least 19 people have been rescued.
Nigeria: Mubarak Bala, a famous humanist (and atheist) has been sentenced to 24 years in prison after pleading guilty to, well, being an atheist.
The neutral
Costa Rica: The country has a new president, 60-year-old Rodrigo Chaves. His promises are to create a national cryptocurrency, make bilingual education a thing and remove tax exemptions for the wealthy. But: Some people he worked with at the World Bank say Chaves had sexually harassed them, and there is an open investigation against him for illegal campaign finance. Plus, he thinks Donald Trump is cool. So, yeah.
France: People cast their vote in the country's presidential elections yesterday. Now-President Emmanuel Macron came in first, Marine Le Pen second. The final result is in a few weeks. Let's hope for the best.
United States: Ketanji Brown Jackson is confirmed for the Supreme Court of the United States. Jackson is the first Black woman to be confirmed for this position. Reminder: Representation is nice. It's just not everything.
And now, the good news
Belize: The first issue of an annual anthology of Belizean poems and prose was officially released last week by a new publishing Company, Bent Pin Press. (Btw, Issue No. 1 features cover artwork by Taiwanese-Belizean artist Yaoling Lee, look, so chic.
Nicaragua: The United Nations’ Human Rights Council will investigate (Spanish) Human Rights violations in Nicaragua in the context of the 2018 rebellion.
Burkina Faso: Former President of Burkina Faso Blaise Compaoré is found guilty of complicity in the murder of the country's first president, Thomas Sankara, and is sentenced to life un prison. If you don't know Sankara, google him now. He just might be your next idol.
Science: HD1, the farthest known galaxy, was discovered 13.5 billion light-years away from Earth. Other scientists last week found the fossil of a dinosaur that was killed on the day of the asteroid strike. I love it when we keep finding cool stuff. However, I don't love it as much when we find 5,000 new RNA viruses in the ocean or when they find microplastic pollution in the lungs of living people for the first time (I'm thankful though).
Rwanda: Three refugee camps in Rwanda now have renewable energy; and that makes the some 42,000 people feel safer and more in control of their daily lives. Most of them have fled violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Why this matters: A small number of camps around the world have installed renewable energy systems, including ones established in Jordan for Syrian refugees and in Kenya for Ethiopian refugees. But there are more than 26 million refugees worldwide and, of those living in camps, 90% do not have electricity and 80% rely on firewood for cooking.
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Perhaps you already know this, perhaps you don't but Japan has an annual penis festival in Kawasaki, Japan called the Kanamara Matsuri. The festival started in 1969, and is a celebration of the penis and fertility. The last one was last week, on April 5. Check out the vibe from 2019.
Today, it has become something of a tourist attraction and is used to raise money for HIV research.
Did you know that Japan is not the only country to do this? There's also an annual penis festival in Tyrnavos, a city in Greece. It is one of the most famous parties in the country.
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That's it from me for this week. If you want to stay connected on social media, follow me on Twitter or on Instagram.
Bye,
Sham
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