World roundup: August 24 2022

Stories from Thailand, Ethiopia, Ukraine, and more

INTERNATIONAL

In today’s global news:

• Worldometer is tracking COVID-19 cases and fatalities.

• The New York Times is tracking global vaccine distribution.

• The United Nations’ World Food Program said on Wednesday that the number of people worldwide who have fallen into “acute food insecurity” has risen to over 345 million. That’s more than twice the number who were in that state as recently as 2019, with the WFP citing the pandemic, climate change, and war (particularly the war in Ukraine) as the main contributors to the increase.

MIDDLE EAST

SYRIA

Early Wednesday (or late Tuesday in Washington), US Central Command announced that it had carried out airstrikes against “Iran-backed groups” in eastern Syria’s Deir Ezzor province. According to Al-Monitor’s Jared Szuba these strikes targeted nine bunker facilities used by Iranian-aligned militias and were, according to CENTCOM’s spokesperson, “necessary to protect and defend US personnel.” The strikes come in retaliation for attacks against two US facilities last Monday. I haven’t seen any reports of casualties as yet.

Later on Wednesday, Reuters reported that unspecified “militants” launched rocket attacks on two US sites in Syria, presumably in retaliation for the airstrikes. One US soldier was reportedly wounded in those attacks. US forces retaliated for the retaliation for the retaliation and claim they killed at least “two or three militants.”