World roundup: August 4 2023

Stories from New Zealand, Niger, Ukraine, and elsewhere

TODAY IN HISTORY

August 4, 1578: The Battle of Alcácer Quibir

August 4, 1791: The Treaty of Sistova ends the Austrian-Ottoman War of 1787-1791. This rather unremarkable treaty, ending a rather unremarkable war (the Ottomans lost a little territory, but that’s it), turned out to be quite remarkable in hindsight because it marked the end of the long (265 year) series of Ottoman-Habsburg conflicts. Austria’s attentions turned west, due to the French Revolution, and later toward Prussia, while Russia became the Ottomans’ main adversary moving forward.

INTERNATIONAL

In today’s global news:

• Worldometer is tracking COVID-19 cases and fatalities.

• The New York Times is tracking global vaccine distribution.

• Ocean surface temperatures were measured at 69.71 degrees Fahrenheit (or 20.96 Celsius if you prefer) on Friday, edging out a March 2016 measurement to set a new global record. This is of course not the kind of record anybody should be excited to set, though since nothing is likely to be done about it perhaps it would be healthier to just celebrate the achievement.

• The OPEC+ group held its monthly ministerial meeting on Friday and decided to…do nothing. Global oil production will remain unchanged for at least another month.

• Global food prices rose by 1.3 percent overall in July, driven by spikes in the cost of vegetable oil and rice. The former is likely due to the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and interruptions in food exports from Ukraine and/or Russia. The latter is mostly due to the Indian government’s decision to ban certain categories of rice exports due to concerns about domestic supplies. The good news on the latter front is that Indian rice production is apparently exceeding expectations, which could prompt a review of the export ban.

MIDDLE EAST

SYRIA

The Turkish military carried out a drone strike in northeastern Syria late Thursday that killed four Syrian Democratic Forces fighters and wounded two others, according to the SDF. The Turkish military said it had “neutralized” (its euphemism for “killed”) five people.