World roundup: June 8 2022

Stories from Iran, Afghanistan, Algeria, 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.

MIDDLE EAST

YEMEN

Greenpeace appealed to the Arab League on Wednesday to cobble together the money the United Nations needs to begin recovery work on the FSO Safer, the oil tanker that’s been stranded in the Red Sea near Hudaydah since the Yemen war began. The UN says it needs $80 million to carry out the project, which is pocket change compared to the estimated $20 billion in environmental damage the Safer could do if it broke apart and spilled its 1.1 million barrels of oil into the sea, but raised substantially less than that at a donor conference last month. It’s unclear how the Arab League might proceed, but I’d suggest starting with the couch cushions at a couple of Saudi royal palaces, or maybe at the Ritz Carlton where Mohammed bin Salman locks up the royals who displease him.