World roundup: March 22 2023

Stories from Yemen, Nigeria, Spain, and elsewhere

Ramadan Kareem to those who are observing the fast!

INTERNATIONAL

In today’s global news:

• Worldometer is tracking COVID-19 cases and fatalities.

• The New York Times is tracking global vaccine distribution.

• The newly-released United Nations World Water Development Report 2023 estimates that 26 percent of the world’s population lacks access to clean water for drinking and 46 percent lacks proper sanitation. That works out to 2 billion and 3.6 billion people, respectively. Climate change and increasing urban water demand in developing nations seem to be the big drivers behind this problem. The report’s editor, Richard Connor, told reporters on Tuesday that it would cost some $600 billion to $1 trillion per year to rectify this problem, and needless to say the developed world is not going to fork over anywhere near that amount of money for a humanitarian need like this. The total US military budget is probably going to top $1 trillion per year starting next year, but if we repurposed that money to help people deprived of clean water then we would be depriving ourselves of cool drones and aircraft carriers and stuff. You can see the dilemma.

MIDDLE EAST

SYRIA

The second Israeli (probably) missile strike on Aleppo’s international airport this year reportedly damaged the facility early Wednesday morning but does not appear to have caused any casualties. Incoming flights were diverted to other Syrian airports while repairs were underway but I haven’t seen any indication of plans to close the Aleppo airport. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights the target was a militia weapons depot.