Business Headlines

Five Killed in Powerful Earthquake in Papa New Guinea

At least five people have been tragically killed after a 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck Papa New Guinea earlier this month.

The powerful earthquake shuddered Papa New Guinea, damaging many buildings and triggering repeated landslides. A report from the United States Goelogical Survey reveals that the earthquake struck at a depth of 61 km (38 miles), about 67 km (41 miles) from the eastern town of Kainantu on the morning of the 11th of September.

Kessy Sawang, a local member of parliament, said that at least 2 people were killed in remote mountain villages, with four others airlifted in hospital in critical condition. Nearby in Wau, Koranga Alluvial Mining said that three miners were buried alive.

Floods ravage across Pakistan

Due to many weeks of tenacious rainfall, flash floods have devasted Pakistan, killing more than 1,500 people.

Over the last year it seems that the South Asian region is the epicenter of the climate crisis, as this event follows devastating monsoon rains in July and August, greatly affecting its 220 million population.

The statistics of the event provide a more detailed picture of the affects, as there has been over 1.8 million houses destroyed and nearly 100,000 livestock deaths. This means that much of Pakistan’s production and output will be affected as people lose their homes and livelihoods.

Consequently, the Pakistani government has estimated that the financial losses from the flood total $30 billion, with approximately four million hectares of diverse agricultural land destroyed. As such, both Pakistani officials and the UN have stated the cause to be the climate change, due to the fact that at least 81 of the country’s 160 districts have been categorised as “calamity hit” by the floods.

Hundreds of whales stranded on Tasmanian beach

230 whales have been found on the West coast of Tasmania, Australia.

The whales appeared on Macquarie Harbour on the island’s West coast, where the region has a history of stranding. Thankfully, over half of the whales remain alive.

The whales in question are believed to be pilot whales, and are one of the largest oceanic whales. They are also highly sociable mammals, known to travel in large, close-knit groups that require large amounts of communication. It is said that the stranding may have occurred because the whales were “misnavigated” due to a sick or disorientated leader, says wildlife scientist Vanessa Pirotta

Many experts have been flown in to help rectify the issue. However, many say that it could be a “complex operation”, due to Tasmania’s location. This is due to the fact that Macquarie Harbour is a large shallow inlet in a very rural area of the island.

Although it remains a mystery as to why it happened, some experts have said that it is due to the effects of climate change, particularly changes in the environment, water temperature, or prey habits that could throw the whales off.

Africa

Ruto Sworn as Kenya’s Fifth President, Championing Kenya as a “hustler nation”

Willliam Ruto was placed as Kenya’s new president, after having a resounding win in the peaceful election.

Like the majority of the world at the moment, Kenya is facing continuous economic challenges in an increasingly difficult global market. As such, Ruto addressed such matters in his inaugural speech, highlighting some of challenges faced by the nation, including joblessness, escalating prices, and the issue of the regulation of entrepreneurs.

However, many have become to challenge Ruto’s words as just days after his speech in which he stated that fuel and food subsidies have been ineffective and expensive, Rutto ordered the partial removal of petrol subsidiaries.

Instead, it seems Ruto hopes to make improvements to the agricultural sector, urging that the cost-of-living crisis shall be combatted by improving inputs of fertiliser to agricultural producers, and consequently “empowering producers”.

Tigrayan Forces Renew Fighting with Eritrea

Forces in the Ethiopian region of Tigray are accusing Eritrea troops of launching a full-scale offensive, consequently causing intense fighting along the border. This marks an escalation of the renewal of fighting that occurred in August this year.

A spokesperson for the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), Getachew Reda, stated that Eritrea “is deploying its entire army as well as reservists. Our forces are heroically defending their positions.”

Many reports of fighting come from civilians and officials on the ground. Two aid workers highlighted that there was intense fighting occurring across the border, including a shelling of a disabled persons camp. Furthermore, a humanitarian worker in Adigrat, a town in the northern region, told The Associated Press that Eritrean forces were shelling the town’s surrounding areas.

The war in Tigray, which reignited in August after a ceasefire earlier in the year, is estimated to have killed tens of thousands of people, and left millions of people around the country bereft of basic supplies.

Sexual Allegations Made Against Aid Workers at UN Camp

Sexual abuse allegations have been made against aid workers at a South Sudan UN Camp. An independent investigation conducted by The New Humanitarian reveals that after seven years of reports, the allegations have erupted in recent months.

The recent reports at the Malakel camp come at a difficult time, with the UN revealing that as many as 5000 displaced individuals may be going towards the camp soon. This has caused current residents to worry how this up-coming influx might increase the incidents of sexual abuse and exploitation, on top of those already happening.

Further damage is done as the residents have stated that such incidents have sadly been largely unchecked, even though the UN sent in a taskforce recently to combat the problem. The same sentiments are also reflected by many of the Aid workers at the camp, who told reporters that accusations of abuse began coming in shortly after the camp opened in 2013. However, The New Humanitarian found that the scale of abuse was a much greater problem, after analysing several UN and NGO Documents.

Two Haitian Journalists Shot Dead in the Capital

Two Haitian journalists have been shot dead whilst conducting reports in the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Local journalist association reports that gang violence that likely killed still is rampant across the city.

The reporters were fatally shot and burnt inPort-au-Prince whilst reporting on increasing gun violence in the poverty-stricken region of Cite Soleil. Their bodies were never recovered.

FS News Haiti recently released a statement on the matter saying: “We announce with great sorrow the death of our journalist and reporter Frantzsen Charles and another colleague. They were killed by bandits while reporting in Cite Soliel. We demand justice for our colleague.”

The association has called on Haiti’s government to address rising instability throughout the city, stating that the murders are “further proof of the instability of the state to protect lives and property, which is nothing other than a violation of human rights.”

Spotify to Launch New Audiobook Feature in the Bid to Combat Amazon Audible Dominance.

Exclusively in the US has begun the launch of audiobooks in order to combat the wellestablished reign of Amazon-owned Audible.

A brand-new section of Spotify is being trialed that allows the million 65 million of its subscribers (Premium or not) to listen to audio books at their pleasure. Spotify offers an expansive library of more 300,000 audiobook titles, with each book available for purchase or preview. This seems like a natural progression since they also offer podcasts on the site.

In a recent press release Spotify stated that: “This is just the beginning of Spotify’s audiobook journey. We’ve been working to create a seamless audiobook experience, and we’ll continue to build and innovate on this in the future.”

United Nations General Assembly 2022 Takes Place in New York

The 77th session of the UN General Assembly started last week in New York, having been the first one since the pandemic in 2020. The main topics up for discussion are Putin and the war in Ukraine, the cost-of-living crisis and taxation.

It seems that this particular general assembly is needed now more than ever, as UN Chief Guetters states that nations are “gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction.” So what have been the main takeaways?

First and foremost, there has been great discussion over Putin’s threatening of nuclear missiles in the West and partial mobilisation, as their references to cold war sentiments from Biden, and a declaration that the invasion of Ukraine “tramples” the UN charter, reflecting many global leaders feelings on the matter.

Climate change and the environment was also a topic for discussion as Biden warns “We don’t have much time left” to tackle the crisis. Consequently, many of climate change’s affects could be felt throughout the assembly as Kenyan President William Ruto calls for action on climate change after Horn of Africa is suffering its worst drought since 1981.

It is therefore now more than ever that the value of the United Nations is highlighted to the world.

Egyptian President visit to Doha strengthens ties between Qatar and Egypt

After a history of rocky relations between the two countries, could this mark the beginning of stronger ties.

Last week Egyptian President Abdel Fattah elSisi met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in Doha to sign a number of deals between the two countries. It is said that many of the deals concern improvements in business sectors and the economy, signifying a “new era in relations.”

Closer ties between Egypt and Qatar have been building over the last few months as the Emir Sheikh Tamir visited Egypt back in June. Such a visit, alongside the deals signed recently, mark a huge milestone. Particularly if we consider that only in 2017 Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain boycotted Qatar in an effort to try and force Doha to change its regional policies.

Since the boycott came to an end last year, the relations between Qatar and Egypt are on the mend as both countries wish to go into the future as economic allies.

Set of Earthquakes hit Iran, killing at least 5 people

In consequence of a string of earthquakes hitting Southern Iran, at least 5 people have been killed, and 44 injured.

Four separate earthquakes hit the southern region of Bandar e- Lengeh on the 17th , one of which registered at a staggering 6.1 magnitude. Twelve other villages in the surrounding region were also seriously damaged.

The greatest depth of damage occurred in the village of Sayehkhosh, where many houses in the area were badly damaged.

This comes after a recent history of Seismic waves in the area, as the USGS stated that the “earthquake sequence” was “relatively common”. This statement is supported by the fact that last year, at least one person died after a succession of earthquakes hit Iran in November.

Iranian women, Mahsa Amini, dies whilst in Iran’s morality custody

The UN has called for an independent investigation into how Mahsa Amini died within the morality police custody in Iran, sparking great unrest in the country.

Many Iranian authorities have denied that the 22-year-old was mistreated or beaten whilst in custody. In contrast, her death has sparked mass protest across the country, including the capital city of Tehran, where anti-government chants are taking place.

The protesters are ultimately calling a dismantling of the morality police in the country, known as Gasht-e Ershad, or Islamic guidance patrol. They have expanded many of their patrols in recent months, targeting women in particular for not wearing their Hijab correctly.

It has recently been reported that the deaths have started to occur due to the major protests in Tehran, although this is yet to be confirmed by officials. Women across the country have also burnt their hijabs in direct protest to Amini’s arrest.

Europe

Putin Announces Major Escalation in Ukranian War

President Putin announced a “partial mobilisation” of his troops. This effectively means that he will deploy 300,000 Russian citizens in the military reserves to be called up to serve in Ukraine.

This is a major escalation in an already eightmonth war, and follows a series of strategic moves towards the offer of referendums in many regions of the Ukraine, in the offer to join Russia.

In a televised address Putin stated: “in order to protect our motherland, its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and to ensure the safety of our people and people in the liberated territories, I consider it necessary to support […] a partial mobilisation in the Russian Federation.” help ease the cost-of-living crisis and the harsh increase in energy bills in the past year.

This would ultimately mean capping the profits of renewable and nuclear electricity producers, and taxing all the windfall profits of oil and gas companies from March.

Power generators that gained profits using nuclear, wind, and solar energy have greatly escalated due to the tariffs that are linked to the wholesale price of natural gas, which massively increased after the announcement of the war in Ukraine. The wholesale price currently stands at 550% of what it was a year ago.

Consequently, by having such a huge windfall tax on oil and gas companies, more money can be spent on helping households across the country combat the energy crisis.

Queen Elizabeth II State Funeral Breaks Record for Most Watched Broadcast

Elizabeth’s funeral on the 19th September amassed a staggering viewership of approximately 5 billion, beating the moon landing back in 1969, making it the most watched broadcast ever.

The magnanimous broadcast of the funeral was the first of its kind since the state funeral of Sir Winston Churchill in 1965, and she was also the first British monarch to have a funeral found in Westminster Abbey since 1760.

It is therefore no wonder that so many people flocked to the streets of London to gaze upon the procession and pay their respects. This also comes after over 250,000 people were in the queue to see the Queen’s coffin in the days prior to the funeral.

There is no doubt that such a memorable event, for such a long serving monarch, shall go down as a key event in modern history.