It’s been 3 weeks since our last edition. From the incursion into Russia to the outbreak of Monkeypox, here are a few pieces of news you might have missed.
Elon Musk endorses Trump for President!
One of the world's wealthiest men, Elon Musk, has endorsed Donald Trump’s bid for the presidency following an assassination attempt on Trump. This marks a shift in tone for Musk, who has been critical of Trump in the past. Musk’s control of X (formerly Twitter) makes him a powerful ally in Trump’s camp. Last week, both of them conducted an “X interview” with almost 900,000 attendees, underscoring the significance of the platform in this election. Musk technically has a tool of misinformation in his arsenal, yet it will be interesting to see whether his views on policy will align with Trump’s if Trump is successful in his campaign.
Putin’s War -Kyiv enters Kursk
What seemed like a stalemate in favour of Russia has been broken with Ukrainian forces invading the Southern Russian region of Kursk Oblast. The Ukrainians claim to have captured back the equivalent of how much land they lost to the Russians (386 square miles). Over a 120,000 Russian civilians have fled the region alongside the destruction of key Russian infrastructure such as bridges and railways.
Ukraine’s offensive would not have been possible without Western aid and weapons, on the back of that Germany has decided to freeze further aid to Ukraine. The once emboldened Kremlin claims the invasion is a severe escalation attempting to provoke a wider war with NATO as well as a Russian nuclear response. Whether this Ukrainian offensive is able to sustain itself is unclear with reduced amounts of aid from Europe confirmed and a contentious US election. Ukraine’s fate remains uncertain.
Monkeypox - Pandemic 2.0?
This week, the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global public health emergency, sparking fears of another global pandemic. The disease, which originated in the DRC, has already claimed nearly 600 lives there this year. A potentially deadlier variant has begun spreading, with cases confirmed outside Africa in Sweden, Malaysia, and Pakistan.The COVID-19 pandemic led to a 3.5% drop in global output in 2020, caused financial and job insecurity for millions, and increased pressure on governments to provide sufficient stimulus to revive economies. The hospitality, travel, and food industries suffered due to restrictive measures. However, many companies successfully implemented remote work, which may help mitigate the potential economic impact of monkeypox. Currently, there is no suitable vaccine available, but you can count on big pharma to be working on it.