War In Ukraine Rages On & A New Miracle Cure?
February 1, 2023
Your Ukraine Update
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continues as Russian troops close in on the key city of Bakhmut, located in northern Ukraine. While they’ve gained little ground over the past few months, Russians are now making slow but steady progress toward Bakhmut. Moscow claims to have captured two towns near the city of 75,000, and is currently shelling the city, according to a Belarusian volunteer with Ukraine. If Russia captures Bakhmut, the victory would be its first major conquest since midway through 2022.
In its efforts to defend its borders, Ukraine has turned to its western allies for additional support, in terms of both military supplies and diplomatic ties. Last week, the U.S. and Germany confirmed they would be sending over advanced M1 Abrams and Leopold 2 tanks, but Ukraine has asked for even more military aid – this time in the form of fighter jets.
While U.S. President Biden responded to Ukraine’s request for F-16 jets with a firm “No,” France and Poland have stepped up this time. Ukraine’s defense minister will head to Paris this week to sort out a French shipment of F-16s to his country, and neighboring Poland’s prime minister said that his country might also provide air power “in complete coordination” with other NATO countries.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal is also contributing to his country’s safety diplomatically, announcing that Ukraine is looking at a two-year timetable to join the European Union. E.U. commissioners will head to Ukraine this Friday for a special summit, but many within the organization say the timetable is unlikely at best. Last year, French President Emmanuel Macron declared that it would be “decades” before the country would be able to join the E.U.
Want To Know More?
- Human Rights Watch urges investigation of alleged use of land mines by Ukraine (NPR)
- Zelensky calls for faster weapons deliveries after Western tanks pledge (Axios)
- France, Australia to supply Ukraine with artillery shells (AP)
- 5 Ukrainian civilians killed as warring sides mull next move (AP)
- NATO secretary general urges South Korea to allow direct arms exports to Ukraine (CNN)
- Commander says Western tanks will give Ukraine battlefield ‘advantage’ (ABC)
- Scholz bid to rally Ukraine support in South America falls flat (Reuters)
Good News
- Century-old train tunnels in Baltimore and New York to get funding from Biden’s infrastructure law (CNN)
- Minnesota House passes “driver’s licenses for all” bill (CBS)
Hard Drugs, Softer Policy
- The Canadian province of British Columbia is experimenting with drugs. Starting yesterday, adults in Canada’s westernmost province are now allowed to possess up to 2.5 grams of hard drugs, including cocaine, methamphetamine, fentanyl, and morphine, though the substances will remain illegal.
- Under B.C.’s new rule, adults found in possession of less than 2.5 combined grams of hard drugs will be referred to available health and social services instead of being arrested. In 2016, the province declared drug use a public health emergency, with roughly 10,000 residents dying from drug overdoses in the past seven years. The program will run from January 31, 2023, to January 31, 2026.
- “Decriminalising people who use drugs breaks down the fear and shame associated with substance use and ensures they feel safer reaching out for life-saving supports,” said B.C.’s minister of mental health and addictions. Oregon has tried a similar program, with mixed results: while its decriminalization program has directed more funding to drug treatment programs, just a small percentage of people have actually entered treatment for their addictions through government-sponsored channels.
Want To Know More?
The Grid Grinds To A Stop
- South Africa is the latest country to face power grid issues, with the situation escalating to the point that President Cyril Ramaphosa is considering declaring a national state of disaster. Outages have caused a variety of issues, including car crashes, opportunistic criminals, rotting food, decomposing bodies, bankrupt businesses, and water shortages.
- The country has long faced issues with its power grid, which have worsened since September 2022. State-run power company Eskom has struggled with corruption issues since its creation in 1994, and the South African government has failed to create the new power plants experts say are needed to keep up with demand for decades. Even established power plants are a problem area due to lack of maintenance and criminals stealing both coal and power cables for resale.
- To compensate for its failing infrastructure and energy shortages, Eskom has resorted to nationwide rolling blackouts occurring multiple times per day, affecting even the most basic services. South African citizens have been advised to bury their dead within found days as morgues lack the resources to keep bodies preserved for longer periods, police have struggled to control crime due to traffic jams caused by a lack of traffic lights, and average people can’t cook or even use water due to constant rolling outages. The country’s government is coming under increased fire from demonstrators and political organizations, with no solution in sight.
Additional World News
- Death toll from blast in Pakistan mosque rises to at least 100 as country faces ‘national security crisis’ (CNN)
- French protests intensify against pension age rise (BBC)
- India sees GDP growth slowing on global weakness (Reuters)
- Report: Slovenian authorities hold 2 alleged Russian spies (AP)
- ‘We’ll fight until the end’: a journey through the centre of Peru’s uprising (Guardian)
- China warns new Czech president after Taiwan call (Politico)
- Turkey’s push into Iraq risks deeper conflict (Reuters)
- In Haiti, gangs take control as democracy withers (AP)
“Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir
A Signature Move
- Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes asked state Attorney General Kris Mayes to investigate and “take appropriate enforcement action” against failed Trump-backed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake for potentially violating state law. At issue is a tweet the election denier posted last week spreading false election fraud claims.
- Lake’s tweet reads “BOMBSHELL DISCOVERY. Today’s Senate Testimony CONFIRMS nearly 40,000 ballots illegally counted (10% of the signatures reviewed). I think all the “Election Deniers” out there deserve an apology. In the tweet, Lake has included what Fontes called “a graphic containing images of sixteen voter signatures.”
- The image violates state law. Voter signatures cannot be “accessible or reproduced by any person other than the voter.” Lake has made several unsuccessful attempts to overturn her defeat – just last month, a judge threw out her case challenging the results, which she based on false claims of misconduct with ballot printers and problems with the ballot chain of custody.
Miner Problem, Major Backlash
- On Tuesday, the EPA took the unusual step of blocking the proposed Pebble Mine from moving forward. The mine has been called the most significant undeveloped copper and gold resource in the world, but the EPA said it would have a detrimental impact on Alaska’s aquatic ecosystem, which supports the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.
- Alaska Native tribes and environmentalists were thrilled with the move, while state officials and, of course, miners were outraged at the decision. Pebble Limited Partnership CEO John Shively called the EPA’s action “unlawful” and politically motivated, and said litigation was likely.
- Tuesday’s announcement marks only the 14th time in the roughly 50-year history of the federal Clean Water Act that the EPA has used its powers to stop or limit activities over their potential impact on waters, including fisheries. Alaska Natives have fought the proposal for over a decade.
Additional USA News
- Nearly 1,000 flights canceled as fatal ice storm sweeps the South (NBC)
- First police report in Tyre Nichols case does not match video of deadly beating (CNN)
- Video of Trump deposition in New York fraud probe shows former president taking the Fifth, repeating “same answer” (CBS)
- Rep. George Santos voluntarily steps down from House committee assignments (NPR)
- DeSantis snaps back at Trump: I got reelected (Politico)
- Paul Pelosi attack: rightwing pundits backtrack after release of police video (Guardian)
- Biden’s message to McCarthy ahead of critical White House meeting: Show me your plan (CNN)
- N.Y. AG’s office: Trump and kids ‘falsely deny facts they have admitted’ (Politico)
All In On Albicidin
- Move over, penicillin, there’s a new miracle drug in town. A new paper published in the journal Nature Catalysis has identified a drug known as albicidin as a potential candidate for creating a new wave of antibiotics that might solve the problem of antibacterial resistance, which the World Health Organization has declared one of the biggest threats to global health.
- “We could not elicit any resistance towards albicidin in the laboratory,” said Dmitry Ghilarov, part of the international team of scientists behind the discovery. “That is why we are really excited – because we think it will be very hard for bacteria to evolve resistance against albicidin-derived antibiotics.” Albicidin itself is produced by a bacterial plant pathogen that causes a disease known as leaf scald in sugar cane plants.
- Humanity’s overuse of antibiotics has made scientists worried that the increasingly common evolution of drug-resistant bacteria might cause massive problems for global health and supply chains. A recent study estimates that 3,500 people die from drug-resistant bacteria-related issues every day, with such infections killing 1.2 million people in 2019. Albicidin might provide drugmakers relief from the issue if the pharmaceutical industry is willing to invest in research of the substance.
Additional Reads
- Video shows terrifying moment boulder crashes into Honolulu home and nearly strikes woman (NBC)
- Alec Baldwin, armorer to be charged over ‘Rust’ shooting (Reuters)
- Trying to crack the Nipah code: How does this deadly virus spill from bats to humans? (NPR)
- Crew Dragon astronauts to receive rare space medal from the White House (Ars Technica)
- Illinois prosecutors drop pending criminal cases against R. Kelly, who remains imprisoned on federal convictions (CNN)
- Dallas Zoo releases photo of man they want to question in relation to case of the missing tamarin monkeys (CNN)
- Scientists plot the resurrection of a bird that’s been extinct since the 17th century (CNN)