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An Oil Leak, School Walkouts, & A Hacker Caught  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 
 
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September 28, 2022
 
 

 

An Epoch Announcement

(Wang Ying/Xinhua via Getty Images)

Forget the turn of the century. At the U.N. General Assembly, General Assembly President Csaba Kőrösi announced that the global community was entering an entirely “new epoch.” Unfortunately for us, that epoch isn’t one of flying cars (or even electric ones, really) or Mars colonies – our new era will be defined by conflicts and crises, which need to be addressed by humanity as a whole.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ opening remarks at the General Assembly set the bleak tone for the gathering. “We are gridlocked in colossal global dysfunction,” he said. “Our world is in peril — and paralyzed.” The war in Ukraine loomed over the room, but less explosive subjects were also brought to the table. U.N. food chief David Beasley discussed the fact that 50 million people in 45 countries were “knocking on famine’s door,” thanks to the pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine. General Assembly President Kőrösi also highlighted other conflicts outside Europe, saying, “Yet be it the largest and the most acute, the war in Ukraine is one of nearly 30 armed conflicts worldwide. And none of them is improving.”

Last Thursday, the U.N. Security Council held an open meeting seeking accountability for Russian aggression in Ukraine. Russia technically attended the meeting, though a lower-ranking official sat in the country’s seat for most of the meeting, and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov just arrived to give his speech before leaving. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a pre-recorded speech to the larger General Assembly as he oversaw the conflict in his country.

Kőrösi’s closing statements Monday said that he felt a “growing awareness that humanity has entered a new era” of complex conflicts and challenges in other leaders’ speeches. He also stated that the changing times were not the sign of just small edits to the status quo, but “significant transformations in the making.” (AP)

 
 

 

Want answers? We’ve got you covered: DP 9/23 Quiz Answers. Hats off to Kat K., who scored a perfect 10 on last week’s quiz. Check back next week for another chance to test your current affairs acumen!

 
 

 

Leak One And Leak Two Say, “How Do You Do?”

(Danish Defence/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
  • A few small perforations in two huge metal structures had the entire continent of Europe in absolute chaos Tuesday. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, which carry gas from Russia to Europe beneath the Baltic Sea, both sprung mystery leaks early this week. The two pipelines are key pieces of infrastructure in Europe’s struggle with energy supply issues caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Europe had hoped to resume gas imports through Nord Stream 1 by this winter to heat citizens’ homes.
  • Earlier in August, Russia ended gas supplies to Europe flowing through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, citing technical difficulties caused by Western sanctions, though Europeans called the statement out as a flimsy excuse to stop exporting gas. The Nord Stream 2 pipeline still has yet to be fully opened for commercial use. Unfortunately, both pipelines still contained gas under pressure before the leaks, meaning gas is currently pouring into the Baltic sea from both lines.
  • Governments across Europe are currently investigating the leaks, with many officials stating that the damage might be caused by sabotage. Norway’s Minister of Petroleum and Energy said that preliminary evidence about the leaks pointed to “acts of sabotage,” and both the Swedish and Danish prime ministers called the damage “deliberate.” A Kremlin spokesperson told reporters that “No option can be ruled out right now.” (CNN)

Growth Does Not Spring Eternal

  • For the first time in three decades, China’s economic growth has fallen behind the rest of the Asia-Pacific region. According to the World Bank, the Asia-Pacific region’s annual growth outlook has dropped from 5% to 3.2%, mainly thanks to China’s economic struggles, as the superpower is responsible for 86% of the region’s economic output.
  • In terms of GDP growth, China’s economy is now projected to expand just 2.8% in 2022, while the rest of the Asia-Pacific region averages a GDP growth rate of 5.3% on average. This marks the first time China has had a lower growth rate than its neighbors since 1990.
  • Two factors have led to China’s economic slowdown. First, its Covid-zero policies aimed at eradicating Covid–19 have disrupted industry, domestic sales, and exports. Second, housing prices in 70 cities have fallen by 1.3% since this time last year, and almost one-third of all property loans are now classified as bad debt by official figures. (Guardian)

Additional World News

 
 

 

“A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” – Elbert Hubbard

 
 

 

Politics Meets Pride

  • On Tuesday, walkouts organized by the Pride Liberation Project took place across multiple Virginia schools in protest of new guidelines from Governor Glenn Youngkin. About 1,000 students from 90 campuses participated in an effort to fight back against laws that would restrict the rights of transgender students.
  • The draft policy released by the state education department would require transgender students to use school facilities and programs matching their “biological sex.” It would also require permission from a parent to have teachers call students by preferred names or pronouns. (WaPo, $)

Fleeing Before The Law

  • Texas state Attorney General Ken Paxton allegedly ran away twice from a person who was serving him a subpoena. The subpoena was part of a lawsuit filed in August by several abortion funds and an individual abortion provider hoping to block cases brought from out of state or from before Roe was overturned. 
  • Paxton’s office filed a motion to quash the subpoenas, and Paxton refused to engage with the person who tried to serve his home on Monday, running into his house and then back out to a truck before fleeing his property. A Texas judge ruled Tuesday that state Attorney General Ken Paxton now does not have to appear at a hearing related to these lawsuits, proving you can, in fact, run from your problems. (CNN)

Additional USA News 

 
 

 

Grand Theft User Data

  • A hacker suspected of involvement in two massive breaches earlier this month was confirmed to have been arrested by London police earlier this week. The police released that the suspect was a 17-year-old teenager, whose name has been withheld in accordance with U.K. reporting restrictions on identifying minors.
  • The arrest came after a massive data breach at ride-sharing giant Uber and leaks of unreleased footage and gameplay from the upcoming game Grand Theft Auto 6. Uber stated that its breach was likely caused by the hacker group Lapsus$, and also stated that the perpetrator might be the same one who performed the Grand Theft Auto 6 leaks. Grand Theft Auto V, the game’s predecessor, is one of the most financially successful entertainment products of all time, earning $1 billion in just three days.
  • “The City of London Police arrested a 17-year-old in Oxfordshire [on September 22] on suspicion of hacking, as part of an investigation supported by the National Crime Agency’s (NCA) National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU),” said a detective from the City of London Police’s Cyber Crime Unit. “He has been charged in connection with this investigation and remains in police custody.” Earlier this year, U.K. police arrested other people between the ages of 16 and 21 on suspicion of connections to the Lapsus$ hacking group. (TechCrunch)

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