October 10, 2018

Weekly World News Update

South China Sea Showdowns; Climate Situation Dire; Elections Around the Globe; Journalist Targeting Skyrockets; Ambassador Haley Resigns

Quote of the Week

"There is a direct contradiction between Trump’s aggressive economic nationalism and his administration’s commitment to defend the South China Sea. The South China Sea is not the United States’ home waters; it is China’s. Geography still matters. And because the United States is so far away, its only hope is to offer an uplifting regional vision that anchors its military one.”

-- CNAS Senior Fellow Robert D. Kaplan in a Washington Post op-ed Tuesday.

Close Encounters in the South China Sea

“Distrust of China Sparks Philippines, U.S. to Step Up Joint Military Exercises” Ralph Jennings -- Voice of America, October 5, 2018

“U.S. Navy Plans Major Show of Strength in South China Sea as Warning to Beijing” Teddy Ng – South China Morning Post, October 4, 2018

“Implications of Growing U.S.-China Confrontation in the South China Sea” SD Pradhan – The Times of India, October 9, 2018

Climate Change Report Released

"Summary for Policymakers of IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5ºC Approved by Governments [Press Release]" -- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, October 8, 2018

“4 Big Takeaways from the UN’s Alarming Climate Change Report” Umair Irfan -- Vox, October 9, 2018

“The Dire Warnings of the United Nations’ Latest Climate-Change Report” Carolyn Kormann -- New Yorker, October 8, 2018

"Good News: We Now Have Until 2030 to Save the Earth" Ross Clark -- The Spectator, October 8, 2018

"Administration Mum on Climate Change Report as Trump Says: 'I Want to Look at Who Drew It'" Stephanie Ebbs -- ABC News, October 9, 2018

"Climate Politicking Isn't Working. We Need Climate Civil Disobedience" Bill McKibben - LA Times, October 9, 2018

Elections All Around the World

“Brazil Election: Jair Bolsonaro Heads to Runoff After Missing Outright Win” Ernesto Londoño and Manuela Andreoni -- New York Times, October 7, 2018

“Bosnia Election Seen as Key for Future of War-Ravaged Nation” Eldar Emric and Jovana Gec -- Washington Post, October 5, 2018

“Cameroon Has a Tense, Long Wait for Election Results as Social Media Claims Unverified Winners” Amindeh Atabong -- Quartz, October 9, 2018

“Latvia Election Result Sparks EU Crisis Warning as Pro-Russia Party Sweeps to Success” Simon Osborne -- Express, October 8, 2018

Troubling Hostility Towards Journalists

“Jamal Khashoggi: Trump 'Concerned' about Missing Journalist; Saudis Deny Involvement” Zachary Cohen and Elise Labott -- CNN, October 9, 2018

“Bulgarian Investigative Journalist Murdered” Lili Bayer -- Politico, October 8, 2018

"The Journalists Killed in EU Member States in the Past Year" Theodor Troev and Kerin Hope -- Financial Times, October 8, 2018

"43 Journalists Killed in 2018" -- Committee to Protect Journalists

UN Ambassador Haley Departs

“Nikki Haley Resigns as U.S. Ambassador to the UN” John Haltiwanger -- Business Insider, October 9, 2018

"Following in Bush 41’s footsteps? Five Takeaways from Nikki Haley’s Departure as UN Ambassador." James Hohmann -- Washington Post, October 10, 2018

"How Haley’s Vision Clashed With Trump’s" Eli Lake -- Bloomberg, October 9, 2018

"How Nikki Haley Played the White House Game - and Won" Zack Beauchamp -- Vox, October 9, 2018

"What Nikki Haley’s Exit May Mean for the Middle East" Laura Rozen -- Al-Monitor, October 9, 2018