The world in the week ahead
HAITI: Haitians were served with a double blow of disaster last week.
The impoverished Caribbean nation was left reeling after Tropical Storm Grace swept over the country with drenching rains just two days after a powerful earthquake left more than 2 000 dead and 330 missing.
Around 1.2 million people, including 540 000 children, have been impacted by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake, said Unicef.
After the life-altering events, the country will need a huge financial boost to recuperate from the disaster.
Donor countries such as those in the EU and humanitarian organisations including the UN allocated $8 million (about R123m) and $3.5m respectively to help in the Western Hemisphere country.
The amount will not be enough to fix the disaster that has befallen the Haitians. Even before Covid-19 hit, the country had a dwindling economy exacerbated by political instability, governance issues, and fragility.
During the 2010 earthquake, $13billion in aid money was donated to rescue Haiti from the disaster.
In the coming days, it remains to be seen if more bodies will be recovered from the search operations and whether more donors will come through with financial aid or supplies such as food, medical care and clothes.
AFGHANISTAN: It has been a week since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan after seizing the capital city of Kabul last Sunday.
During that time, most of the super powers, including the US, UK, Australia and Germany, have deployed troops to help evacuate their residents who lived and worked in Afghanistan.
However, China has taken a different stance on the situation – it has been business as usual at the Chinese Embassy in Afghanistan.
In the coming week, the Taliban is expected to conclude and announce the formation of its council and various leaders who will govern the nation.
China’s role in the peace process and consolidation in Afghan is also something to keep a close eye on.
One of the hottest topics that will dominate the headlines will be the rights and roles of women in Afghanistan.
Taking into consideration the Taliban’s previous rule, from 1996 to 2001, when the group punished women who were not covered in a burka and did not allow girls aged 10 and over to attend school or study.
Once the new leaders and roles are announced, various other hot topics could make headlines such as the newly implemented Sharia law, how it will be interpreted, what it entails and how it affects Afghan women.
ACROSS THE WORLD: In the past few weeks, various parts of the world, such as the US, Greece, Italy, France, Lebanon, Algerian and Jerusalem, have been devastated by wildfires.
Theses fires have left more than 100 people dead, rendered thousands homeless and left catastrophic damages in some places which will cost millions to fix.
In the coming week, publications will continue to keep an eye on the wildfires. There might be different angles on the issue, depending on whether there’s an outbreak.