World news in the week ahead

FOLLOWING a successful virtual meeting between Chinese leader Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden, the week ahead could see further developments as the two nations aim to peacefully work together.

Better communication and cooperation to avoid conflict were among the key points, with other issues related to Taiwan, Hong Kong as well as the Indo-pacific region being raised.

Xi said as the world’s two largest economies and permanent members of the UN Security Council, each must run their own domestic affairs well and at the same time shoulder their share of international responsibility.

On Thursday, Biden asked China as well as India and Japan to consider releasing crude stockpiles in a bid to lower global energy prices.

Further abroad, the UN released a report which shows that Thailand, Vietnam, Mongolia, Brunei and the Philippines saw around 1.6 million jobs lost among them last year as the tourism industry took a knock.

Despite various strategies put in

place because of the Covid-19 pandemic to slowly reopen their borders to save jobs, the tourism industry’s job losses were four times greater than any other industry.

The week ahead could potentially produce further action-based steps and supportive measures from these nations in their slow recovery.

In Europe, Belarus continues to struggle in easing the migrant and refugee crisis at the Polish border.

Thousands have attempted to reach the EU with some countries accusing Belarus of flying them in from the Middle East and helping them cross its borders into Poland and Lithuania.

Meanwhile, the UN has responded to the world’s richest person Elon Musk’s $6.6 billion (R103bn) plan to end world hunger. Musk had challenged the UN on social media, saying he would sell his Tesla stock to help solve world hunger but he is yet to respond to World Food Programme executive director David Beasley on the plan which he made public on their official website. |