- The Guardian
- Issue #2123
GEORGIA: In Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, fireworks marked the ruling party’s victory in the parliamentary elections on 26 October 2024. Voter turnout was 56 per cent. Initial data shows the ‘Georgian Dream’ party leading with 53 per cent, which will give it 90 out of 150 seats. This result, in the face of US-backed opposition, signals a setback for US policy in Georgia. The elections were attended by over 1,700 foreign observers from 76 international agencies and more than 23,000 local observers from 111 national organisations. The Georgian Dream party was established by billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili in 2012, and had initially been perceived as a pro-European party, but in recent years the party has shown signs that it is moving closer to Moscow.
MEXICO: The Mexican government has begun hiring more than 20,000 nurses and doctors as part of preparations for the program “Salud Casa por Casa” (Health from House to House). The program is aimed at providing public health services to senior citizens and people with disabilities in their homes. This social project, one of many promoted by newly elected president Claudia Sheinbaum, aims to improve the quality of life for these citizens through visits by medical personnel so that mobility-disadvantaged people do not have to travel. It will also reduce the overcrowding of hospital services. The Health and Welfare Census will also be carried out from October to December with the support of public servants who will visit 13.6 million people to collect health data. According to the program’s head, the census will determine the personalised attention scheme, in order to deliver a health diary in which the medical visits will be recorded every two months, as well as the procedures carried out by the personnel that will be hired.
HAITI: Haiti continues to be rocked by extreme gang violence. The spike in gang violence comes just months after the launch of a US-backed, but Kenyan-led mission aimed at crushing the gangs. Thousands of people have died violently and more than 700,000 have been left homeless. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world, and some activists are questioning how and where the gangs manage to get their funding and military hardware. Professor Jemima Pierre of the university of British Columbia has suggested a wider motive for US involvement in Haiti. The Haitian-American activist said: “Washington is now basically just manufacturing consent among the public that Haitans cannot govern their own country, since it’s profitable for the US to have a base in Haiti and control its resources with endless cheap labour.” Recent findings suggest Haiti might have some of the largest oil reserves in the world, potentially larger than those of Venezuela.
FRANCE: Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said that the Paris international conference for Lebanon raised the equivalent of AU$1,500 million in pledges for humanitarian and military support. More than 70 nations and numerous international organisations attended the conference.
AFGHANISTAN: Helmand province has banned all media from showing images of living things to ensure compliance with the Taliban morality law. The decision was announced by the Information Ministry offices. Helmand is the latest province to crack down on broadcasting and photography of humans and animals.
UKRAINE: Germany’s largest arms maker, Rheinmetall, which produces a vast array of weapons including Leopard tanks, stated that it would build four factories on Ukrainian soil. Moscow responded with a warning that such facilities are considered “legitimate targets” for Russian strikes. Or, as Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president wrote, “The German company Rheinmetall has launched the first of four military factories in Ukraine. As previously promised, we eagerly await a celebratory Russian ‘fireworks’ display right at the production site,” he wrote on social media and his Telegram channel, accompanying the message with a short video of an explosion.
