Apr 26, 2024
ICYMI: News Round-Up for April 22-26, 2024
Here are just a few of the news events that happened over the past week:
- Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments began at Columbia University and quickly spread to other elite institutions. Although arrests are taking place at campuses around the country, the situation heated up in Austin, Texas. Viral videos circulated showing state troopers clad in riot gear arresting protesters.
- The UK’s controversial Rwanda Bill–which would see asylum seekers sent to the African nation–becomes law after weeks of parliamentary deadlock. Critics of the bill accuse the country of shirking its responsibility to help migrants. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak argues that the bill will save lives and money.
- The Pentagon announced that the U.S. military is constructing a temporary pier on the coast of Gaza. The goal is for the pier to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid by early May. Nearly the entire population of Gaza is now facing acute food insecurity.
- The Colombian government introduced incentives to curb electricity use. A severe drought is straining the country's power grid, which is typically supplied by hydroelectric dams. Fossil fuel imports are expected to make up the difference.
- Facing increased pressure from the U.S. and regional allies, President Xi shook up the structure of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA). The re-org deleted a branch created in 2015 and created new branches dedicated to space, cybersecurity, logistics, and more.
- Legislation has been signed into law that provides a $95 billion security assistance package to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. The bill also paves the way for a forced sale of TikTok, though the company is holding firm. TikTok CEO, Shou Zi Chew, stated "The facts, and the Constitution, are on our side... rest assured, we aren't going anywhere."
- A string of disappointing IPOs in Hong Kong underscored the struggles of Asia’s worst-performing market. The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) announced measures aimed at easing trading rules, as well as encouraging Chinese companies to list in Hong Kong.
Side note: A Voronoi user asked what ICYMI means. It's an acronym for "in case you missed it", which seemed like a decent name for a news round-up.