A WEEK IN BRIEF
A Week in Brief: Volume XIV
A Week in Brief: Sunday, 17 July to Saturday, 23 July 2022
Saturday, 23 July 2022…
A railway in Kirovohrad Oblast, killing three people and injuring scores of other individuals, is targeted with missiles. It is reported, on Saturday, 23 July 2022, thirteen Russian missiles hit the railway. Meanwhile, elsewhere, reports coming in from Odesa reveal renewed missile attacks targeting the city.
The attacks, as Ambassador Bridget A. Brink correctly observes, come less than 24-hours after Russia and Ukraine sign a UN-backed grain agreement. The agreement, if it ever gets off the ground, would see the export of millions of tonnes of grain from blockaded Black Sea ports.
“Outrageous. Russia strikes the port city of Odesa less than 24 hours after signing an agreement to allow shipments of agricultural exports. The Kremlin continues to weaponize food. Russia must be held to account,” tweeted Brink.
Friday, 22 July 2022…
The Nuclear Regulation Authority of Japan, on Friday, 22 July 2022, formally approves the release of tons of treated water from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant into the Pacific Ocean. Treated water, amounting to millions of tons, will be released. The exact tonnage has not been specified.
Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, each day, produces 140 cubic metres of contaminated water. The contaminated water, before removal, is filtered to remove various radionuclides and moved to storage tanks. The site currently holds at least 1.29 million tonnes of treated water.
Thursday, 21 July 2022…
Taiwan’s electricity usage, with extreme temperatures as high as 40.7 °C (105.3 °F) recorded at a station in Yuli, soars beyond 40 GW for the first time. Such temperatures, noting the heatwave impacting the entire country, have previously reached as high as 40.2 °C (104.4 °F).
Curiously, because the measurement came from an automated station, Taiwanese authorities have yet to confirm the recent meteorological findings. Meanwhile, elsewhere, a record feverish temperature of 38.5 °C (104.4 °F) is recorded in Taiwan’s Kaohsiung.
Wednesday, 20 July 2022…
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Foreign Minister, says his country’s military goals are no longer limited to the Donbas region and have expanded to also include “the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region, and [several] other territories”.
Tuesday, 19 July 2022…
Another day of extreme heat, noting temperatures reaching as high as 40.3 °C (104.5 °F), hits the British Isles. London Fire Brigade reports a “huge surge” in fires. Several Wennington homes have been reported destroyed. Wennington, situated on the outskirts of East London, has been experiencing historically feverish temperatures. No casualties have been reported.
Monday, 18 July 2022…
It has been revealed, in recent days, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has questioned Iryna Venediktova’s loyalty. Venediktova, Ukraine’s prosecutor general, is suspected of being a spy for the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
Both Venediktova and Ivan Bakanov, now formally the head of the SBU, have been dismissed from their respective positions. Citing multiple cases, references instances where agency officers have collaborated with Russian counterparts in occupied territories, suspicions appear validated.
Sunday, 17 July 2022…
Millions of Britons tune into watch ITV’s Britain’s Next Prime Minister: The ITV Debate. Britain’s Next Prime Minister: The ITV Debate was televised live at 19:00 (7:00 pm GMT) on Sunday 17th July 2022 on ITV.
The hour-long debate, hosted by Julie Etchingham, saw Rishi Sunak, Penny Mordaunt, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, and Kemi Badenoch vying for leadership of the Conservative Party. The victor, when Conservative Party members vote, will automatically become Britain’s next Prime Minister.
The dominance of television as a viewing medium is history. ITV executives, recognising not everyone relies on television for their viewing habits, looked to other platforms to draw viewers to the debate. Britain’s Next Prime Minister: The ITV Debate was made available via the ITV Hub, ITV.com/news, YouTube channel, Facebook, and Twitter.
People must understand, when it comes to party leadership, only party members get to vote. This isn’t a general election debate. Only Conservative Party members get to decide Britain’s next Prime Minister. Both Theresa May and Boris Johnson, in 2016 and 2019 respectively, automatically became Prime Minister when party members elected them to lead the Conservative Party.