Global Hacking Campaign Accusations, COVID-19 Vaccine Protests, and Olympics Prep Challenges

Strategic Insights -

Over the past week, the international community has been abuzz with accusations of a global hacking campaign against the United States and China's COVID-19 vaccination strategy protests, as well as preparations underway for the Olympics in Tokyo. Despite the Biden administration's accusation that China is behind a massive hacking campaign, including the Microsoft Exchange email server software hack, no concrete punitive steps have been announced against Beijing. Meanwhile, protests in France against President Emmanuel Macron's new vaccination strategy have escalated, with over 100,000 people taking to the streets to express their opposition.

Key Takeaways:

  • The US, along with NATO, the European Union, Britain, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Canada, has accused China's Ministry of State Security of orchestrating a global cyber-hacking campaign, including the Microsoft Exchange email server software hack.
  • China has not commented on the accusation, and no concrete punitive steps have been announced against Beijing.
  • Protests against President Emmanuel Macron's new COVID-19 vaccination strategy have escalated in France, with over 100,000 people taking to the streets.
  • The protests have turned violent, with some demonstrators wearing yellow stars and comparing Macron's policy to Nazi persecution.
  • The UK has lifted nearly all coronavirus restrictions, dubbed "Freedom Day," despite facing a growing number of infections.
  • Chris Whitty, the UK's chief medical officer, has warned that a COVID-19 surge could get Britain into "trouble surprisingly fast."
  • The conflict in northern Ethiopia has taken another turn, with Tigrayan rebels pushing into the neighboring Amhara region.
  • The Ethiopian government has announced it is ending a ceasefire and going on the offensive.
  • A senior fellow for Africa studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, Michelle Gavin, has called for Eritrean forces to be withdrawn from Ethiopia.
  • Artist Maite Gomez-Rejón uses art from different eras of history to inspire her culinary projects and give visitors a sensory experience.
  • The Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay is set to host canoeing and rowing events at the Olympics, but has undergone a major clean-up of 14 tons of oysters that attached to floats intended to stop waves from bouncing back across the water.
  • The cost of cleaning up the 3.4-mile route from shellfish was around $1.2 million.

Statistics:

  • Over 100,000 people in France have protested against President Emmanuel Macron's new COVID-19 vaccination strategy.
  • At least 120 people have died, and more than 1,300 are missing in devastating floods in western Germany and Belgium.
  • A quarter of the Cuban population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
  • The UK has lifted nearly all coronavirus restrictions, despite facing a growing number of infections.
  • The cost of cleaning up the 3.4-mile route from shellfish in Tokyo Bay was around $1.2 million.

Sources:

  • CBS News: "US Global Allies Blame China for Microsoft Exchange Hack"
  • Reuters: "US Allies Accuse China of Global Cyber Hacking Campaign"
  • The New York Times: "Microsoft Hacking Suspect Believed to Be Linked to China"
  • The Hill: "Protests in France Continue to Grow After Macron Enacts New COVID-19 Vaccination Strategy"
  • Al Jazeera: "French Police Tear Gas as Anti-Vaccine Protest Turns Violent"
  • AP News: "Europe's Health Crisis: A Rising Concern Amid Pandemic"
  • NBC News: "UK Preps for 'Freedom Day' Despite Soaring COVID-19 Cases"
  • Independent: "COVID-19 Surge in the UK Could Get the Country into 'Trouble Surprisingly Fast'"
  • PRI: "Eritrean Forces Have to Get Out of Ethiopia, Analyst Says"
  • PRI: "This Artist Wants You to Take a Bite Out of Art History"
  • BBC News: "Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo Bay to Host Olympics, After Oyster Clean-Up"
  • Twitter: Freshwater Mollusk Conservation Society