Halloween, Ras el-Hekma and the TrickMo Trojan
#335 Outriders Magazine
Advancements in medical technology: Electric stitches and a new approach to rescue operations in high-risk areas
Researchers from Imperial College London and other institutions have developed a simple way for people in dangerous areas to create advanced medical equipment. They have created a toolkit that allows the locals to produce devices that can save the limbs of individuals injured in war or natural disasters. The experts have developed kits and provided manuals so local people can build external limb fixators on-site using conventional equipment. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, a workshop in eastern Poland sent a photo of a fixator they had made using the instructional kit. In the first days of the war, 150 of these fixators were used, according to the researchers.
Additionally, a new type of suture has been developed that utilizes muscle movement to accelerate the healing process in cells. The thread generates an electric current when the body moves due to friction. In an experiment on rats, this new, robust, flexible thread accelerated wound healing. Rodents with electric sutures recovered faster and developed fewer infections than rats with traditional or no treatment. After 24 hours of using the new sutures, fibroblasts had reduced the wound area from 69% to 11%. In contrast, untreated artificial wounds had shrunk from 69% to 33%. If the material is proven safe for humans, it could revolutionize the treatment of injuries, according to Chengyi Hou of Donghua University in Shanghai. The suture is made of biodegradable polymers and magnesium, a metal that the body absorbs over time.
Economic challenges in China and Ecuador, as well as the ongoing development in Egypt's Ras el-Hekma region
Frequent 10-hour power outages are detrimental to the Ecuadorian economy and could worsen due to drought. Despite abundant energy resources such as solar and hydroelectric power and substantial oil reserves, Ecuador has been held back by underinvestment and poor policy decisions. The country's heavy reliance on hydropower and limited private energy initiatives, coupled with a lack of generators in approximately 70% of homes, have exacerbated the issue of power outages.
China has announced plans to "significantly increase" its debt to stimulate its economy, but the exact size of the stimulus package remains uncertain. Among its initiatives, China aims to assist local governments in managing debt, provide subsidies to low-income individuals, support the real estate market, and bolster state-owned banks. The world's second-largest economy is grappling with deflationary pressures and striving to boost consumer confidence.
Modon Holding has been designated as the primary developer for Egypt's Ras el-Hekma megaproject. This $10 billion greenfield city will revamp Egypt's northern coast with residential, commercial, and hospitality facilities. This project aligns with Egypt's broader strategy to diversify and sustainably develop its economy by investing in crucial tourism and real estate sectors. The completion of the project is anticipated by the end of 2030.
Environmental concerns for 2023: widespread droughts, deforestation, and loss of biodiversity
According to the UN Meteorological Agency, 2023 will be the driest year for rivers in over three decades. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also reports that glaciers feeding rivers have lost the most mass this year in the past five decades in many countries. The melting ice poses a threat to the long-term water security of millions of people worldwide. About 3.6 billion people have inadequate access to water for at least one month of the year, and this number is expected to rise to 5 billion by 2050. The WMO states that 70% of all water drawn from water systems is used for agriculture.
Despite promises made by the governments of 140 countries, deforestation is increasing globally, driven by the demand for beef, soy, paper, palm oil, and nickel. According to a research group Climate Focus report, almost 6.4 million hectares of forest were cleared in 2023. Additionally, nearly 63 million hectares of forest have been degraded due to road construction, logging, and fires. A commitment to achieve zero deforestation by 2030 was made at the UN COP26 climate summit in 2021. Some countries progressing towards the 2030 deforestation target include Brazil, Australia, Colombia, Paraguay, Venezuela, and Vietnam.
The Living Planet Report, a comprehensive review of the state of the natural world, reveals that global wildlife populations have declined by an average of 73% over the past 50 years. The report is based on the Living Planet Index, which tracks more than 5,000 populations of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish over five decades.
Current political landscapes in Georgia, Bulgaria, and Hungary
The European Union is concerned that Georgia's new legislation targeting LGBTQ+ rights could influence other post-socialist EU countries like Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Hungary. This violates the rights of the LGBTQ+ community and raises worries about the growing influence of pro-Russian ideologies. The Georgian law restricts the promotion of same-sex relationships and incest in schools and on television, bans gender reassignment, and prohibits homosexuals from adopting. The EU believes that Georgia is aligning more closely with Russia and moving further away from the European community.
Bulgarian MP Ceyhan Ibramov has been arrested on suspicion of trading in influence and accepting money to illegally buy votes ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for late October. Ibramov is closely associated with Ahmed Dogan, the founder of the Turkish minority party Movement for Rights and Freedoms (DPS), which is currently experiencing a crisis. The Turkish minority makes up about 10% of Bulgaria’s population, and MRF and Dogan have always presented themselves as advocates for an ethnic settlement in the country.
The Hungarian government has denied involvement in a € 9.2 million loan from Magyar bankholding (MBH) to the far-right Spanish party Vox. The € loan financed the Spanish National Conservatives’ campaigns in the 2023 general and local elections. MBH is Hungary’s second-largest bank and is 30.5% state-owned, with another 50% likely owned by Prime Minister Victor Orbán’s allies.
Strategies for reducing food waste and promoting sustainable practices for Halloween celebrations
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) estimates that 17% of global food production is wasted, and about the same amount is lost, meaning that about a third of all food produced is not eaten. Public campaigns and several small-scale initiatives in Denmark reduced food waste by 25% between 2010 and 2015. REMA 1000, Denmark’s largest discount chain, ended its “buy two, get one free” bulk discounts and began selling bananas individually. The amount of bananas wasted fell from as many as 100 daily to around 10.
In County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, local businesses and supermarkets donate fresh, perishable food that would otherwise end up in landfill to community causes as part of a Community Fridge initiative. The food is sent to a community fridge, which saves 10 tonnes of food, or 24,000 meals. The Community Fridge Network is coordinated by Hubbub, a UK charity dedicated to promoting sustainability and protecting the environment.
To have a sustainable Halloween, it's essential to consider the environmental impact of Halloween costumes. Costumes designed to be worn once can contain lead, cadmium, and BPA, which harm humans. Studies show that when we overheat in a plastic costume, our sweat leaches the dangerous chemicals from the synthetic materials. Proposition 65 requires Halloween companies to label all products that contain these carcinogens and are harmful to reproduction.
Undocumented migrations from Nigeria, South Africa, and foreign nationals in Lebanon
In 2009, fighting broke out between government forces and Islamist militants from Boko Haram in Nigeria’s northeastern state of Borno, causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes. Authorities have been resettling them for over a year. Still, Nigerians argue that it's not safe to return, and analysts believe the resettlement program is being rushed to imply that the conflict with Boko Haram is ending. There are nearly 900,000 internally displaced people in camps in Borno state.
South Africa's crackdown on illegal migration has led to the deportation of many Malawians back to their country. According to the 2022 census, which aimed to count people regardless of their immigration status, South Africa has about 2.4 million foreign-born people out of 62 million, including citizens of Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, and just under 200,000 Malawians. Unemployment in South Africa has fueled xenophobia against other Africans, leading to periodic anti-immigration violence.
In war-torn Lebanon, thousands of African nationals, many of them migrant domestic workers, are stranded and face discrimination. They have struggled to access emergency shelters after their Lebanese employers abandoned them in the conflict zone. Lebanese authorities have been accused of prioritizing the safety of their citizens and discriminating against foreigners. According to the IOM, Lebanon is home to over 175,000 migrants from 98 countries.
Terrorism and separatist movements in Pakistan
In the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, specifically in the Kurram district in the northwest of the country, more than a dozen people have lost their lives in tribal clashes. Earlier, there were days of deadly clashes between armed Shiites and Sunnis over a land dispute. Despite generally peaceful coexistence, tensions between these groups have existed in some areas for decades, particularly in Kurram.
A suicide bombing near the Karachi airport in Pakistan resulted in the deaths of two Chinese nationals and injuries to at least ten others. The Chinese embassy in Pakistan described the explosion as a "terrorist attack" targeting a convoy of Chinese engineers working on an energy project in Sindh province. The project involves the construction of two coal-fired power plants in Port Qasim, near Karachi. The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), known for attacks on Chinese nationals involved in development projects in Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack.
Furthermore, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) targeted a coal mine in the Dukki district, resulting in the deaths of numerous people. The separatists alleged that undercover Pakistani intelligence agents were operating the mine. Balochistan is home to several groups seeking independence from Pakistan's federal government, accusing it of exploiting the province's oil and mineral resources at the expense of the local population.
Global cybersecurity threats, including hacker attacks and the banking trojan TrickMo targeting Android devices
An account on the X platform, SN_BlackMeta, associated with the pro-Palestinian hacking movement, has claimed responsibility for an attack on the non-profit organization The Internet Archive. The attack exposed the data of 31 million people, including their email addresses, usernames, and encrypted passwords. The operation involved Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, temporarily blocking the organization's website. The Internet Archive's digital library stores billions of websites, texts, audio recordings, videos, and applications.
Ukrainian hackers from the "BO Team" attacked and disabled state-owned Russian digital media channels and the websites of local courts. The hackers allegedly deleted court documents and rulings from the system's database. According to the pro-Kremlin website Gazeta.ru, the attack paralyzed state-owned television stations Rossiya-1, Rossiya-24, Rossiya Kultura, Karusel, and about 80 regional television and radio stations. The "BO Team" stated that the attack was carried out on the occasion of Vladimir Putin's 72nd birthday.
New variants of the banking Trojan called TrickMo for Android include previously undocumented features for stealing the device's unlock pattern or PIN. According to experts, "this add-on allows the attacker to operate on the device even when it is locked." TrickMo is associated with the TrickBot cybercrime group and can take remote control of infected devices and steal one-time passwords (OTPs) based on SMS messages.