From the Nobel Peace Prize winners to welcoming new baby turtles in San Diego – Here’s your October 10 news briefing

From the Nobel Peace Prize winners to welcoming new baby turtles in San Diego – Here’s your October 10 news briefing
Anna Popova, project manager of the Center for Civil Liberties, speaks with journalists at their office, after it was announced the organisation had won the Nobel Peace Prize, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine October 7, 2022. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

To start off, we’re looking into:

Nobel Peace Prize shared among activists

Last week, the Nobel Prizes were awarded, including the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize. Winners promote peace in various ways, from human rights to disarmament. About a third of them have been shared among different people and organizations.

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on Friday and is shared among three winners. Human rights groups from Russia and Ukraine – Memorial and the Center for Civil Liberties – won the prize along with jailed Belarusian advocate Ales Bialiatski. They’re being rewarded for human rights advocacy and promoting democracy.

But some Ukrainians aren’t too happy with being put together with winners from Russia and Belarus. And the head of the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties has warned against putting the three together in a “Soviet narrative.”

Lead-up to the CCP Congress

China congress
FILE PHOTO: A visitor takes pictures in front of a screen displaying an image of Chinese President Xi Jinping, at the Museum of the Communist Party of China in Beijing, China September 3, 2022. REUTERS/Florence Lo

Only held every five years, Chinese Communist Party congresses are significant in appointing national leadership. During the weeklong congress, which kicks off October 16, all of the top-level party positions are confirmed, from the around 400 Central Committee members to the general secretary (now held by President Xi).

Most people are expecting President Xi to stay in power for a landmark third term. In 2018, the constitution was revised to remove the two-year term limit for the president, but Xi’s real power stems from his position as general secretary of the Party.

This year, China will be getting a new premier; Li Keqiang, who’s had the office for the last decade, isn’t constitutionally allowed to serve a third term. This position deals with the finance and commerce ministries and agencies that make decisions affecting banks, insurers and businesses.

Portugal opens up digital nomad visas

Portugal visa
Source: Hotels.com

At the end of this month, Portugal is opening up new digital nomad visas for people who want to work and stay there for up to a year. The guidelines around it are pretty lax – all you have to do is show proof of tax residency and a work contract. The last three months of your income must also be more than four times the country’s minimum wage, which is currently €705 (US$689) monthly.

Portugal has been a favorite destination for people seeking visas for a while now since the country has relaxed regulations for people trying to get European citizenship, and the cost of living is attractive. Now, you can try it out for a year before you decide to go all in with citizenship (unless the EU steps in and cracks down on these “golden visa" programs first).

To end, we’ll look into:

The US is still dealing with inflation

Economies around the world are in a bit of limbo right now. With record-high inflation, there’s essentially too much money circulating in the economy, meaning prices of everything from gas to food go up.

There are really two ways to deal with that problem. One is to raise interest rates, which plenty of central banks have been doing. The idea is that it reduces the money supply and cools down inflation. But, it also makes it harder for businesses to make money, which can lead to a recession.

The second option is to raise wages. This doesn’t solve the problem of inflation, but it makes it easier to cope with paying higher prices for everything.

Well, the US monthly job report for September just came out, and it turns out that wages are going up. On the one hand, the report shows that unemployment numbers went down. Plus, job openings declined sharply in August. But wages also grew 5% year over year in September, meaning that Americans have a little more money to pay for things. Though we don’t have the exact numbers for September’s inflation just yet, estimates have it just slightly over that 5% mark.

This is a big deal internationally, too. Because if the US is increasing wages, it could suggest inflation is not as under control as people think. That means the Fed will likely continue to raise interest rates to help slow down inflation as much as it can. Understandably, global markets aren’t the biggest fan of this approach – but they’re really having a hard time of it on every front lately.

In other news …

💣Ukraine and Russia developments: On Saturday, there was an explosion at a bridge in Crimea, which was key to supplying Russian troops in Ukraine. Then, on Sunday, a Russian missile attack hit residential buildings in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, killing at least 13 people and injuring 87 others, including 10 children.

🚅German rail sabotage: Over the weekend, parts of Germany’s rail system were shut down for hours. Cables necessary for the rail network in northern Germany were (allegedly) intentionally cut in two places, causing issues for passenger and cargo rail in that area.

💻Iran broadcaster hacked on-air:  A state-sponsored broadcaster in Iran was hacked while delivering news on Saturday night. The hacker instead showed a video of a cartoon mask with a beard and heavy brows, photos of Supreme Leader Khamenei with a target on his face and photos of Nika Shahkarami, Hadis Najafi, Mahsa Amini and Sarina Esmailzadeh (who all recently died in Iran). The phrases: “Join us and rise up" and “The blood of our youth is dripping from your grip" plus the social media info for hacker group Edaalat-e Ali (Ali’s Justice) also flashed on screen.

👩‍⚖️Hong Kong’s first security case involving minors: This weekend, five teenagers who were a part of a group supporting Hong Kong’s independence from China were sentenced to prison. The teens, some of whom were 15-18 at the time, have been found guilty of urging an “armed revolution,” causing this to become a national security case and the first of its kind dealing with minors.

The Pope clashes with Meloni:  Yesterday, Pope Francis defended migrants and referred to their exclusion as “scandalous, disgusting and sinful.” Meanwhile, upcoming Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and her right-wing party have been pretty vocal about cutting incoming immigration and building up Italy’s borders.

💬China, Elon Musk, and Taiwan re-unification: As tension continues between China and Taiwan, Elon Musk proposed a Hong Kong-like system for the region, suggesting it become a special administrative zone. China has already praised the idea, with Qin Gang, China’s ambassador to the US, thanking him.

🌎Limiting global flight emissions:  Nations all over the world have finally come up with a plan for curbing carbon (and other greenhouse gas) emissions from flights by 2050. After about a decade of hashing it out, a net-zero emission target will require some significant changes, including investments in more efficient planes and cleaner fuels.

🐢Baby turtles in San Diego Zoo:  The San Diego Zoo in California just welcomed 41 new turtle hatchlings into the world. After trying to breed a rare and endangered turtle species for over 20 years, zookeepers have finally been successful! These newcomers are Indian narrow-headed softshell turtles. Every single one of the 41 eggs found over the summer survived. D’awww.

Written and put together by Jake Shropshire, Vanessa Wolosz, Christine Dulion and Krystal Lai