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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   150 thread views

Transnational Thursday for August 21, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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UN declaration of famine

The FRC considers the analysis team’s current classification (IPC Phase 5 Famine with reasonable evidence) to be plausible

While it is possible that based on the data available as of 15 August, the food entering in August may meet the estimated 62,000 MT threshold of needs, this remains unclear. Even so, this would still not be sufficient to reverse the catastrophic levels of hunger and suffering, given the many months that this threshold was not met prior.

Wheat flour has seen major price fluctuations—up to USD 30 in June and coming back down to around USD 15 in July.

Food utilization in terms of preparation remains extremely hampered by the complete lack of fuel and cooking gas to prepare food, forcing households to increasingly rely on burning rubbish across all governorates, particularly in Gaza Governorate (73%).37 No cooking gas has entered the Strip since February 2025.38 Staple foods, such as lentils and wheat flour, if poorly cooked are not well digested by the body, reducing the body’s ability to fully absorb and use the nutrients

My best guess:

  • Technical threshold of IPC level 5 (2 deaths in 10K people) probably not met
  • Effects of declaration of the technical threshold met unclear. If the UN was widely respected and trusted, it could have been a Schelling point. Israel disputes it.

North Korea has a secret base near China with missiles that could reach the U.S., a new report from CSIS says

Massacres in eastern Congo cast doubt on U.S. mediated peace deal

Belarus says it is looking at how to arm its missile systems with nuclear warheads

Sweden to build more nuclear plants with US or UK technology

A Russian military drone crashed in Eastern Poland during the night, causing an explosion that residents reported but resulted in no injuries. Radar systems did not detect the drone

Russian military drone crashes and explodes in eastern Poland, defence minister says

Putin demands Ukraine quit Donbas, drop NATO plans in peace proposal

Italian police arrest Ukrainian man over Nord Stream pipeline attacks

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