By Umamah Bakharia

Analyst Scott Lucas updates on world events that has been occurring.

UK’s PM Boris Johnson under fire for last year’s Christmas party

UK’s PM Boris Johnson claiming that there was no Christmas party held last year despite a lockdown.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson apologises after a video surfaced showing his staff laughing and joking about a party at Johnson’s residence in Downing Street during a Christmas COVID-19 lockdown last year even though such festivities were banned.

“It was negligence,” says Lucas.

Johnson said he was furious about the video, but that he had been repeatedly assured there had not been a party.

Opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer accused Johnson of “taking the public for fools”, while Ian Blackford of the Scottish National Party called for Johnson to resign.

Russia plans to invade Ukraine

In a video meeting, Biden warns Putin against a Ukraine invasion

In a video call, US President Biden and Russia’s leadership, Vladimir Putin, Biden voiced worry over Russian troop build-ups near the border of Ukraine and called for a de-escalation of tensions.

“Russia has almost a 100 000 troops on the border, it has more support personal and they have been cyber operations, propaganda and misinformation which could signal a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” says Lucas.

However, Russia denies that it will invade Ukraine. Putin is accusing Ukraine of incitement, and pursued guarantees against eastward Nato expansion and deployment of weapons close to Russia.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the Biden administration was preparing specific responses that will be enforced if required.

Crown Prince MBS on a Gulf tour

Mohammed bin Salman will visit Oman, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait before annual GCC summit this month.

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) embarked on a tour of Gulf Arab states ahead of an annual Gulf summit this month amidst crucial talks aimed at recovering a nuclear pact between Iran and the West.

Omicron variant becoming a “South African” starter

Scientist and doctors still trying to figure out how much of a threat the Omicron variant is.

The South Africa Department of Health, along with the National Institute for Communicable Disease and the Africa Health Research Institute, announced that they have identifies a new SARS-CoV-2 variant, Omicron.

One nation after another shut its doors to southern Africa countries after the discovery of the new variant.

President Cyril Ramaphosa as well as other African countries raised their concerns over this and argued that this is a case of “afrophobia” and that people are bringing a “health apartheid” up where there is insufficient evidence.

“Until you get immunity which isn’t just for countries that can afford it or countries that are the main manufacturers of the vaccines, then they are no borders on where omicron can immerge,” says Lucas.

At the G20 summit held in Rome this year, South Africa stressed the need for more vaccine distribution.

“Unless you deal with the fact that vaccines are for every country not just for some, omicron will not be the last variant that we see,” says Lucas.

China’s property companies have gone bankrupt

China Evergrande, which was once the country’s second-largest real estate developer, is drowning in debt. Around 1.5 million people have put deposits on the construction of new homes but they have still not been built.

“The Chinese property market is over-heated, there is a lot of borrowing & excessive credit for companies to build for major construction projects,” says Lucas.

If property developers collapse in China, it would create systemic risks for the banking system of the world’s second-largest richest economy.