Cyclone makes landfall in Greece
A strong cyclone struck the coast of Greece on Sept. 18, according to The New York Times. The cyclone, named Ianos, caused high levels of rain, winds of at least 75 mph and flooding across the country. Greece issued its highest alert warning for the storm. Mediterranean hurricanes, or “Medicanes,” have been occurring more frequently since the 1990s due to increasing global temperatures.
President of Peru faces impeachment
Martín Vizcarra, the President of Peru, faced an impeachment hearing held by the opposing party on Sept. 18, according to the Associated Press. It appeared that lawmakers would not be able to reach the required two-thirds majority vote needed to remove him from office and the hearing was criticized for being “hasty and poorly timed.” The conflict was largely based around Vizcarra’s contracts with musician Richard Swing, stating that the contracts were “questionable.”
Iran faces rising COVID-19 cases
Iran has been seeing new daily COVID-19 case numbers in the 3,000s, which may be indicative of the country’s “third wave” of the virus, according to The Guardian. Case numbers have been comparable to those from February when Iran was one of the first locations outside of China to see outbreaks. The country experienced an increase in cases earlier in the summer as well, but the cases decreased again by August. The director of the National Coronavirus Control Centre, Iraj Harirchi, said the death toll could increase from just below 24,000 to 45,000 as flu season arrives.
UK considering second lockdown
Facing rising hospital admissions and infection rates, the UK is reportedly considering restrictions ahead of another predicted wave of COVID-19 cases. According to Reuters, when Prime Minister Boris Johnson was asked about a second lockdown, he stated “‘I don’t want to get into a second national lockdown at all.’” However, he did not rule out potential new or re-implemented restrictions to slow the spread of COVID-19. Cases in the country have nearly doubled and the UK has reported the fifth-highest number of deaths in the world due to the virus.
