China military drills
China has launched its largest-ever military exercises around Taiwan after a visit to the self-ruled island by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The maneuvers feature live-fire sea and air drills in multiple areas around Taiwan. The drills are taking place at some points as close as 20 kilometers from the island. The exercises kicked off on Tuesday and are slated to conclude next Sunday. The drills have drawn a strong reaction from Taiwan. The island said China fired multiple ballistic missiles into waters around Taiwan, condemning what it described as irrational actions that undermine peace. Taiwan also said it will 'uphold the principle of preparing for war without seeking war'.
UK recession
The UK will enter into a recession this year and the British economy is expected to face contraction. That’s according to a warning issued by the Bank of England. The Bank raised interest rates to 1.75% in an attempt to ride out inflation. It expects the economy to shrink in the final quarter of 2022. The contraction will persist until the end of next year. According to the Bank, the economic slowdown is largely blamed on soaring gas prices. The Bank has made a bleak assessment, warning British consumers will have to pay 3,500 pounds for an average energy bill in October. It predicts the hike in energy prices will push up inflation to around 13% in the coming winter. That’s while cost-of-living issues have already eroded people’s purchasing power.
US police brutality
Statistics show US police officers have killed over 700 Americans in the first seven months of the year and '440 others will likely be killed by the end of 2022'. Figures by the Mapping Police Violence Database show the number of lives taken by the police is on track to break a record in a few months. While officers are blamed for fatal shootings and acts of brutality in the United States, the increasing number of cases has dragged calls for transformative changes. In June, American officers fired 90 bullets at a 25-year-old man of color for a traffic violation.