Friday Risk Watch: September 8, 2023

Stay ahead of potential risks and ensure the safety of your employees with?Friday Risk Watch, a weekly newsletter curated by our?Global Intelligence Team.

Expect?updates on emerging risks, geopolitical developments, weather forecasts, etc. We'll notify you of the latest incidents that could impact your organization, allowing you to make informed decisions and mitigate potential risks.

What We're Watching:?

Hurricane Lee?Rapidly Intensifies Into a Category 5 Hurricane: Life-threatening rip currents and large swells will develop across the coastal Northern Antilles and the U.S. Eastern Seaboard. Residents in Bermuda, the Canadian Maritimes, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Northeast U.S. should closely monitor this hurricane, which has become the strongest Atlantic storm of the 2023 season.?

• Lee's core will likely?pass north?of the Leeward Islands through Tuesday. Expect life-threatening rip currents and large swells along the northern shorelines of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos, and the Eastern Bahamas.??
• A pronounced dip in the jet stream near the U.S. East Coast will likely steer the storm northward early next week, possibly averting direct impacts on the Southeast U.S.?
• Between September 13 - 15, the storm is expected to track northward between the Carolinas and Bermuda. Significant forecast changes are still possible, given the extended-range nature of the forecast. Bermuda faces a heightened risk of severe tropical storm impacts as the system makes a close pass.?
• Between September 14 - 17, long-range model data supports the potential for direct impacts from a weakening though still powerful system along Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Coastal sections of New England should also monitor potential westward shifts in track. It is important to note that track forecasts beyond five days can be quite large and result in track shifts spanning hundreds of miles.??

Brazil, Greece, China Hit With Devastating Flooding:?Southern Brazil, Greece, and parts of Eastern China, including Hong Kong, are simultaneously contending with severe to locally catastrophic flooding.??

• In Southern Brazil,?the death toll stands at 40?following days of unprecedented floods. Officials in Rio Grande do Sul have declared a public calamity following reports of at least 57,000 people indirectly affected and over 3,500 displaced. The situation is expected to worsen through Friday as another rainmaker moves through.??
• In Greece,?historic rain amounts?fell between early Tuesday and late Thursday. Some mountainous areas received between 24 - 32 inches of rain. Officials report there have been 4,870 storm-related calls for assistance since Tuesday. Most calls stem from Thessalia, the hardest-hit region. The country's National Defense is rescuing trapped residents while improving weather is expected through the weekend.?
• Eastern China is still dealing with the?remnants of Typhoon Haikui. The storm prompted the evacuation of 36,000 residents in low-lying areas of Fuzhou City, which recorded over 22 inches of rain. By early Friday, intense rain shifted farther south and west into Eastern Guangdong Province and Hong Kong, where life-threatening flooding may continue through the weekend. Travel was crippled in Hong Kong following record-breaking rain amounts.?

Climate Demonstrations Kick Off Across Europe:?Climate activists in the Netherlands and Germany plan to conduct disruptive demonstrations against the automotive and fossil fuel industries this weekend. The actions are part of global protest activity ahead of the UN climate summit later this month.??

• In The Hague, Extinction Rebellion activists intend to block the A12 motorway on Saturday. Supporters of the climate activist group began walking towards the South Holland capital last week. Police?arrested?over 1,500 demonstrators during a similar blockade in May.?
• Environmental activists are staging a disruptive protest campaign in Munich, the site of the IAA Mobility convention. At least 29 demonstrators were arrested for blocking roads and other activities. Disruptions will likely continue through Sunday when activists plan to gather in Munich's Luitpoldpark for a "large demonstration" that coincides with the end of IAA events.?
• This weekend's protest activity highlights a global ramp-up ahead of the UN's Climate Ambition Summit on September 20 in Manhattan. Fridays for Future will hold "global climate strikes" on September 15 and 17, accompanied by dozens of demonstrations in cities worldwide by the "Fight Fossil Fuel" movement.

Delhi Prepares to Host G20 Summit:?India's capital has seen a mass influx of security forces and movement restrictions ahead of the next summit of the Group of 20 (G20), which runs from Saturday to Sunday. The extensive safety measures are intended to deter demonstrators, terrorist threats, and criminal activity. However, with its guest list of world leaders and other high-profile attendees, the summit remains an attractive target for various groups.?

• Around 130,000 security personnel will be deployed, extensive traffic and area restrictions are in place, and authorities have declared Friday and Sunday public holidays—ordering?all schools, banks, and commercial businesses in the New Delhi Police District to close.?
• While officials restricted public gatherings throughout Delhi, demonstrators will likely target the event. Previous G20 gatherings have attracted demonstrations that, in some cases, ended in clashes with local police. Delhi authorities have?reportedly?identified 22 national and international organizations that could stage actions.?
• Delhi officials?state?that the city is on high alert for potential terrorist activity.?

Israel Supreme Court to Hear Challenges to Reasonableness Law Amid Protests:?A legal challenge to the first part of the government's ongoing campaign to overhaul the judiciary is sparking an increase in protest activity. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear challenges to a recently passed law that restricts the court's ability to review the "reasonableness" of government decisions.??

• In addition to weekly Saturday demonstrations that have drawn hundreds of thousands into the streets, organizers plan to rally on Monday at 6:00 p.m. in front of the High Court in Jerusalem. Reform opponents also began a series of marches yesterday, with planned rallies in Kfar Giladi on Saturday and Be'er Sheva on Sunday.??
• The battle over the judicial reform effort is far from over. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana?suggested?Wednesday that the government would not accept a decision nullifying the reasonableness law, which, in addition to sparking further protests, would likely trigger strikes in key sectors.??
• Regardless, demonstration activity is expected to increase over the coming weeks as the?Supreme Court prepares for further hearings?on September 19 and 28, while the Knesset returns to session in October.

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