The selected cartoons appeared first in other publications, either in print or online, or on social media, and are credited appropriately.
In this week’s featured cartoon, Firoozeh Mozaffari takes a dig at the Taliban regime in Afghanistan for their U-turn on girls’ high schools, which were ordered to shut Wednesday just hours after they were allowed to reopen for the first time in six months. Only boys’ schools and girls’ primary schools have been allowed to stay open since the Taliban takeover in August last year.
Henny Beaumont comments on the pressure being faced from all angles by embattled British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, amid rising costs of living, surging Covid cases — which rose by a million in one week — and climate change, with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine only adding to his troubles.
Also alluding to the UK’s cost of living crisis, Peter Brookes refers to Putin’s aim to reduce Ukraine to subservience, while the human cost of the war rises. As of 23 March, there had been at least 977 civilian casualties, including 81 children, according to the UN. Both sides are also thought to have suffered major military casualties.
Carlos Latuff highlights the efforts being made by the US to reach out to Venezuela, an ally of Russia with which Washington has poor relations, to boost global crude oil supplies. This comes amid a sharp oil price rise triggered by sanctions imposed on Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Biden administration officials met Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — who the US does not officially consider the legitimate president — and discussed the possibility of easing sanctions on Venezuelan oil exports.
Dave Brown takes a dig at the emergency NATO summit held in Brussels, at which the alliance’s member states condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine but did not announce new sanctions, a no-fly zone over Ukraine or direct military support with fighter jets.