The World Briefly

November 20, 2023

Any Means Necessary

Guatemala

Guatemalan prosecutors moved to strip President-elect Bernardo Arévalo of immunity from prosecution, a move that many critics and diplomats described as the latest by the government to keep the anti-graft politician from taking office in January, NPR reported. Prosecutors asked the country’s supreme court to strip...

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The World Briefly

November 20, 2023

Trail’s End

Senegal

Senegal’s supreme court dealt a major blow to embattled opposition leader Ousmane Sonko by effectively barring him from running for president in next year’s elections, the Associated Press reported. The high court nullified a decision by a lower court in the city of Ziguinchor – where...

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The World Briefly

November 17, 2023

Misery, Recognized

GazaIsrael

The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday passed a resolution calling for “urgent and extended humanitarian pauses” in the fighting, unhindered humanitarian assistance to civilians, and the release of all hostages held by Hamas and other groups, in what was its first unified statement on the war in Gaza since...

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The World Briefly

November 17, 2023

Small Expectations

China

US President Joe Biden met with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, this week for the first time in a year, a meeting aimed at preventing tensions between the world’s two largest economies from spiraling into conflict, Agence France-Presse reported. During the meeting at the Filoli estate...

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The World Briefly

November 17, 2023

Green Light

Haiti

Kenya’s parliament approved Thursday the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti, as part of a multinational mission aimed at helping the Caribbean country get a grip on its dire security situation, the Associated Press reported. The approval came months after Kenya announced it would lead...

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The World Briefly

November 16, 2023

No Outsourcing

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court ruled Wednesday that the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda for processing was unlawful, a verdict that deals a blow to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s policy to curb the number of migrants entering the country, CBS News reported. The...

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The World Briefly

November 16, 2023

A Long Way Down

Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court issued a symbolic ruling saying that the once-powerful Rajapaksa family, which ruled the nation for nearly two decades, were among those responsible for the worst economic crisis in the country’s history, Agence France-Presse reported. In 2022, Sri Lanka’s economy crashed. As...

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The World Briefly

November 16, 2023

A Little Shelter

Dominica

The Caribbean nation of Dominica will create the world’s first marine protected area for sperm whales, a move scientists say will help in the conservation of the endangered species, which in turn will help save the planet, the Associated Press reported. This week, the government announced...

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The World Briefly

November 15, 2023

A Little Soul Searching

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is planning to open its secret service archives containing the records of thousands of people convicted during the repressive regime of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, a move aimed at decolonizing the Soviet Union’s era in Central Asia, Radio Free Europe reported. Kazakh officials will release...

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The World Briefly

November 15, 2023

Sweeping the Neighborhood

Tuvalu

Australia will allow citizens of the Pacific Island nation of Tuvalu to claim asylum from the impacts of climate change, a benefit that is part of a deal aimed at curbing growing Chinese influence in the Asia-Pacific region, Reuters reported. The agreement, known as the Falepili...

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The World Briefly

November 15, 2023

See No Evil

Mexico

Thousands marched in Mexico’s capital Mexico City Monday night demanding justice for Jesús Ociel Baena, an influential LGBTQ figure who was found dead at his home in the central city of Aguascalientes after receiving death threats, the Los Angeles Times reported. Baena, the country’s first openly...

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The World Briefly

November 14, 2023

Whack-A-Mole Politics

United Kingdom

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appointed David Cameron as the country’s new foreign secretary Monday, in a shock comeback for the former prime minister remembered for introducing the 2016 referendum that led to the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union, Politico reported. Cameron’s appointment is...

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The World Briefly

November 14, 2023

A Race for the Future

Liberia

Liberian voters will go to the polls Tuesday to choose their next president and the direction of their country in a runoff vote following the tightest elections in two decades, Reuters reported. Incumbent President George Weah failed to secure enough votes in last month’s general election...

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The World Briefly

November 14, 2023

We Are Family

Colombia

A Colombian court ruled that a dog should be considered a family member and treated as such when a couple divorces, the first such ruling in the Latin American country, the Washington Post reported. The case centers on a dispute over the shared custody of a...

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The World Briefly

November 13, 2023

The Darkest Shades of Dire

Sudan

Sudanese paramilitaries and their allies took control of cities in Darfur from government forces, a major advance marked by reports of mass killings and fears of renewed ethnic violence in the restive western region, the Washington Post reported. “The capture of the cities, previously divided between...

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The World Briefly

November 13, 2023

Res Ipsa Loquitur

Turkey

Turkish opposition politicians and bar associations launched protests and legal actions across the country over the weekend in response to a major constitutional crisis that has raised concerns about Turkey’s judicial system, Voice of America reported. On Friday, hundreds of lawyers from across Turkey marched to...

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The World Briefly

November 13, 2023

In Bouffier’s Footsteps

Kenya

Kenya will celebrate a nationwide tree planting day Monday, a new public holiday that will see citizens plant trees across the country in an effort to tackle climate change, the Associated Press reported. Last week, Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki announced that Nov. 13 would be a...

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The World Briefly

November 10, 2023

Hostage Diplomacy

GazaIsrael

Israel has agreed to daily, four-hour pauses in operations inside Gaza to allow more civilians to leave the northern part of the enclave and let more humanitarian aid enter from Egypt, US officials said Thursday. The Israeli Defense Force said on Thursday it was conducting “tactical,...

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The World Briefly

November 10, 2023

Power in Numbers

Myanmar

A rebel alliance in Myanmar scored a series of battlefield victories against the country’s military government, an offensive that many observers believe is the biggest threat to the ruling junta since it seized power almost three years ago, the Washington Post reported. On Oct. 27, the...

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The World Briefly

November 10, 2023

J’Accuse

France

French Justice Minister Éric Dupont-Moretti went on trial this week for allegedly using his position to target other officials, the first minister in the country’s modern history to appear on trial while still in office, the Associated Press reported. Dupont-Moretti, whose case is being heard by...

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