The World Briefly

February 13, 2023

Divisions Unto Divisions

Ethiopia

Orthodox Tewahedo Church officials met with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed over the weekend, defusing tensions temporarily over a developing schism within the religious institution that has prompted deadly clashes and social media restrictions in the country over the past few weeks, Africanews reported. Following the meeting,...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 13, 2023

Get Out

Nicaragua

The Nicaraguan government released more than 200 political prisoners in recent days, many of whom were flown to the United States, a move that officials and analysts said could lead to dialogue between Washington and Managua, CNN reported. A Nicaraguan judge announced the release of 222...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 13, 2023

A Rock, a Hard Place

Moldova

Moldova’s pro-European Union government collapsed over the weekend, after facing intense Russian pressure due to the war in Ukraine, Politico reported. Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilița announced Friday that she and her cabinet were stepping down after 18 months in office, citing there was not enough support...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 10, 2023

The Forsaken

SyriaTurkey

Foreign relief and rescue workers have poured into Turkey and Syria this week following the devastating earthquakes and aftershocks that have killed over 21,000 people, even as locals are furious over the lack of help, the Washington Post reported. Around 70 countries and 14 international organizations...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 10, 2023

The Puppetmaster

Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin likely approved the transfer of the missile system to Russian-backed separatists who shot down the Malaysia Airlines aircraft over Ukraine in 2014, according to the investigators probing the downing of the jet that killed all 298 passengers and crew, the Wall...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 10, 2023

Down It Goes

Brazil

Brazil’s navy sunk a decommissioned aircraft carrier this month, prompting intense criticism from officials and environmental groups around the world who said the vessel was packed with toxic materials, including asbestos, Radio France Internationale reported. Navy officials conducted the “planned and controlled sinking” of the 35,000-ton...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 09, 2023

Thanks, But No Thanks

Uganda

Ugandan officials said they wouldn’t renew the mandate of the United Nations human rights office in the country, claiming the East African nation has made progress in developing a domestic capacity to monitor such issues, Al Jazeera reported Wednesday. The Ugandan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 09, 2023

The Long Road Back

Haiti

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry formally installed a transition council this week that is to help usher the crisis-plagued Caribbean country toward long-overdue elections, Reuters reported. Henry said the creation of the High Transition Council marks the “beginning of the end of dysfunction in our democratic...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 09, 2023

Monetizing Rejection

Singapore

A Singaporean man is suing a woman for more than $2 million in damages after she rebuffed his romantic advances and told him she saw him as a friend, in a case observers say underscores issues of sexism and misogyny faced by women in Singapore,...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 08, 2023

Ruling on Responsibility

South Korea

A South Korean court ordered the government to compensate a Vietnamese woman who was wounded by South Korean troops during the Vietnam War, in a test case that could pave the way for similar lawsuits, the Associated Press reported. The case concerns 62-year-old Nguyen Thi Thanh,...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 08, 2023

Posthumous Victory

Ecuador

A mayoral candidate in Ecuador, who was gunned down hours before polls opened, won the elections in the western city of Puerto López this week, even as the murder underscores the rising tide of crime in the South American nation, the BBC reported Tuesday. On Saturday,...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 08, 2023

‘Changing the Equation’

Israel

Israeli lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that would strip Israeli citizenship or residency from individuals convicted of terrorism and who receive financial support for violent acts from the Palestinian Authority (PA), the Times of Israel reported. The bill – introduced by the conservative ruling...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 07, 2023

Tragedy After Tragedy

SyriaTurkey

Rescuers continued into Tuesday morning combing structures reduced to rubble in their search for survivors from Monday’s massive earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people in Turkey and Syria, in one of the largest quakes to hit the area in hundreds of years, the Guardian...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 07, 2023

The 47

Hong Kong

Hong Kong’s largest national security trial began Monday with dozens of prominent pro-democracy advocates facing life imprisonment, proceedings that some believe mark the end of the city’s once vibrant political opposition against mainland China, the Financial Times reported. The trial focuses on 47 defendants who were...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 07, 2023

Making Exceptions

Canada

The Canadian government withdrew elements of its proposed gun-control legislation this week, following opposition from various organizations, including Indigenous groups who complained that the bill impacted their livelihoods, the Wall Street Journal reported. Last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau rolled out a bill that would formally...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 06, 2023

Balloon Wars

China

China on Sunday criticized the United States’ decision to shoot down a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon flying over US territory, an incident that further strained relations between the world’s two largest economies, The Hill reported. China admitted the balloon was their property but dismissed allegations it...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 06, 2023

The Contemporary Saint

Ireland

Ireland has long honored St. Patrick, as have many in Europe and elsewhere, often by wearing green and drinking pints. Now, the country is moving to honor another saintly figure from its past – St. Brigid of Kildare – by creating an official holiday starting...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 06, 2023

Tightening Grip

Myanmar

Myanmar’s junta imposed martial law in strongholds of anti-military resistance this week, a move aimed at stamping out the opposition in areas where people have taken up arms against the army following its coup two years ago, Al Jazeera reported. Junta officials said the new measures...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 03, 2023

Kiss and Make Up

Philippines

The United States reached an agreement with the Philippines on Thursday to receive access to additional military bases in the Southeast Asian country, the latest move by Washington to encircle China and counter its growing influence in the region, the Wall Street Journal reported. The agreement,...

Read full story →

The World Briefly

February 03, 2023

Do Not Disturb

Kenya

Kenyan legislators are considering a new bill to stop employers from contacting their staff after hours, the first African country to create legislation protecting people’s work-life balance, Quartz reported. The bill, to be debated later this month, would forbid employers from calling, texting or emailing employees...

Read full story →