The World Briefly

October 26, 2022

The Prelude

Chad

Human rights organizations accused the Chadian government of executing and torturing protesters who participated in last week’s demonstrations against the country’s military ruler’s plans to extend his grip on power, EURACTIV reported Tuesday. Last week, thousands of people protested across Chad to denounce a move by...

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The World Briefly

October 26, 2022

Tipping the Balance

New Zealand

Women outnumbered men in New Zealand’s parliament for the first time in the country’s history, after a Maori politician was sworn in Tuesday as the newest member of the ruling Labour party, Voice of America reported. Soraya Peke-Mason was sworn in as a replacement for the...

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The World Briefly

October 25, 2022

Trials and Tribulations

Pakistan

A Pakistani court rejected a request by former Prime Minister Imran Khan to suspend a ruling by the country’s Election Commission that banned him from running for office for five years, the National reported Monday. Last week, the five-member panel of the commission disqualified Khan as...

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The World Briefly

October 25, 2022

Spiraling Fires

Sudan

Tribal clashes in southern Sudan killed hundreds of people this week, as the African country continues to deal with a political crisis and civil conflict, the Associated Press reported Monday. Fighting erupted earlier this month in the Blue Nile province over a land dispute, pitting the...

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The World Briefly

October 25, 2022

Locked Out

Australia

The United Nations Subcommittee on the Prevention of Torture (SPT) suspended its tour of Australian prisons this week, citing a lack of cooperation from officials and a lack of access to some detention facilities, CNN reported Monday. SPT representatives arrived in Australia on Oct. 16 for...

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The World Briefly

October 24, 2022

Band-Aids Versus Stitches

Haiti

The United Nations has approved sanctions against Haiti’s most powerful gang boss for blocking fuel and aid supplies in the ailing Caribbean country but stopped short of ordering the deployment of a multinational security force to restore the nation’s security, the Wall Street Journal reported. The...

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The World Briefly

October 24, 2022

The Force Be With You

China

President Xi Jinping secured a third term as the head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and unveiled a new leadership team packed with loyalists while also removing former rivals as the Chinese leader further solidifies his grip on power, the Financial Times reported. The ruling...

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The World Briefly

October 24, 2022

Guns and People

Canada

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau imposed an immediate nationwide freeze on the sale of handguns in Canada over the weekend, the latest move by the government to address recent shootings that have rocked the North American country, NPR reported. The government order would ban handgun sales...

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The World Briefly

October 21, 2022

Unwanted Record

United Kingdom

The UK’s Prime Minister Liz Truss resigned Thursday after just six weeks in office, plunging the United Kingdom into further uncertainty amid skyrocketing energy prices and high inflation, NBC News reported. Truss’ resignation came as the prime minister’s approval rating and support within her ruling Conservative...

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The World Briefly

October 21, 2022

Unpleasant Smell

New Zealand

Farmers in New Zealand took to the streets of the country’s major cities Thursday to protest against the government’s plans to implement a tax on greenhouse emissions from farm animals, Agence France-Presse reported. Convoys of tractors, SUVs and other farming vehicles disrupted traffic in Wellington and...

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The World Briefly

October 21, 2022

The Bigger Picture

France

Worker strikes in France continued this week as many employees are demanding better pay amid concerns of a bitter winter ahead in Europe exacerbated by record inflation and the energy crisis, the Washington Post reported. Strikes initially began weeks ago when workers in oil and gas...

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The World Briefly

October 20, 2022

Giving Up

The Netherlands

The Netherlands will withdraw from the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT), the latest European country to leave the contentious international agreement that has been criticized for the protections it offers to fossil fuel projects, Politico reported. The Dutch withdrawal comes as the European Union attempts to reform...

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The World Briefly

October 20, 2022

A Meta Scandal

India

A prominent Indian publication is investigating its own reporting after publishing a series of dubious articles alleging that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, was colluding with the government and involved in political censorship in India, the Washington Post reported. The issue began when...

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The World Briefly

October 20, 2022

Same Old, Same Old

Chile

Chilean protesters clashed with police in a number of cities across Chile this week, as the South American nation marks the anniversary of the 2019 mass demonstrations over inequality, Euronews reported Wednesday. In 2019, Chile was gripped by large and often deadly protests over the inequality...

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The World Briefly

October 19, 2022

The Do-Over

Australia

Australia is reversing its decision to recognize West Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, going back on a policy implemented by the previous administration of former conservative Prime Minister Scott Morrison, the Hill reported Tuesday. Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced Monday that the government has “reaffirmed Australia’s...

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The World Briefly

October 19, 2022

Gains and Losses

Ethiopia

Ethiopian forces captured three towns in Tigray this week, marking an escalation in the nearly two-year-old civil conflict that has caused a humanitarian disaster in the northern region of the country, the BBC reported Tuesday. The government said the captured towns include the strategic city of...

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The World Briefly

October 19, 2022

Of Popularity and Freedom

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida ordered an investigation into the Unification Church this week amid a recent scandal over his ruling party’s links to the controversial religious group, the Guardian reported. The government’s probe followed a recent investigation which found that half of all lawmakers from...

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The World Briefly

October 18, 2022

A Disruptive Problem

United Kingdom

The British government unveiled a draft law that aims to crack down on so-called disruptive protests carried out by environmental groups, a move critics say is aimed at “silencing non-violent people,” the BBC reported. Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the new Public Order Bill will empower...

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The World Briefly

October 18, 2022

Too Little, Too Late

Nigeria

The worst flooding in Nigeria in a decade has killed more than 600 people and impacted millions even as authorities struggle to provide aid to those hit by the disaster, CNN reported Monday. Officials said Sunday that more than 200,000 homes have been completely or partially...

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The World Briefly

October 18, 2022

Banned…Sort Of

European Union

The European Union’s top court ruled that companies in the bloc can ban the visible wearing of religious symbols, including headscarves, but noted that employers will need to justify any restrictions, Reuters reported. The case concerns a Muslim woman who had applied for a six-week traineeship...

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