The World Briefly

September 19, 2022

The Queen and the Paupers

United Kingdom

Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is becoming a diplomatic nightmare for British officials, as they try to accommodate the many requests by hundreds of world leaders and foreign dignitaries attending Monday’s ceremony, the Washington Post reported Saturday. The queen, the longest-serving monarch in the United Kingdom, passed...

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The World Briefly

September 19, 2022

Death and the Headscarf

Iran

Protests erupted in Iran’s capital over the weekend following the death of a 22-year-old woman, who died after being detained by the country’s morality police enforcing the government’s stringent dress code, the New York Times reported. Last week, Iran’s notorious religious police detained the woman, Mahsa...

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The World Briefly

September 19, 2022

The New Phase

Ethiopia

Drone strikes killed 10 people and wounded 13 others in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region in recent days, the latest flareup in a conflict that began almost three years ago, Reuters reported. The attack in Tigray’s capital, Mekelle, came just days after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front,...

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The World Briefly

September 16, 2022

Not So United

Sweden

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson resigned after the right-wing opposition bloc secured a narrow majority in Sweden’s close-fought parliamentary elections this week, a victory considered historic, the Wall Street Journal reported. Results showed that Andersson’s Social Democrats secured 107 seats in the 349-seat legislature, but failed...

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The World Briefly

September 16, 2022

The Rehash

World

A global research panel released a report this week blaming the World Health Organization (WHO) and governments worldwide for serious failures in tackling the coronavirus pandemic, while also reviving disputed and controversial claims about the origins of the virus, the Washington Post reported. The Lancet Covid-19...

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The World Briefly

September 16, 2022

Desperation’s Gambit

Lebanon

Two desperate Lebanese customers held up their banks this week to get access to their savings,  which had been blocked by the financial institutions amid an ongoing economic meltdown in the country, Reuters reported. On Wednesday, a woman, Sali Hafiz, and some associates briefly held hostage...

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The World Briefly

September 15, 2022

Inching Away

Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s capital of Nur-Sultan will revert to its former name, “Astana,” a move seen as another attempt by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to distance himself from his predecessor, Radio Free Europe reported. In 2019, Tokayev renamed then-Astana to Nur-Sultan in honor of Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had been...

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The World Briefly

September 15, 2022

Frenemies, No More

Qatar

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi arrived in Qatar this week, a sign of rapprochement following the severing of relations in the wake of a diplomatic crisis in the Gulf in 2017, Al Jazeera reported. El-Sissi met with Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in...

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The World Briefly

September 15, 2022

Follow The Money

European Union

European Union lawmakers voted in favor of a bill that would ban the sale of agricultural products linked to the destruction of forests, a move welcomed by many environmental groups, the Associated Press reported. Under the proposed law, companies and producers will need to ensure that...

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The World Briefly

September 14, 2022

Bubbling Over

ArmeniaAzerbaijan

Clashes erupted along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan on Tuesday, raising fears that the latest outbreak of hostilities could ignite another war between the neighboring south Caucasus countries, Sky News reported. Armenian officials said at least 49 of its soldiers were killed during the skirmishes,...

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The World Briefly

September 14, 2022

Living in Chains

World

Nearly 50 million people around the world were living in some form of slavery last year, according to a recent United Nations study which highlighted how the problem has been growing in recent years, The Hill reported. The new report found that in 2021, roughly 28...

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The World Briefly

September 14, 2022

Collective Punishment

Spain

Spanish sex workers and brothel owners protested in front of the country’s parliament this week in opposition to a proposed law that would penalize the customers of prostitutes and also their enablers, such as pimps or sex club owners, the Associated Press reported. The bill, backed...

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The World Briefly

September 13, 2022

A Time For Justice

Belgium

Belgium opened a landmark trial Monday that will try the perpetrators of the 2016 terror attacks in Brussels that killed 32 people and overturned the lives of 900 more, Agence France-Presse reported. The case centers on 10 alleged Islamic State (IS) members and their involvement in...

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The World Briefly

September 13, 2022

Atonement

Uganda

Uganda paid the first installment of $325 million in war reparations to the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this week, which is compensation for losses caused by wars in the 1990s when Ugandan troops occupied Congolese territory, Reuters reported Monday. Officials from both countries...

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The World Briefly

September 13, 2022

Big Boost

Mexico

Mexican lawmakers passed a bill this week that would transfer the control of the civilian-led National Guard to the military, a move that many critics warn will give the army too much power and lead to abuses, Al Jazeera reported. The move comes nearly a month...

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The World Briefly

September 12, 2022

Officially Nuclear

North Korea

North Korea passed new legislation in recent days asserting the country’s status as a nuclear state, with leader Kim Jong Un announcing that the country would never abandon its nuclear weapons, the Wall Street Journal reported. The new law – approved by the country’s rubber-stamp parliament...

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The World Briefly

September 12, 2022

Hacking Relations

AlbaniaIran

Albania accused Iran of a second cyberattack over the weekend, just days after the small Balkan country cut off diplomatic relations with Tehran over a July hack that destroyed government data and shut down services, CNN reported. The recent hack led Albanian officials to take its...

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The World Briefly

September 12, 2022

Country Within A Country

Marshall Islands

A former Marshall Islands president called for a corruption probe following revelations of an alleged plot by a Chinese couple to set up a mini-state serving as a tax haven in the island nation, the Guardian reported. The Pacific country – a former US territory –...

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The World Briefly

September 09, 2022

The Imitation Game

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands lawmakers passed a bill Thursday to delay the next year's elections, a move that the opposition called a “power grab” by pro-China Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, Al Jazeera reported. The new bill changes the constitution to allow the next general elections to be delayed...

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The World Briefly

September 09, 2022

Long Live the King

United Kingdom

Queen Elizabeth II, Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, passed away Thursday, in what has been described as a watershed moment for many Britons, who have viewed her as a symbol of stability and continuity during her seven-decade reign, the New York Times reported. Buckingham Palace announced the monarch...

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