World
Catch all for any events happening outside the United States
January 21, 2023
The U.S. Department of Defense authorized a $2.5 billion Ukraine security package on Thursday. It includes, for the first time, Stryker armored vehicles and more Bradley fighting vehicles; 90 Stryker armored personnel carriers and 59 more Bradley infantry fighting vehicles are on the list of supplied military capabilities. This is the Biden administration’s thirtieth drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021, in response to Ukraine’s call for arms.
January 21, 2023
The U.S. Department of the Treasury designated Wagner Group, the Russian private military contractor, as a significant Transnational Criminal Organization under Executive Order 13581 on Friday. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby says, "Wagner is a criminal organization that is committing widespread atrocities and human rights abuses, and we will work relentlessly to identify, disrupt, expose, and target those who are assisting Wagner." He emphasized the importance of the U.S. Treasury designation, saying, "It will open up additional avenues for us to continue to not only sanction Wagner and put more squeeze on their ability to do business around the world, but will assist others in doing the same."
January 21, 2023
A high-level UN delegation has visited Afghanistan, led by Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed. She urged Taliban authorities to reverse course on decrees limiting women's and girls’ rights in the country. The decrees have barred women from working for national and international non-governmental organizations, creating an obstacle for aid agencies that serve millions of Afghans.
January 20, 2023
Anti-government protests in Peru continued on Thursday, with thousands gathering in the streets of Lima to demand the resignation of President Dina Boluarte and call for a general election. Additional protests took place at the airports in Cusco and Arequipa. The demonstrations turned to violence as police clashed with protesters, with tear gas deployed to disperse the crowds.
January 19, 2023
Ukraine's interior minister and Ministry of Internal Affairs members were among 14 people killed on Wednesday when a helicopter crashed near a nursery outside the capital, Kyiv. At least 14 of the dead have been identified, including one child.
January 19, 2023
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen met with her Chinese counterpart Liu He on Wednesday. This was the highest-ranking contact between the two countries since their presidents agreed to seek ways to improve relations in November. The two leaders held a "candid, substantive, and constructive conversation" - according to the US Department of the Treasury - in which they discussed macroeconomic and financial developments.
January 19, 2023
Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington on Wednesday. The two met to discuss cooperation and emphasize their NATO partnership. The meeting was the first official US visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu since the Biden administration took office.
January 19, 2023
National Health Service nursing staff across the UK have joined picket lines for two consecutive days, starting January 18th. The Royal College of Nursing said in a press release that "if progress isn’t made by the end of January, we’ve said our strike action will be escalated on 6 and 7 February to include members at 73 NHS trusts in England and all but one NHS employer in Wales."
January 19, 2023
On January 19th, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation as Prime Minister and Leader of the Labour Party. Ardern, in her speech, stated, “Being Prime Minister has been the greatest honor of my life, and I want to thank New Zealanders for the enormous privilege of leading the country for the last five and a half years.”
January 19, 2023
French trade unions are going on a national strike day today (Thursday) to show their rejection of the newest pension system reform. While referring to elected officials and billionaires on France 2 television, Philippe Martinez, leader of the CGT, suggested "cutting off their electricity" as a targeted part of the strike. He added that the aim was to "put them in the shoes of the millions of French households currently suffering from energy poverty."