Africa
Nigeria election office targeted, four dead – Four people were shot and killed at a Nigerian electoral commission office two months before a general election. The office was preparing to distribute permanent voter cards to newly registered voters. Gunmen came in several vehicles, fired guns, and threw dynamite and petrol bombs. One policeman was killed while three of the attackers were shot dead. Two of the attackers were arrested.
Morocco makes history in World Cup – Morocco became the first African team to reach the World Cup semi-finals when they beat Portugal 1-0 over the weekend. The Confederation of African Football called for more investment and resources to be made available for other countries to match Morocco’s achievement. The country has only allowed one goal in eight games since hiring Walid Regragui as coach in August.
Asia
Taliban kills six civilians in Pakistan – Afghan Taliban border forces killed six civilians in Pakistan and in what Pakistan called an “unprovoked” bombing and gunfire attack on a border town. It is unknown what caused the clash at the crossing over the border. Tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan have grown over security issues since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan last year.
China deactivating COVID tracking app – China is planning to deactivate a phone app that racked people’s movements during the pandemic. The change possibly signals that Beijing is moving away from its controversial zero-COVID strategy. The app used phone signals to track whether someone had traveled to an area considered to be high-risk. The app is one of several tracking apps that has governed everyday life in China during the pandemic.
Europe
UK, Italy and Japan working on new fighter jet – A new fighter jet that uses artificial intelligence is in the works, thanks to a collaboration between the UK, Italy and Japan. The partnership aims to create thousands of UK jobs and strengthen security ties. The jet will enter service in the mid-2030s and will eventually replace the Typhoon jet. It will use advanced sensors and intelligence to assist human pilots when they are over- whelmed or under extreme stress.
Russian arms dealer joins pro- Kremlin party – Viktor Bout, known as the “merchant of death” has joined the pro-Kremlin ultranationalist LDPR party. He was released last week in a prisoner swap with the United States in exchange for WNBA bas- ketball player Brittney Griner. Bout was sentenced to 25 years in jail in 2011. Bout used companies to smuggle arms from Eastern Europe to Africa and the Middle East during the 1990s and early 2000s.
Latin America
Mexico considering asylum for former Peruvian president – Mexico is considering granting asylum for former Peru President Pedro Castillo. He was impeached and then accused of rebellion last week and is in custody in Lima. Mexico and Peru are discussing the issue, according to Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard. Castillo was removed from office after he attempted to dissolve Congress. Peru recently swore in his vice-president, Dina Boluarte, as the new president.
Volcano erupts in Chile – Officials in Chile put a safety warning in place after the Lascar volcano erupted. The volcano sits in the Andes and triggered minor earth tremors over the weekend. No damage was reported and the volcano is considered unstable. Officials are monitoring a site for minor explosions and smoke. Lascar is a popular tourist attraction for visitors to the Atacama Desert.
North America
U.S. officials look to bring home ex-marine – The United States met on Monday to discuss steps on how to free ex-US marine Paule Whelan from Russian custody. Since Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian prison, Russia and the United States have signaled an openness to future prisoner swaps. Whelan was arrested in 2018 and has been jailed in Russia since 2020 on charges of spying.
LA’s first woman mayor – Karen Bass was sworn in as mayor of Los Angeles on Sunday. She became the first woman to hold the position in the city and pledged to tackle homelessness. Vice President Kamala Harris administered the oath of office. Bass declared she would issue a state of emergency to address the 40,000 unhoused people in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, Los Angeles pledged $3 billion to alleviate issues within its borders.
