Africa
al-Shabab leaders killed – Top commanders of the Islamist militant group al-Shabab were killed in a joint operation with Somalia’s international partners, including the United States. The militant group recently lost territory because of an operation led by pro-government forces. In total, the Somali government says more than 130 fighters from al-Shabab were killed.
Nigerian priest calls for more African representation in Catholic Church – Nigerian priest Stan Chu llo called for more African representation in the Catholic Church, saying there are no African cardinals holding any major offices. His comments were made ahead of Pope Francis’ visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo this week. The Pope is visiting the Democratic Republic of the Congo at a time when the country has faced conflict by armed militia groups.
Asia
47 people killed in mosque attack – At least 47 people were killed when a bomb exploded in a mosque in Pakistan. Police were reportedly the target of the attack. Nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack, but early reports have linked the incident to the Pakistan Taliban. Authorities said around 300 to 400 police officers were in the area at the time of the attack.
COVID cases calm down in China – China’s number of severe COVID-19 cases and deaths is decreasing, according to the country’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention. A report from the agency said there had been no obvious rebound of the virus during Lunar New Year holidays last week. The World Health Organization (WHO) said the pandemic remains a global emergency and it is too early to lift the highest level of alert which was declared three years ago.
Europe
Czech Republic elects new president – Petr Pamela retired NATO general, was elected as the new president of the Czech Republic. He defeated populist opponent Andrej Babis who served ed as prime minister between 2017 and 2021. The results close out a presidential election that was plagued with death threats and misinformation. For example, Pavel took to twitter to deny rumors that he died.
UN accuses Russia of breaking refugee child protection rules – The United Nation’s refugee agency accused Russia of violating child protection principles over refugees. The agency alleged that Russia gave passports to unaccompanied child refugees and put those children up for adoption by Russian families. Around three million refugees from Ukraine have been recorded in Russia.
Latin America
Prisoners break out of Brazil jail – Brazilian police are searching for one of the region’s most dangerous drug lords and two other inmates who escaped a prison. The drug lord, Jean Carlos dos Santos, has been in prison since 2017 and controlled much of the drug trafficking in the Morro do 18 favela in Rio. The group reportedly escaped the prison by tying bed-sheets together and lowering themselves from a prison window.
Peru looks to remove roadblocks by protesters – Police in Peru are planning to dismantle roadblocks set up by demonstrators who are calling for the country’s president to resign. Supporters of former President Pedro Castillo have protested since December when he was impeached and arrested after trying to dissolve Congress. The demonstrators want his successor to quit and hold new elections. The roadblocks have caused shortages in fuel and food in parts of Peru.
North America
Transit violence on the rise in Toronto – Toronto has recently seen a surge in violent incidents on public transportation systems. Last week, there were seven reported incidents of violence in a seven-day span on public transportation systems. Toronto police said they plan to deploy more officers to patrol stations. Reports show a surge of violence on other transportation systems in other large cities like New York City, Chicago and Washington D.C.
Woman pleads guilty to sending Trump ricin poison – Pascale Ferrier, a Canadian woman, pleaded guilty to biological weapons charges after she sent former President Donald Trump a letter laced with deadly ricin poison. The letter called for Trump to drop out of the presidential race in 2020 and was intercepted before being delivered to the White House. Ferrier is expected to be sentenced to 22 years in prison.
