National

Jeff Woodke, an American aid worker who had been held hostage for more than six years, has been released, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed Monday.

The big picture: Woodke was kidnapped from his home in Niger by jihadists in October 2016 and was believed to have been taken to neighboring Mali, according to the New York Times.

“He is safe,” his wife, Els Woodke, told the Times in an interview. “I don’t yet know if he is healthy.”

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Niger last week, lauded Woodke's release as "very good news" at a press briefing Monday.

"I have no higher priority or focus than bringing home any unjustly detained American, wherever that is in the world," he added.

What they're saying: "I’m gratified & relieved to see the release of U.S. hostage Jeff Woodke after over 6 years in captivity," Sullivan tweeted Monday, thanking the government of Niger for its help in "bringing him home."

Els Woodke told the Times that she had been informed that her husband was in Niamey, Niger's capital.

"He's safe and he is in the hands of U.S. government officials," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said at a press briefing later Monday.

Woodke will receive the "best medical care possible," Kirby said, adding that, "after a full medical screening he will be reunited with his loved ones in the near future."

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details.

U.S. citizen kidnapped in Niger released after more than 6 years

Jeff Woodke was kidnapped from his home in Abalak, Niger, in October 2016.

A video grab made on October 18, 2016 shows U.S. aid worker Jeffery Woodke during a ceremony to introduce his NGO in Abalak, two days before he was captured. Photo: STR/AFP via Getty Images

Hostages

Jeff Woodke, an American aid worker who had been <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="held hostage" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2021/11/24/hostage-families-biden" data-vars-content-id="11df14d5-a137-4f38-867c-29e805673d9b" data-vars-headline="U.S. citizen kidnapped in Niger released after more than 6 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2021/11/24/hostage-families-biden" target="_self">held hostage</a> for more than six years, has been released, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed Monday.The big picture: Woodke was kidnapped from his home in Niger by jihadists in October 2016 and was believed to have been taken to neighboring Mali, according to the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="New York Times" data-vars-click-url="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/20/us/politics/hostage-jeffery-woodke-freed.html" data-vars-content-id="11df14d5-a137-4f38-867c-29e805673d9b" data-vars-headline="U.S. citizen kidnapped in Niger released after more than 6 years" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/20/us/politics/hostage-jeffery-woodke-freed.html" target="_blank">New York Times</a>.

China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

World

Weeks of protest in France against President Emmanuel Macron's planned pension reforms have transformed Paris, with the city's streets now lined with mounting piles of garbage.

The big picture: Macron, who ran on a platform of pension reform, has long argued that changes to the current system are necessary in order to ensure its long-term sustainability.

The highly unpopular reforms, which will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, have spurred weeks of strikes that have disrupted travel, blocked fuel deliveries and disrupted school schedules.

State of play: Last week, Macron's government invoked its constitutional power to move forward with the unpopular reforms without risking a vote in the National Assembly.

On Monday, the government survived two no-confidence votes, paving the way for the reforms to become law. This week, trade unions called for more strikes. 

Paris' trash incinerators have become blocked due to the weeks of strikes by garbage collectors and there is no end in sight. 

Paris City Hall estimated on Monday that 9,300 tonnes of trash are filling the city's streets.

Garbage cans overflowing with trash on the streets as collectors go on strike in Paris

Garbage cans overflow with trash on the streets of Paris on March 16 as collectors go on strike. Photo: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Garbage cans overflowing with trash on the streets as collectors go on strike in Paris, France on March 16

Overflowing garbage cans line the streets of Paris on March 16. Photo: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

A pedestrian walks past household waste containers in a street of Paris, on March 12

A pedestrian walks past household waste containers in a street in Paris on March 12. Photo: Stefano Rellandini/AFP via Getty Images

Garbage piles up on the street as collectors continue their strike on March 17

Garbage piles up on the street on March 17. Photo: Li Yang/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images

Paris trash piles become a symbol of protest

Garbage cans overflowing with trash line the streets as collectors go on strike in Paris on March 20. Photo: Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

France

Weeks of protest in France against President Emmanuel Macron&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="planned pension reforms" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/16/macron-retirement-age-france-protests" data-vars-content-id="1d206e48-24d8-4735-a55a-2fc3910cbbe4" data-vars-headline="Paris trash piles become a symbol of protest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/16/macron-retirement-age-france-protests" target="_self">planned pension reforms</a> have transformed Paris, with the city&#x27;s streets now lined with mounting piles of garbage.The big picture: Macron, who <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="ran on a platform" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/frances-macron-wants-pension-reform-bill-drafted-by-christmas-source-2022-09-29/" data-vars-content-id="1d206e48-24d8-4735-a55a-2fc3910cbbe4" data-vars-headline="Paris trash piles become a symbol of protest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/frances-macron-wants-pension-reform-bill-drafted-by-christmas-source-2022-09-29/" target="_blank">ran on a platform</a> of pension reform, has long argued that changes to the current system are necessary in order to ensure its long-term sustainability.

Thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the second largest in the U.S., walked off the job Tuesday over failed contract negotiations, joining teachers and other education staff across the city on a three-day strike.

Driving the news: The Service Employees International Union, Local 99 (SEIU Local 99), which represents 30,000 school workers across the district that serves over 600,000 students in kindergarten through 12th grade at more than 1,000 schools, says its members are striking to protest "unfair practices."

The union United Teachers Los Angeles asked its 35,000 members to go on strike in solidarity.

A screenshot by the Los Angeles teachers' union announcing a three-day strike from Tuesday.

The latest: LAUSD remains ready to return to negotiations to reach a deal, superintendent Alberto Carvalho said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.

Carvalho praised the District's "historic" proposal to workers, while acknowledging many employees' frustrations were likely decades in the making.

Workers gathered in picket lines Tuesday morning, with some hoisting signs reading, "We keep schools safe, Respect Us!," AP reported. Demonstrations are expected at schools across Los Angeles.

Despite the strike, schools would still be providing meals to children in need, Carvalho tweeted.

The big picture: The SEIU Local 99 is seeking a 30% pay raise overall for its members, plus an additional $2 an hour "equity wage adjustment for all."

The average salary of school workers in the LAUSD is about $25,000 per year, with most working part-time hours, the union notes.

Carvalho at a news conference Monday announced a proposal for a 23% recurring raise and a 3% cash-in hand bonus.

What they're saying: "This afternoon, SEIU Local 99 had agreed to enter a confidential mediation process with LAUSD to try and address our differences," per a statement Monday from SEIU Local 99 executive director Max Arias.

"Unfortunately, LAUSD broke that confidentiality by sharing it with the media before our bargaining team, which makes all decisions, had a chance to discuss how to proceed. This is yet another example of the school district’s continued disrespect of school workers. We are ready to strike," the statement continued.

"We want to be clear that we are not in negotiations with LAUSD. We continue to be engaged in the impasse process with the state."

The other side: "I made myself available alongside my team for hours today, hoping that we would, in fact, be able to have a conversation for a whole host of reasons, some of which I do not understand," Carvalho said.

"All schools across LAUSD will be closed tomorrow," Carvalho said. "Tomorrow will be a difficult day."

A screenshot of a tweet by LAUSD Superintendent Alberto Carvalho saying he's open to negotiations with unions while schools are closed due to the strikes.

Photo: Superintendent Alberto Carvalho/Twitter

Los Angeles schools shut down for 3 days as union strike begins

Tens of thousands teachers and other education staff are part of the strike.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho speaks during a news conference at Miguel Contreras Learning Complex in Los Angeles Thursday, September 22.

Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho during a September news conference in Los Angeles. Photo: Hans Gutknecht/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

Los Angeles

Politics & Policy

The International Criminal Court's decision last week to issue an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin marked its most significant step yet to try to hold the Russian leader accountable for the alleged atrocities committed during the war in Ukraine.

Why it matters: The decision was also the first time the court has indicted a leader of one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Putin joins a small group of world leaders who have been indicted for alleged war crimes while still serving as head of state. Others include Sudan's Omar al-Bashir and Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.

The ICC accused Putin of the unlawful deportation and unlawful transfer of children from occupied parts of Ukraine to Russia, in violation of the Rome Statute.

The ICC alleged that Putin committed the crimes "directly, jointly with others and/or through others" and failed to properly "exercise control" over civilian and military subordinates who committed the acts or allowed for their commission.

The ICC also issued an arrest warrant for Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russia's commissioner for children’s rights, over similar allegations.

State of play: The transfers and deportations of Ukrainian children are allegedly ongoing, the ICC said.

Russia systematically relocated at least 6,000 children from Ukraine to Russia since the start of the war, a Conflict Observatory report published in February said. 

The Russian Embassy in the U.S. called the allegations "absurd" in a statement last month, saying that Russia ensured the protected the "lives and well-being" of Ukrainian children.

Karim Khan, the ICC's chief prosecutor, said in a statement last week that the cases his office had identified included "at least hundreds of children taken from orphanages and children’s care homes."

What is the International Criminal Court?

The ICC, located in The Hague, is intended to investigate and prosecute the most serious crimes, such as genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

The ICC was established by the Rome Statute in 2002 and has 123 member states that are party to the statute.

Zoom in: Some 40 countries — including China, India and Saudi Arabia — never signed the Rome Statute. 

Dozens of other states — including the U.S., Israel, Syria and Iran — signed it but never had their legislatures ratify it.

Russia initially signed the Rome Statute but withdrew its signature in 2016 after the ICC classified its annexation of Crimea as an occupation.

Ukraine is not a state party to the Rome Statute but has twice accepted the ICC's jurisdiction in response to alleged crimes occurring on its territory.

Chances are slim that either of the ICC cases will make it to trial at this point. The ICC cannot conduct a trial unless the relevant people are in custody — and Russia is unlikely to turn over its own people.

The ICC's 123 member states are obligated to arrest Putin if he steps into their territory, but Putin is unlikely to travel to any country where he would face such a risk.

What does Russia say about the ICC and arrest warrant?

Russia considers the ICC's warrants "null and void" because it does not recognize the court's jurisdiction, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian-state media last week.

Days after the ICC issued the arrest warrants, Russia's top investigative body issued a symbolic rebuttal, announcing that it was opening a criminal case into the ICC's prosecutor and judges.

What does Ukraine say about the arrest warrant?

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the ICC's "historic decision" in his nightly address Friday.

"Separating children from their families, depriving them of any opportunity to contact their relatives, hiding children on the territory of Russia, throw them in remote regions — all this is an obvious state policy of Russia, state decisions and state evil. Which begins precisely with the top official of this state," he added.

Go deeper: What counts as a war crime and why they're so hard to prosecute

What counts as a war crime and why they're so hard to prosecute

What to know about the ICC arrest warrant against Putin

It was the first time the court has indicted a leader of one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Russian President Vladimir Putin giving a speech

Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting at the Interior Ministry on March 20. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Russia

The International Criminal Court&#x27;s decision last week to issue an arrest warrant for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Russian President Vladimir Putin" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/17/icc-war-crimes-cases-russia-ukraine" data-vars-content-id="6c59ca2f-726f-4671-b9c2-58d61631c9b4" data-vars-headline="What to know about the ICC arrest warrant against Putin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2023/03/17/icc-war-crimes-cases-russia-ukraine" target="_self">Russian President Vladimir Putin</a> marked its most significant step yet to try to hold the Russian leader accountable for the alleged atrocities committed during the war in <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Ukraine" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/world/axios-explains-ukraine" data-vars-content-id="6c59ca2f-726f-4671-b9c2-58d61631c9b4" data-vars-headline="What to know about the ICC arrest warrant against Putin" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/world/axios-explains-ukraine" target="_self">Ukraine</a>.Why it matters: The decision was also the first time the court has indicted a leader of one of the permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday passed a strict anti-gay bill that criminalizes identifying as LGBTQ and imposes severe punishments for violations related to same-sex relations, including the possibility of the death penalty, Reuters reported.

Why it matters: More than 30 countries in Africa, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations, but the Anti-Homosexuality Bill goes further by criminalizing merely identifying as LGBTQ, the BBC reported.

While Uganda's penal code already calls for life imprisonment for same-sex relations, the provision was a holdover from the colonial era and was rarely enforced, according to Human Rights Watch.

Details: The Anti-Homosexuality Bill, states that any person that "holds out as a lesbian, gay, transgender, a queer, or any other sexual or gender identity that is contrary to the binary categories of male and female,” could face up to 10 years in prison, per Human Rights Watch.

The ban prohibits the "promotion of homosexuality" by individuals or organizations. It also targets persons seen as aiding and abetting homosexuality — a provision which HRW says could affect social support networks,  including friends and family.

The law calls for sentences of life in prison for anyone engaging in gay sex and the death penalty would be given to those convicted of “aggravated homosexuality,” a broad term that could include gay sex with a minor or with someone who is HIV positive, Reuters reported.

Even “attempted homosexuality” would become punishable with up to 10 years in prison, per AP.

State of play: The bill now heads to the desk of President Yoweri Museveni, who previously expressed support for the legislation, to be either vetoed or signed it into law, AP reported.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Wednesday denounced the law, saying that if signed, it would, "render lesbian, gay and bisexual people in Uganda criminals simply for existing, for being who they are."

"It could provide carte blanche for the systematic violation of nearly all of their human rights and serve to incite people against each other," he added.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday urged Uganda to "reconsider the implementation" of the bill, saying it would "undermine fundamental human rights of all Ugandans and could reverse gains in the fight against HIV/AIDS."

The big picture: Anti-LGBTQ sentiment is widespread in Uganda and public figures often use "disparaging language" with regards to LGBTQ people, per the Washington Post.

Anti-LGBTQ policies have been on the rise in several African nations in recent years, per the New York Times.

Uganda passes anti-gay bill, imposing death penalty for some offenses

The bill now heads to the desk of President Yoweri Museveni, who can veto or sign it into law.

A Ugandan transgender woman who was recently attacked and currently being sheltered watches a TV screen showing the live broadcast of the session from the Parliament for the anti-gay bill

A Ugandan transgender woman watches a TV screen showing the live broadcast of the session from the Parliament for the anti-gay bill on March 21. Photo: Stuart Tibaweswa/AFP via Getty Images

LGBTQ

Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday passed a strict anti-gay bill that criminalizes identifying as <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="LGBTQ" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2019/06/01/map-countries-homosexuality-illegal" data-vars-content-id="fb86bbfd-8a87-459f-9c5f-050154320269" data-vars-headline="Uganda passes anti-gay bill, imposing death penalty for some offenses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2019/06/01/map-countries-homosexuality-illegal" target="_self">LGBTQ</a> and imposes severe punishments for violations related to same-sex relations, including the possibility of the death penalty, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Reuters" data-vars-click-url="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/uganda-passes-bill-banning-identifying-lgbtq-2023-03-21/" data-vars-content-id="fb86bbfd-8a87-459f-9c5f-050154320269" data-vars-headline="Uganda passes anti-gay bill, imposing death penalty for some offenses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/uganda-passes-bill-banning-identifying-lgbtq-2023-03-21/" target="_blank">Reuters</a> reported.Why it matters: More than <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="30 countries in Africa" data-vars-click-url="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/22/progress-and-setbacks-lgbt-rights-africa-overview-last-year?gclid=CjwKCAjwzuqgBhAcEiwAdj5dRkM3ILDL72LQWLZkcH4XnarX1rEx22mc4125PqCePzfT4xEbV386eBoCVUkQAvD_BwE" data-vars-content-id="fb86bbfd-8a87-459f-9c5f-050154320269" data-vars-headline="Uganda passes anti-gay bill, imposing death penalty for some offenses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/22/progress-and-setbacks-lgbt-rights-africa-overview-last-year?gclid=CjwKCAjwzuqgBhAcEiwAdj5dRkM3ILDL72LQWLZkcH4XnarX1rEx22mc4125PqCePzfT4xEbV386eBoCVUkQAvD_BwE" target="_blank">30 countries in Africa</a>, including Uganda, already ban same-sex relations, but the Anti-Homosexuality Bill goes further by criminalizing merely identifying as LGBTQ, the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="BBC" data-vars-click-url="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65034343" data-vars-content-id="fb86bbfd-8a87-459f-9c5f-050154320269" data-vars-headline="Uganda passes anti-gay bill, imposing death penalty for some offenses" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-65034343" target="_blank">BBC</a> reported.

Ivana Saric

Stories

Uganda passes anti-gay bill, imposing death penalty for some offenses

What to know about the ICC arrest warrant against Putin

Los Angeles schools shut down for 3 days as union strike begins

Paris trash piles become a symbol of protest

U.S. citizen kidnapped in Niger released after more than 6 years