“Good Morning Britain” host Piers Morgan has resigned, ITV announced Tuesday, after his comments criticizing Meghan Markle for her tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey drew over 40,000 complaints to the U.K.'s media regulator Ofcom.
The big picture: The outspoken TV presenter has been a fervent critic of Markle and Prince Harry, calling them "spoiled" and accusing them of undermining the British monarchy.
Mantas Adomėnas,Lithuania's deputy minister of foreign affairs, spoke to Axios about the country's decision last week to withdraw from a China-led regional summit and to open a trade office in Taiwan.
The big picture: Lithuania joins a growing number of smaller European countries that are starting to hold China at arm's length amid concerns of political influence and a conflict of values.
Buckingham Palace issued a statement on Tuesday responding to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey, in which the couple accused unnamed members of the royal family of expressing concern about what the skin tone of their baby would be.
Why it matters: The allegations of racism and "character assassination" made by Harry and Meghan have sent shockwaves through the centuries-old institution and dominated global headlines for the past several days.
In his new book just released today, Washington Post foreign policy columnist Josh Rogin reveals the White House drama behind major Trump-era headlines on China.
Why it matters: At the beginning of the Trump administration, observers speculated that Trump's affinity for billionaires and dictators, and his lack of interest in human rights, could result in him selling out U.S. security and values for a deal with Beijing. That didn't happen — but Rogin shows how easily it could have.
Chinese authorities have breached "each and every act prohibited" under the UN Genocide Convention over the treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in China's Xinjiang province, an independent report published Tuesday alleges.
Why it matters: D.C. think-tank the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, which released the report, said in a statement the conclusions by dozens of experts in war crimes, human rights and international law are "clear and convincing": The ruling Chinese Communist Party bears responsibility.
A Brazilian Supreme Court judge annulled criminal convictions against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday, per Reuters.
Why it matters: The move allows the popular leftist politician to run in next year's presidential election in a potentially polarizing face-off against President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right populist who has defended Brazil's military dictatorship.
Venezuelans living in the United States will be eligible to receive temporary protected status for 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security announced Monday.
Why it matters: Tens of thousands of Venezuelans have fled to the U.S. amid economic, political and social turmoil back home. Former President Trump, on his last full day in office, granted some protections to Venezuelans through the U.S. Deferred Enforced Departure program, but advocates and lawmakers said the move didn't go far enough.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and his wife, Asma, tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday, according to a statement from his office.
The state of play: The 55-year-old dictator and his 45-year-old wife, who is a breast cancer survivor, are showing mild symptoms but are in stable condition, according to Assad's office. They will self-isolate for two weeks.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a letter outlining a plan to accelerate peace talks with the Taliban that the U.S. is "considering" a full troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, Afghan outlet TOLOnews first reported Sunday.
Why it matters: In the letter to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, also obtained by Western news outlets, Blinken expresses concern that the Taliban "could make rapid territorial gain" after an American military withdrawal, even with the continuation of U.S. financial aid, as he urges Ghani to embrace his proposal.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle delivered a devastating indictment of the U.K. royal family in their conversation with Oprah Winfrey: Both said unnamed relatives had expressed concern about what the skin tone of their baby would be. And they accused "the firm" of character assassination and "perpetuating falsehoods."
Why it matters: An institution that thrives on myth now faces harsh reality. The explosive two-hour interview gave an unprecedented, unsparing window into the monarchy: Harry said his father and brother "are trapped," and Markle revealed that the misery of being a working royal drove her to thoughts of suicide.
The U.S. and South Korea announced Sunday they've reached an agreement "in principle" on a new cost-sharing plan for the American troop presence on the Korean Peninsula.
Driving the news: The State Department's Bureau of Political-Military Affairs said in a Twitter post there had been a "negotiated increase" from South Korea in support for the U.S. troops' presence, without elaborating further.
