Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro seemed to take a step back from the ledge on Thursday night, releasing a conciliatory statement two days after pledging to ignore Supreme Court rulings and declaring that only God could remove him from office.
State of play: Bolsonaro addressed rallies of around 100,000 supporters in Brasilia and São Paulo on Tuesday, Brazil’s independence day. They were intended as a show of force, with his approval ratings sliding and investigations against him stacking up.
French Health Minister Olivier Véran announced Thursday that starting next year France will offer free contraception for women up to the age of 25.
Why it matters: The move expands existing policy, which covers contraception up to the age of 18, and comes as President Emmanuel Macron's government gears up for the 2022 elections.
Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously this week that abortion cannot be considered a crime, in a decision called “historic” for the heavily Catholic country and reached while its northern neighbor, Texas, is severely restricting those procedures.
Why it matters: At least 850 women have been criminally charged and over 200 of them imprisoned across Mexico in the past two decades because of state laws that impose fines or jail time for abortions and even for miscarriages, according to NGOs.
Around 200 foreigners, including several Americans, left Afghanistan Thursday on a flight from Kabul to Doha, Qatar, according to the AP and the Washington Post.
Why it matters: The Qatar Airways flight was the first mass evacuation of Americans, green card holders and people of other nationalities since the U.S. airlift operation concluded at the end of August.
The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that Africa will receive 25% fewer doses of the coronavirus vaccine than expected by the end of the year, in part because of the approval of booster shots in developed countries.
Why it matters: The continent lags behind the rest of the world in vaccinations, and the cut to doses will further delay African countries' vaccination efforts — which raises the risk of new, more aggressive variants emerging.
The Taliban over the last two days have detained and later released at least 14 journalists covering protests in Kabul, according to various news reports and the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Why it matters: The journalists' detention undermines the Taliban's vague assurances that they have changed since the tight grip they ruled with in the 1990s, Axios' Dave Lawler reports.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un appeared at a middle-of-the-night military parade in Pyongyang on Thursday to mark the communist state's 73rd founding anniversary.
Why it matters: Compared to other recent parades, Thursday's was relatively calm. Kim reportedly gave no fiery speech against the United States and its allies and the country did not display intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, according to the New York Times.
The Taliban announced Wednesday a ban on all protests, slogans and demonstrations that do not have official approval of the caretaker government.
Why it matters: The decree signals that the new all-male interim government is set to be repressive, despite pledging to be "inclusive." It was written by Sirajuddin Haqqani, the head of the new interior ministry, who is wanted by the FBI for terrorism offenses.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce confirmed the Australian airline will ban passengers not vaccinated against COVID-19 from international flights, traveller.com.au first reported Wednesday.
The big picture: Joyce indicated in November he planned for Qantas to require international travelers provide proof of vaccination. He aims to have the mandate in place by December, when the airline plans to resume global operations. All Qantas staff must be vaccinated by March 2022 unless they have a medical exemption.
The International Olympic Committee announced Wednesday that it has suspended North Korea from the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics after the country chose not to participate in this year's Tokyo Games due to the pandemic.
Why it matters: Although the decision will have "little immediate impact," it could prove consequential in shaping other political boycotts of future Olympic games, the Wall Street Journal noted.
COVAX, the UN-backed program aimed at addressing COVID vaccine inequality, cut its forecast for doses available in 2021 by roughly a quarter.
Why it matters: The forecast led the World Health Organization (WHO) to double down on calls for wealthier nations to wait until at least the end of the year to administer booster shots so lower-income nations can vaccinate their populations.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Taliban leaders Wednesday to allow charter flights to leave Afghanistan, saying it would demonstrate the group's "willingness to respect freedom of movement."
Driving the news: For days, the Taliban has been preventing the departures of at least four chartered evacuation flights from Mazar-e-Sharif airport, in northern Afghanistan.
Qatar played host Tuesday to both Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, in a sign of how the Gulf country's role in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan has strengthened its standing in Washington.
Why it matters: Qatar became a central partner for the U.S. in the region as it mediated between the U.S. and the Taliban, and Doha was the largest hub of the massive U.S. evacuation effort.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is expected to travel to Egypt next week for the first public visit by an Israeli prime minister in over a decade.
The big picture: Israel officials speculate that by inviting Bennett publicly so early in his term, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's government is trying to signal Egypt's importance in the region to the Biden administration.
Bennett left Washington with a notable "deliverable": Biden had promised to work toward bringing Israel into the U.S. visa waiver program.
Why it matters: Admission to the program has been an Israeli aspiration for decades. The issue resonates with many Israelis who may have family, friends or business connections in the U.S. but are intimidated by the visa process or put off by the costs.
President Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett during their White House meeting that he will not abandon his plan to reopen the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem, setting up a major point of contention between the administrations.
Why it matters: The consulate handled relations with the Palestinians for 25 years before being shut down by Donald Trump. Senior officials in Bennett's government see the consulate issue as a political hot potato that could destabilize their unwieldy coalition.
With the manhunt for six Palestinian prisoners who tunneled their way out of an Israeli maximum-security prison continuing for the third day, riots have been reported at three additional prisons.
Why it matters: The “Shawshank Redemption” style escape turned the six prisoners into heroes in the West Bank and Gaza, with Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza threatening an escalation if they are harmed. Thousands of police and Israel Defense Forces soldiers are searching for them.
Former Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued a statement Wednesday apologizing to Afghans for fleeing Kabul on the day the Taliban entered the capital city, calling it "the most difficult decision" of his life.
Why it matters: Ghani's decision to flee Kabul and seek asylum in the United Arab Emirates on Aug. 15 precipitated the collapse of the Afghan government.
The trial of 20 men allegedly involved in the November 2015 Islamic State attacks in Paris began Wednesday under high security — with over 1,000 police officers.
State of play: The 20 defendants due to face trial include Salah Abdeslam, who is believed to be the only surviving attacker. Roads around the Palais de Justice courthouse in Paris will be closed off, and those attending the trial must go through several checkpoints, per Reuters.
The State Department expressed concern late Tuesday about the Taliban's new all-male interim Cabinet in Afghanistan, which includes a minister who's on a U.S. terrorism list.
What they're saying: "We note the announced list of names consists exclusively of individuals who are members of the Taliban or their close associates and no women," the State Department said in an emailed statement.
Hong Kong police on Wednesday arrested four leaders of a group that organizes the Asian financial hub's annual Tiananmen Square massacre vigil.
Why it matters: The arrest of barrister Chow Hang Tung and other Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China activists marks the latest setback for the city's pro-democracy movement. The group has been accused of foreign collusion, in violation of the repressive national security law.
A fire at Indonesia's overcrowded Tangerang Prison killed at least 41 people and wounded 78 others — including eight with serious injuries, authorities said Wednesday, per the New York Times.
The big picture: Inmates were evacuated from the 900-prisoner-capacity facility in Banten province, near Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, which was housing 2,069 inmates, the NYT notes. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
At least one person has died after a magnitude 7 earthquake struck near the Mexican resort city of Acapulco late Tuesday — causing buildings to shake over 230 miles away Mexico City.
Details: Power outages were reported in several states and parts of Mexico City following the 12-mile-deep quake, which hit some 2.5 miles from Los Órganos de San Agustín and eight miles from Acapulco, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
