In New York City,85,476 people tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday. In Xi’an, which has a larger population, that number was 122. But it’s the central Chinese city that’s currently living under the world’s strictest lockdown.
Why it matters: The Chinese government is going to drastic lengths to maintain its “zero COVID” policy even with more contagious variants like Omicron emerging and the rest of the world largely learning to live with the virus — including countries like Australia and New Zealand that had previously tried to keep all cases out.
ANKARA — Turkey’s year-on-year inflation rate jumped to 36% according to December’s consumer price index (CPI), released Monday. That's the highest rate since 2002.
The big picture: President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has continued to push for cuts to interest rates amid soaring inflation, arguing it will strengthen Turkey's exports and the construction sector. But that unorthodox approach has seen prices fluctuate wildly and the purchasing power of working class Turks decrease significantly.
Former President Donald Trump endorsed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for re-election Monday, throwing his "complete support" behind the nationalist leader.
Why it matters: Orbán, a far-right, populist leader who says he's turned Hungry into an "illiberal state," has changed election laws to benefit his party, the New York Times notes.
Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, will delay the return to in-person school and will move to online learning, as well as close all restaurants, gyms and movie theaters due to the rapid spread of the Omicron COVID variant, Ontario's Premier Doug Ford announced on Monday.
Why it matters: Omicron is causing a record number of new infections and leading to concerns about hospital capacity, per AP. Hospitals will also be forced to pause all "non-emergent and non-urgent" surgeries.
Terra Firma is seeking a buyer for British residential property owner Annington Homes, at an asking price north of £9 billion (including assumed debt), per Sky News.
Why it matters: Annington is one of the U.K.'s largest private landlords. Most of its 40,000 homes are occupied by British military personnel, per a 200-year agreement with the Ministry of Defense.
Sudanese Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok resigned Sunday amid widespread pro-democracy protests that have rocked the country since a military coup in October.
Why it matters: It's the latest blow to Sudan's fragile transition to a democracy, which comes more than two years after an uprising led to the fall of dictator Omar al-Bashir.
Hong Kong's Citizen News, an independent online news outlet, announced Sunday it will close days after a separate pro-democracy media outlet was shuttered last week, according to AP.
Why it matters: Citizen News is now at least the third Hong Kong news outlet to close in a matter of months as China tightens its grip on the once semi-autonomous city by cracking down on rights and freedoms previously enjoyed by those living there.
President Biden assured President Volodymyr Zelensky during a call Sunday that the U.S. and its allies will "respond decisively if Russia further invades Ukraine," White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.
Why it matters: The call is the latest communication between the two leaders ahead of a series of diplomatic talks between Washington and Moscow this month addressing Russia's military buildup along its border with Ukraine.
A total of 45 journalists and media staffers were killed while doing their jobs in 2021, according to a new report by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Why it matters: The figure is a significant decrease from 2020, when 65 journalists were killed, and in fact is among the lowest death tolls the IFJ said it has ever recorded.
Over the past year, Muslim organizations in the U.S., Canada, the UK, and elsewhere have become outspoken advocates for Uyghur Muslims, who are experiencing genocide at the hands of the Chinese government.
The big picture: Governments of many Muslim-majority countries have faced criticism for their silence in the face of China's repression, but Muslim citizens are organizing and speaking loudly about the issue.
