United Nations member states voted Wednesday to remove Iran from the Commission on the Status of Women in response to the government's deadly crackdown on protests over the death of Mahsa Amini.
Driving the news: Though the move is largely symbolic, it's a direct response to Iranian women and activists who have called for the removal amid demonstrations that have now continued into their third month.
AMMAN — The Jordanian government and truckers, who have been on strike for 11 days, are locked in a bitter fight over fuel prices.
Why it matters: The truckers strike puts King Abdullah II and his government in an unenviable position: They cannot break their IMF commitment to not return to subsidized fuel prices in the country, which is almost totally dependent on oil and gas imports.
An upcoming report to the UN Security Council obtained by Axios about Iran's compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal does not accuse Iran of supplying Russia with drones for the war in Ukraine, despite pressure from the U.S. and its allies to do so.
Driving the news: Russia has pushed back hard, and so far successfully, on Western efforts to convince UN Secretary-General António Guterres to order an investigation into Iran's alleged supply of drones. Guterres makes no definitive statement on the issue in his forthcoming report.
UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg in October helped give a renewed push to the negotiations between the U.S. and Russia that eventually led to the release of basketball star Brittney Griner, a source with direct knowledge of the issue told Axios.
The big picture: The UAE's efforts to facilitate Griner’s release were part of a wider strategy by the Emiratis to use its relations with the U.S. and Russia to help solve specific issues related to the war in Ukraine, the source said.
Suedi Murekezi, a U.S. Air Force veteran, was freed from Russian-controlled territory in a prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Wednesday.
Why it matters: Murekezi's relatives told the Washington Post he was arrested in June by pro-Russian authorities in the formerly occupied city of Kherson after being wrongly accused of participating in pro-Ukrainian protests.
The Library of Congress on Wednesday announced 25 films that will be added to a national registry that preserves significant works.
Driving the news: The films include "The Little Mermaid," "When Harry Met Sally," the original, 1976 "Carrie" and the 1951 version of “Cyrano de Bergerac,” which made its star, José Ferrer, the first Hispanic to win an Oscar for best actor.
Chinese health officials said Wednesday the country would stop reporting asymptomatic COVID-19 cases.
Why it matters: It's another change to the country's COVID policy after lockdowns, mass testing and other strict policies fueled public unrest and set off rare public protests in late November.
Grant Wahl, a highly revered soccer journalist, suddenly died last week while covering the FIFA World Cup in Qatar from a rupture in his aorta, the main blood vessel leading from the heart, his family said in a statement Wednesday.
The big picture: The family said Wahl's cause of death was determined through an autopsy performed by the New York City Medical Examiner's Office after his body was returned to the U.S. on Monday.
There's no sign Peru's political crisis will be easily resolved anytime soon.
The big picture: At least seven people have died during protests against Dina Boluarte, who was sworn in as president last week after Congress ousted her predecessor, Pedro Castillo.
The Chinese government has sought in recent years to increase its global media influence. In Southeast Asia, Beijing has found both success and failure in those efforts, according to a new book.
The big picture: "As China becomes more powerful, it is attempting to use its influence efforts to shape policymakers’ and publics’ views, in other countries, of their own political systems and leaders — not just of China but of politics in these other countries," writes Joshua Kurlantzick, a journalist and fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, in his book "Beijing's Global Media Offensive."
Jin, the oldest member of the mega K-pop band BTS, began 18 months of mandatory military duty Tuesday at a South Korean boot camp.
The big picture: South Korea requires all men between 18 and 30 years old to serve in the military, with limited exceptions. The popstars of BTS won a deferral in 2020 that pushed their military service back until they reached 30.
