Oct. 29
Mogadishu, Somalia
Officials removed after attack in capital
Somalia’s police and intelligence chiefs were dismissed following a hotel bombing that claimed over 25 lives. Earlier this month, the chief of staff of intelligence forces and minister of defense both resigned just days before the country suffered the single deadliest attack in its history. Despite international and regional assistance, Somalia is struggling against the armed insurgent group al-Shabab, which is seeking to topple the United Nations-backed government.
Oct. 30
United States
Trump’s transgender military ban blocked by judge
In anticipation of a victorious lawsuit by transgender members of the armed services against the U.S. government, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly barred President Donald Trump’s plan to exclude transgender people from serving in the U.S. military from going into effect. Transgender people have only been allowed to serve in the military since June 2016. A report commissioned by the government from that same year found that allowing transgender people to openly serve in the military would have little cost and not significantly impact unit readiness.
Oct. 30
Worldwide
Humanity as a whole is moving in the wrong direction when it comes to adapting to the planet-wide perils wrought by a rapidly warming climate, according to a report published by British medical journal The Lancet. The report, compiled by two dozen academic institutions and over 60 interdisciplinary researchers, draws on scientific literature and reports from the media to assess 40 indicators of human health. The report’s findings include increased deaths from extreme weather events, swelling ranks of climate change migrants and rising numbers of people exposed to heat waves.
Oct. 31
Washington, D.C.
Social media giants acknowledge Russia ties
Facebook, Google and Twitter executives appeared on Capitol Hill for their first of three public hearings to acknowledge their roles in a complex misinformation campaign by the Russian government to influence the 2016 U.S. presidential election. American intelligence agencies earlier this year concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin attempted to sway the election in favor of Donald Trump, and lawmakers expressed concern during the hearing that the companies seemed unprepared to address potential future attempts at foreign interference through social media platforms.
Nov. 2
Italy
In the run up to a Vatican-hosted summit urging an international ban on nuclear weapons, Pope Francis gave an emotional anti-war speech among the graves of nearly 8,000 World War II soldiers buried at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery in Italy. The Pope has called for restraint as tensions escalate between North Korea and the U.S., recommending a third party mediate between the North Korean government and the Trump administration.