News Briefs

Ukraine offers captured North Korean soldiers in prisoner swap. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Jan. 12 that Ukraine is ready to hand over captured North Korean soldiers in exchange for Ukrainians held captive in Russia. Ukraine had taken two North Koreans prisoner in Russia’s Kursk region, Mr. Zelenskyy said on Jan. 11. Ukrainian and Western assessments say that some 11,000 troops from Russia’s ally North Korea have been deployed in the Kursk region to support Moscow’s forces. About 300 North Korean troops deployed have been killed, with another 2,700 injured in combat against Ukrainian forces. Russia has neither confirmed nor denied their presence.

Why North Korea is sending troops to Russia – and how it risks an ‘escalation spiral’

Federal report on Tulsa Race Massacre. The first-ever U.S. Justice Department review of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre concluded on Jan. 10 that while federal prosecution may have been possible a century ago, there is no longer an avenue to bring a criminal case more than 100 years after one of the worst racial attacks in U.S. history. The attack by a white mob on a thriving Black district left as many as 300 people dead and 1,200 homes, businesses, schools, and churches destroyed. Federal investigators outlined the scope and impact of the massacre in an 120-page report.

Podcast: “Tulsa Rising” explores the painful, lasting legacy of this event, but also the hope rising within the city as a new generation begins to process and own the spirit of Black Wall Street.

New wave of anti-crime measures in U.S. cities. After a period of relaxed sentencing laws, a tough-on-crime approach is back in political favor in the United States. Republicans and Democrats alike are promoting anti-crime initiatives as a new year of lawmaking gets underway in state capitols. The initiatives come after voters in several states approved ballot measures in the fall imposing stricter penalties for crimes ranging from shoplifting to deadly drug dealing. Within minutes of his inauguration on Jan. 13., new Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe is expected to set the tone in his state by issuing a variety of orders targeting crime.

This police unit put away its riot gear. Now it walks and talks with protesters.

Boston broke a record last year for fewest homicides. It’s on track to do it again.

Cooperation to counter China deepens. Japan, the Philippines, and the United States vowed to further deepen cooperation under a trilateral arrangement in the face of rising tensions in Asia’s waters, the three countries said following a Jan. 13 call among their leaders. The three leaders discussed China’s “dangerous and unlawful behavior in the South China Sea” and agreed on the importance of continued coordination in the Indo-Pacific region, The White House said in a statement. Japan and the Philippines are both involved in separate territorial disputes with China in the East and South China Seas, respectively.

On remote island, Chinese patrols disrupt Filipino livelihoods – and gender roles

Biden extends protected status for some migrants. About 600,000 Venezuelans and more than 230,000 Salvadorans already living in the United States can legally remain another 18 months, the Department of Homeland Security said on Jan. 10, barely a week before President-elect Donald Trump takes office with promises of hardline immigration policies. The immigrants have Temporary Protected Status (TPS), which President Joe Biden’s administration has strongly supported. TPS faces an uncertain future under Trump, who tried to sharply curtail its use during his first term as president. Homeland Security also extended TPS for more than 103,000 Ukrainians and 1,900 Sudanese already living in the U.S.

Trump targets temporary protected status. What that could mean for Haitians in the US.

Trump credited for dockworker deal. A tentative labor deal forestalled possible trade disruptions at three-dozen United States ports. The deal, announced the night of Jan. 8, must still be ratified by some 45,000 union members. Both sides in the talks credited President-elect Donald Trump for clearing the way for a deal on automation, avoiding a similar deadlock over automation which sparked a three-day strike in October at major ports. President Joe Biden played a vital role in helping workers win a 62% raise over six years, which ended the strike. Pro-union attorneys say Mr. Trump’s track record is not one of union support.

Workers unions have enjoyed a boost in popularity since the ’70s with the absence of major strikes. An October dockworker strike challenged that popularity and tested the Biden-Harris administration.

Venezuela inaugurates Nicolás Maduro. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was sworn in for a third six-year term on Jan. 10 despite international condemnation of his recent reelection as illegitimate. His administration has grown increasingly brazen in cracking down on opponents. This week alone, masked gunmen arrested a former presidential candidate, a prominent free speech activist, and the son-in-law of self-exiled opposition leader Edmundo González. Mr. González is recognized as president-elect by the United States and international organizations. Currently in the Dominican Republic, he has never offered details of how he intends to enter the country and take power.

Key question as Venezuela prepares for inauguration: Who is the next president?

Venezuela’s Maduro clings to power. Opposition hopes this time it ends differently.

Romanians protest presidential election cancellation. Thousands of Romanians rallied outside the country’s top court on Jan. 10 to protest against the December cancellation of the presidential election in which a little-known pro-Russian candidate won the first round. Although small, protests have continued since Dec. 6, when the Constitutional Court voided the election two days before the second round. The move came after state documents showed frontrunner Calin Georgescu had benefitted from an unfair social media campaign likely orchestrated by Russia. Moscow denied any interference. Hard right and ultranationalist parties hold over a third of Romania’s parliamentary seats.

Chief of South Korean presidential guards resigns. South Korea’s acting leader on Jan. 10 accepted the resignation of the chief of the presidential security service, Park Jong-joon. Mr. Park faced police questioning over how his forces blocked law enforcement efforts to detain impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol on Jan. 3. Corruption investigators and police are planning a second attempt to bring Mr. Yoon into custody as they jointly investigate whether his brief martial law declaration on Dec. 3 amounted to an attempted rebellion. It wasn’t immediately clear how Mr. Park’s resignation would affect the push to bring Mr. Yoon into custody.

‘We cannot rest yet’: South Koreans react to deepening political crisis

Earth passes warming threshold. Global temperatures in 2024 soared to yet another record level, temporarily pushing Earth past a major symbolic climate threshold. It breaks the long-term warming limit of 1.5 degrees Celsius since the late 1800s that was set as a target by the 2015 Paris climate pact. July 10 was the hottest day recorded by humans, with the globe averaging 17.16 degrees Celsius (62.89 degrees Fahrenheit), according to a European Union agency. In 2024, the 27 weather disasters in the United States cost $182.7 billion. Hurricane Helene was the costliest and deadliest of the year with at least 219 deaths and $79.6 billion in damage.

Is climate change causing extreme weather? The science is complicated.

Helene ravaged North Carolina’s mountains. Its citizens are hollering back.

U.S.-backed general becomes president of Lebanon. Lebanon’s parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state Jan. 9, revealing shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East. The general, who has support from the United States, fills a two-year presidential vacancy after Israel defeated the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in last year’s war, and Syrian rebels toppled Hezbollah’s ally Bashar al-Assad in December. Mr. Aoun promised to rebuild parts of Lebanon destroyed by Israel and also to prevent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which was mired in deep economic and political crises even before the latest conflict.

‘We are looking for a good future’: Lebanese life amid the rubble

In Lebanon, Hezbollah pays high political cost for its war with Israel

Senate set to pass bill to round up unauthorized migrants suspected of crimes. The U.S. Senate on Jan. 9 was expected to advance a bill requiring the federal government to detain migrants living in the United States illegally who are accused of crimes, even if they are not charged with any. The Republican-backed legislation passed the House of Representatives with support from Democrats on Jan. 7. The “Laken Riley Act” is named after a Georgia college student was murdered last year by a Venezuelan man previously arrested for shoplifting. Research shows immigrants do not commit more crimes than native-born Americans.

Trump hammers on ‘migrant crime.’ The reality: It’s not rampant, but a real concern.

Over 47,000 displaced in aftermath of 6.8 magnitude Tibetan earthquake. Authorities moved more than 47,000 people to shelters in earthquake-hit Tibet, Chinese officials said on Jan. 9, while rescuers widen a massive combing effort for survivors near the foothills of the Himalayas, despite slim survival odds. It is not yet clear how many are still missing after the Jan. 7 quake of magnitude 6.8 killed 126 and injured 188. The quake destroyed more than 3,600 homes in Tingri, the rural county at its epicenter, and damaged 27,000 more at an average elevation of more than 13,000 feet, which presents a challenge for rescuers.

More than 46,000 Palestinians killed in Israel-Hamas war. Gaza’s Health Ministry says the death toll from the Israel-Hamas war has climbed above 46,000. The ministry has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians. The Israeli military (IDF) says it has killed over 17,000 militants without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for civilian deaths because it says the militants operate in residential areas. The IDF has repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children. 

‘Cold is death.’ For Gazans in flimsy tents, a winter of sorrow and loss.

‘Waiting to see if I will survive’: A Gaza reporter caught in the war she’s covering

Musk livestreamed chat with leader of German far-right. Elon Musk hosted the leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) on social media platform X on Jan. 9, stoking concerns in Europe about possible meddling by the U.S. billionaire in campaigning for Germany's Feb. 23 national election. Mr. Musk, who helped Republican Donald Trump get re-elected as United States president, is now becoming vocal in his support for far-right and anti-establishment parties across Europe. The AfD is an anti-immigration, anti-Islamic party labeled as right-wing-extremist by German security services. Mr. Trump has tasked the entrepreneur with making the U.S. government more efficient.

Elon Musk aims his digital megaphone at Europe. Why?

Where Nazis first won office, Germans are voting for right-wing extremists

President Jimmy Carter lies in state at Capital Rotunda. Former U.S. president Jimmy Carter will lie in state in Washington for a second day on Jan. 8 as part of state funeral rites. People continue to pay their respects. Vice President Kamala Harris and Speaker Mike Johnson were among those who offered tributes to Mr. Carter on Jan. 7. The 39th president, who died Dec. 29, will remain at the Capitol until Jan. 9, when he will be transported to Washington National Cathedral for a state funeral with a eulogy by President Joe Biden.

For Jimmy Carter, a life of service, defined by faith
Jimmy Carter and Monitor Breakfasts: A long, storied history

Denmark dismisses Greenland becoming U.S. state. Greenland may become independent if its people want, but it won’t become a U.S. state, Denmark’s foreign minister said on Jan. 8 after U.S. President-elect Donald Trump refused to rule out using force to acquire the Arctic island. Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, held talks on Jan. 8 with the Danish king in Copenhagen. Mr. Egede has said the Danish-ruled island is not for sale, while in his New Year speech he stepped up his push for independence. Denmark says the territory’s fate can be decided only by Greenlanders.

Justice Department to release partial findings on Jan. 6. The Justice Department said Jan. 8 it will release special counsel Jack Smith’s findings on Donald Trump’s efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election. For now, it will keep the rest of the report, regarding the Florida classified documents case, under wraps. The revelation was made in a Jan. 8 filing to a federal appeals court that was considering the defense's request to block the release of the two-volume report. Aileen Cannon, the Trump-appointed judge presiding over the classified documents case, issued a temporary block on the report Jan. 7.

Polls show Americans’ views have softened toward Jan. 6 rioters and Donald Trump’s role that day.