Global
Ethiopia Declares State of Emergency as Rebels Advance Toward Capital
Ethiopia launched a military campaign one year ago into the northern Tigray region expecting to win a swift campaign. The Ethiopian military was forced to withdraw from the region in June as thousands of soldiers were captured and the fighting began moving south. Now, as the military falls into disarray in its southward retreat, the government is forced to retreat and leave the defense to civilian militias. The Tigrayans recently captured the towns of Dessie and Kombolcha, which are located just 160 miles away from Ethiopia’s capital. In the wake of this, Ethiopia has declared a state of emergency on Tuesday and is now calling all citizens to pick up arms in preparation for an attack.
China threatens Taiwan independence supporters with criminal liability for life
China is threatening to hold people criminally liable for supporting Taiwan’s right to independence. The democratic nation declares itself as an independent country while China holds claim to the island-nation. China has released a list of those who support Taiwan, with everyone named being barred from working with Chinese people and companies. This has only heightened tensions between the two countries as they continue to test one another’s military capabilities. China’s announcement comes in the wake of Republican Senators in the US introducing a bill to provide $2 billion per year to Taiwan to help support the country in developing its military.
Macron steps back from midnight threat against UK exports in fishing row
France and the UK have been involved in a dispute in recent weeks over the fishing rights of each country. The source of most of the disagreement is over the number of French vessels given the access to the UK’s coastal waters. As the issue escalated, both sides threatened the other. French President Emmanual Macron is now backing down on his threats to clog up UK exports and ban UK fishermen from landing catches at French ports. Discussion has since resumed as the UK’s Brexit Secretary and the French Minister for EU Affairs met on Thursday to discuss possible solutions to the current crisis.
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