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AFRICA
Jacob Zuma is considering offering to step down next year, at least 12 months before his term as South African president ends, under a deal with opponents in his ruling party that would see finance minister Pravin Gordhan leave office now, two senior party sources said.
ASIA
China’s foreign ministry confirmed that President Xi Jinping would hold his first meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on April 6-7 in Florida. The meetings come in a contentious time between both countries as there are a myriad of issues to discuss, including the North Korea, the disputed South China Sea in addition to further disagreements on trade.
South Korea’s recently impeached president, Park Geun-hye, was arrested on Friday, becoming the first leader since the nation’s transition to democracy to be sent to jail. Park’s dramatic downfall capped months of turmoil and intrigue, as huge crowds took to the streets to protest a sprawling corruption scandal that shook the interlocking worlds of government and business—including the leadership of Samsung, the nation’s largest conglomerate.
Australia has shelved plans to ratify a controversial extradition treaty with Beijing following concerns raised by lawmakers over inadequate protections for human rights and rule of law in China.
EUROPE
British Prime Minister Theresa May has signed and submitted a letter to the European Union leaders, invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and formally starting the process of pulling the UK out of the EU’s trading block. Brexit supporters praised their prime minister for starting formal negotiations.
Perhaps related: The Scottish Parliament approved a motion to request another referendum on Scottish independence. British Prime Minister Theresa May denied the request, claiming it would be “unfair” to make people vote before they knew what the U.K.’s relationship with the EU will be after Brexit. In the 2014 referendum, 55 percent of voters in Scotland voted to stay in the UK.
It might make speeding drivers think twice about trying to outrun Italy’s traffic police: the force has been presented with a new Lamborghini Huracan. With a top speed of 300kmh (190mph) and the capacity to go from 0-100kmh in 3.2 seconds, the luxury sports car manufacturer’s latest model will become the second Lamborghini to be put at the service of the country’s guardians of road safety.
MIDDLE EAST
The number of refugees who have fled Syria for neighbouring countries has topped five million people for the first time since the civil war began six years ago, according to the UN’s refugee agency. Half of Syria’s 22 million population has been uprooted by a conflict that has now lasted longer than the second world war, the figures released by the UNHCR show, with 6.3 million people who are still inside the country’s borders forced from their homes.
Indications appear to suggest that the U.S. military is deepening its involvement in several conflicts in the Middle East, most notably Yemen and Syria, that lack immediate or concise endgames. Officials have attributed the rising number of strikes and civilian deaths to urban battlefields.
From the Washington Post: How the refugee crisis is transforming the Middle East.
NORTH AMERICA
The latest Gallup tracking poll reports that President Donald Trump’s approval ratings have continued to drop since the House Republicans failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, hitting a new low of 35%. The rating marks a historic low compared to other U.S. presidents’ ratings at this point in their first term.
U.S. district judge in Hawaii, Derrick Watson, extended his nationwide halt on President Trump’s “travel ban” which would temporarily block entry to the U.S. by people and refugees from six majority Muslim nations; the ban is blocked until the state’s lawsuit goes through the courts.
SOUTH AMERICA
Opposition members of parliament in Venezuela have accused the country's president, Nicolas Maduro, of staging a coup. Opposition leader Julio Borges claimed that the top court is controlled by the government, which is why Maduro has been able to pass ventures and proposals without congressional approval. Protesters blocked a main Caracas motorway on Friday.
El Salvador has made history after becoming the first country in the world to ban metal mining. Lawmakers in the water-parched country passed the ban in a unanimous vote on Wednesday, declaring El Salvador a mining-free territory.
CYBERSECURITY
The U.S. Republican-led House voted to roll back a paramount internet privacy protection implemented by the previous administration under Barack Obama. Republicans removed the limitations on what internet service provides can do with data on customers’ browsing history, app usage, and other personal information.