Hi Global Recap readers,

🙏 Confession time… My fingers had a momentary blunder when describing Niger’s President Bazoum yesterday. Instead of calling him the "first democratically elected leader," I should have described him as the first “peacefully transitioned” democratically elected leader. That’s a mouthful.

🤝 My apologies. Please shake it before we get into today’s news.

📈 Top News

🔍 Poland’s crackdown on Russian espionage continues with the arrest of a 16th suspect. The person in question is a Belarusian man involved in gathering intelligence on military facilities and ports, while also engaging in propaganda activities on behalf of Russia.

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🔋 Remember when Ukraine claimed that there are explosive devices planted on the roofs of the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia power plant? Well, the UN nuclear watchdog was granted access to areas of the plant and found no explosives.

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🔥 Ethiopia declares state of emergency following clashes between the military and local armed fighters in the Amhara region. The government says it’s necessary to quell the “outrageous activity” that has become difficult to control by the “regular legal system.”

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🚨 ECOWAS delegation leaves Niger without meeting coup leader. The West African regional bloc’s team abruptly left Niger without fulfilling their planned arrangements, which included a meeting with the leader of the military junta that seized power in Niger and also with President Bazoum.

ECOWAS gave the coup leaders until Sunday to reinstate President Bazoum, or face military intervention by the bloc. With news circulating about West African defense chiefs making plans send their troops into Niger, conflict in West Africa doesn’t seem to calming down any soon.

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🩺 Doctors are leaving Israel. Over a thousand Israeli doctors have expressed interest in relocating outside of Israel since the third reading of the law to reduce the Reasonableness Standard was passed in the Knesset. Prof. Meir Oren, former director of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, warned that "even if only hundreds of doctors leave, it will be a catastrophe.”

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✍🏻 In-Depth

Russia
Putin’s Most Vocal Critic Sentenced

🚨 Alexey Navalny gets 19 additional years of jail time for “extremism.” If you aren’t aware of who he is, he is the most prominent critic of Putin. Navalny, who is already serving a nine-year sentence for fraud and contempt of court, was convicted in a closed trial in a penal colony east of Moscow, where he has been held since 2021. He denounced the charges as politically motivated and called on his supporters to continue his anti-corruption campaign and protest against the Kremlin.

👨‍⚖️ How does Russia define “extremism?” Over the last three years, Russian authorities have used the vague and overly broad term “extremism” to silence and prosecute government critics. Some of the groups and individuals targeted by the “extremism” law include Jehovah’s Witnesses, human rights activists, journalists, bloggers, environmentalists, feminists, LGBTQ+ people, and ethnic minorities.

🇺🇸 US Secretary of State Blinken expressed support for Navalny and his followers, promising ongoing assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression.

🇪🇺 European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell announced that the EU will impose additional sanctions on Russia in response to its suppression of civil society and meddling in neighboring countries.

🌍 Amnesty International, labeling Navalny as a prisoner of conscience, issued a compelling appeal for his immediate and unconditional release.