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This week, massive protests continued in Romania following a government decree to decriminalize corruption; North Korea continues to build out its missile program; the former prime minister of Somalia wins the country’s presidential election; and more.
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Americas

Colombia’s second largest rebel group, Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN), joined the government for talks in Ecuador on Tuesday, bringing the country one step closer to ending the 52-year long guerrilla rebellion. Talks were announced in March last year, after two years of secret negotiations, and were set to be held in November, but were delayed after the Colombian government demanded the release of all kidnapping victims. The hostages were released by ELN earlier this week, paving the way for talks to officially begin.

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• Mexican foreign secretary will meet Trump Cabinet officials in DC – Rafael Bernal, The Hill

Central & South Asia

Pakistan’s federal cabinet, its highest decision-making body, approved electoral reforms that would make it mandatory for political parties to allot 5 percent of their tickets to female candidates. Pakistan’s constitution already guarantees seats through a quota system in the national parliament and regional assemblies in Punjab, Sindh, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Balochistan provinces. Currently, 60 out of 342 seats in the National Assembly, or lower house of parliament, and 137 in the four provincial assemblies are reserved for women.

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• Tamil Nadu chief refuses to give way to successor – The Strait Times

China & East Asia

New images indicate that North Korea is continuing to build out its missile program, including research, development, and facilities for storing, launching, and testing missiles. This comes only days after U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis, while on a visit to South Korea, warned North Korea that the U.S. government would have an "effective and overwhelming" response should the country use any nuclear weapons. This furthers the growing fear that North Korea’s technological capabilities are rapidly advancing after it held two nuclear tests in 2016. The United States has vowed to deploy an advanced U.S. anti-missile system to South Korea. 

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• Manila defense chief expects Beijing to build on disputed reef – Agence France-Presse

Europe & Russia

Massive protests continued in Romania this week following a governmental decree to decriminalize corruption, even after the government revoked the decree. Romanian Justice Minister Florin Iordache, who drafted the bill, resigned on Thursday but maintained that what he did was legal. President Klaus Iohannis blamed the government for causing the crisis and warned parliament that "the resignation of a minister will not be enough."

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• Austria ‘preparing to send troops to protect EU borders’ against refugees – Lizzie Dearden, The Independent

Middle East & North Africa

Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalik al-Mekhlafi has denied reports that the government banned U.S. troops from ground operations against extremist groups, insisting that the government simply requested a "reassessment" of a raid in which Chief Special Warfare Operator William "Ryan" Owens was killed and three Navy SEAL Team 6 members were wounded. Sixteen Yemeni civilians and 14 al-Qaeda members were also killed, according to the Pentagon. The target of the operation, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula leader Qassim al-Rimi, remains alive.

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• Turkish-led forces advance into outskirts of Syrian city– Humeyra Pamuk and Tom Perry, Reuters

Southeast Asia & Oceania

The Philippines is seeking help from the United States and China to combat Islamic militants in the Sibutu Passage between Malaysia’s Sabah state and the southern Philippines. This deep-water channel is used by roughly 13,000 vessels each year and offers the fastest trade route between Australia, China, Japan, and South Korea. Gunmen from jihadist terror group Abu Sayyaf have boarded ships and kidnapped dozens of crewmen for ransom in the past year. Philippine Defense Secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, plans to ask the United States to hold joint exercises in the waters off the southern Philippines to address the issue.

Also check out:

• More than 1,000 feared killed in Myanmar army crackdown on Rohingya – Antoni Slodkowski, Reuters

Sub-Saharan Africa

On Wednesday, Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo was announced the winner of Somalia’s presidential election after two rounds of voting. Voting was limited to members of parliament due to threats of violence by the al-Shabab extremist group. Lawmakers voted in an aircraft hangar at a former air force base for extra security. Incumbent President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had been accused of vote-buying, but conceded defeat once the results were announced.

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• Why has Cameroon blocked the internet? – BBC News
   

Stay informed. We’ll see you here again next week.