Global Beat is your weekly stop for news from around the world. Join us every Friday morning for important stories you should know about.

This week, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis issued an ultimatum to NATO members to increase their defense spending by the end of the year; Kim Jong-un’s older half-brother was assassinated in Malaysia; Russia launched a cruise missile in an apparent violation of a Cold War-era treaty; and more.
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Americas

On Wednesday, U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis met with NATO defense ministers to discuss how the United States’ commitment to the organization could depend largely on whether other countries uphold their spending commitments. Mattis essentially issued an ultimatum to NATO members, saying, "America will meet its responsibilities, but if your nations do not want to see America moderate its commitment to the alliance, each of your capitals needs to show its support for our common defense" by the end of the year. Only five of the 28 member countries have fulfilled that commitment. Others have pledged to reach the goal by 2024.

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• United States sanctions Venezuelan vice president over trafficking claims – BBC

Central & South Asia

India’s space agency on Wednesday launched 104 satellites from a single rocket into space within 18 minutes, nearly tripling the previous record of 37 satellites set by Russia in 2014. The rocket held three Indian satellites in addition to 101 satellites from the U.S., Kazakhstan, Israel, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Arab Emirates. India has cemented itself as a key player in space exploration following its successful Mars Orbiter Mission in 2014, becoming the first country to arrive on its first attempt and the first Asian country to reach Mars.

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• India’s air pollution rivals China’s as world’s deadliest – Geeta Anand, The New York Times

China & East Asia

Kim Jong-nam, the older half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, was poisoned at a Malaysian airport on Monday and died while being transported to the hospital. Police have arrested three individuals in relation to the assassination, including two women believed to be directly involved and the boyfriend of one of the women. Kim had long been estranged from his family, had no interest in assuming power, and was often critical of his family’s dynastic control, stating that his younger half-brother lacked leadership qualities. South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) said Kim had been under a “kill order” since Kim Jong-un took power in 2011, yet Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said North Korea’s involvement with Kim’s death is "only speculation" at this time.

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• China blacklists carfentanil, closing a deadly loophole in the opioid epidemic – Bill Chappell, NPR

Europe & Russia

Russia on Wednesday denied violating a Cold War-era missiles treaty when it launched a cruise missile earlier this week. The 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty calls on both Russia and the United States "not to possess, produce, or flight-test a ground-launched cruise missile with a range capability of 500 to 5,500 kilometers, or to possess or produce launchers of such missiles," said acting U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner. Many view the action as a challenge by Russia to the Trump administration.

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• European parliament passes EU-Canada free trade deal amid protests – Daniel Boffey, The Guardian

Middle East & North Africa

A ceasefire in Syria brokered by Turkey and Russia in December is beginning to fray along Syria’s southern border as rebel groups launched their largest offensive in the area in over a year with an attack this week on the city of Daraa. A United Nations-sponsored talk is set to be held in Geneva on February 23. Previous attempts have been thwarted over agenda disputes, but this time UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said the three main points—establishing a new form of governance, creating a new constitution, and early elections under UN supervision—would not be changed.

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• Amidst U.S.-Iran tensions, wrestlers emerge as sports diplomats – Fred Pleitgen, CNN

Southeast Asia & Oceania

The Australian Senate is being praised by same sex marriage proponents for unanimously rejecting proposed forms of discrimination against LGBT people. A report released by the Senate stated that all civil celebrants would be required to marry those who are allowed by law, but recommended creating a new category of independent religious celebrants who would have the right to refuse to marry same sex couples on the basis of the celebrant’s religious beliefs. This surprising act of cross-party consensus on refining the government’s same sex marriage legislation has paved the way for a marriage equality bill as early as next month.

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• Indonesia’s political climate "increasingly embittered" as presidential election heads to runoff – Thomas Latschan, Deutsche Welle

Sub-Saharan Africa

The Gambia’s new president, Adama Barrow, notified the United Nations on Monday that the country would remain in the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Gambia’s former president, Yahya Jammeh, had announced in October that it would be leaving the ICC after he accused the world body of ignoring war crimes committed by Western nations while seeking only to prosecute African nations. Less than a month into Barrow’s presidency, police have already opened up investigations into unresolved deaths and disappearances under Jammeh’s rule as well as a complaint register to file reports.

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• World Health Organization declares end to yellow fever outbreak in the Congo and Angola – Carley Petesch, Associated Press

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