US ambassador to Zambia recalled over gay rights row

US ambassador to Zambia recalled over gay rights flap [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( The US has withdrawn its ambassador to Zambia after he spoke out against a jail term the country imposed on a gay couple. Algeria’s army chief has died amid a political crisis there, opening the door for a power vacuum. And Jesus’ birthplace gets a makeover in Bethlehem — but is it enough to draw tourists? --------------------------------------------------------------- In the news today US recalls its ambassador to Zambia after disagreement over gay rights [An LGBT activist wears a badge as he attends a court hearing in the Milimani high Court in Nairobi in Nairobi, Kenya, on Feb. 22, 2019.]( Credit: Baz Ratner/Reuters The United States has withdrawn its ambassador to Zambia following a row with authorities in the African nation after he [criticized the jailing of a gay couple](, embassy sources said on Monday. A spokesperson for the US State Department said Washington is "[dismayed](" by the Zambian government’s statement that Ambassador Daniel Foote’s position “is no longer tenable.” "Despite this action, the United States remains committed to our partnership with the Zambian people," the spokesperson said. "We seek an open and frank relationship of mutual respect, commensurate with the generous aid provided to the Zambian people by the United States." African countries have some of the[world's most prohibitive laws governing homosexuality](. Same-sex relationships are considered taboo and gay sex is a crime across most of the continent, with punishments ranging from imprisonment to death. Also: [Progress for gay rights in Africa still isn't inevitable]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Algeria's powerful army chief dies at pivotal point in political crisis Algeria's powerful army chief, who masterminded the state's response to mass protests this year, [died suddenly of a heart attack]( on Monday, and a likely successor quickly emerged from the same old guard the demonstrators want swept away. Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah had become the most visible figure in [Le Pouvoir]( — the "power," as Algerians describe their secretive ruling elite, helping to bring down long-time president Abdelaziz Bouteflika in April. As military chief of staff, his strategy was to replace Bouteflika and his allies while [keeping the essential structure of power unchanged]( and allowing the protests to continue, hoping to wait out the demonstrators. But [huge crowds continued to flood the streets]( through much of 2019 to demand wholesale change to the leadership, unappeased by Bouteflika's resignation and the arrest of many of his aides and allies on corruption charges. Gaed Salah's death came at a critical moment in the state's response to the unrest. The army had pushed for the election of a new president as a big step in its strategy to restore a normal order in which it held a central role. The new president, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, quickly named the head of the land forces, General Said Chengriha, as the [new acting chief of staff to replace Gaed Salah](. Chengriha, 74, is from the same generation of powerful generals as Gaed Salah, who was 79, both men having started their careers in the guerrilla forces that rose up against French colonial rule. Also: [Algeria's revolutionary president won't seek reelection]( --------------------------------------------------------------- NewsMatch Do you value the global journalism you read here every morning? [Make a gift]( to support our work now, and your donation will be matched. [Donate here](. Jesus’ Bethlehem birthplace gets a makeover. But will it boost tourism? [A fragment of a wooden relic, reputed to be from Jesus' manger, is show here displayed ahead of its transfer to Jesus' birthplace in Bethlehem for the official launch of Christmas season, in Jerusalem's Notre Dame, on Nov. 29, 2019.]( Credit: Ammar Awad/Reuters Palestinian officials are hoping that the [nearly completed restoration of Bethlehem will boost tourism]( at a time when the West Bank remains under Israeli occupation, plagued by a political stalemate and hobbled by high unemployment. Bethlehem relies heavily on tourism, especially during Christmas. Despite its thriving holiday season, the town is still plagued by one of the [highest unemployment rates in the West Bank at 21%](, according to the Palestinian Statistics Bureau. Challenges are also compounded by the 23 Israeli settlements that encircle and isolate it. More than 165,000 settlers live there, comprising about 30% of the total settler population in the West Bank. But since 2013, a year after the United Nations declared the church a world heritage site, a [large-scale restoration project has been undertaken to revive this sacred spot for pilgrims and visitors from around the world](. Also: [Is Airbnb's return to West Bank 'whitewashing' human rights issues?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Do you have a smart speaker? Listen to The World's new show called [The Number in the News](! We produce The Number in the News daily from our studio in Boston. Host Bianca Hillier will tell you one number you won’t forget and why it’s the news today. Add The Number in the News to your Amazon or Google news briefing. Ecuador concerned about recovery of sunken barge in Galapagos Ecuador's environment minister, Raul Ledesma, said on Monday that a situation involving a [sunken barge in the Galapagos Islands that was carrying 600 gallons of diesel]( is under control but added that authorities are "very concerned" about the vessel's recovery. The barge [sank on Sunday]( after a crane at the La Predial dock of San Cristobal — the easternmost island of the Galapagos archipelago — fell while unloading cargo, [Ecuador's navy said in a statement on Twitter](. Located around 600 miles from mainland Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands are home to a variety of flora and fauna that famously helped inspire Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution following his 1835 visit. Ecuador's Navy, alongside authorities from the Galapagos National Park, placed barriers and hydrocarbon-absorbing cloths around the stricken vessel to prevent the dispersal of anything that might leak. "This fuel spill could have caused [serious effects on the sensitive ecosystem]( of this protected area," the attorney general's office said. "We are very concerned about the recovery work of the tanks because there could be a potential spill if it is not done efficiently and swiftly," he said. Also: [Mysterious oil spill fouls Brazil's coastline]( And: [Oil spill casts doubt safety of proposed Keystone XL]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Morning meme(s) Oh, those moments as a child [when we realize that life isn’t easy](. Extra: Hundreds of thousands of immigrants are deported from the US each year, and many of them leave behind US citizen spouses and children. [Here's how two families have changed their holiday traditions after the deportations of their husbands and fathers](. Reuters contributed to this newsletter. --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it on The World - [Another music fave from 2019]( - [Tesco Christmas card]( - [How Russia's new railway bridge to annexed Crimea violates international law]( - [Thwaites glacier, revisited]( - [New plants discovered in 2019]( - [North Korea warns of 'Christmas gift' for United States]( - [”I am an Indian!"]( - [Turkey's refugee resettlement plan]( - [Humanitarian disaster underway in Syria]( - [Saudi Arabia sentences five to death over Khashoggi's murder]( Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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