A “sick joke”: Tigrayan forces reject ceasefire in Ethiopia’s embattled region

The Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s, which has made territorial gains in the embattled region, has rejected the ceasefire. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following A “sick joke”: Tigrayan forces reject ceasefire in Ethiopia’s embattled region [A destroyed tank sits by the side of a road leading to Abi Adi, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia.] Credit: Ben Curtis/AP Tigray conflict The government of Ethiopia has said it could re-enter the Tigray region, just days after pulling out its troops and declaring a unilateral ceasefire. The Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s, which has made territorial gains in the embattled region, has rejected the ceasefire, calling it [a “sick joke,”](and has vowed to chase down Ethiopian and Eritrean troops that joined forces in the nearly eight-month war. The Tigray forces' spokesman, [Getachew Reda, said]( that there will be no negotiations until communications, transportation and other services destroyed by the war are restored. Canada heat wave Dozens of people have died in western Canada amid a scorching heat wave that has set record high temperatures. While the deaths are still under investigation, authorities believe that the heat is a contributing factor in dozens of sudden deaths of mostly senior citizens. Canada broke its own [record]( for a third straight day on Tuesday — reaching 121.3 F in Lytton, British Columbia. [A dome of static high-pressure hot air]( stretching from California to the Arctic territories has created the heat wave over western parts of Canada and the US. North Korea COVID-19 North Korean leader [Kim Jong-un admonished top officials]( at a specially-convened Politburo meeting for failures in COVID-19 prevention tactics that have caused a “great crisis” in the country. In the remarks, reported by state news agency KCNA, Kim added that they "caused a grave incident that has caused a great risk to people and the nation's safety." The rare comments could signal an outbreak in North Korea, a country [that has claimed]( to have had no infections of the novel coronavirus. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [The politics of Ireland’s enduring support for Palestinians]( [downloadListen to the story. Palestinian protesters fly Palestinian flags and flags of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, DFLP, during clashes with Israeli soldiers at the entrance of the Jewish settlement of Beit El near the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 15, 2021.]( Credit: Nasser Nasser/AP Ireland has become the first European Union country to declare that Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories amount to de facto annexation. The vote in the Irish Parliament followed a motion by Sinn Féin party lawmaker [John Brady](, who said it reflected the “concern of the Irish people at the plight of the Palestinian people.” Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the unanimous vote was a “clear signal of the depth of feeling across Ireland.” [TV show turns parents' anxiety over college exams in China into entertainment]( [A police officer watches students, some wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus, leave the school after concluded their China's national college entrance examinations, known as the gaokao, in Beijing, June 10, 2021.]( Credit: Andy Wong/AP The new TV show, "A Little Dilemma," follows two families in their different approaches to their children's education, giving real families in China something to relate to and reflect upon. The results of the Gaokao, China’s high-pressure college entrance exam, were released last week, with a [record number]( of students sitting for the test this year. The show attempts to turn parents’ anxiety about the exams into entertainment. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot Authorities have recovered paintings by Pablo Picasso and Piet Mondrian that were stolen from the National Gallery in Athens, Greece, nearly a decade ago. They were found in a gorge after a builder admitted to stealing them in an overnight raid. But then in an unfortunate twist, Picasso's "Head of a Woman" painting [slipped to the floor]( while being displayed at a news conference! [Screen grab of a tweet from BBC News]( Courtesy of Twitter --------------------------------------------------------------- In case you missed it from The World --------------------------------------------------------------- - [Vaccine and vacation in Guam]( - [Chinese TV show highlights the stress families face to educate children]( - [Lebanon’s army is struggling to feed its soldiers during financial crisis]( - [Who’s to blame for a US soldier’s death in Iraq?]( - [Tigray ceasefire]( - [Roger Bennett talks international soccer]( - [France allows IVF for single women, lesbian couples]( - [Corruption hampers Honduras’ vaccine rollout]( - [Afghans are picking up arms against the Taliban with support from the government]( 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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