Government resigns over protests in Kazakhstan

Demonstrations over rising fuel prices have escalated across the country. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Government resigns over protests in Kazakhstan [Demonstrators, one of which holds police ammunition, gather during a protest in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Jan. 5, 2022.] Credit: Vladimir Tretyakov/AP Kazakhstan Protests over rising fuel prices have escalated quickly across Kazakhstan. The unrest has forced the government to resign and the president to impose a [state of emergency]( in parts of the former Soviet republic, including the capital Nur-Sultan. In the country's largest city, Almaty, demonstrators stormed the mayor’s office, leaving part of it and the presidential residence ablaze. The London-based internet monitoring group NetBlocks has reported that the country is "in the midst of a nation-scale internet blackout." Protests began after the government had [lifted a price cap on liquefied petroleum gas]( — used by many people for their cars — causing prices to double in a matter of days. Canada Canada has reached a settlement with Indiginous groups over the mistreatment of children by the education system. The government has pledged $31.5 billion — the [largest settlement in the nation’s history]( — in compensation for the removal of children from their families and caregivers over the past three decades, and toward [repairing the child welfare system]( for First Nations children. An estimated 115,000 children have been separated from their families since 1991, according to lawyer Robert Kugler. The move comes amid controversy over the discovery of [hundreds of unmarked graves]( last year near former residential schools where First Nations children were placed. Yemen The Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen has [launched airstrikes]( into the Yemeni capital. The coalition says it struck military targets at Sanaa International Airport from where drone strikes were launched against Saudi targets. The fresh attacks come after Houthi fighters seized a [UAE-flagged vessel]( in the Red Sea, saying it contained military equipment. The Saudis have denied the claim, saying the ship had medical field equipment meant for building a hospital. The nearly decade-long war in Yemen has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions of others. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Progressive evangelicals in Brazil wage a battle ‘against Bolsonaroism’ ahead of elections]( [Christians raise their hands in praise during an International Grace of God Church event led by televangelist R.R. Soares, with President Jair Bolsonaro in attendance, at Botafogo beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. 15, 2020.]( Credit: Leo Correa/AP/File photo Evangelical Christians will play a powerful role in keeping President Jair Bolsonaro in power. But [support may be slipping]( as evangelical progressives begin to organize against Bolsonaro ahead of next year's elections. [A COVID variant of concern or just another 'scare-iant?']( [People wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19 walk in downtown Lisbon, Nov. 29, 2021.]( Credit: Ana Brigida/AP/File photo There have been hundreds and thousands variants of COVID-19. But simply seeing a new combination of mutations is not necessarily a red flag. Emma Hodcroft, an epidemiologist at the University of Bern in Switzerland, explained to The World's host Carol Hills when a variant actually becomes a [variant of concern](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot A new study shows that memes can help take the edge off of pandemic-related stress. In addition to lightening the mood, they provide what's known as “information processing” that can help people mentally rehearse ways to better cope with the situation. Read more about it in [this report]( by our partners at The Conversation. 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