Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon resigns

Sturgeon has faced criticism over her gender recognition bill, and for her attempts to seek independence from the UK. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon resigns [Nicola Sturgeon speaks during a press conference at Bute House in Edinburgh, Feb. 15 2023.] Credit: Jane Barlow/Pool photo via AP Scotland Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon [announced her resignation]( on Wednesday, after more than eight years in office. She’s faced recent criticism over her gender recognition bill, and for her attempts to gain independence from the United Kingdom. Sturgeon is the first female leader of Scotland, and has been in office since the failed 2014 referendum to separate from the UK, and has since called for a [renewal of the vote](, which the British government has refused to allow. She has argued that Britain’s departure from the European Union changed the ground rules. Sturgeon will remain in office until her Scottish National Party elects a new leader. Germany German airline Lufthansa — one of Europe’s biggest — has begun [resuming flights]( after canceling or diverting all planes from the country’s busiest airport in Frankfurt. Thousands of passengers were stranded when construction work that [damaged broadband cables]( at a rail line caused a massive IT failure. Many passengers missed their connecting flights with international travel also being affected. US-Iran According to a [Wall Street Journal report](, the US military is deliberating if it should send thousands of weapons to Ukraine that were seized by the US and France in recent months off the coast of Yemen from smugglers suspected of working for Iran. The weapons — including 5,000 assault rifles, 1.6 million rounds of small arms ammunition and a small number of antitank missiles — were intended for Houthi fighters. The Biden administration is [trying to find legal justification]( for transferring the seized weapons, because a UN arms embargo requires the US and its allies to destroy, store or dispose of them. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [Getting earthquake aid in Syria depends on where survivors live]( [A man walks past collapsed buildings following a devastating earthquake in the town of Jinderis, Aleppo province, Syria, Feb. 14, 2023.]( Credit: Ghaith Alsayed/AP More than a week after earthquakes devastated northern Syria, outside help has been slow to arrive. Parts of the country that have been impacted fall into [two main categories](: ones that are under government control and those that are not. In opposition-held areas relief has been almost nonexistent. [Volunteers in Ukraine organize to ‘fill in gaps’ in ongoing war]( [Good Bread Bakery is baking and sending thousands of loaves of bread to the frontlines.]( Credit: Daniel Ofman/The World Grassroots organizations have popped up all around Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, to [send support]( — both as humanitarian and military assistance — to the frontlines. Volunteers are trying to fill gaps as the war in Ukraine approaches its 1-year anniversary. --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is releasing never-before-publicly-seen video of the [1986 dive]( through the wreckage of the Titanic. It consists of more than 80 minutes of footage and chronicles some of the achievements of the dive, which was the first time human eyes saw the giant ocean liner since it sank in 1912. 🛳 [The bow of the Titanic 12,500 feet below the surface of the ocean, 400 miles off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada in 1986.] Credit: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution via AP/File In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- 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](. [The World]( is produced by [PRX]( and [GBH](.