World roundup: December 5 2022

Stories from Iran, South Africa, Bulgaria, and elsewhere

INTERNATIONAL

In today’s global news:

• Worldometer is tracking COVID-19 cases and fatalities.

• The New York Times is tracking global vaccine distribution.

MIDDLE EAST

SYRIA

The Syrian Democratic Forces militia announced on Monday that it is resuming joint counter-terrorism operations with US forces in northeastern Syria. The SDF had suspended those operations just a couple of days ago in order to focus on a potential Turkish invasion of Kurdish-held parts of northern Syria. The SDF cited a decrease in the frequency of Turkish air and artillery strikes on their positions as rationale for the policy reversal, so this may not have any implications as far as the planned invasion is concerned. The Turks have seemed ready to roll for a couple of weeks now and so there’s some question as to why they haven’t invaded yet.