World roundup: January 18 2023

Stories from Pakistan, Ukraine, Greenland, and elsewhere

PROGRAMMING NOTE: For voiceover listeners, if you struggled through last night’s voiceover you know that my voice is not so hot at the moment. I’m going to give it a break tonight and we’ll see how things sound tomorrow.

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

A Syrian rebel faction affiliated with the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group said on Wednesday that its fighters had attacked an unspecified number of Syrian military outposts in southern Idlib province, killing “several” soldiers. The Syrian army issued a statement saying its forces had driven off the attacks, killing or wounding at least 12 rebels in the process. The Syrian army reportedly shelled Idlib’s Mount Zawaya region later in the day, killing at least one civilian. HTS and another jihadist-inclined rebel faction, Ahrar al-Sham, say they’ve been increasing the frequency of their attacks on Syrian positions in recent days. There’s no way to confirm this as far as I can tell, but it would make sense that they’re stepping up their activities at a time when the Turkish government, the patron and protector of multiple rebel factions, seems to be on a path toward normalizing relations with Bashar al-Assad’s government.