The world in brief

Catch up quickly on the global stories that matter

Updated less than 1 hour ago

France suspended all development aid to Niger after Mohamed Bazoum, the country’s president, was ousted
by General Omar Tchiani, the head of the presidential guard . Niger was the last solid Western ally in the region
and hosts about 1,500 French soldiers to fight jihadists. Earlier America offered “unflagging support” for Mr
Bazoum. On Wednesday a group of soldiers, including members of the presidential guard, announced a coup on
national television; they closed the country’s borders and imposed a nationwide curfew.
The Biden administration agreed to send $345m-worth of weapons to Taiwan in an attempt to dissuade the
Chinese from aggression. It will for the first time start to arm Taiwan from its own military stocks. China
objected vociferously to the decision; a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, DC, said that it
posed “risks to peace and stability”.
The leader of Senegal’s opposition, Ousmane Sonko, was charged with plotting insurrection and criminal
conspiracy. In June a court sentenced Mr Sonko to two years in prison for “corruption of youth”, sparking
deadly riots across the country. Those charges, which Mr Sonko maintains are politically motivated, almost
certainly rule him out of the presidential poll in February.
Colombian police arrested the son of the country’s president, Gustavo Petro, as part of an investigation into
money laundering. Nicolas Petro, a lawmaker, has previously denied accusations that he took bribes from drug
traffickers to include them in his father’s “total peace” agreement with Colombia’s many illegal armed groups.
The elder Mr Petro said he would not intervene.
Police in Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, fired teargas and rubber bullets on demonstrators demanding the
removal of Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the country’s main opposition,
have staged several protests calling for the installation of a neutral caretaker government ahead of elections in
January next year. Ms Hasina’s government has spent more than ten years hobbling the opposition.
Russian missiles hit two buildings in Dnipro, a city in central Ukraine. Several people were injured, including
two children. A building owned by the SBU, Ukraine’s security service, was damaged in the strike. On Friday
Russia said that an explosion in Taganrog, a city in south-west Russia, had been caused by the interception of a
Ukrainian missile.
Authorities in Beijing evacuated more than 3,000 people, suspended sports events and closed tourist hotspots as
Typhoon Doksuri hit northern China. The storm has already passed through the Philippines, where it caused
landslides, flooding and 41 deaths earlier this week, though it has weakened in recent days.

1. Development aid (n): a type of foreign/international/overseas aid given by governments

and other agencies to support the economic, environmental, social, and political
development of developing countries
2. Oust (v): to force somebody out of a job or position of power, especially in order to take
their place
3. Presidential guard (n): as assigned to personally protect the government
4. Alley (n): a country that has agreed officially to give help and support to another
one, especially during a war
During the First World War, Turkey was an ally of Germany.
5. Solid (adj): that you can rely on; having a strong basis,

This provided a solid foundation for their marriage.

 We've established a really solid base for our products.

6. Jihadism (n): militant Islamic movements that are perceived as existentially threatening to the West
7. Unflagging (adj): never becomes weaker:
He thanked Tony for his unflagging energy and support.
8. Curfew (n): a law that says that people must not go outside after a particular time at night
until the morning; the time after which nobody must go outside
9. Coup (n): an unexpectedly successful achievement