Sgt. Lauren Twigg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Summary: 

• As violent and destructive protests in the country’s largest city, Almaty, continue, Kazakhstan President, Kassym-Jomart Tokaye, has issued a “shoot to kill without warning” order stating protestors will be “destroyed” as part of a forceful “counterterrorist” operation.
• The orders come after Russian President Vladimir Putin sent 2,500 Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) troops earlier this week at the request of President Tokaye.  
• Since the “shoot to kill order” was issued, President Tokaye states that constitutional order in the country had mostly been restored, stating the city was much quieter than it has been the last few days. 
• Addressing the nation, President Tokaye thanked President Putin for his assistance in the matter and dismissed requests to sit down and talk with protestors who he considers terrorists.  
• Protests originally began on New Years Day after the country lifted price caps on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) causing a spike in fuel prices in the country. 
• Fuel caps were restored for at least 6 months, however, protests continued and became violent when protestors stormed government buildings and lit cars and buildings on fire. 
• At least 26 protestors and 18 security officers have been killed since the clash began as gunfire continued to ring out throughout the city.
• Protestors are said to be opposing the Kazakh’s authoritarian rule as there is no viable political opposition and the current ruling party continues to receive almost 100% of votes leading to fraud suspicions. 
• The bloody protests are said to be the worst that Kazakhstan has experienced since they broke away from the Soviet Union and became a sovereign nation 3 decades ago. 

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10 Bodies Found In Car Outside of State Governor’s Office In Mexico

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• Police in Zacatecas, Mexico discovered 10 victims beaten to death in a car parked just outside of the historic, local state governor’s office on Thursday. 
• 2 have been arrested in connection to the bodies after security cameras allegedly showed them dropping the Mazda SUV off in the early hours. 
• The central state of Zacatecas has long dealt with high crime and murder rates. 
• Although more details about the gruesome discovery have yet to be released, the state’s Governor, David Monreal, vows to bring peace back into the state one step at a time.  

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Two Haitian Journalists Killed in Gang Attack

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• Two journalists, Wilguens Louissaint and Amady John Wesley were shot and according to some sources burned alive and another source stated the men managed to escape in a rival gang attack fighting for control. 
• The attack occurred in the Petion-Ville neighborhood in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Further details of the attack are still unknown, but the attack was initiated by the Ti Makak gang and according to another source a third journalist managed to escape.  
• Since the assassination of former president Jovenel Moïse in July 2020 and the most recent attempted assassination of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, the effectiveness of increasing Security amongst the Haitian Police has not been efficient with controlling gangs throughout its nation.

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13 Passengers Escape Quarantine on Italy-India Flight

• 125 infected passengers arrived from Milan on a charter plane in the Indian city of Amritsar. Of the 125 passengers, 13 managed to escape quarantine; 9 escaped the airport which sources have stated how their escape was unclear, and the other 4 escaped from the hospital according to a city official.
• Local police have stated a complaint will be filed against all 13 by canceling their passports or their photos would be published in the newspaper and cases will be charged against them. 
• There were 160 passengers in total on the Italy-India flight with a total of 19 infants and children who were exempt from being tested. Omicron is currently putting a large strain on access to medical 
• India currently has reported 117,100 cases which have been on the rise for the last 7 months. About 480,000 have died from COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic according to data provided by Johns Hopkins University. 

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Children Killed Among 3 Refugees in Ethiopian Airstrike

• According to the United Nations refugee agency, an airstrike in the region of Tigray, Ethiopia has killed three refugees; two of them being children. It is still not known who carried out the airstrike. Current sources have also stated that airstrikes have been conducted in the Tigray region by the military in recent months. 
• Refugee Commissioner, Filippo Grandi, states that four others were also in the airstrike but their lives are not at risk. 
• Thousands of refugees have fled from camps amid the attacks from Tigray’s soldiers as well as Eritrea. 
• The UN’s humanitarian agency has stated that Tigray airstrikes from December 19th-24th have led to mass civilian casualties with most being in the southern towns of Tigray. These attacks have been the most since October.

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Bitcoin Prices Fall to Lowest after US Fed Remarks

• The Bitcoin value has dropped in the last week from $47,000 to $42,000 per digital coin. Since cryptocurrency has a global impact, some believe that the US Federal Reserve may be a factor in the drop.
• Meeting notes from the Federal Reserve meeting in December 2021 say that America’s Central Bank might raise interest rates as well as sell some assets.
• Bitcoin surged 500% since 2019 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other cryptocurrencies have tumbled due to the effects of the pandemic.