Friday News Roundup – International
Andrea G
The 1A Show / Interview with Moisés Naím, Krishnadev Calamur & Susan Glasser
Ireland votes today on the repeal of their Eighth Amendment, which bans almost all types of abortion. The vote comes as citizens grapple with the role of the Catholic Church in the country.
Saudi Arabia is cracking down again on gender equality activists, just weeks before a ban on women driving is supposed to be lifted. At least 11 activists were arrested for, in part, “undermining stability” and “suspicious contact with foreign parties,” according to the BBC.
And Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro was re-elected this week with 68 percent of the vote, amid a historic abstention rate of 52 percent. Maduro’s main opposition party boycotted the vote. After President Trump signed new economic sanctions on the country, Maduro expelled the top U.S. diplomat.