The US Department of State’s Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) added an additional risk indicator for kidnapping and/or hostage taking to their standardized travel advisories April 9. The “K” risk indicator has been established to identify countries that represent a specific threat of kidnapping and/or hostage taking, and are not necessarily applied to all high-threat countries. These risk indicators aid in determining and characterizing travel advisory ratings, are used to denote threat, and provide information and advice on various security concerns on a country-by-country basis.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro presented a pension reform bill to Congress Feb. 20. The bill is largely supported by investors and economists as a potential fix to an ailing economy. However, significant backlash from both the political class and the public has followed every attempt at pension reform in recent years, and Bolsonaro’s proposal is already receiving significant criticism. Widespread protests and unrest are likely to materialize throughout 2019 in reaction to the proposed legislative bill. 

When planning a trip, it’s important to consider what items you are taking with you, especially items of value. While you shouldn’t take anything you can’t afford to lose, items like credit cards, passports, electronic equipment, or important documents are necessary to carry while on travel. There’s no sure way to prevent unfortunate incidents from taking place, so it’s important to cover the bases when securing your personal belongings.

President of Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir, is experiencing one of the most protracted popular uprisings of his three-decade reign. The removal of government subsidies and subsequent price hikes on basic commodities sparked the initial protests on Dec. 19. Although the Sudanese government dismissed them as bread riots and deployed security forces to disperse protesters and discourage future protest actions, the government’s crackdown and inability to articulate a satisfactory response ignited more demonstrations and a nationwide call for Al-Bashir’s ouster.

Severe weather is usually associated with thunderstorms but can refer to any dangerous or destructive weather event. Thunderstorms form due to instability in the atmosphere, and generally require a humid air mass, sufficient daytime heating of the air, interactions between frontal systems, and wind shear (change in wind speed or direction with height).

Severe Thunderstorm Classification

Today marks the recognition of International Women’s Day. It has been nearly 25 years since the recognition of this day, celebrating the many accomplishments and actions that women have taken globally to reduce inequality among genders. However, despite many advances, there are still acute areas that require further action and change. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called attention to the top ten issues in health that require some work. These include:

Across Algeria, tens of thousands of Algerians continue to protest against President Abdelaziz Bouteflika's decision to contest the upcoming April 18 elections, aiming for a fifth term as president. President Bouteflika has been president since 1999 but has rarely appeared in public since he suffered a debilitating stroke in 2013; he is currently in a hospital in Switzerland.