Chile
A historic day in Chile as legislators overwhelmingly voted in favor of legalizing same-sex marriage after a 20-year battle by campaigners. Chile’s Senate voted 21-8 in favour, and the Chamber of Deputies 82-20. The bill includes full spousal benefits and the right to adopt children. President Sebastián Piñera, a conservative who leaves office in March, surprised many with his very vocal support for the move. Chile becomes the ninth country in South America to pass marriage equality legislation.
More from NPR here.
Saudi Arabia
France has arrested a Saudi man accused of involvement in the brutal murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Khaled Aedh Alotaibi was detained at Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris on the basis of an arrest warrant from Turkey, which has warrants out for 26 Saudis it accuses of involvement in the brutal 2018 slaying. Khashoggi, a government critic and columnist for the Washington Post, was lured to the Saudi embassy in Istanbul, where he was then murdered and hacked to pieces. The Saudi embassy in Paris said the arrested man had “nothing to do with the case.” A number of men, who the government says went rogue after being sent to take Khashoggi home, have been convicted in Saudi Arabia. Turkey, though, has not accepted that explanation and says the killing was ordered at the highest levels in Saudi Arabia.
More from France 24 here.
Ethiopia
Ethiopia has accused six Western countries of “perpetuating a destructive narrative” after they issued a statement expressing concern at reports of ethnically-motivated arrests in the country. As regular newsletter readers know, Ethiopia has been embroiled in a year-long civil war between the government and forces from the northern Tigray region. Since a state of emergency was declared in early November, there have been reports of large numbers of Tigrayans being rounded up. “Individuals are being arrested and detained without charges or a court hearing and are reportedly being held in inhumane conditions,” the statement, which was signed by Australia, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, the UK and the US, said.
More from Al Jazeera here.