On Sunday, January 9, a defective space heater started a deadly fire in an apartment building in the Bronx. New York City's officials said that more than 60 people were injured and 17 were killed, including children. The building had been popular with new immigrants from The Gambia, in West Africa. Ambassador Dawda Docka Fadera, the Gambian ambassador to the U.S., expressed sorrow and shock on behalf of the Gambian diaspora in the U.S. and Gambians abroad, saying, "It's so sad that this horrific and tragic incident took so many lives, and left many people fighting for their lives."

Kazakhstan rang in the new year with deadly protests. Similar to the 2020 protests in Thailand, a small, seemingly isolated demonstration quickly spread a wave of discontent across the country. Taking a page from Myanmar's military junta's playbook, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has restricted internet access and given security forces the authority to "shoot to kill without warning." Should other countries intervene?

Is the spread of the omicron variant linked to vaccine inequality? Since the introduction of the first COVID-19 vaccines, scientists have been clear that mutations could emerge if wealthy nations did not adequately share access to vaccines. While scientists are still looking into the origins of omicron, and the latest evidence does not point to where it was first sequenced in southern Africa, the fact remains that much of the developing world is still struggling to gain access to COVID-19 vaccines. How can we solve this problem?

In "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised," we covered the early 2021 military coup in Myanmar (also called Burma). On February 1, the Tatmadaw (the official name of the military) seized control of the country, detained civilian leaders, and disrupted access to communications to silence their people and limit the press. The military has since mounted a campaign of persistent violence. Can the international community work together to stop the Tatmadaw?

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope that everyone had a wonderful celebration. Instead of sending the usual The Friday Brief this week, covering a policy issue or conflict, I am highlighting diaper banks that need support for Giving Tuesday and throughout this Season of Giving. A recent article by The 19th discussed the connection between diaper need and poverty. Diaper banks in low wealth areas require private support to serve millions of families each year.