Briefly

UKRAINE

President says military commander replaced

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Tuesday that he has decided to replace the country's top military commander. In a post on Telegram, Zelensky said Mykhailo Drapatyi would become the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, replacing Oleksandr Syrsky. Syrsky's dismissal was one of the demands of the recent protests in Ukrainian cities, which erupted after the removal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.

UNITED STATES

Stripping immigrants of work permits blocked

A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily blocked President Donald Trump's administration from stripping tens of thousands of asylum seekers and immigrants who have Temporary Protected Status of their ability to work in the United States. US District Judge Nathaniel Gorton in Boston sided with a coalition of immigrant rights groups and labor unions that sued to block US Citizenship and Immigration Services from moving forward with a series of policies designed to implement new restrictions enacted by Congress last year.

Disney cuts jobs in cost-control efforts

The Walt Disney Company laid off several hundred employees on Tuesday in its latest round of job cuts, as the entertainment giant continues to streamline its operations with fewer projects, tighter budgets, and a more integrated corporate structure. A Disney spokesperson confirmed the cuts, saying the company was eliminating several hundred jobs across corporate functions, Disney Entertainment Television, ESPN and Disney's studios. Disney did not immediately disclose exact totals by division or say whether additional job cuts are planned.

SOUTH KOREA

Seoul mayor faces ouster after conviction

A South Korean court convicted Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon of campaign finance crimes on Wednesday, a ruling that will oust him and bar a presidential run if upheld by the nation's top court. Oh was first elected Seoul's mayor in 2006 and in June won a fifth term in the nation's most powerful municipal role, considered a springboard to high office. He rose to prominence as a possible contender for the opposition People Power Party as other veterans were tainted by former President Yoon Suk-yeol's 2024 martial law bid. But the Seoul Central District Court ruled Oh had a patron pay 21 million won ($14,200) for five of his opinion polls in a 2021 by-election, breaching the political funds act.

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