Our Monday morning stroll around the world

🇧🇩 Bangladesh scaled back government job quotas that sparked national student protests. The country’s quota system, which was abolished in 2020 but reinstated by a court verdict last month, reserves 30% of all public-sector jobs for the relatives of veterans who fought for Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. In recent weeks, at least 139 people – mostly students – have been killed during mass anti-quota protests, with Bangladesh enforcing a strict curfew with shoot-to-kill orders. Under a Supreme Court ruling published yesterday, Bangladesh will now reserve 5% of government jobs for family members of veterans.

🇷🇺 Russia sentenced WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich to 16 years in prison. The 32-year-old American journalist has been imprisoned since March 2023, when he was arrested on charges of stealing state secrets for the US government – allegations which he, US officials, and the WSJ have repeatedly denied. Gershkovich has 15 days to appeal Friday’s sentence, which counts his time already spent in detention.

🇬🇧 A UK court handed record prison sentences to Just Stop Oil protesters. Five activists who planned a four-day protest in 2022 that shut down a major UK motorway received four- or five-year prison sentences last week, under a new law intended to deter unruly protests. Officials say the 2022 demonstration caused ~$2.4 million in damages and a combined 50,000+ hours of vehicle delays. According to Just Stop Oil, the sentences represent the harshest terms handed down for a peaceful protest in England’s history.