World News at a Glance

Met With Days of Protests, Nicaragua’s Leader Vows to Reverse Course

President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua announced Sunday that he was reversing a social security overhaul that had prompted days of protests in which up to two dozen people died. His announcement seemed to acknowledge that the protests, which started Wednesday as a picket by college students against the social security overhaul, had become a serious challenge. But it is unlikely to sway protesters who have other grievances against his government — including Ortega’s interference with the National Assembly, the law and the constitution. He is also widely criticized for having manipulated the Supreme Court, the elections council and mayoral races.

In Cuba’s Change of Leadership, More Black Officials in Power

As outgoing Cuban President Raúl Castro tells it, even too many of the radio and television newscasters in Cuba are white. So it was all the more extraordinary to see last week how many women and Afro-Cubans were chosen for positions in the highest echelon in the new government: Half of the six vice presidents of the ruling Council of State are black, and three are also women. Although skeptics doubt that too much will change, even some of the government’s harshest critics acknowledged that the diversity shift was an important development.

Suicide Bomber Kills at Least 57 Afghans in Kabul

A suicide bomber killed at least 57 people Sunday as they lined up at a government office in Kabul to register to vote, raising new concerns about the potential for violence to undermine Afghanistan’s long-delayed parliamentary elections. The attacker detonated his explosives as Afghan authorities distributed national identity cards in Kabul, the capital, part of a push by the government to get more people to register to vote. Wahidullah Majrooh, a spokesman for the Afghan Health Ministry, said the attack also wounded at least 119. Among the dead were 25 men, 22 women and eight children, Majrooh said.

Redefine and Rebuild: Germany’s Social Democrat Leader Digs In

Andrea Nahles, the first woman to lead Germany’s oldest political party, was elected leader of the Social Democrats on Sunday, vowing to revive the fortunes of the center-left party. After more than 12 years under a conservative chancellor, Angela Merkel, the Social Democrats should be riding high as the opposition to the Christian Democrats, Merkel’s party. But two terms as a junior coalition partner has cost the Social Democrats dearly. They suffered their worst postwar result in September. On Sunday, Nahles laid out her vision: focus on jobs, impose taxes on international technology companies and overhaul the social welfare system.

Feeling Left Out, Has Plenty to Worry About in North Korea-U.S. Talks

As North Korean leader Kim Jong Un prepares for his meetings with the presidents of South Korea and the United States, China has found itself in an unaccustomed place: watching from the sidelines. Worse, many Chinese analysts say, North Korea could pursue a grand bargain designed not only to bring it closer to its two former Korean War foes, but also diminish its reliance on China. Such an outcome remains a long shot amid doubts about whether the North would agree to relinquish its nuclear weapons. Still, China finds itself removed from the center of the rapidly unfolding diplomacy.

Korean Air Heiresses, One Known for ‘Nut Rage,’ Lose Their Jobs

Two sisters accused of abusing Korean Air employees will be removed from management positions in their family-run corporate empire, the company announced Sunday, four years after one became notorious for an episode known as “nut rage." Cho Hyun-ah and Cho Hyun-min have become lightning rods for South Koreans who say leaders of family-run conglomerates often act as if they are above the law. Cho Hyun-ah became infamous in 2014 when she flew into a rage after being served nuts in an unopened package. This month, police began investigating accusations of physical abuse against her sister, a Korean Air marketing executive.