The World Briefly

December 18, 2023

Weak Handshake

GuyanaVenezuela

Venezuela and Guyana agreed this week to refrain from the use of force over the oil-rich territory of Essequibo, a long-running dispute that has raised fears of a potential conflict breaking out in South America, CNBC reported. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his Guyanese counterpart, Irfaan...

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The World Briefly

December 18, 2023

Opting Out

Iraq

Iraqis cast their ballots in the country’s provincial elections this week, the first such vote in a decade and one that many believe will set the stage for the next parliamentary polls in 2025, the Associated Press reported. The vote will select new provincial council members,...

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The World Briefly

December 15, 2023

Outsourcing Migration

Albania

Albania’s constitutional court temporarily suspended a migration deal between the Albanian and Italian governments, which would have allowed Rome to send thousands of asylum seekers to its neighboring Balkan country for processing instead of remaining in their country of arrival, the BBC reported Thursday. The court’s...

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The World Briefly

December 15, 2023

Getting to First Base

Senegal

A Senegalese judge ordered the reinstatement of jailed opposition leader Ousmane Sonko on the electoral roll Thursday, allowing him to participate in the upcoming presidential election next year, Agence France-Presse reported. The recent ruling is the latest in a series of court cases over the past...

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The World Briefly

December 15, 2023

A Sensory Heritage

France

French lawmakers passed a bill this month that will give existing farms more protections from lawsuits by city residents who move to the countryside and are offended by the smells and noise that come from farms, Euronews reported. Currently, about 500 farmers face lawsuits from neighbors,...

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The World Briefly

December 14, 2023

The Fight Over Words

United Arab Emirates

Delegates at the United Nations climate summit agreed Wednesday to transition away from fossil fuel consumption, in what was called an unprecedented deal to possibly end the oil age, NBC News reported. The agreement, which came at the conclusion of the two-week UN Conference of Parties...

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The World Briefly

December 14, 2023

The Shortest of Honeymoons

Slovakia

Thousands of Slovakians took to the streets in the country’s major cities to protest against the government’s plan to do away with federal investigations into corruption and soften penalties for graft, racketeering and other crimes, the Associated Press reported. Left-wing populist and pro-Russian Prime Minister Robert...

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The World Briefly

December 14, 2023

Byte-Sized Innovation

Brazil

A Brazilian city councilor revealed that a law he had sponsored that came into effect last month was written using artificial intelligence, an unprecedented event in the country that has also launched a debate on the possibilities of automation, the Washington Post reported. The municipality of...

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The World Briefly

December 13, 2023

Tusk’s Tasks

Poland

Centrist politician Donald Tusk was nominated as Poland’s new prime minister this week, ending eight years of right-wing rule by the Law and Justice Party (PiS) that saw relations with the European Union deteriorate, the loss of judicial independence and restrictions on reproductive rights, the...

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The World Briefly

December 13, 2023

Law Save the King

South Africa

A South African judge annulled the president’s recognition of the Zulu king on Monday, prolonging a royal saga over the succession involving one of Africa’s most influential monarchies and the country’s largest ethnic group, the New York Times reported. After the death in 2021 of King...

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The World Briefly

December 13, 2023

Down With Bureaucracy

Mexico

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador plans to eliminate nearly all remaining government oversight and regulatory agencies before leaving office next year, the latest clash between the populist leader and Mexico’s autonomous institutions, the Associated Press reported. On Monday, López Obrador said he would send a...

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The World Briefly

December 12, 2023

Barricading the House

Guatemala

Guatemala’s electoral court confirmed this week that President-elect Bernardo Arévalo was the winner of the country’s elections in August, a ruling that comes amid ongoing efforts by authorities to prevent the anti-corruption candidate from taking office, Agence France-Presse reported. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) said the...

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The World Briefly

December 12, 2023

The Majority, the Minority

IndiaJammu & Kashmir

India’s top court upheld a government decision to strip the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region of its special autonomy status on Monday, a move criticized by local stakeholders but hailed by Hindu nationalists, the BBC reported. The Supreme Court ruled that the federal government, led by...

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The World Briefly

December 12, 2023

A Dash of Fear

European Union

The European Union warned that the war in Gaza has increased the threat of terror attacks over the holiday season, a statement that comes following a recent deadly attack near the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the New York Times reported. EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson...

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The World Briefly

December 11, 2023

Order, Order

European Union

Lawmakers in the European Union agreed to new rules aimed at regulating artificial intelligence, one of the world’s first comprehensive attempts to control its use amid concerns about the global impact of the rapidly evolving technology, the New York Times reported. The AI Act will set...

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The World Briefly

December 11, 2023

Political Theater

Hong Kong

Hong Kongers voted in the city’s first “patriots only” district council elections Sunday, a vote that saw the absence of pro-democracy candidates after Beijing tightened its control of the semi-autonomous territory, Al Jazeera reported. Voters were restricted to only choosing pro-China candidates, with turnout being only...

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The World Briefly

December 11, 2023

Lowering the Temperature

Denmark

Denmark’s parliament passed a new law that will criminalize the desecration of any holy text in the country, a move that follows a series of protests involving the burning of the Quran in recent months that have triggered angry protests in Muslim-majority nations, the Associated...

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The World Briefly

December 08, 2023

Willful Ignorance

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick resigned this week over disagreements related to the government’s bill that some say is an end run around a recent Supreme Court ruling that deemed the Rwanda asylum transfer scheme illegal, dealing another blow to the ruling Conservative...

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The World Briefly

December 08, 2023

The Soft Words of Harsh Mistakes

Nigeria

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu ordered an investigation into an accidental drone strike earlier this week that killed at least 85 people in northern Nigeria, an incident that prompted calls for accountability from the country’s military over errant bombings, NPR reported. On Sunday, an armed drone hit...

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The World Briefly

December 08, 2023

Show Me the Money

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida resigned as chief of his faction in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on Thursday, following a political fundraising scandal that has further tarnished the prime minister’s already sinking popularity and prompted questions about his staying power, Kyodo News reported. Kishida,...

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