Welcome to the weekly world briefing, a new Tuesday feature to help you stay up to date with major happenings around the globe. Come across something you think should be added to the next briefing? Send it to us on Twitter.
To avoid the most disastrous effects of climate change, we must reduce our carbon pollution by 45% by 2030 and be carbon neutral by 2050, warns the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The goal may require technologies not yet in existence. “This is the moment and we must act now,” said Debra Roberts, co-chair of the working group on impacts. If the world only reaches its current goals set during the Paris climate talks, we will likely see extreme coastal flooding, increased heat-related mortality, high levels of drought and starvation, and complete die-off of coral reefs within the next century. Though reaching the required goals will require an international effort, here is a list of the best ways to reduce your carbon footprint.
North & Central America
After a contentious confirmation hearing focused on allegations of sexual assault against Judge Brett Kavanaugh, he was confirmed to the Supreme Court, but much else remains unknown. Polling is mixed on whether the confirmation process has helped or hurt Republicans in the midterms, or if it has strengthened or weakened the #MeToo movement. One thing is certain, though. The Supreme Court is about to tilt far right. FiveThirtyEight has been tracking Kavanaugh’s record and predicting the future lean of the new court. (It looks a lot like the court of the late 1990s.) NPR has compiled a guide on how Kavanaugh is likely to affect key issues.
In the last year, almost 43,000 Guatemalans traveling as families were stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border, more than from any other nation. Though the American and Guatemalan governments have launched a campaign to deter migrants, the numbers are still rising. Most of the migrants come from Guatemala’s western highlands, where 76% of the population is in poverty. Read about why so many Guatemalans make the dangerous journey, and how the governments are attempting to stop the flow.
South America
Former soldier turned far-right congressman Jair Bolsonaro won 46 percent of the vote in Brazil’s presidential election on Sunday, just under the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff, which will be held later this month to determine the future of Latin America’s largest country.
Protesters took to the streets in Venezuela this week after jailed opposition lawmaker Fernando Albán died in custody. The government claims that Albán killed himself by jumping from the 10th floor of a building, but protesters believe Albán was killed by government forces.
Europe
Bulgarian journalist Viktoria Marinova was found dead in a park on Saturday after being raped and murdered. In late September, Marinova reported on alleged corruption of EU funds by politicians and businessmen, though there is no evidence so far that her murder is related to her journalism. Bulgaria currently ranks 111 out of 180 on the World Press Freedom Index, the worst in the EU.
Elsewhere in Eastern Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina lowered its chances of EU integration by electing a Serb nationalist to a share of its tripartite presidency. Milorad Dodik has called Bosnia an “impossible state,” and favors integration with Serbia. Dodik’s views are strongly at odds with representatives from Bosnia’s Croat and Muslim minorities. Due to Bosnia’s complicated government in which the presidency is shared by representatives from its three main groups, the election is likely to create a deadlock on important issues such as EU and NATO integration.
In Romania, a referendum to ban gay marriage through a constitutional amendment failed due to low turnout. Though gay marriage is already banned in Romanian civil code, conservative Romanians are worried the EU will force them to change the law. LGBT activists boycotted the election and celebrated the win with boycott parties.
Middle East
Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has been missing for one week after visiting the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, and Turkish officials believe he was killed. Khashoggi has been in self-imposed exile in the United States for a year after speaking out against media suppression in Saudi Arabia. You can read some excerpts of his opinion pieces in the Washington Post here. (The paywall has been lifted).
Syrian rebels have withdrawn their heavy weaponry from the demilitarized zone in Idlib, according to the Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu. The move is in compliance with a peace deal brokered between Turkey and Russia last month. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has called the peace deal “temporary,” while the UN warns that an assault on Idlib could be the worst humanitarian crisis of the century.
Central & South Asia
#MeToo swept India this weekend as over 70 prominent men were accused of sexual misconduct on social media and on the news. Accusations began pouring out after an initial accusation from former actress Tanushree Dutta. Journalist Rituparna Chatterjee stated, “We’ve faced violence, including verbal violence, all our lives. Somewhere, I think, we’ve snapped.”
Pakistan is preparing to seek its 13th IMF bailout since the 1980s in an attempt to balance its staggering economy. Over the weekend, the country devalued its currency by 7.5 percent to 133.64 rupees per dollar. The IMF insisted that the exchange rate was too high.
East & Southeast Asia
China’s economy has been slowing since the economic crisis of 2008, and the country has relied on increasing debt to soften the impact. Now, due to a tense trade war with the U.S., the economic problems in China are intensifying. On Sunday, the Chinese central bank freed up $174 billion for new loans, though their debt already stands at 240 percent of economic output. Meanwhile, the yuan has lost almost 10 percent of its value against the dollar this year. The IMF warns that a full-on trade war between the U.S. and China would make the world “poorer and more dangerous.” It has already lowered its world economic growth projections due to the standoff.
Japan and Vietnam have reaffirmed their agreement to maintain peace and security in the South China Sea, where Vietnam and other nations have competing territorial claims with China. Without specifically addressing China, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc welcomed Japan’s commitment.
Africa
Cameroonian presidential hopeful Maurice Kamto has claimed victory in the recent elections, but government officials have not announced any official results. The announcement adds a wrinkle to already complicated and violent elections. In anglophone regions, turnout was as low as 5 percent due to fear of violence.
A resurgence of ebola has claimed 113 lives in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This week, representatives from several East African nations met to discuss prevention measures.
