UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson failed to pass his own latest version of the Brexit deal through an emergency session of Parliament on Saturday, forcing him to request an extension from the EU per a previously-set October 19 deadline. Johnson’s own feelings on the matter were made clear, however, as the unsigned request for an extension that was mandated by Parliament earlier in September was accompanied by a signed letter urging EU leaders not to grant the extension. The Benn Act passed on September 9th demanded the extension be requested,…
People in cities across Kazakhstan took to the streets last week to protest their government’s decision to allow China to open dozens of new factories in their country. Protesters say the move by Kazakhstan’s government will deepen their country’s dependence on China and will only create jobs for imported Chinese workers rather than for native Kazakhstanis. These demonstrations are a repeat of another wave of protests in 2016, when Kazakhstan’s government gave Chinese firms the right to purchase local real estate. Resentment towards Chinese influence has only increased since 2016,…
On Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified before the House Financial Services Committee on Capitol Hill. The subject was Facebook’s finance sector, and specifically their plan for a new global cryptocurrency, known as Libra, that would be run entirely through Facebook. Lawmakers from both parties came together over their skepticism of the system, which would see Facebook and partner corporations in charge of their own currency beyond the control of any government. Unlike other cryptocurrencies, designed at their core to have no central regulating authority and thus to be independent…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has lost the mandate to form a new government after failing to build a coalition following last month’s election. With no party having the majority required to govern after September’s election, President Reuven Rivlin selected Netanyahu as the most likely to form a coalition within 28 days, but that period has now passed with no success, and the mandate will pass to Benny Gantz for an equal period. Netanyahu’s Likud party holds 32 seats in the Knesset currently, and with its allied minor parties reaches…
After a recent block on North Macedonia’s accession to the EU by France, the Prime Minister announced his resignation on Saturday, leading to snap elections that may place anti-EU opposition in power within the country. Prime Minister Zoran Zaev referred to his country as “victims of the EU’s historical mistake” while announcing the election, and said it would be up to the Macedonian people to “decide the road we are going to take.” The leader of Zaev’s opposition, conservative Hristijan Mickoski of the VMRO-DPMNE part, had previously called for snap…
Two Balkan states which have long pursued membership in the European Union have faced a setback as the necessary talks to consider an entry are stalled by EU member states. Albania and North Macedonia have seen their efforts stymied by a French-led effort to change the system by which new nations are admitted to the EU. North Macedonia, which was formerly known as Macedonia before changing its name to resolve a dispute with Greece, has been a candidate for EU membership since 2005. Albania was listed for consideration in 2014.…
On Thursday, Turkey agreed to a cease-fire in northern Syria on terms decided between itself and the United States. The cease-fire came nine days into Turkey’s military offensive against the Syrian Kurds, who Turkey considers a terror threat based on their ethnic ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party. Over 300,000 are estimated to have fled their homes in the region under attack, and according to the UN 71 deaths have been confirmed thus far. The United States is caught in the middle, as Turkey is a NATO ally while the…
The Russian space agency Roscosmos announced Friday that Alexei Leonov, Russian air force pilot turned cosmonaut and the first person to walk in space, has died at the age of 85. Leonov was the first person to conduct a spacewalk during a launch of the spacecraft Voskhod-2 on March 18, 1965. The walk lasted about 20 minutes, during which he spent 10 minutes free floating while tethered to the spacecraft. Leonov’s historic EVA almost ended in tragedy, as after several minutes outside his spacesuit ballooned, making it difficult for him to…
Today, Abiy Ahmed, Ethiopia’s prime minister, won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work ending the 20-year border dispute with neighboring Eritrea. Per the Nobel Committee, 43-year-old Abiy won the prize for “efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation, and in particular for his decisive initiative to resolve the border conflict with neighboring Eritrea.” Since Abiy became prime minister last year, he’s also helped negotiate a power-sharing deal in Sudan and released thousands of political prisoners at home, among other political reforms. His government has promised to liberalize the bureaucratic,…
On Tuesday, ACT officials announcing major policy changes to the college admission test. Soon, students will be able to retake one section of the test they did poorly on – without having to repeat the entire exam. The change is one of three the testing company announced. Along with the option to retake an individual section, students will also be able to take the exam online, and combine scores from multiple test sessions into a “superscore” that can be sent to colleges. The standard ACT exam consists of four sections:…