Jullea Powell

🌏 Panda Diplomacy is back: China agreed to send pandas back to DC after a months-long hiatus; North Korea flew hundreds of balloons filled with trash and feces into South Korea; and more.

🌏 Taiwan’s legislature passed a law seen as pro-China despite public protests; South Africa is holding national elections today; and more.

🌍 A deceased Italian teen is one step closer to becoming the first millennial saint; China is investing a record $47.5 billion in its semiconductor industry; and more.

🌍 Spain, Ireland, and Norway will formally recognize a Palestinian state on May 28; UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a general election for July 4; and more.

🌏 The US is privately warning that China could be tampering with undersea internet cables; South Korean babies are suing the government over climate policy; and more.

🌍 A UK court allowed WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange to appeal extradition to the US; the Democratic Republic of the Congo said it foiled a coup involving US citizens; and more.

🌍 Iran’s president is missing following a helicopter crash; France declared a state of emergency in the Pacific territory of New Caledonia; and more.

🌏 Slovakia’s prime minister was hospitalized following an assassination attempt; Hong Kong ordered YouTube to block a protest anthem for citizens; and more.

🌏 Orcas attacked and sank a boat near the Mediterranean Sea for the seventh time since 2020; Georgia (the country) approved a controversial “foreign agents” law; and more.

🌏 Americans are flocking to Europe to see Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour; Malaysia announced a new “orangutan diplomacy” program; and more.

🌏 The Eurovision Song Contest kicked off in Sweden; Ukraine said it foiled a Russian plot to assassinate President Volodymyr Zelensky; and more.

🌏 Zimbabwe completed the rollout of a new currency; global vaccination efforts have saved ~154 million lives over the past 50 years, per the WHO; and more.

🌏 G7 countries agreed to shut down coal-powered plants by 2035 (with a catch); India’s government reportedly approved a failed assassination attempt on US soil last November; and more.

🌏 China tentatively approved Tesla’s plan to launch Full Self-Driving in the country; global battery capacity reached a record high in 2023; and more.

🌏 Ghana is progressing towards its first nuclear power plant; Chinese President Xi Jinping met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken; and more.

🌏 Venice launched the world’s first tourist-entry fee; pro pickleball is coming to India; and more.

🌎 Hundreds of thousands of Argentinians protested against education spending cuts; Ukraine is reportedly attacking Russia with long-range ballistic missiles secretly provided by the US; and more.

🌍 The European Space Agency welcomed five new astronauts; Apple recorded its worst quarter for iPhone sales in China since 2020; and more.

🌏 Chinese swimmers competed in the 2021 Olympics despite testing positive for doping; Mexico is experiencing an unusually violent election season; and more.

India began the world’s largest democratic election in history; the US vetoed a resolution that would have paved the way for Palestine to join the UN; and more.