Flagship

Venezuela election fallout goes global

Venezuela cut diplomatic relations with countries that asked for an independent recount following Sunday’s disputed presidential election. Election authorities said President Nicolás Maduro won, but the opposition insisted it had evidence of fraud. At least two people died in widespread protests over the results. Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico — among the few regional countries friendly with Maduro — were reportedly discussing publishing a statement calling for the release of ballot records, several Latin American countries are to jointly demand an emergency meeting of the regional bloc OAS, and major Western countries pushed for increased transparency. “There are millions of people in Venezuela and around the world who want to see that their vote counts,” opposition leader María Corina Machado wrote on X.

Netanyahu’s political pressure

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced domestic political pressure over separate incidents, both linked to his country’s war in Gaza. In one, his defense minister demanded he investigate whether a far-right cabinet member played a role in the storming of military bases holding soldiers accused of abusing a Palestinian detainee. The riots came amid warnings from rights groups that prison conditions have worsened over the course of the Gaza war. Netanyahu — whose poll ratings have rebounded from historic lows — himself faced angry crowds at the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, where a rocket strike blamed on Hezbollah killed 12 children. Locals say his government has not done enough to protect them since the war began.

Biden proposes court revamp

US President Joe Biden proposed revamping the country’s Supreme Court, which has been the subject of controversy over purported ethics violations and high-profile conservative decisions. The plans — which include term limits and a code of conduct — are unlikely to pass muster with lawmakers, and are vociferously opposed by many Republicans: National Review, a conservative magazine, dubbed it “the most dangerous policy proposal by an American president since the Second World War.” But the court is suffering near-record low approval ratings, and Biden’s proposal may be more politics than policy, with the White House reportedly believing its plans poll well with independents and some Republicans and could help likely Democratic nominee Vice President Kamala Harris win November’s presidential election.

ANC expels Zuma

The African National Congress expelled former South African President Jacob Zuma, one of the party’s seminal figures. The move came after Zuma launched a rival party to compete in May’s general election, which helped cost the ANC a parliamentary majority for the first time since the end of apartheid in 1994. “We are dealing with the consequences of Jacob Zuma’s actions against the ANC,” the party’s head told the Mail & Guardian. The ANC won 40% of the vote in the election, down from almost 60% in 2019, and has been forced into a broad coalition government that includes cabinet members from seven parties.

China’s shifting economy

China’s low-tech manufacturing industry, the driver of the nation’s economic boom, is struggling. The country’s share of global Nike and Adidas apparel sales fell from 20-27% in 2017 to 16-20% in 2022. Orders are down and companies are shifting elsewhere — partly because growth means Chinese workers’ wages are up, and partly to de-risk supply chains as Beijing-Washington tensions grow. The shift also represents an active choice: Chinese leader Xi Jinping is focused on high-tech industries and his efforts are bearing fruit, with Chinese EV manufacturers in particular increasingly dominant. European countries have imposed tariffs to protect their own automakers, but BYD and other firms are building factories in Europe to sidestep them, and are winning record market share.

Huawei dominant, Apple falls off

Huawei has maintained its position as the leading global supplier of telecoms equipment, despite years of US efforts to squeeze it out. Washington sanctioned the Chinese tech company over fears it would use its access to networks to spy on the US and allies, but with huge support from Beijing, Huawei has seen profits boosted. Along the way, The Wall Street Journal reported, the company, which “portrayed itself as independent from Beijing,” has morphed into a “national champion” and a crucial part of China’s effort to reduce reliance on US tech. Huawei’s growth is mirrored by Apple’s decline — for the first time, the iPhone manufacturer fell out of the top five smartphone vendors in China.

Ozempic may help smokers quit

The weight-loss drug semaglutide, aka Ozempic, may make it easier for people to quit smoking. A study found people taking the drug for diabetes were 32% less likely to seek medical care for tobacco addiction than those receiving insulin. It’s an observational study, meaning scientists cannot be sure of the causal link — the drug may, for instance, be making people less likely to visit doctors, rather than more likely to quit smoking — but there are hints that drugs like semaglutide have an effect on willpower, addiction, and desire. Anecdotes and other observational studies have hinted that people on the drug find it easier to quit alcohol and gambling, too, although more research is needed.

US targets landfill emissions

US regulators may change the rules on landfill pollutants, a potentially simple and cost-effective way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Landfills give off methane, a potent greenhouse gas, as well as products harmful to human health: They account for at least 17% of total human-caused methane pollution. An expert told Scientific American that emissions controls on landfills could cost as little as a few dollars per ton of methane reduced. It’s part of a wider Washington crackdown on so-called “super-pollutants” — Politico reported recently that the Biden administration was ramping up efforts to track and cut emissions of hydrofluorocarbons, methane, and other especially potent greenhouse gases.

Seine revival postponed

The Olympic triathlon was postponed over high levels of bacteria in the Seine after recent heavy rain washed sewage into the river. Swimming has been banned in the Seine for over 100 years, but since 2015 Paris has spent around $1.2 billion to clean it up. Partly that’s for an ambitious plan to host several Olympic swimming events in it, but organizers also hope for longer-term effects: More than 30 species of fish are now found in the Seine, up from just three in 1970. Paris can look across the Channel to London for inspiration — the Thames was declared “biologically dead,” but sewage treatment standards and other legislation mean it is now host to more than 100 fish species.

African hoops’ unexpected success

African basketball saw twin successes at the Olympics with men’s and women’s teams unexpectedly emerging triumphant. Nigeria’s women’s team — who failed to qualify in 2016 and were winless in 2020 — defeated Australia, the world’s third-ranked team. South Sudan’s men, who made headlines by nearly defeating the US in a pre-Olympics exhibition game, handily beat Puerto Rico, making them only the third African men’s team in the Games’ history to win their opening game. The South Sudanese are remarkable Olympic underdogs in that their basketball program has been funded entirely by former NBA star and South Sudanese national Luol Deng. The team’s head coach said Deng had for years paid for the players’ gym access, hotels, and flights.

• Iran inaugurates its new president, Masoud Pezeshkian.
• The US Senate is expected to pass two major child online-safety bills.
• A Quiet Place: Day One drops on Amazon Prime.

The drop in bee visits to flowers in polluted areas. Researchers in England ran an experiment which released pollutants — ozone and nitrogen oxides — near some flowers and not near others, and observed which plants received visits from insects. The scientists hypothesize that the pollution was interfering with the insects’ sense of smell, which they rely on to find sources of nectar, Knowable reported.

Baddie by Yemi Alade. Pitchfork put the 2022 song by the Nigerian singer-songwriter on its latest weekly Pitchfork Selects playlist. The video — which brings her together with the Ghanaian choreographer Incredible Zigi — won Best Music Video at last year’s Trace Awards.

• A more media-friendly Kamala Harris runs for president.
• US rejections of African student visas “steadily rising”.
• San Francisco arrives on the “late freight” to surveillance tech.