Today’s newsletter covers water shortage in Iran, Barbados, Portuguese youth, daylight saving time in Turkey, and more.
Clashes during water shortage protests, Iran blames malicious outsiders
Farmer protests about water shortage in Iran led to clashes between the police and protestors on November 26. Parts of a river have been mostly dry for 20 years. Authorities blame malicious outsiders in the demonstration: the United States. Talks about the Iranian nuclear program resumed in Vienna this week after a 5‑month interruption.
Barbados becomes a Republic
On November 30, the Caribbean island removed Queen Elizabeth II as its head of state but remains part of the Commonwealth. Rihanna has also been declared a national hero during the ceremony.
Portuguese youth: 30% want to leave the country
30% of Portuguese between 15 and 34 years old are sure they will live abroad. Among those who work, seven in ten earn less than 1,000€ a month (US $1,130).
Did Turkey really save electricity removing daylight saving time?
Turkey’s minister of Energy claims that removing summertime arrangements in 2016 actually saved electricity. About 0.6% of the total electricity consumption. But data on national electricity consumption suggest otherwise.
Zacatecas, a Mexican state where organized crime killings doubled in 2 years
The president of Mexico visited Zacatecas as the state has been suffering from a rise in violence in recent months. In less than two years, deaths linked to organized crime more than doubled. With 142 murders for every 100,000 people, the number of killings relative to the population size is twice the national average. The state is a zone of transit for drugs and migrants.
Somewhere else in the world…
Malaysia in economic recession, neighbors perform better
Malaysia’s GDP declined for the second consecutive quarter (-4.5% in the third quarter). It’s the worst performance among its neighbors. Indonesia’s economy grew by 3.5%, Singapore by 6.5% and the Philippines by 7.1%. Thailand experienced a decline of 0.3%.
- Slovakia debates about giving seniors a €500 voucher ($563) if they get vaccinated against Covid-19.
- In Nigeria, 252 inmates escaped during an attack by gunmen on a prison facility. Nine inmates and 1 employee of the detention center died during the shooting. Before the assault, the prison had 560 pre-trial detainees and 500 convicts.
- In Sweden, Magdalena Andersson was elected Prime minister by the Parliament, a week after she held the position for few hours before resigning over budget disagreements. Coalitions of political parties have thin majorities in the country, leading to political instability.
- According to Russian media, Alexander Lukashenko, president of Bulgaria, considers Crimea as de facto part of Russia.
