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The June 2024 LGBTQ Budapest Pride parade in Hungary.
Hard Numbers: Hungary moves to cancel Pride, China seeks to increase consumption, ‘Coalition of the Willing’ takes shape for Ukraine, HIV treatments run low without US aid, Tourists get cheeky at the Great Wall
200,000: Hungary’s ruling Fidesz Party has intensified its crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights by proposing a bill to ban the Budapest Pride March, just as the event approaches its 30th anniversary. The bill, which is likely to pass given the ruling party’s two-thirds majority in parliament, will criminalize those who violate Hungary’s “child protection” legislation that prohibits the depiction or promotion of homosexuality to minors. Event organizers have condemned the proposed fine of 200,000 Hungarian forints ($546) as a blatant assault on freedom of speech and assembly, as Viktor Orban’s Hungary continues its departure from the core values agreed upon by all members of the European Union.
5: China on Monday unveiled a new plan to revitalize its economy struggling to cope with deflation, unemployment, low household income, a property market downturn, and an ongoing trade war with the United States. The government announced steps to “vigorously boost consumption” by increasing the minimum wage and strengthening support for education and healthcare, with hopes to hit the ambitious growth target of “around 5%” for the year laid out by Premier Li Qiang. But the new guidelines lack concrete steps to stimulate domestic demand and are unlikely to upend the economy’s persistent structural issues.
30: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman told reporters on Monday that “more than 30 countries” are ready to send troops to enforce a peace deal in Ukraine. Although he didn’t name names, the UK, France, Australia, Denmark, and Sweden previously signaled their willingness to contribute forces. This “coalition of the willing” doesn’t include the United States, but Starmer and other leaders suggest an American security guarantee is still key to a successful peacekeeping mission.
8: The World Health Organization warned that eight countries are facing the exhaustion of life-saving HIV treatments after the withdrawal of US foreign aid. Haiti, Kenya, Lesotho, South Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Nigeria, and Ukraine are all in danger of running out of supplies in the coming months. At a press conference, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that “disruptions of HIV programs could undo 20 years of progress,” potentially leading to 10 million additional cases of HIV and 3 million deaths.
2: A Japanese man and woman were detained for two weeks and then deported for cheeky behavior at one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations. According to the Japanese embassy, the incident stemmed from a prank in which the woman photographed the man exposing his backside at the Great Wall. Reports say exposing the lower half of the body in a public place violates Beijing’s strict decency laws.
Participants make their way past the Notre-Dame Cathedral as they attend the 13th edition of the stand up Nautic Paddle race on the river Seine in Paris, France, December 1, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Notre Dame’s stones gleam after cleaning, Trump threatens yuge tariffs, Iceland gets new gov, Vaccine promises AIDS end
42,000: Workers restoring Paris’ Notre Dame Cathedral after the fire that ravaged it five years ago had to clean 42,000 square meters of stone. They used special techniques to minimize damage to the original masonry in the process and the results are stunning: See it for yourself: The medieval cathedral reopens to the public on Dec. 8.
100: President-elect Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to impose 100% tariffs on goods imported from BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, as well Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE), should the organization try to issue its own currency or displace the dollar’s place in world trade. It’s an odd threat, as some members – namely Russia and Iran – are already so heavily sanctioned that trade with the US is non-existent, while others – Brazil, Egypt, and the UAE – are major US allies.
15: Iceland’s Social Democrats gained 15 seats in the Althing – one of the world’s oldest parliaments – and will unseat the ruling conservatives after seven years of power following Saturday’s snap election. It’s yet another example of the anti-establishment trend few democracies seem able to escape in this election-studded year.
2: A twice-yearly vaccine against HIV/AIDS has proven 100% effective against contracting the virus, which a UN report for World AIDS Day on Sunday called a “historic crossroads” in the fight to end the epidemic. Generic versions of the drug will be available in 120 low-income countries, mostly in Africa and Asia, but the manufacturer has not approved generic patents for Latin America, which may represent a crucial weak spot in distribution.Russian-American journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Alsu Kurmasheva, who is in custody after she was accused of violating Russia's law on foreign agents, attends a court hearing in Kazan, Russia May 31, 2024.
Hard Numbers: Russia jails another US journalist, Latinos warm to RFK Jr., Paris tightens security for Olympics, India looks to roll in the deep, HIV prevention milestone for Africa
6.5: A Russian court revealed on Monday that Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva was sentenced on Friday to 6.5 years in prison for “spreading false information” about the Russian army. Kurmasheva, a dual citizen who works for the US-funded Radio Free Liberty/Radio Europe service in Prague, was arrested while visiting her family in Russia in October. Her husband says the charges relate to a book of profiles of anti-war Russians that Kurmasheva edited. She is the second American journalist that Russia has sentenced to a lengthy prison term in the past four days alone.
24: ¿Latinos por Roberto? A new poll shows 24% of US Hispanic voters support third-party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. That’s nearly 10 points above the national average. Respondents were split 36 to 36 on Biden vs. Trump. The poll was taken before Biden dropped out of the race, but it illustrates the increasingly uphill battle that Democrats face in keeping the support of a traditionally blue voting group. Read our in-depth look at the “Latino vote” here.
30,000: France is not messing around when it comes to security for the Paris Olympics, which begin later this week. Authorities will deploy 30,000 police throughout the event, rising to 45,000 during peak times. Alongside them will be 15,000 French military personnel and nearly 2,000 foreign police. Security officials have already conducted hundreds of raids, arresting members of far-right, far-left, and jihadist groups suspected of planning attacks. At least two plots have reportedly been broken up already.
4: India wants to get into the deep-sea mining game as it tries to secure supplies of rare minerals critical for its economy and energy transition. New Delhi has already won several licenses for the Indian Ocean, but it’s eyeing a bigger prize: a vast swathe of the Pacific between Mexico and Hawaii. Experts say it will take India at least four years to develop the required skills and technology to compete with Asian rival China. In the meantime, international authorities are still working out rules for deep-sea mining.
56: For the first time ever, a majority of new HIV infections occurred outside of sub-Saharan Africa, a UN report says. The milestone, based on numbers from 2023, reflects sustained progress against the disease by governments in Africa – where new infections have fallen 56% since 2010. Globally, new infections have fallen 39% during that time. But experts warn that case numbers are currently rising elsewhere in the world, particularly in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East and north Africa.