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Environment, Science & Technology

Attendees of the U.N. Climate Change Conference, or COP28, finalized the creation of a loss and damage fund to supply developing countries with recovery funds in response to the effects of climate disasters, Time reported on Nov. 30.

Global: COP28 Finalizes Creation of Loss and Damage Fund

China

Japan

Vietnam

Military & Security

Politics

Japan and Vietnam upgraded bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, Vietnam's top-level diplomatic designation, Nikkei Asia reported on Nov. 27. 

Japan, Vietnam: Tokyo, Hanoi Elevate Ties to Top Tier

South Korea

United Kingdom

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to meet British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to sign the Downing Street Accord, a bilateral framework to elevate defense, trade and technology ties, Reuters reported on Nov. 22.

South Korea, U.K.: Seoul, London to Sign Pact on Defense, Trade and Technology

Global temperatures reached 2.07 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels on Nov. 17, marking the first time that global temperatures have breached the Paris Agreement's threshold of 2 degrees Celsius, the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service said on Nov. 20.

Global: Global Temperatures Exceed Paris Agreement's Threshold of 2 Degrees Celsius

United States

Philippines

The Philippines and the United States have concluded a pact on nuclear power cooperation under the Section 123 agreement framework, Reuters reported Nov. 17. 

Philippines, U.S.: Manila and Washington Sign Landmark Nuclear Energy Pact 

Germany

Germany's Federal Constitutional Court ruled that the government's decision to reallocate 60 billion euros ($65.21 billion) of unused debt to its "climate and transformation fund" is unconstitutional, Reuters reported on Nov. 15.

Germany: Government Left With Budget Hole Following Court Ruling

Energy

The United States is leading negotiations on a declaration to be signed on Dec. 1 at the upcoming annual U.N. Climate Change Conference to triple the amount of globally installed nuclear power capacity by 2050, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 14.

U.S.: COP28 Delegates to Sign Declaration on Tripling Nuclear Power Generation by 2050

The United Nations warned that current nationally determined contributions submitted by global governments would only cut emissions levels in 2030 by 2% compared with 2019 levels and that for peak emissions to occur this decade, countries must also implement conditional elements of their NDCs, according to a U.N. report published on Nov. 14.

Global: U.N. Climate Reports Offer Reality Check on Global Emissions Goals

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COP28 President-Designate and the UAE's Special Envoy for Climate Change, Sultan al-Jaber (front row, fourth from left) -- poses for a group photo along with U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and other participants in the Petersberg Climate Dialogue on May 3, 2023, in Berlin, Germany.

This year's U.N. conference will highlight disparities between the developed and developing world on climate ambitions, as well as individual countries' differing priorities.

What To Watch For at the COP28 Climate Summit

Snapshots

Netherlands

Geert Wilders (C), leader of the far-right Party for Freedom, sits next to Frans Timmermans (R), leader of the Green Left-Labor Party alliance, and Henri Bontenbal (L), leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal party, during a meeting in the Dutch parliament on Nov. 24, 2023, in The Hague, Netherlands. The party leaders are discussing the formation of a coalition government following Wilders' victory in the Nov. 22 general election.

Social Issues

The Netherlands' far-right Party for Freedom will moderate its platform as it struggles to attract coalition partners and win a parliamentary majority.

Despite a Far-Right Victory, Constraints Will Moderate the Netherlands' Next Government 

Posters for different political parties are displayed near the Dutch parliament building on November 19, 2023, ahead of the country's general election.

The Nov. 22 vote will result in long coalition talks that will likely eventually yield a moderate, fiscally conservative government that's less environmentally ambitious than its predecessor.

Previewing the Netherlands' General Election

A stock photo shows blue capsules on a conveyor at a pharmaceutical factory.

If approved, the proposed measures could increase access to new treatments and shore up the bloc's drug supplies, but they also risk deterring investment.

The Implications of the EU's Pharmaceutical Reform

U.S. President Joe Biden hands Vice President Kamala Harris his pen after signing a new AI executive order in the East Room of the White House on Oct. 30, 2023.  

Implementation challenges will limit the order's impact, likely leaving a patchwork of compliance regulations that may prompt some U.S. states to look to the EU for guidance.

Reviewing Biden's AI Executive Order and How It Compares to EU Legislation

Portugal

A Portuguese flag flies in front of the parliament in Lisbon on Nov. 7, 2023, after Prime Minister Antonio Costa announced he would resign as head of state in the wake of a corruption scandal involving energy contracts.

A government scandal involving lithium and hydrogen contracts may delay projects key to strengthening the EU's strategic autonomy in the raw materials and renewable energy sectors.

In Portugal, a Political Crisis Unfolds at the Heart of the EU's Energy Transition

The virus that causes COVID.

 COVID-19 cases are set to rise as the weather cools, fueled by new variants, low booster rates and political polarization

In the U.S., New COVID-19 Variants Spread as Winter Approaches

Media

Podcasts

What's behind the recent increase in reported COVID cases?

Beyond COVID: Everything You Need to Know About New COVID Subvariant EG.5

Morocco

Essential Geopolitics thumbnail

How is Morocco dealing with the fallout from the quake?

Essential Geopolitics: The Long-Term Implications of Morocco's Recent Earthquake

The Doel nuclear power station is seen at night on June 10, 2023, in Antwerp, Belgium. 

More European countries will build nuclear reactors to cut emissions and bolster their energy security. But political, technical and financial hurdles will complicate their efforts.

New Energy and Climate Realities Prompt Europe to Revisit Nuclear Power

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) talks to reporters following the weekly Senate Democratic policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 28, 2023, in Washington, D.C. 

The myriad constraints on deeper U.S.-China cooperation mean the trip is unlikely to yield tangible results, beyond reopening an avenue for dialogue that COVID-19 had largely closed. 

Setting Expectations for the First U.S. Congressional Visit to China in Years

U.S.-China Relations

Australia

Samoa

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Nauru

New Zealand

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister James Marapeand, the Cook Islands' Prime Minister Mark Brown, U.S. President Joe Biden and Kiribati's President Taneti Maamau at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) as part of the U.S.-PIF summit at the White House on Sept. 25, 2023, in Washington, D.C.

Despite Washington's desire to strengthen ties with Pacific island nations, political constraints may leave a regional void that China is happy to fill.

Strategic Goals and Political Hurdles in the U.S. Play Tug-of-War Over the Pacific Islands

Environment, Science & Technology

SITUATION REPORTS

Global: COP28 Finalizes Creation of Loss and Damage Fund

Japan, Vietnam: Tokyo, Hanoi Elevate Ties to Top Tier

South Korea, U.K.: Seoul, London to Sign Pact on Defense, Trade and Technology

Global: Global Temperatures Exceed Paris Agreement's Threshold of 2 Degrees Celsius

Philippines, U.S.: Manila and Washington Sign Landmark Nuclear Energy Pact

Germany: Government Left With Budget Hole Following Court Ruling

U.S.: COP28 Delegates to Sign Declaration on Tripling Nuclear Power Generation by 2050

Global: U.N. Climate Reports Offer Reality Check on Global Emissions Goals

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