Europe
Hard Numbers: COP26 is a wrap, Argentines & Bulgarians vote, Thai royal offenses
Delegates talk during the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain November 13, 2021.
REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
197: The COP26 climate summit in Glasgow concluded with a compromise deal that for the first time commits 197 governments to gradually wind down coal and end all subsidies for fossil fuels. Top polluters and coal-users China and India objected to an earlier draft that called for completely phasing out coal, as demanded by environmental groups and most developing countries.
40: The leftwing coalition of President Alberto Fernández suffered a crushing defeat in Argentina's midterm parliamentary election on Sunday. His Peronistas lost control of the Senate for the first time in almost 40 years, putting Fernández in a very weak position to deal with the country's ailing economy.
3: A new anti-graft, centrist party is expected to win Bulgaria's third legislative election this year, after previous votes in April and July delivered fragmented parliaments with no majority to form a government. Barely a quarter of Bulgarian voters showed up due to rising COVID deaths in the country with the EU's lowest vaccination rate and highest vax hesitancy.
155: At least 155 people have been charged with royal defamation — which carries up to 15 years in prison — in Thailand since mid-2020, when youth-led protests against the government first called to reform the monarchy. Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Bangkok on Sunday to bash a recent court ruling that says any attempts to curb the powers of the king are tantamount to treason.Bill Maher says Donald Trump has pushed the limits of presidential power, but America's system of checks and balances is still holding.
In addition to the health concerns from the Ebola outbreak, the UN is sounding the alarm on a potential development crisis in Africa sparked by the disease.