On Friday, the Dutch government announced the possibility of discontinuing its use of Facebook following a caution from the Netherlands’ privacy regulator regarding the privacy risks associated with the social media platform owned by Meta.
In Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, trainee doctors staged a collective walkout to intensify their protest against a government medical policy, resulting in the cancellation of surgeries and other medical procedures at hospitals.
French President Emmanuel Macron's administration is facing a crisis as opposition parties, spanning the far right, far left, and moderates, joined forces to defeat a crucial immigration bill. The rejection occurred on Monday when Members of Parliament (MPs) from diverse political spectrums voted against the proposed legislation. The left argued that the measures were excessively repressive, while the right contended that they lacked sufficient toughness.
The UK government has announced a 6.6% increase in the TV licence fee, raising it from £159 to £169.50. The decision to use September's rate of inflation instead of an average over the past year resulted in a smaller increase than anticipated. The current fee has been frozen at £159 for the past two years. The government's decision to raise it by a smaller percentage is expected to leave a funding gap of around £90 million.
The UK has accused Russia's Security Service, the FSB, of engaging in a prolonged cyber-hacking campaign aimed at politicians and individuals in the public eye. The government alleges that one faction within the FSB orchestrated cyber-attacks to pilfer data, subsequently disclosing it publicly, including materials linked to the 2019 election. Despite Russia consistently refuting involvement in such activities, Foreign Secretary David Cameron condemned the group's actions as "completely unacceptable." Former Prime Minister Cameron affirmed the commitment to collaborate with allies to expose Russian covert cyber activities and hold Russia accountable.
London – Former UK Prime Minister David Cameron made a surprising comeback to a prominent government role on Monday, taking up the position of foreign secretary in a significant overhaul of the Conservative government. This reshuffle included the dismissal of the polarizing Home Secretary Suella Braverman. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, orchestrating the Cabinet shakeup, replaced Braverman with James Cleverly, the former foreign secretary.
With a government funding deadline just six days away, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy faces a critical decision: Does he risk a government shutdown to preserve his leadership, or does he defy hardline Republicans and collaborate with Democrats? This pivotal moment has been brewing for months. To appease his critics, McCarthy has allowed Republicans to move forward with voting on several appropriations bills this week, even though they are expected to be rejected in the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Deforestation in Brazil's Amazon fell by 33.6% within the first six months of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's period as compared with the identical length in 2022, the government says.