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I woke up Sunday morning, Dec. 3, 2023, to frantic texts from B, a college student I mentor in Gaza through We Are Not Numbers, an organization that helps young adult writers publish stories in English. I’m calling him “B” because Palestinians in Gaza fear retaliation from the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) if they publicly speak about their conditions. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] B texted me internationally, which he never does because it’s too expensive.

LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was struggling to avert a leadership crisis on Thursday after his plan to revive a blocked asylum deal with Rwanda triggered turmoil in his party and the resignation of his immigration minister. Sunak called a hastily scheduled news conference to defend his policy after Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick quit the government late Wednesday, saying a bill designed to override a court block on the Rwanda plan “does not go far enough” and won’t work. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Jenrick said the government had pledged to “stop the boats” bringing migrants to Britain across the English Channel and must do “whatever it takes to deliver this commitment.” The plan to send asylum-seekers on a one-way trip to Rwanda is central to the U.

A year after China abruptly scrapped its notoriously stringent zero-COVID controls and amid a recent surge in respiratory illness cases, some Chinese citizens are starting to worry about a potential reintroduction of the controversial regime of mass testing and restrictions that defined the pandemic years in the country and ultimately led to an unprecedented eruption of public unrest. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Concerns coincide with new reports of COVID testing being brought back to airports and hospitals, as well as a notice issued by the education ministry on Monday urging schools around the country to step up prevention efforts for influenza viruses and COVID ahead of winter season.

Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s acclaimed biopic about the so-called “father of the atomic bomb,” was an international summer blockbuster of 2023—except for in Japan, where the film will only begin to be screened in 2024, after concerns about local sensitivities precluded an earlier release in the only country to ever have experienced a nuclear attack. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Read More: J.

Group of Seven nations have agreed to ban Russian diamond imports from the start of next year in the latest move to curb Russia’s ability to fund its invasion of Ukraine. While the G7 and its European allies have been trying to find additional ways to squeeze Russia’s economy to constrain its ability to fund its war in Ukraine, diamonds have remained a stumbling block. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Earlier attempts to sanction Russian gems in Europe had met resistance from leading importer nations like Belgium, which had argued that a simple ban would just shift the lucrative gem trade elsewhere.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has ordered the country’s oil companies to issue extraction licenses in oil-rich Essequibo, a region in neighboring Guyana—increasing tensions between the two countries and reigniting a longstanding territory dispute. The news comes after more than 95% of Venezuelan voters approved a referendum claiming ownership over land—which makes up more than two-thirds of Guyana— on Sunday, with plans to create a new state in the region, though some reports say that voters largely shunned the vote.