World in Brief - The Economist Roundup

 

World in Brief

The Economist Roundup

February 4, 2024

America and Britain launched a further set of air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen. Lloyd Austin, America’s defence secretary, said the Iran-backed rebel group would “bear further consequences” if it continued to target ships in the Red Sea. The strikes, some of the heaviest yet on the Houthis, followed an American aerial assault on Iran-linked military sites in Iraq and Syria on Friday night. Iran’s foreign ministry called that attack an “adventurous and strategic mistake” that will increase tension in the region. But President Joe Biden has said America will take further action.

 

Mr Biden comfortably won the first official Democratic primary in South Carolina. With 80% of ballots counted Mr Biden had secured 96% of the vote, including in areas with large black populations. Although Mr Biden faced no serious competitors, his victory could ease Democrats’ nerves about losing appeal among black voters. Mr Biden said he was ready to make Donald Trump a “loser again”.

 

Senegal’s president, Macky Sall, indefinitely postponed the country’s presidential election, which had been scheduled for February 25th. Mr Sall, who is not running for a third term, justified the decision with an investigation into two judges of the constitutional council, which has recently barred several opposition candidates from running. France called for the vote to be held “as soon as possible”.

 

At least 51 people were killed in forest fires in the Valparaíso region of central Chile. The president, Gabriel Boric, declared a state of emergency and deployed military units to affected areas, amid fears that the fast-moving fires could spread to urban zones. The blaze was exacerbated by unusually high temperatures, and spread quickly through the drought-stricken region.

 

Hage Geingob, Namibia’s president, died aged 82. Mr Geingob, who was elected in 2014, had been diagnosed with cancer. His Swapo party has been in power since Namibia’s independence from South Africa in 1990; a former anti-apartheid activist, Mr Geingob was the first prime minister of the independent nation. Nangolo Mbumba, the vice-president, will take over until elections later this year.

 

Russian-installed officials in occupied territory in Luhansk, a region in eastern Ukraine, claimed that a Ukrainian strike on a bakery had killed 28 people. Ukrainian officials have not commented. Meanwhile the governor of Volgograd, a region in south-west Russia, blamed a Ukrainian drone attack for a large fire he said had broken out at an oil refinery.

 

Facebook turns 20

The world’s largest social network, which turns 20 on Sunday, marked the occasion this week with two familiar rituals. On Wednesday Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, went to Washington, DC for a mauling by senators over the harm the platform has done to children. Then, on Thursday, Meta, Facebook’s parent company, turned in another set of record financial earnings, sending its market capitalisation soaring to $1.2trn.

It may seem like business as usual. But the social-media experience is changing. Apps like TikTok, since copied by Facebook and nearly everyone else, serve users a diet of content made by strangers rather than by people they know or follow. Meanwhile, users are posting their own updates and comments less often, instead taking their conversations to closed platforms like WhatsApp. The future of social media is looking rather like the past: one set of apps that resemble television, and another that look more like email or the phone.

Indonesia’s final presidential debate

People like to see a good fight. As Indonesia’s election approaches on February 14th, the four televised presidential debates in recent weeks were each watched by around 100m people; candidates’ performances were dissected over dinner tables and across social media. The final show on Sunday night is expected to draw just as many viewers in the world’s third-largest democracy. Candidates will debate education, employment, health care and social welfare.

The presidential race already has a clear front-runner. Prabowo Subianto, a former general who revels in a strongman image, has twice failed to become the country’s leader. But as Joko Widodo, who beat him both times, steps down as president, Mr Prabowo has his opening. The question is whether he can win the presidency by securing a majority in the first round, or whether the election will go to a run-off in June. Wavering voters may turn to their televisions this weekend to make their choice.