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Why it matters: China is becoming the most formidable rival America has faced, and the risk of confrontation with Russia, North Korea or Iran still looms. Authoritarians are rising, the chaotic Afghanistan exit revealed the limits of U.S. power, and the pandemic, climate change and other critical challenges continue to pose grave threats.

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3 hours ago - World

San Marino legalizes abortion, undoing centuries old ban

Pro-abortion activists put up posters at the start of the campaign on September 9, 2021 in San Marino. Photo: Brigitte Hagemann/AFP via Getty Images

A sweeping 77% of voters in San Marino's elections on Sunday voted to approve a referendum to legalize abortion in the country, AP reports.

Why it matters: This makes San Marino — a tiny, landlocked country folded into central Italy — the latest majority Catholic nation to legalize the procedure. San Marino was one of the last countries in Europe to have a total abortion ban, per the Guardian.

4 hours ago - World

Iran fails to fully comply with nuclear monitoring agreement

The flag of Iran is seen among others ahead of a press conference by the director general of the IAEA on May 23 in Vienna, Austria. Photo: Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images

The International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday that Iran has failed to fully comply with the terms of a recently reached nuclear monitoring agreement, Reuters reported.

The big picture: Under the Sept. 12 agreement, Iran must allow the agency to access its monitoring equipment and replace its memory cards. Iran allowed agency inspectors to do their work everywhere except one location.

BP says nearly a third of its U.K. gas stations out of main fuel

A closed petrol station with closed signage on its fuel pumps in North West London, U.K., on Sept. 26. Photo: Ray Tang/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

BP, the second-largest fuel retailer in the U.K., said Sunday that nearly a third of its gas stations have run out of main grades, citing panic buying as a cause for the shortage.

Why it matters: The fuel panic comes amid an international gas price surge, which has forced several energy companies out of business. The country is also experiencing a shortage of truck drivers, per Reuters.

7 hours ago - World

Myanmar will not address UN General Assembly after compromise

Protesters in London hold up the three-finger salute and placards supporting Myanmar's UN representative Kyaw Moe Tun. Photo: Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

No official representing Myanmar will address the United Nations General Assembly on Monday, a reversal of what was previously scheduled, Reuters reports.

Why it matters: The last-minute compromise comes amid competing claims for the country's U.N. seat after a military coup last February ousted Myanmar's democratically elected government from power.

  • The decision comes after the U.S., China and Russia reached an agreement in which Myanmar’s U.N. ambassador, Kyaw Moe Tun, could stay in his position for the time being so long as he did not address the gathering, per Reuters.

The big picture: Kyaw Moe Tun, an appointee of the toppled government, was scheduled to speak before the assembly Monday, but no longer appears on the lineup, per the New York Times.

  • "I withdrew from the speaker list, and will not speak at this general debate," Kyaw Moe Tun told Reuters.

Of note: Afghanistan is also now subject to competing claims to its U.N. seat.

  • Earlier this week, the Taliban nominated a new envoy, Mohammad Suhail Shaheen, and asked to address the assembly in place of the current accredited ambassador Ghulam Isaczai, an appointee of the previous government.
  • When a UN seat is disputed, the General Assembly's nine-member Credentials Committee is tasked with making a decision, but the group has not been able to meet and discuss the issue in time, per the Times.
  • "For now, the Afghanistan representative inscribed on the list for Monday is Mr. Ghulam M. Isaczai," Dujarric told Reuters.

Hill votes will make global waves

President Biden addresses the UN General Assembly on Sept. 21, 2021 in New York City. Photo: Eduardo Munoz-Pool/Getty Images)

This epic week for President Biden on Capitol Hill is even bigger than his domestic agenda.

Why it matters: Biden has anchored his entire strategy for foreign affairs on the notion that "America is back." What that means in practice is that Biden needs to prove democracy works to rally America’s liberal allies against rising authoritarians.

8 hours ago - World

Erdogan says Turkey could buy more Russian defense systems

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan addresses the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 21. Photo: Eduardo Munoz-Pool/Getty Images

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told "Face the Nation" on Sunday that Turkey may still purchase a second Russian S-400 air defense system despite U.S. warnings of the potential consequences.

Why it matters: The U.S. imposed sanctions on Turkey in December 2020 for its purchase of its first Russian missile system. The U.S. has repeatedly warned that the acquirement of a second system would trigger fresh sanctions, per Reuters.

9 hours ago - World

German election: Exit polls show close race to succeed Angela Merkel

SPD leader Olaf Scholz. Photo: Alex Kraus/Bloomberg via Getty Images

BERLIN — The first exit poll from Sunday's German elections showed the center-left Social Democrats (SPD) and the center-right Christian Democrats (CDU) in a dead heat at 25%, leaving the race to succeed Angela Merkel too close to call.

The state of play: A second exit poll showed the SPD narrowly ahead. That's the one televisions displayed at SPD headquarters in Berlin, where the room erupted into cheers. Official results will roll in throughout the evening.

9 hours ago - World

Switzerland approves same-sex marriage referendum

Supporters pose for a picture after the first projections following a nationwide referendum on same-sex marriage in Swiss capital, Bern, on Sept. 26. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP via Getty Images

A referendum to allow same-sex marriage won sweeping approval from Swiss voters in Sunday's election, AP reports.

Why it matters: Although Switzerland has allowed same-sex civil partnerships since 2007, the passage of the “Marriage for All” measure will allow these couples to enjoy the same rights as heterosexual couples.

19 hours ago - World

Taliban hang bodies of suspected kidnappers in Afghan city square

Taliban fighters in Kabul on Wednesday. Photo:Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images

Taliban authorities killed four suspected kidnappers and put their bodies on public display to deter others in the city of Herat, western Afghanistan, per multiple reports.

Why it matters: It's another sign of a return to the oppressive rule Afghans experienced under Taliban rule from 1996-2001, despite the interim all-male government's moves to project a modern, more inclusive image.

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