Putin visits Lukashenko

Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet with Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko later today, leading to speculation that Putin may try to persuade Belarus to increase their involvement in the conflict by joining Russia's war efforts. This meeting, referred to as a "working visit," marks the first time Putin has been in Belarus in more than three and a half years. Since the start of the invasion on February 24, Belarus has allowed its territory to be used as a launch pad for Russian operations but has not yet sent any troops to Ukraine. If Belarus were to fully enter the war with Russia, it could result in the opening of another front in the conflict. In response, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zielinski has stated that his country is prepared for all possible defense scenarios against Russia and its allies.

Elon Musk could quit Twitter.

All the way back in January, Elon Musk began purchasing Twitter, eventually commanding a 9.2% stake in the social media platform by April, making him the company's largest shareholder. In April, he continued to purchase shares in the company, culminating in a $43 billion deal to purchase all of the shares on the 13th. After becoming CEO, he swiftly fired top executives and instituted significant changes, including changes to the Twitter verification system and a new emphasis on free speech. However, over the weekend, Twitter abruptly implemented a new policy that bans the free promotion of certain other social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, Truth Social, and others. The policy was met with dismay, annoyance, and backlash, as it appeared to have been hastily introduced and poorly explained, leaving people wondering if they would face suspension for simply tweeting a link to their Mastodon account or Instagram username.

In an apparent contradiction to the official announcement, Musk tweeted that "casually sharing occasional links is fine, but no more relentless advertising of competitors for free." However, less than 24 hours after the new policy was introduced, it appeared to have been reversed, as the tweets and blog posts announcing it were deleted. Around this time, Elon Musk tweeted a poll asking if he should step down as head of Twitter, stating that he would abide by the results of the poll. After 12 hours and 17.5 million votes, the result was clear: 57.5% of those who voted said that Musk should step down as CEO, while 42.5% said no.

Aside from tweeting, "Be careful what you wish for, you might just get it," Elon Musk has not said much about the poll at the time of writing, so it is unclear what the outcome will be. There has been speculation that regardless of the vote, Musk would eventually step down as CEO of Twitter. In November, Musk reportedly stated that he did not want to be CEO forever and would eventually find someone else to run the company. If he does step down, he would remain the owner, but the day-to-day operations would be handled by his successor as CEO. A new CEO could potentially bring a new, less chaotic era to the social media company, but it depends on who Musk appoints as his replacement.

Tunisia Election

On Saturday, Tunisia held elections to choose a new parliament for the first time since President Kai Saeed shut down the legislative body in July 2021. However, amid a boycott by opponents of the president, only 8.8% of eligible voters took part in the election, which they decried as a fiasco. The vote was held 12 years to the day since Muhammad Buazizi, a Tunisian street vendor, set himself on fire, a move that was the catalyst for the Tunisian Revolution that brought democracy to the country and also the wider Arab Spring. However, critics of Saeed said that he has reversed much of the democratic progress made in Tunisia since the fall of the Ben Ali regime in 2011. Since shutting down parliament more than a year ago, Saeed has ruled by decree and consolidated power in the presidential office through a new constitution approved in a boycotted referendum. He says his changes are necessary to rescue Tunisia from economic and political stagnation. The main opposition coalition, the Salvation Front, called for massive protests and sit-ins, saying the low turnout showed Saeed had lost all legal legitimacy and should resign.

UK-Rwanda plan

The UK government's controversial plan to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda has been deemed legal by the high court. Under an agreement with Rwanda, the British government intends to deport some asylum seekers who enter the UK by crossing the English Channel by boat to the African country, where they will be able to lodge an asylum claim. However, the plan never actually took off after the first flight was cancelled following a last-minute intervention by the European Court of Human Rights. Charities, campaign groups, and lawyers representing asylum seekers challenged the Rwanda plan in the UK courts, arguing that it is illegal, unworkable, and inhumane, and that Rwanda is not a safe destination. Today, the high court sided with the government and said the plan is lawful and does not breach the UN's refugee convention or human rights laws. However, the court did say that the cases of eight individual asylum seekers have not been properly considered and need to be reconsidered. There may still be a long legal journey before deportation flights to Rwanda actually take off, as the decision is widely expected to be appealed in higher courts.

Sources:

https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/polls-open-tunisian-vote-boycotted-by-opposition-2022-12-17/
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/dec/19/asylum-seekers-rwanda-uk-plan-legal-high-court
https://apnews.com/article/biden-business-china-asia-sharks-e3ae874e35a82e4766302616f63c1cef
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/12/19/tech/twitter-elon-musk-deletes-policy/index.html
https://www.euronews.com/2022/12/19/ukraine-war-kyiv-wary-of-border-threat-as-putin-heads-to-belarus-ahead-of-russian-drills
https://www.bbc.com/news/business-your-money-64021412