This roundup summarises the most important news stories around the world in the last month (May 2023).

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Health-wise, after more than three years, the World Health Organisation announced the end of the COVID-19 pandemic as a global health emergency. Climate change-wise, the World Meteorological Organisation forecasted that human-caused warming and the El Niño climate pattern would result in sharp temperature rises, and that the average from 2023-2027 would be history’s warmest five-year period. Artificial intelligence-wise (AI), dozens of experts signed a one-line statement to reduce the risk of extinction from AI technology. The statement reads:

“Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war.”

Electoral change (Thailand, Ecuador, Nigeria, and Spain) and constancy (Turkey and Greece)

In terms of electoral change, Thai voters casted ballots in favour of two progressive and pro-democracy opposition parties, Move Forward and Pheu Thai, committed to curtailing the power of the military and monarchy, rejecting the ruling military-backed government in the process. In Ecuador, the president – who had a decades-low approval rating of 13 per cent earlier this year – dissolved the country’s opposition-led legislature, just before the body was going to vote for his impeachment.

In Nigeria, the president-elect was sworn into office against a background of deep divisions. And in Spain, the government called a snap election after the left-wing coalition government suffered heavy local ballot losses.

In terms of constancy, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan – who served as prime minister from 2003 and who later assumed the presidency in 2014 – and opposition leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu accepted a run-off election after neither won more than 50 per cent of the vote. Mr. Erdoğan later won the run-off election. In Greece, the conservative prime minister won re-election, though his party fell short of the majority needed to form a one-party government.

Political investigations (Brazil and Pakistan) and demonstrations (Canada and Serbia)

In Brazil, the home of former president Jair Bolsonaro was searched as part of an investigation into alleged falsification of COVID-19 vaccine cards. In Pakistan, former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested by paramilitary troops on corruption charges. Protestors took to the streets, and the supreme court ruled that the arrest was unlawful.

In Canada, a strike by federal government workers ended after a tentative deal was struck. And in Serbia, tens of thousands demonstrated to protest gun violence after two mass shootings.

In other news:

• In a deal mediated by Egypt, Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad agreed to a weekend ceasefire following fighting which led to the death of dozens.
• In the United Kingdom, King Charles III was anointed and crowned, and his second wife Camilla was crowned queen.
• In the United States (US), the White House and House Republicans tentatively agreed to raise the country’s debt ceiling.

Around the world, there were floods and landslides (Bangladesh, DR Congo, Italy, Myanmar). With man-made disasters, there were mass shootings (France, Serbia, Tunisia, US), boats  which capsized (India), fires (Guyana, New Zealand), deadly attacks (Burkina Faso, Japan, Pakistan), and stampedes (El Salvador).