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

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As the world population reached eight billion on New Year’s Day, December was marked by international deals and actions by the United Nations (UN) Security Council. Diplomats from almost 200 countries at the UN climate summit in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, approved an agreement calling explicitly for “transitioning away from fossil fuels,” and the mere inclusion of “fossil fuels” has been hailed as a major breakthrough. In another landmark deal, the European Union agreed on the world’s first comprehensive set of regulations and safeguards for artificial intelligence in systems such as ChatGPT and facial recognition.

Following Israel’s deadly and prolonged invasion of Gaza, UN secretary-general António Guterres invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter for the first time during his stint, which allows him to press the Security Council to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. The United States (US) vetoed the resolution. Later, the General Assembly approved a similar non-legally binding resolution.

And in a controversial Venezuelan referendum with questionable turnout numbers, more than 95 per cent of reported voters approved establishing a new state in the oil-rich territory of Essequibo, historically controlled by Guyana. The UN Security Council then held an emergency meeting at Guyana’s request.

Electoral and political outcomes

In Chile, voters rejected a new conservative constitution. In Egypt, the president easily won his third term. In Hong Kong, voter turnout for the region’s first district council elections – characterised by new Chinese rules and the absence of prominent pro-democracy candidates – plunged below 30 per cent. In Poland, after eight years of right-wing, conservative rule, former European Council president Donald Tusk was chosen by the country’s newly elected parliament as prime minister. And in Russia, president Vladimir Putin said he would seek another presidential term, through an election he is widely expected to win.

Finally, in Argentina, its currency was devalued by 50 per cent against the US dollar as part of emergency measures to boost the country’s struggling economy.

Socio-cultural policies and change

In the United Kingdom, prime minister Rishi Sunak sought to rally conservative support for his plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda – as part of a government strategy to deter illegal migration – even though the supreme court has ruled that Rwanda is not a safe place for migrants. Separately, Prince Harry won a lawsuit against the British tabloid publisher of “The Mirror,” which engaged in widespread phone hacking.

Elsewhere, Pope Francis allowed priests to bless same-sex Catholic couples, in a move to make the Roman Catholic Church more welcoming to queer individuals. However, this did not amend the church’s traditional doctrine about marriage.