Europe
Protests in Budapest, Hungary have escalated recently with tens of thousands of participants in opposition to the changes to the body of law put in place by Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Orban’s party, the Centre-right Fidesz, has replaced the previous constitution with a new one, called the Basic Law.

This new constitution, among other things, has reportedly removed the system of checks and balances that were established after the fall of communism in 1989. The protesters believe that the Basic Law limits Congress’ power to control the budget, changes the electoral system to benefit the Fidesz party, and also limits the freedom of the media.

Skepticism from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and some EU leaders is a problem, because the Hungarian government could be at risk for crushing economic problems if they cannot get financial support and refinance the country’s debt.

Africa
Grammy award winning Senegalese singer Youssou N’Dour has joined the race for the presidential election to be held on Feb. 26. N’Dour, who is 52, has decided to become a candidate because for 50 years “Senegal [has been] run by traditional politicians and [the people] have had enough.”

N’Dour is joining a group of 12 candidates for the presidency, and must also overcome the current president Abdoulaye Wade, who is running for his third term. Critics point out N’Dour’s lack of formal education, but the singer has had success in the business world and owns his own newspaper, television and radio company.

He has also started a grassroots movement that has received a large amount of public support. Senegalese officials are hoping for a smooth election after horrible street violence last year caused by a proposal to change election rules.

Asia
Police in the Ningxia region of China clashed with members of the Muslim Hui ethnic group over the construction of a mosque on Dec. 30, 2011. The mosque was built in the village of Taoshan and was declared illegal and demolished by authorities despite protests from the villagers.

Five people were reportedly killed in the encounter, the village has been sealed off and phone lines have been cut. Although China protects freedom of religion under its law, the government only allows official religious institutions to be in operation.

With about 10 million people, the Hui are the largest Muslim ethnic group in China, and many Hui feel that the Chines government has acted unfairly towards them. For example, a car accident between a Hui and a Han Chinese resident sparked riots that killed seven people in 2004.

Middle East
In Tajikistan, a man dressed as “Father Frost,” a Russian version of Father Christmas, was stabbed in what was believed to be a religiously motivated crime. Tajikistan’s population is mostly Muslim, and religious conflict between ethnic groups is common. According to a witness of the event, the victim was walking down the street when a man appeared shouting “Infidel!” and holding a knife.

Police have been investigating this as a religious hate crime but have not found any suspects as of now. President Imomali Rakhmon has stated that the government will crack down on religious education in order to curb extremist Muslim activities in the population.

Australia
The cargo ship Rena that ran aground off the coast of New Zealand this October recently split in two after being stuck there since the wreck. When the ship first ran aground, there was a large oil spill that is considered New Zealand’s worst maritime environmental disaster ever.

Over 400 tons of oil were spilled into the sea after the wreck, and since then salvage crews have been attempting to remove oil and cargo containers from the beached ship. However, due to the recent ferocity of the sea, the ship split in two, and over 300 cargo containers escaped from the ship and have floated ashore.

Several of the North Island’s most pristine beaches have been closed due to debris, and people have been seen scavenging bags of powdered milk from the wreckage of containers. Authorities have warned that the food should not be consumed, as it may be unsafe due to the oil spill.

South America
Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez recently had surgery for thyroid cancer and is reportedly recovering well. Fernandez’s already extremely high approval ratings received a boost when the public learned of her papillary carcinoma that was discovered during a routine medical checkup this December.

The president’s doctor stated that there is more than a 90 percent chance of recovery, and that it is a relatively common and easy to treat illness. Fernandez is loved by the people for her generous welfare program and care for the general public.

The news of her cancer shocked the population after the previous president and husband of Fernandez, Nestor Kirchner, died in 2010. Many speculated that Fernandez would not be able to run the country the same way without her president, but the people must still be satisfied with her as she won last October’s election in a landslide vote.

Harry Hutter is the advertising editor for The Spartan Speaks