Factal Forecast

Editors Jimmy Lovaas and David Wyllie discuss the terror probe underway in the United Kingdom, plus more on the North American Leaders' Summit, Venezuela's election, a coronavirus vaccine deadline for US federal workers and Israel's defense minister visiting Morocco. These stories and more are also available in our weekly Forecast email and you can subscribe for free . This episode...

Editors Jimmy Lovaas and Vivian Wang discuss China-Taiwan tensions, plus more on the Paris conference on Libya, Bulgaria's election, East African bloc leaders meeting on Ethiopia, Gulf of Mexico oil and gas auction. These stories and more are also available in our weekly Forecast email and you can subscribe for free . This episode was produced with work from Factal editors David Wyllie, Awais...

Editors Jimmy Lovaas and Sophie Perryer discuss the conflict in Ethiopia's Tigray region, plus more on the Nicaraguan election, a key meeting of China's Communist Party,  coronavirus vaccines for children in the US and  Russia's plan to start pumping natural gas into European gas storage. These stories and more are also available in our weekly Forecast email and you can subscribe fo...

In response to soaring coronavirus death tolls, Russian President Putin declared a week of “non-working days” starting Friday as part of a series of new, stricter restrictions introduced to combat the spike. Truck drivers across several Brazilian states are planning to strike Monday over the increase in fuel prices and new government’s proposals for the sector. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arg...

Saturday marks a decade since Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed by rebel groups in the culmination of an uprising, and the country is in a state of ceasefire — but presidential elections scheduled for December threaten to disrupt the fragile peace. Uzbek citizens will head to polls Saturday to vote for a president in the country’s first election since incumbent President Shavkat Mirziyoye...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday to review safety and efficacy data for potential booster doses of the Moderna coronavirus vaccine. The panel will reconvene the next day for similar discussions regarding the Johnson & Johnson shot. Unvaccinated French citizens will no longer be able to get free corona...

Mexican and U.S. officials are set to hold security talks on Friday in Mexico City. Leaders from the world’s 20 largest economies will hold a virtual summit on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing crisis in Afghanistan after G20 chair Italy pressed for it. The session will focus on the ongoing humanitarian and economic crisis in the country that has worsened since the Taliban seized power. EU diplomats...

Portugal is set to lift nearly all remaining coronavirus restrictions on Friday as it leads the world in vaccinations. The Women’s March is planning a rally across all 50 U.S. states on Saturday in response to controversial legislation introduced in Texas that significantly limits women’s access to abortion. Japan’s parliament will likely convene on Monday in a special parliamentary session to con...

Most social distancing measures will be dropped in the Netherlands starting Saturday, as the country moves to a "health pass" system requiring proof of coronavirus vaccination for entry into various venues. Opposition is mounting against Tunisian President Kais Saied after he extended indefinitely the “exceptional measures” he took in July that effectively consolidated all power in his h...

Supporters of those jailed in connection to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol are expected to hold rallies across the United States on Saturday. Voters across Canada’s 13 provinces and territories will go to the polls Monday in the country’s 2021 federal election, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal Party of Canada seeking re-election as the largest bloc in the House of Commons. T...

Massive quadrennial military exercises led by Russia and known as “Zapad” are set to begin Friday. The United Nations will convene an international aid conference in Geneva on Monday to discuss the Afghanistan crisis. California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s time in the governor’s mansion may be coming to a sooner-than-expected end depending on how Tuesday’s recall election pans out.  The White House will c...

Two dozen Russian diplomats will be forced to leave the United States on or before Friday after their visas expire, the Russian ambassador said in an interview. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is calling for his supporters to take to the streets on Tuesday amid a corruption investigation that may lead to his removal from office. Eight U.S. federal agencies have until Thursday to release a trove...

President Biden remained resolute that the United States will evacuate all Americans from Afghanistan by Tuesday’s deadline, despite calls from G7 allies to extend the date to allow greater numbers of at-risk Afghans to depart the country. Businesses that transfer key data overseas without prior approval from the Chinese government face "hefty punishments" under a new law that goes into...

Patrons at restaurants, bars, clubs, and gyms in San Francisco, as well as attendees of large events at indoor venues, will be required to show proof of full coronavirus vaccination starting Friday. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo will leave office on Tuesday after an investigation by the state’s attorney general accused him of sexually harassing at least 11 women. With the Tokyo Olympics wrapped, the...

Six weeks after an unprecedented heat wave shattered records and left hundreds dead in British Columbia, Washington state and Oregon, people across the region are again facing high temperatures that started Wednesday and are expected to continue through the end of the week. The Venezuelan government and the opposition have agreed to engage in talks expected to begin Friday in Mexico to solve the c...

The 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics are coming to a close on Sunday after a year of pandemic-related controversy and delay. Starting Monday, anyone visiting restaurants and bars in France will have to show proof of coronavirus vaccination, recent infection or a negative test result as the country expands the scope of its coronavirus pass. The Canadian government will begin allowing entry to vaccinated...

Former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse will be laid to rest on Friday in Cap-Haïtien after being assassinated earlier this month. Lebanon’s parliament will begin new consultations Monday, with the hopes of choosing a new prime minister following Saad Hariri’s resignation from the post. Myanmar’s deposed leader Aung San Suu Kyi will stand trial as early as Monday, culminating legal efforts against...

The annual Islamic pilgrimage to holy sites in western Saudi Arabia starts Sunday with participation restricted to just 60,000 pilgrims as the world continues to grapple with coronavirus. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed England will lift all coronavirus restrictions on Monday despite a rise in infections, while most devolved nations continue to take a more cautious approach. Fast food worke...

More than a year after the 2020 summer games were postponed, the Olympic torch relay finally arrives Friday in the Japanese capital engulfed in rising concerns over the sporting event. A new era of space tourism kicks off on Sunday when billionaire Richard Branson will go to space aboard his Virgin Galactic ship. Bulgaria’s President Rumen Radev announced new elections will take place on Sunday. O...

The Carnival Vista cruise ship is set to sail from Port of Galveston, Texas, on Saturday —  the first time a Carnival Cruise Line ship has sailed from the United States in more than a year. Burkina Faso opposition groups are expected to march throughout the country Saturday as part of silent demonstrations against the government’s failure to tackle a growing jihadist insurgency. Jeff Bezos, the wo...

President Joe Biden and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will meet face-to-face for the first time Friday, as the United States continues to withdraw its 8,600 troops from Afghanistan following the decades-long conflict. Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder in the death of George Floyd in May last year, will be sentenced on Friday after an initial delay. Former...

Iran will hold presidential elections to elect a successor to outgoing President Hassan Rouhani who has served in the position since 2013. Democrats and Republicans will choose their candidates in the New York City mayoral race to lead the biggest city in the United States. The first person charged under Hong Kong’s draconian National Security Law will stand trial on terrorism and secession charge...

Israel’s incoming government faces its first test with a vote of confidence in the country’s parliament. NATO is scheduled to meet in Belgium as U.S. President Biden makes his first trip overseas since entering office. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has promised a "full reopening" of the Golden State economy. Biden will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin face-to-face in Geneva, Sw...

For the second year in a row, Hong Kong officials have banned an annual candlelight vigil commemorating the Tiananmen Square massacre, citing concerns over coronavirus. Voters in Mexico will elect hundreds of politicians to local positions as well as 500 deputies to the lower house of its legislature, which could dramatically change the direction of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s tenure....

President Joe Biden will unveil his first detailed budget proposal as president. More than a month after going into lockdown, New Delhi could begin rolling back coronavirus restrictions. Taiwan is set to enact even tougher water restrictions on its population to keep its multibillion-dollar semiconductor industry running. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid is racing to put together a cabinet of...