One Sentence News / March 27, 2024

Three news stories summarized & contextualized by analytic journalist Colin Wright.

China and Russia challenge US claim to mineral-rich stretches of seabed

Summary: A recent announcement by the US government that it was claiming huge swathes of underwater seabed as its sovereign territory has been challenged by the governments of China and Russia.

Context: These undersea areas, which are located off the coast of the continental US, as well as Alaska and Hawaii, are being claimed based on the idea, formalized in international law, that nations have control over seabeds that rest along their continental shelves; this extended, claimed territory is collectively about the size of two Californias, and such areas are considered to be increasingly vital as a bunch of important infrastructure, like undersea communications cables, are located along such seabeds, and because resources necessary to electrify economies and move away from fossil fuels are also available in these areas, raising the possibility that they could be mined someday—though the volume of such minerals that could be harvested, and the seriousness of the damage caused by mining in these underwater ecosystems is still being looked into.

—Financial Times

One Sentence News is a reader-supported publication. To support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Venezuela opposition again without candidate as Yoris unable to register

Summary: An 80-year-old academic named Corina Yoris, who was recently tapped by Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado to serve as the party’s candidate, has been unable to register as a candidate, apparently having been blocked from accessing the electoral authority’s online system.

Context: Machado, who won more than 90% of opposition votes in a primary election last October, was barred from running for office by President Maduro’s government—Maduro having long been accused of rigging elections, and having told his supporters just last month, “We're going to win by hook or by crook, we're going to win, always”; Yoris was selected to serve as the candidate because Machado was barred, while people close to her were arrested as part of an apparent intimidation campaign by the government; it looks like Yoris will be unable to run, too, though, which makes it more likely Maduro will run essentially unopposed in the country’s anticipated July election, which in turn may lead to a dissolution of his government’s agreement with the US to lift sanctions on the country’s oil exports, that lifting predicated on allowing a fair and free election to take place.

—Reuters

Florida Governor DeSantis signs social media limits into law

Summary: The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has signed a controversial law that will place limits on the ability of residents under the age of 16 to access social media.

Context: This law will take effect on July 1 if lawsuits from social media companies fail to prevent its implementation, and once in effect it will prevent kids under the age of 13 from using some social media platforms, and will require that those ages 14 and 15 attain parental consent to access the same; this law also bans minors from accessing adult websites, and will require age verification on such sites within the state, which would necessitate users provide facial scans or photo IDs—similar to a law that was recently implemented in Texas, and which is being challenged by free speech advocates.

—Axios

Continued risks of traversing the Red Sea (from attacks by Yemen-based Houthis, and a few pirate attacks originating in Somalia) have increased the price of shipping all sorts of goods, globally, as cargo vessels (those carrying energy resources like crude oil, but also those carrying things like shoes and lumber) have had to take a far longer (and thus, pricier) route around the Cape of Good Hope, rather than cutting through the Suez Canal.

—Axios

99%

Volume of arms imported into Israel that come from the US and Germany, according to research from the Stockholm International Peace Institute in 2023.

Around 69% of imported military hardware comes from the US, and around 30% from Germany, and this figure suggests that these countries might have more leverage over the Israeli government than they’ve been using, in regards to the UN’s position on a ceasefire in Gaza (which Netanyahu’s government has thus far defied).

—The Times of Israel

Trust Click

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit onesentencenews.substack.com