World in a Week: 24 February 2020

Healthcare

• Top story: Coronavirus outbreak spreads
• Why it matters: The outbreak's expansion to nearly every continent could spur a global recession and will have huge ramifications for the world economy and geopolitics.

South & Southeast Asia

• Top story: Delhi protests
• Why it matters: Violence in India exposes opposition to Narendra Modi's controversial social policies and raises political risk in one of the world's largest economies.

Europe

• Top story: UK/EU trade negotiations
• Why it matters: This will determine what Brexit actually means in practice—and how close the UK and EU remain post-divorce.

China & Northeast Asia

• Top story: Phase one trade deal
• Why it matters: After fits, false starts, and more than a year of negotiations, China and the US finally have some reprieve in their trade war.

Geo-Technology

• Top story: EU's new digital strategy
• Why it matters: This could set the rules Big Tech and the rest of the world need to play by when it comes to the digital sphere.

Middle East & North Africa

• Top story: Run-up to Israeli elections
• Why it matters: After several elections that failed to bring a government in 2019, will Israelis finally and definitively deliver the premiership to Benjamin Netanyahu or Benny Gantz?

North America

• Top story: South Carolina Primary
• Why it matters: It's the moment of truth for Joe Biden's campaign and efforts to slow Bernie Sanders' momentum going into Super Tuesday.

Africa

• Top story: Nigeria closes its border
• Why it matters: President Muhammadu Buhari wants to curb smuggling, but the move faces fierce criticism from defenders of free trade and open markets.

Eurasia

• Top story: Constitutional changes in Russia
• Why it matters: These pave the way for Vladimir Putin to maintain power in Russia even after his presidency ends in 2024.

Latin America

• Top story: Argentina's IMF debt renegotiation
• Why it matters: The government's ability to wrap up the process quickly will determine whether it can avoid a default.

Brazil

• Top story: Police strikes
• Why it matters: Since strikes began, 147 people have been killed, and activism could spread to new regions of the country.