Global Briefs: EU takes a stab at fake meat

Belgium

The European Union parliament voted Oct. 8 to ban the word meat and similar terms like burger and steak from labels for plant-based meat substitutes. Céline Imart, a French member of parliament who represents agricultural interests, filed the proposal. She argues words like meat are misleading for consumers. Although it passed, the proposal faced criticism for being anti-environmental and a waste of time. “While the world is burning, the EPP [center-right political party] has nothing better to do this week than to involve us all in a debate about sausages and schnitzel,” said German parliament member Anna Cavazzini. But German Chancellor Friedrich Merz supported the proposal: “A sausage is a sausage. Sausage is not vegan.” The proposal won’t become law unless other branches of the EU government give their approval. —Evangeline Schmitt

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA

Colombia

Joint operations between Colombia, the U.S., and the U.K. captured José Antonio Márquez Morales, the alleged leader of the Venezuelan armed wing of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua (TdA) in Valledupar, Colombia, on Oct. 2. Authorities say Caracas, as he’s known, managed the finances and logistics for the group’s drug trafficking, smuggling, and extortion operations. In February, President Donald Trump declared TdA a terrorist organization and deported more than 250 alleged gang members to a jail in El Salvador. Tension between the U.S. and Venezuela increased after Trump deployed warships to the Caribbean and offered a reward for President Nicolás Maduro’s capture for colluding with cartels. The U.S. military has carried out multiple strikes on boats allegedly transporting drugs from Venezuela. —Amy Lewis

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA

Malaysia

Seven members of the country’s national soccer team are not actually Malaysian, the worldwide soccer governing body FIFA said Oct. 6. According to the Malaysian Constitution, people with Malaysian grandparents can become naturalized citizens and are eligible to play on national teams. Documents submitted by players born in Argentina, Spain, Holland, and Brazil stated Malaysian cities of birth, but were not original. Some were even dated January 2025. The players in question were essential to Malaysia’s 4-0 win over Vietnam in a third-round Asian Cup Qualifier game Jun. 10. The Football Association of Malaysia said it will appeal FIFA’s decision to suspend the players for one year and fine them and the team. Malaysia will play two upcoming Asian Cup matches with a much-reduced squad of players. —Amy Lewis

Kais Saied Tunisian Presidency via AP

Tunisia

Just days after being sentenced to death for online posts that criticized the president, 51-year-old Saber Chouchane received a full pardon and was released Oct. 7. First imprisoned in January 2024, Chouchane received global support after his death sentence sparked outrage against Tunisian President Kais Saied. First elected in 2019 and reelected last year, Saied has quashed all opposition. In 2022, Saied enacted Decree Law 54 that criminalizes “false news.” Chouchane’s death sentence raised fears the country was sliding toward full authoritarian rule. While the president’s critics celebrated Chouchane’s pardon, many still fear Saied’s crackdown on dissent highlights the ongoing threat to free speech in Tunisia. —Elisa Palumbo

Mahamat Idriss Deby Associated Pres/Photo by Mouta Ali

Chad

On Oct. 3, the parliament overwhelmingly approved a constitutional amendment abolishing presidential term limits, a move critics decry as a maneuver to entrench the rule of President Mahamat Idriss Deby. The 41-year-old president took over in 2021 after his father’s death and won a disputed election in May 2024. Some opposition members in the Chadian Assembly boycotted the term limit vote. Leading opposition figure Albert Pahimi Padacké, a former prime minister and presidential candidate, said Chad was “choosing to abandon the democratic path.” Remadji Hoinathy, a senior researcher at the Africa-focused Institute for Security Studies, said Chad’s dissenting voices are disappearing. —Olalekan Raji

Fact Box Source: The World Factbook-CIA

India

Authorities arrested Sresan Pharmaceuticals owner Ranganathan Govindan on Oct. 9 after cough syrup made by his company allegedly caused the deaths of about 20 children. On Oct. 2, India’s Health Ministry found that samples of the cough syrup contained diethylene glycol, an extremely toxic industrial solvent, in quantities 500 times the permitted amount. Indian officials told the World Health Organization none of the affected cough syrup was exported but warned that some might have left the country unofficially. In 2023, Indian cough syrup also killed 70 children in The Gambia and 18 in Uzbekistan. The country manufactures roughly 20% of all generic drugs worldwide. Critics renewed calls for an overhaul of India’s drug oversight system, which they say has weak regulations. —Jenny Lind Schmitt