What's Going On Around The World Today?

HERE ARE THE TOP STORIES

North Korea says it has restarted its main nuclear reactor.

“State media in Pyongyang said the Yongbyon complex is back in operation, and the country is ready to launch nuclear weapons ‘at any time,’” BuzzFeed News Francis Whittaker writes.

The announcement, made via Korea Central News Agency (KCNA), “had been given in direct response to western reports of satellite data showing fresh activity at Yongbyon.”

The statement, which was attributed to the Director of the Atomic Energy Institute, said: “If the U.S. and other hostile forces persistently seek their reckless hostile policy towards the [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and behave mischievously, the DPRK is fully ready to cope with them with nuclear weapons any time.”

And a little extra.

The nuclear complex had been shut down in 2007, after a disarmament-for-aid deal. However, the reactor restarted again in 2013, the same year North Korea conducted a nuclear test –– then in August 2014 it became dormant.

Tuesday’s move will “further worsen relations between Pyongyang and the rest of the world,” The Guardian writes, and is seen as “an attempt to pressure [the U.S.] into restarting talks that could lead to concessions and the easing of sanctions against the regime.”

Australia will have a new prime minister — now what?

With the news that Malcolm Turnbull will be taking over the position after defeating Tony Abbott in a crucial vote, we asked BuzzFeed Australia news editor Rob Stott two quick questions about what’s going on and what’s to come.

So, there’s a new prime minister. What just happened? And what does this mean?

STOTT: The centre-right Liberal party has been in government in Australia for two years, and has been pretty unpopular for most of that time. In Australia you vote for a party, not a single candidate, so a party can change its leader and just like that we get a new prime minister. That’s what happened Monday night.

The conservative PM, Tony Abbott was dumped by his own party and replaced by the much more popular (and moderate) Malcolm Turnbull. It’s basically a group of politicians realising that if they kept going like this they would lose their job, so they stabbed their leader in the back. They’re hoping that voters will forgive them for some of the mistakes of the past two years and the government can start with a clean slate.

What can we expect next?

STOTT: The big thing is that Turnbull is much closer to the political centre than Tony Abbott was. Abbott is known as the ‘Mad Monk’. He’s very religious, doesn’t really believe in climate change and his economic policies often left the poor and working class people at a disadvantage. Turnbull is much more moderate. He has been a long time supporter of marriage equality and has publicly campaigned for action on climate change.

So on Tuesday, Turnbull will go to the Governor General (the queen’s representative in Australia) and tell him that he’s able to form a government. Then he has to get to work convincing people to re-elect his party when an election is held in about 12 months’ time. It could be messy. He’s now the head of a very divided party and Australia has changed prime ministers a lot lately. Who knows what will happen from here.

For more, here’s Rob’s story on why Australian politics is “batshit insane.” And a look at Tony Abbott’s final act as prime minister.

And a little extra.

“Advocates hope for action on marriage equality sooner rather than later” after Turnbull’s win, BuzzFeed Australia’s Lane Sainty writes. Former prime minister Abbott has long opposed same-sex marriage and was considered a roadblock to the reform as long as he was in power, Sainty writes. However, despite Turnbull’s personal support, the new prime minister confirmed he will stick with the government’s old policy to take the issue to a vote.

WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON

The Russian military appears to be trying to set up an operating base in Syria, according to U.S. officials.

Russia has been gradually sending some of its most modern battle tanks, weapons, and equipment to a new air base in western Syria, according to satellite photographs. The move is “part of an escalating buildup that could give Moscow its most significant military foothold in the Middle East in decades,” American officials told the New York Times.

Russia says the military equipment is to help the Syrian government fight ISIS. Russia has also been a longtime ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad throughout the country’s four-and-a-half-year civil war, which has killed more than 200,000 people.

While the Kremlin has dismissed any military buildup, Russian President Vladimir Putin said today at a defense summit in Tajikistan, “We provide and will continue to provide [Syria] with the necessary military technical assistance,” according to BBC News.

The latest military buildup by Russia in support of Assad’s government, which the U.S. wants removed — “adds a new friction point in its relations with the United States,” according to the Times.

What’s next?

“The next phase of the Russian plan may become clearer when President Putin comes to the United Nations [in New York] later this month and outlines his proposals for coping with Syria,” writes the New York Times. Putin reportedly wants to meet with President Obama, but the White House says it’s not aware of any such meeting. The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, yesterday said Russia's support for Assad “is not a winning strategy.”

If you want the latest news and alerts on the global migration crisis, download the BuzzFeed News app for iOS. (We also have a ~super secret~ Android version, so if you want to be a beta tester, send us a note.)

DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?

The refugee crisis is threatening the ideal of a borderless Europe.

Under a system that began in 1995, people who enter what's known as Europe’s Schengen Area, can pass freely between the borders of 26 participating European Union nations. This means that instead of checks at borders of the individual countries, there are checks at the unifying external border.

But, because of the influx of people fleeing their home countries because of war and persecution, the system “has been temporarily compromised at numerous points over the last few days as governments have opted to close off routes in from neighboring countries,” BuzzFeed News’ Francis Whittaker writes.

Hungary is the latest of the Schengen countries to have temporarily suspended their participation in the agreement. The Hungarian government imposed strict new migrant laws today, criminalizing anyone attempting to breach its newly-built razor wire fence bordering Serbia. So far, 60 people have been arrested under the new legislation Tuesday afternoon, and are facing possible imprisonment for allegedly breaching the fence.

Refugees and migrants who made the long journey from conflict zones and want to cross the border were told by authorities to head to an official transit center and apply for asylum. However, those who apply for asylum “face the risk of expulsion back to Serbia –– which is not in the European Union –– within eight days,” BuzzFeed News Francis Whittaker writes. A Serbian minister also said they would not accept any people turned back from Hungary.

One of the most common routes for those fleeing war-torn Syria involves moving across seven countries by foot, boat, and train. Here’s a look at the long route many refugees take to travel from Syria to Germany.

“For personal reasons, I feel like I should issue the licenses,” Kentucky deputy clerk Brian Mason told BuzzFeed News.

Mason works for Kim Davis, the county clerk who was jailed this month for refusing to issue marriage licenses in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s same-sex marriage ruling in June. In an interview with BuzzFeed News’ Dominic Holden, Mason talked about his willingness to defy his boss and issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, and the attention it’s brought him.

He said Davis, who has a religious objection to same-sex marriage, is “good at her job,” and that he sees both sides of the issue. “But I’m going to issue them either way,” he said, “because of the judge’s orders and for personal reasons.”

The wreck of Her Majesty's Ship Erebus: how a landmark discovery triggered a fight for Canada’s history.

The HMS Erebus and a sister ship left England in 1845 to find the Northwest Passage. They were never seen again — until a team of Canadian searchers discovered the wreckage in the Arctic last year. What followed was a dispute over the facts of, and credit for, the historic find, BuzzFeed contributor Paul Watson writes.

Quick things to know:

• At least eight people were killed Monday as flash floods swept away two cars in Utah. (BuzzFeed News)

• One woman has died, 700 homes were destroyed, and 23,000 people were forced to flee as the two wind-whipped wildfires ripped through Northern California’s communities over the weekend. (BuzzFeed News)

• A group of Mexican tourists and their Egyptian guides had stopped for a picnic when they were fired upon by a military helicopter on Sunday, according to the tour guides union. (BuzzFeed News)

• The Navy agreed to prohibit explosives and sonar, which are harmful to marine life, in certain waters of Hawaii and California. (BuzzFeed News)

• The Obama administration pledged $160 million to fund “Smart City” initiatives. (BuzzFeed News)

• A mother who was found pushing her dead toddler in a swing in Maryland earlier this year was indicted on manslaughter and first-degree child abuse charges. (BuzzFeed News)

• Authorities said Shannon Lamb, a suspect in the shooting death of a Delta State University professor, died Monday night. Lamb is also a suspect in the killing of Amy Prentiss in Gautier, Mississippi. (BuzzFeed News)

• Authorities plan to charge 37 members of a fraternity with crimes ranging from assault to murder related to the 2013 death of a Baruch College student. (BuzzFeed News)

• Computers and classroom technology don’t improve student performance, according to think-tank, OECD. (BBC News)

• Arnold Schwarzenegger is taking over for Donald Trump as the host of The Celebrity Apprentice, NBC announced Monday. (BuzzFeed News)

• And the newest fashion craze in China is hair clips that look like food. (BuzzFeed News)

Happy Tuesday

Hey 90s kids: Nicktoons like Rugrats and Ren & Stimpy are comin’ back. Nickelodeon announced –– The Splat –– a brand new television channel dedicated to your favorite 90s cartoons.

This letter was edited and brought to you by Brianne O’Brien and Millie Tran. You can always reach us here.