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PaperclipPerfector  2d ago (text post)   378 thread views

Transnational Thursday for August 7, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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The government of (the Republic of) Ireland has chosen to impose rent control on literally the entire country. (83 percent of rented properties in Ireland already were in rent-control zones before this law went into effect.) Rent increases now are capped at 2 percent per year nationwide.

Note that the government of Ireland currently is a coalition of two right-wing parties. The most prominent left-wing party has openly stated that it would ban all rent increases for three years if it were in power.

(found via this article)

Ireland has 5 million people, in comparison to the 8 million people that live under New York City's rent control.

The government of Italy has approved a plan to build a bridge across the Strait of Messina, between Calabria and Sicily. Completion is scheduled for year 2032.

"Right wing" has a weird meaning in Europe... I am eagerly expecting a fresh crop of horror stories (in addition to the plenty we have in NY) to follow.

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