Algeria and Mali's Russia-Backed Rapprochement. And More.

Welcome to the Briefing Room, the weekly show where we step back from the cac ophony of news blasting out of the Middle East to briefly take stock of what else is happening in the world. I'm Simon and this week we'll be only covering two stories instead of three as one of our regular writers is off in the summer.

But the two stories we do have are so under the radar as to be positively subterranean.

Firstly, there's the growing reproachment between former enemies Marley and Algeria, a reproachment that could reshape North Africa. Then we're purging to South America, where Columbia's incoming tough on crime president has already faced his first legislative setback, one that may spell doom for his bouquet-ly-inspired anti-gang agenda.