News Wire | October 2022 Archive
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Lula Defeats Bolsonaro to Win Third Term as Brazil’s President
By Anthony Faiola, Paulina Villegas & Gabriela Sá Pessoa | The Washington Post (free)
Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reclaimed the office Sunday on pledges to defend democracy, save the Amazon rainforest and bring social justice to Latin America’s largest nation, defeating Brazil’s Trumpian incumbent in a remarkable political comeback some three years after he walked out of a prison cell.
More from WPR: Democracy Is on the Ballot in Brazil’s Presidential Election
‘It Was Almost Post-Apocalyptic’: A Reckoning Awaits Seoul’s Crowd Tragedy
By Michelle Ye Hee Lee, Kelly Kasulis Cho, Stephanie McCrummen, Annabelle Timsit & Praveena Somasundaram | The Washington Post
At first, the young woman felt herself being squeezed by the packed crowd as it slowly pushed down a narrow alleyway in the South Korean capital, where she had been enjoying Halloween festivities Saturday night.
Russia Pauses Grain Deal After Ukraine Strikes Warships in Crimea
By Mary Ilyushina | The Washington Post
Russia suspended its participation in the U.N.-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to export its grain and other agricultural products from Black Sea ports after claiming that Kyiv used the corridor to attack Kremlin ships, reigniting concerns about global food insecurity.
More from WPR: The Russia-Ukraine Grain Deal Is Skating on Thin Ice
Trade Rift Between EU and U.S. Grows Over Green Industry and Jobs
Financial Times
The threat of a trade war between the EU and the U.S. over the Biden administration’s $370 billion climate legislation has stepped up, as France estimated it would lose €8 billion as businesses were given incentives to shift to the U.S.
U.S. Releases Guantanamo’s Oldest Prisoner
By Carol Rosenberg | The New York Times
The United States has released the U.S. military’s oldest prisoner of the war on terror, a 75-year-old businessman who was held for nearly two decades as a suspected sympathizer of al-Qaida but was never charged with a crime.
Prominent Haitian Politician Killed in Apparent Gang Attack
By Widlore Mérancourt & Amanda Coletta | The Washington Post
The prominent leader of a Haitian political party was killed in an alleged gang attack in the capital Friday, the latest victim of the spiraling security crisis gripping the Caribbean nation.
More from WPR: The World Can’t Afford to Ignore Haiti’s Deepening Security Crisis
Witnesses: Journalist Killed After Police in Haiti Open Fire
By Evens Sanon | Associated Press (free)
A Haitian journalist died Sunday after being shot in the head when police opened fire on reporters demanding the release of one of their colleagues who was detained while covering a protest, witnesses told The Associated Press.
More from WPR: Haitians Have a Solution to Haiti’s Crisis
Moldova Condemns Russian Strikes After Missile Debris Lands in Its Territory
By Maria Varenikova & Monika Pronczuk | The New York Times
Debris from a Russian missile shot down by Ukrainian air defenses landed in a border village in Moldova, officials in the country said Monday, in one of the clearest instances of violence from the war spilling into another European nation.
More from WPR: Moldova Could Be the Next Flashpoint in Europe’s Standoff With Putin
Police: Men Attack Pro-Democracy Vigil Near Iranian Embassy
Associated Press (free)
German police are investigating an attack on a pro-democracy vigil outside the Iranian embassy in Berlin in which three people were injured early Sunday morning.
German Industrial Workers Fire Warning Shot With Strikes Over Pay
By Olaf Storbeck & Martin Arnold | Financial Times
Thousands of German industrial workers walked out for several hours over the weekend in an escalating pay dispute as leaders of Germany’s powerful IG Metall union warned of more strikes to come if employers failed to improve their offer.
The Ukraine War Will End With Negotiations
By Emma Ashford | Foreign Affairs
Now is not the time for talks, but America must lay the groundwork.
100 Dead in Mogadishu Bombings, Marking Highest Civilian Toll in Years
By Katharine Houreld | The Washington Post
Twin car bombs ripped through a crowd of people outside Somalia’s Education Ministry, killing at least 100 people and injuring 300, the country’s president said Sunday. It was the highest civilian death toll from a single attack in five years.
Rebels Makes New Advance, and Congo Expels Rwandan Envoy
By Justin Kabumba & Krista Larson | Associated Press (free)
Rebels seized control of two major towns in eastern Congo and doubled the territory they hold after fierce fighting Saturday with the Congolese military, authorities said.
Militants Kill 15 in Attack on Burkina Faso Military Supply Mission, Army Says
Reuters
Islamist militants killed 15 Burkinabe soldiers and volunteer militiamen Saturday as they returned from a supply mission in eastern Burkina Faso, the army said Sunday.
Iran Charges Female Journalists Who Helped Break Amini’s Story With Being CIA Spies
By Miriam Berger | The Washington Post
The two female Iranian journalists who helped break the story of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman whose death in the custody of the so-called morality police last month sparked a nationwide uprising, were formally accused late Friday of being CIA spies and the “primary sources of news for foreign media”—the former a crime punishable by the death penalty in Iran.
More from WPR: The Only Card Iran’s Regime Has Left Is Repression
Lebanon President Leaves With No Replacement, Crisis Deepens
By Bassem Mroue & Abby Sewell | Associated Press (free)
President Michel Aoun left Lebanon’s presidential palace Sunday, marking the end of his six-year term without a replacement, leaving the small nation in a political vacuum that is likely to worsen its historic economic meltdown.
More from WPR: In Lebanon and Iraq, Violence Wins Out Over Votes
EU Funds Border Control Deal in Egypt With Migration via Libya on Rise
By Aidan Lewis | Reuters
The European Union signed an agreement with Egypt on Sunday for the first phase of an 80 million-euro border management program, a statement from the EU delegation in Cairo said, at a time when Egyptian migration to Europe has been rising.
At Least 140 Killed in India as Suspension Bridge Collapses
By Sameer Yasir | The New York Times
At least 140 people were killed after a century-old pedestrian bridge collapsed in the western Indian state of Gujarat on Sunday evening, sending hundreds plunging into the Machchhu River, officials said.
Pakistani Journalist Crushed by Imran Khan’s Truck During Coverage
By Mubasher Bukhari | Reuters
A female journalist was crushed to death by a vehicle carrying former prime minister Imran Khan in an accident in eastern Pakistan on Sunday as he led a convoy along with his supporters towards the capital, party officials and journalists said.
China Launches Third and Final Space Station Component
Associated Press (free)
China on Monday launched the third and final module to complete its permanent space station and realize a more than decade-long effort to maintain a constant crewed presence in orbit, as its competition with the U.S. grows increasingly fierce.
More from WPR: China’s Space Program Is Driven by a Desire for Prestige, Not Military Might
Iraqi Parliament Approves New Government After a Yearlong Delay
By Jane Arraf | The New York Times
Iraq’s Parliament approved a new government on Thursday that was more than a year in the making but that perpetuates an almost two-decade-old political system that has been blamed for endemic corruption and dysfunction since being ushered in after the U.S.-led invasion.
More from WPR: A New Pick for Iraqi Prime Minister Could Spark Conflict
Playing to Western Discord, Putin Says Russia Is Battling ‘Strange’ Elites
By Anton Troianovski | The New York Times
President Vladimir Putin declared Thursday that Russia’s battle was with “Western elites,” not with the West itself, in a speech seemingly aimed more at winning over political conservatives abroad than his own citizens.
More from WPR: ‘Is Russia Committing Genocide in Ukraine?’ Might Be the Wrong Question
Pentagon’s Strategy Says China and Russia Pose Very Different Challenges
By Eric Schmitt, David E. Sanger & William J. Broad | The New York Times
Eight months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and as China pushes to increase its nuclear, space and cyberforces, the Pentagon outlined a sweeping new strategy on Thursday that called for more robust deterrence at an increasingly tense moment in international security.
U.S. Program Aims to Keep Sensitive Weapons in Ukraine
By Lara Jakes & John Ismay | The New York Times
Following concerns in Congress and accusations by Russia about weapons smuggling, the Biden administration released its blueprint on Thursday for ensuring that the $17 billion in arms it has so far sent to Ukraine were making it to the battlefield—and not the black market.
More from WPR: The West Is Now a Co-Belligerent in the War in Ukraine
Pentagon: Ukraine to Get Advanced Air Defense Systems Early Next Month
By Karoun Demirjian & Alex Horton | The Washington Post
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters Thursday that Ukraine is expected to receive advanced U.S. air defense systems “early next month,” meeting one of Kyiv’s key demands for military assistance as Russia continues to pummel city centers, energy hubs and other civilian targets with a barrage of missiles and drones.
Because of Bolsonaro, Millions of Brazilians Distrust Elections
By Jack Nicas | The New York Times
President Jair Bolsonaro has attacked Brazil’s electronic voting system. Now, ahead of Sunday’s elections, many of his supporters believe there will be fraud.
More from WPR: Brazil’s Next President Will Govern a Polarized and Angry Country
Mexican Police Say Drug Lord Killed 20 Townspeople
Associated Press (free)
Authorities said Thursday the massacre of 20 townspeople in southern Mexico appears to have been the work of a drug lord who used social media to try to blame a rival gang.
Crisis-Stricken Cuba Caught Between Ally Russia, Nearby U.S.
By Megan Janetsky | Associated Press (free)
When Hurricane Ian tore through western Cuba in late September, causing an island-wide blackout, it left the government grappling with a deepening energy crisis and simmering discontent among Cubans. It also once again thrust the Caribbean island into the middle of an escalating tug-of-war between its seaside neighbor, the United States, and ally, Russia.
More from WPR: Biden Finally Realized He Can’t Ignore Cuba Any Longer
Brazil’s Top Court Set to Rule in Favor of Amazon Fund Revival
Reuters
Brazil’s Supreme Court is set to demand that the government reactivate a billion-dollar international fund aimed at protecting the Amazon rainforest as the nation faces rampant deforestation, according to a court statement Thursday.
More from WPR: Brazil’s Presidential Election Could Be the Amazon’s Last Chance
Russia’s Security Service Works to Subvert Moldova’s Pro-Western Government
By Catherine Belton | The Washington Post (free)
A trove of sensitive materials obtained by Ukrainian intelligence and reviewed by The Washington Post illustrates how Moscow continues to try to manipulate countries in Eastern Europe.
More from WPR: Moldova Could Be the Next Flashpoint in Europe’s Standoff With Putin
Northern Ireland Likely to Hold New Election After Failing to Form a Government
By Mark Landler | The New York Times
Voters in Northern Ireland made history in May when they turned the Irish nationalist party, Sinn Fein, into the largest in the North. Now, they are likely to have to go back to the polls after the main pro-unionist party paralyzed the power-sharing government by refusing to take part in it.
More from WPR: Brexit’s Ghosts Still Haunt Northern Ireland
EU Revisits Balkans to Win Friends, Seek More Influence
By Raf Casert | Associated Press (free)
The European Union is in the midst of yet another goodwill trip through the Western Balkans to drum up support for the bloc and to make sure that Europe’s historical tinderbox is not about to pick the side of hostile Russia or strategic rival China in the world of geopolitics.
More from WPR: Europe Should Have Listened to the Baltic States on Russia
Somalia Asks U.S. to Step Up Drone Strikes Against Al-Qaida-Linked Fighters
By Charlie Savage, Eric Schmitt & Abdi Latif Dahir | The New York Times
The Biden administration is weighing a request by Somalia that the United States loosen restrictions on its military drone strikes targeting Al-Shabab militants in the troubled Horn of Africa nation, according to several U.S. officials.
More from WPR: The U.S. Military Confronts the Darker Side of Drone Strikes
U.S. Orders Diplomats’ Families to Leave Nigeria’s Capital
By Matthew Lee | Associated Press (free)
The State Department on Thursday ordered the families of U.S. embassy staffers in the Nigerian capital to leave due to heightened fears of a terrorist attack as it repeated a warning for all Americans to reconsider traveling to any part of the country and not to visit Abuja at all.
Tanzania’s Commercial Capital Imposes Water Restrictions
Associated Press (free)
One of Africa’s largest and fastest growing cities has imposed water restrictions as officials blame dry weather and dropping river levels.
Iranian Forces Open Fire on Protesters as Government Buildings Burn
By Babak Dehghanpisheh, Stefanie Le & Atthar Mirza | The Washington Post
Violence erupted Thursday in the city of Mahabad in the Kurdish region of western Iran, where protesters attacked government buildings, including the offices of the governor and the mayor. Security forces responded by opening fire on demonstrators, according to videos posted on social media and verified by The Washington Post.
More from WPR: Iran’s Hijab Protests Have Lit a Fire the Regime Can’t Put Out
Abuses on U.S. Bases in Persian Gulf Ensnare Legions of Migrant Workers
By Katie McQue | The Washington Post
Foreign workers for defense contractors on at least four U.S. military bases in the Persian Gulf are trapped in their jobs by abusive employment practices that they say prevent them from returning home or even looking for better work in the region, more than 30 current and former workers said in interviews.
Two Palestinians Killed by Israel; Military Alleges Ambush
Associated Press (free)
Two Palestinians were killed and a third was wounded by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank early Friday, Palestinian health officials said, as conflicting claims about the incident emerged.
More from WPR: Israel’s Targeting of Palestinian Journalists Is Only Getting Worse
North Korea Fires Missiles Toward Sea as U.S. Warns Over Nukes
By Hyung-Jin Kim & Kim Tong-Hyung | Associated Press (free)
North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea Friday in its first ballistic weapons launches in two weeks, as the U.S. military warned the North that the use of nuclear weapons “will result in the end of that regime.”
More from WPR: North Korea’s Muscle-Flexing Is Driving Seismic Shifts in East Asia
Japan Considers Buying U.S. Tomahawk Missiles to Deter North Korea and China
By Alastair Gale & Chieko Tsuneoka | The Wall Street Journal
Japan is in talks with the U.S. about buying Tomahawk cruise missiles so that it can more quickly gain the ability to attack North Korean and Chinese military bases, people familiar with the matter said.
Inside the Secret Prisoner Swap That Splintered the U.S. and China
By Drew Hinshaw, Joe Parkinson & Aruna Viswanatha | The Wall Street Journal
Detention of a Chinese executive to stand trial in the U.S. provoked a standoff between global rivals and opened an acrimonious new era.
Evidence ‘Invalidated’ in Explosive Report on Mexico’s 43 Missing Students
By Natalie Kitroeff, Ronen Bergman & Oscar Lopez | The New York Times (free)
This summer, the government said it had uncovered what happened during the 2014 mass abduction. Arrest warrants quickly followed. But since then, the criminal case and the new account have unraveled.
More from WPR: Accountability for Mexico’s Ayotzinapa Massacre Won’t Come Easy
Dutch Are Investigating Reported Illegal Chinese Police Stations
By Isabella Kwai & Emma Bubola | The New York Times
The Dutch government said on Wednesday that it was investigating reports that Chinese law enforcement agencies illegally operate offices in the Netherlands—without Dutch knowledge or approval—to police Chinese citizens overseas.
The U.S. Reevaluates Ties With Saudi Arabia Over an Oil-Production Cut That Could Benefit Russia
By Edward Wong | The New York Times
The American secretary of state said on Wednesday that the United States would re-evaluate its relationship with Saudi Arabia over the kingdom’s decision to support Russia by agreeing to cut oil production next month, a move that the White House has asserted helps Moscow’s war effort against Ukraine.
More from WPR: The West’s Ties With the Gulf States No Longer Make Strategic Sense
New U.S. Sanctions Target Russian Efforts to Manipulate the Politics in Moldova, a Neighbor of Ukraine
By Michael Crowley | The New York Times
The Biden administration Wednesday imposed sanctions on more than 20 Moldovan and Russian individuals and entities for assisting Russian efforts to manipulate Moldova’s political system.
America’s Brittle Consensus on Ukraine
By Edward Luce | Financial Times
Pressure on Biden to negotiate with Putin is bound to grow.
Same-Sex Marriage Is Now Legal in All of Mexico’s States
Associated Press (free)
Lawmakers in the border state of Tamaulipas voted Wednesday night to legalize same-sex marriages, becoming the last of Mexico’s 32 states to authorize such unions.
Mexico’s Senate Votes to Eliminate Daylight Saving Time
By April Rubin & Eduardo Medina | The New York Times
Mexico’s Senate voted Wednesday to end daylight saving time for most of the country, signaling a preference for more daylight in the mornings and potentially ending a biannual turning of the clocks.
Colombia’s Congress Approves Negotiations With Illegal Armed Groups
By Luis Jaime Acosta | Reuters
Colombia’s Congress on Wednesday approved a law to allow President Gustavo Petro to seek peace deals with leftist rebels and criminal groups tied to drug trafficking via negotiations and processes of surrender.
More from WPR: Colombia Could See Big Changes in Petro’s First 100 Days
Venezuela Scare Tactics Fail to Win Votes for Latin America’s Populist Right
By Michael Stott | Financial Times
Brazil’s Bolsonaro is not the only leader to warn of the evils of a socialist regime but it’s a ploy that’s had little success.
U.N. Uses Before-and-After Photos to Track Ukraine’s Cultural Destruction
By Leo Sands | The Washington Post
The United Nations is reinforcing efforts to track the devastation inflicted on Ukraine’s architecture, art and historical sites by using satellite imagery to verify reports of destruction, two of its agencies announced.
More from WPR: ‘Is Russia Committing Genocide in Ukraine?’ Might Be the Wrong Question
France and Germany Seek to Move Beyond Tensions With Paris Talks
By Leila Abboud & Guy Chazan | Financial Times
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sought to put tensions behind them during a three-hour meeting at which they discussed energy, defense and the geopolitical challenges raised by the war in Ukraine.
Brexit Crisis Pushes Northern Ireland to Brink of New Election
By Jill Lawless | Associated Press (free)
Northern Ireland politicians will make a last-ditch attempt Thursday to break a political impasse triggered by Brexit that has stopped the formation of a functioning government in Belfast. If they fail, the U.K. government says it will call a new election for Northern Ireland.
More from WPR: Brexit’s Ghosts Still Haunt Northern Ireland
Witnesses: Drone Strikes in Ethiopia’s Oromia Kill Civilians
By Cara Anna | Associated Press (free)
Witnesses tell The Associated Press that drone strikes in Ethiopia’s Oromia region killed several dozen civilians last week. The attacks in strongholds of the rebel Oromo Liberation Army came amid intensified fighting between federal forces and the outlawed group.
A Power Balance Shifts as Europe, Facing a Gas Crisis, Turns to Africa for Help
By Max Bearak, Melissa Eddy & Dionne Searcey | The New York Times
European leaders have been converging on Africa’s capital cities, eager to find alternatives to Russian natural gas—sparking hope among their counterparts in Africa that the invasion of Ukraine may tilt the scales in the continent’s unequal relationship with Europe, attracting a new wave of gas investments despite pressure to pivot to renewables.
More from WPR: Ukraine’s Charm Offensive in Africa Marks a Welcome Change of Pace
African Health Official: Ebola in Uganda Is Under Control
By Rodney Muhumuza & Hajarah Nalwadda | Associated Press (free)
Uganda’s Ebola outbreak is under control, a top public health official in Africa said Thursday, noting that local health authorities are doing well to trace most contacts.
As Israel, Lebanon Seal Maritime Deal, Hezbollah Does Awkward Balancing Act
By Sarah Dadouch | The Washington Post
An agreement between Lebanon and Israel to demarcate their maritime border has put Lebanon’s most powerful military and political forcein a bind: How should Hezbollah frame a historic deal with its sworn enemy?
More from WPR: The Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Deal Is a Win for the U.S., Too
Iran: Gunmen Kill at Least 15 People at Shia Shrine in Shiraz
The Guardian (free)
Armed men have attacked a Shia Muslim shrine in the Iranian city of Shiraz, killing at least 15 people, the state news agency Irna said, as security forces clashed with protesters marking 40 days since the death of Mahsa Amini in custody.
More from WPR: Iran’s Hijab Protests Have Lit a Fire the Regime Can’t Put Out
Egypt, IMF Reach Preliminary Agreement for $3 Billion Loan
Associated Press (free)
The International Monetary Fund reached a preliminary agreement with the Egyptian government Thursday that paves the way for the economically troubled Arab nation to access a $3 billion loan, officials said Thursday.
Samsung Appoints Former Convict and Heir Lee Jae-yong as Chairman
By Adela Suliman | The New York Times
South Korean giant Samsung Electronics appointed former convict and third-generation heir Lee Jae-yong as its executive chairman on Thursday.
Hong Kongers Who Clapped in Court Jailed on Sedition Charges
By Kanis Leung | Associated Press (free)
Two Hong Kong residents, including a pastor, were found guilty of sedition and sentenced to jail Thursday for clapping and criticizing a judge during a previous trial over a banned vigil in the city.
More from WPR: China Is Closing the Door on More Than Just Democracy in Hong Kong
An Era Just Ended in China
By Yuen Yuen Ang | The New York Times
Forty-four years ago, Deng Xiaoping kicked off the period of “reform and opening up” that transformed China from a poor, autarkic nation into an emerging global power. President Xi Jinping officially ended that era last week. He emerged from the Chinese Communist Party’s congress in Beijing with unchallenged authority and plans for China that revolve around his obsession with control and security—even if that means harming the economy.
More from WPR: Loyalty Trumps Competence in Xi’s China
Germany Allows Chinese Shipping Group a Stake in Its Biggest Seaport
By Sam Jones | Financial Times (free)
The German government has agreed to allow Chinese shipping conglomerate Cosco to take a stake in the country’s biggest seaport, in a decision that has divided lawmakers and drawn criticism from Brussels.
At Least 230 Sudanese Villagers Killed in Tribal Attacks Over Disputed Land
By Zeinab Mohammed Salih | The Guardian (free)
At least 230 people have been killed and more than 200 injured in attacks on villages in Sudan’s Blue Nile state over the past few days, according to authorities.
U.S. Officials Had a Secret Oil Deal With the Saudis. Or So They Thought
By Mark Mazzetti, Edward Wong & Adam Entous | The New York Times
After Saudi leaders pushed to slash oil production despite a visit by President Biden, American officials have been left fuming that they were duped.
More from WPR: The West’s Ties With the Gulf States No Longer Make Strategic Sense
Liberal Democrats Withdraw Letter to Biden That Urged Him to Rethink Ukraine Strategy
By Amy B Wang, Yasmeen Abutaleb & Marianna Sotomayor | The Washington Post
The Congressional Progressive Caucus has rescinded a letter, signed by 30 House liberals and sent to the White House on Monday, that urged President Biden to negotiate directly with Russia to bring an end to the war in Ukraine.
More from WPR: The West Is Now a Co-Belligerent in the War in Ukraine
Why Biden’s Block on Chips to China Is a Big Deal
By Michael Schuman | The Atlantic
The new U.S. export controls on semiconductor technology will hurt Chinese industries. Xi Jinping has only himself to blame.
How Bolsonaro Built the Myth of Stolen Elections in Brazil
By Jack Nicas, Flávia Milhorance & Ana Ionova | The New York Times
The New York Times combed through hundreds of hours of Bolsonaro’s interviews, speeches and weekly livestreams and thousands of his social-media posts to map his efforts over eight years to criticize or question the voting system.
More from WPR: Bolsonaro Won’t Accept Defeat in Brazil’s Upcoming Presidential Election
Haitian Journalist Hospitalized After Assassination Attempt
By Dánica Coto | Associated Press (free)
A well-known Haitian journalist survived an assassination attempt Tuesday that left his car riddled with bullets in the capital of Port-au-Prince, officials said.
What If Jair Bolsonaro Wins?
By Oliver Stuenkel | Americas Quarterly (free)
Once deemed unlikely, reelection would allow Brazil’s president to double down on his cultural agenda and bring an uncertain outlook for foreign policy and the economy.
European Allies Worry U.S. Could Dial Back Support for Ukraine
By Liz Sly | The Washington Post
U.S. allies in Europe are growing increasingly concerned that the united front presented by the West in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could quickly unravel if Republicans are victorious in next week’s midterm elections, ceding an advantage to President Vladimir Putin just when Ukraine is making progress on the battlefield.
More from WPR: ‘Is Russia Committing Genocide in Ukraine?’ Might Be the Wrong Question
Germany Unveils Cannabis Liberalization Plan, With Caveats
By Geir Moulson | Associated Press (free)
Germany’s health minister unveiled a plan Wednesday to decriminalize the possession of up to 30 grams (about 1 ounce) of cannabis and to allow the sale of the substance to adults for recreational purposes in a controlled market.
More from WPR: So, You’ve Legalized Cannabis. Now What?
Sunak Faces Political Test of His Career: Unify Party and Fix the Economy
By Mark Landler | The New York Times
The Conservative Party is fractured and Britain’s public finances are battered. That will test the political skills of a leader who has been involved in national politics for only seven years.
More from WPR: With Liz Truss’ Departure, Britain’s ‘Salad Days’ Are Over
Norway Arrests Researcher Suspected of Being Russian Spy
By Richard Milne | Financial Times
A Brazilian university researcher has been arrested in northern Norway on suspicion that he is in fact Russian and a spy.
South Sudan VP Rejects Ouster From Ruling Party
AFP (free)
South Sudan’s vice president, Riek Machar, has rejected a move to kick him out of the ruling party, a sign of renewed political tensions that could put pressure on the country’s rocky peace process.
Congo President Tshisekedi Named Facilitator for Chad Crisis
Reuters
Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi will serve as a facilitator for the political transition process in Chad, Central Africa’s main regional body said Tuesday.
Report Finds Sanctioned Syrians Benefit From U.N. Contracts
By Kareem Chehayeb | Associated Press (free)
The United Nations has procured tens of millions of dollars in contracts with companies linked to Syrian government-backed individuals sanctioned for human rights abuses, according to a report by two non-governmental groups.
How to Make the Most of Israel-Lebanon Maritime Deal
By Hanin Ghaddar | War on the Rocks (free)
After years of stalling and hedging, a major economic collapse in Lebanon, multiple unstable governments in Israel, and threats of violence, the United States has successfully brokered a maritime border agreement between Beirut and Jerusalem. War has been averted, and everyone is happy. At least for now.
More from WPR: The Israel-Lebanon Maritime Border Deal Is a Win for the U.S., Too
Japan, Lithuania Upgrade Ties, to Start Security Dialogue
Reuters
Japan and Lithuania have decided to upgrade bilateral ties and start up security dialogue, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Wednesday, as the Baltic country faces diplomatic row with China over Taiwan.
Shunned by the West, Russia and Myanmar Form a Partnership of Unequals
By Sui-Lee Wee | The New York Times
Myanmar gets resources and ammunition, while Russia gets a customer at a time when it is struggling for revenues. Both can use the other to undermine Western sanctions.
More from WPR: As Myanmar’s Crisis Gets Bloodier, the World Still Looks Away
China’s Xi Deals Knockout Blow to Once-Powerful Youth League Faction
By Martin Quin Pollard | Reuters
The three most glaring omissions from China’s new Communist Party leadership share one common trait: all rose through its Youth League and were considered members of a once-powerful faction whose influence Xi Jinping has now effectively crushed.
More from WPR: Xi’s Third-Term Agenda Is Heavy on Security