News Wire | June 2023 Archive

Short-Lived Mutiny in Russia Sheds Light on Putin’s Hold on Power

By Peter Baker | The New York Times

Even with the apparent end to the immediate threat posed by Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rebellious mercenary army, the short-lived uprising suggested that Mr. Putin’s hold on power is more tenuous than at any time since he took office more than two decades ago.

More from WPR: Don’t Look to Russian History to Understand Putin

Ex-first Lady, Anti-graft Candidate Poised for Guatemala Run-Off

By Sofia Menchu and Diego Oré | Reuters

Former first lady Sandra Torres will have to face a run-off in August in Guatemala's presidential election after a vote on Sunday looked set to pit her against Bernardo Arevalo, another center-left candidate running on an anti-corruption platform.

More from WPR: In Guatemala’s Election, Mulet Could Be Democracy’s Last Hope

Massacre of 11 in Pool Hall in Honduras Prompts President to Impose Security Measures

Associated Press

Gunmen burst into a pool hall in northern Honduras and opened fire, killing 11 people and prompting President Xiomara Castro to announce security measures including curfews in the area amid a wave of drug trafficking-linked violence.

With Resounding Win in Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis Tightens Grip on Power

By Niki Kitsantonis | The New York Times

Greek voters on Sunday overwhelmingly re-elected the conservative New Democracy party, preliminary results showed, setting the stage for its leader, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, to strengthen his grip on power with an absolute majority and what he called a “strong mandate” for the foreseeable future.

More from WPR: Greece’s Elections Could Usher in a Period of Political Uncertainty

Sierra Leone: Police Disperse Opponents With Tear Gas Pending Election Results

By Agence France-Presse

Police in Sierra Leone fired tear gas at the main opposition party's headquarters on Sunday evening, authorities said, as voters awaited the results of a fiercely fought general election.

More from WPR: Bio Faces an Uphill Task in Sierra Leone’s Elections

Egypt’s President Gives Highest Honor to Visiting Indian Prime Minister as Ties Improve

By Sam Magdy | Associated Press

El-Sissi welcomed Modi at the presidential palace in Cairo with the Order of the Nile, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement. The leaders signed a declaration elevating Egyptian-Indo ties to a “strategic partnership,” which means the two nations agreed to intensify their cooperation and hold periodic talks, the statement said.

Japan Steps Into Chip Supply Chain With $6.4 Billion JSR Deal

By Leo Lewis and Kana Inagaki | Financial Times

A leading Japanese semiconductor equipment maker has accepted a $6.4 billion buyout offer from a state-backed fund in what investors have described as a “stunning” act of government intervention in the country’s chip industry.

UAE Leader Welcomes Iranian Foreign Minister in Latest Softening of Persian Gulf Tensions

Associated Press (free)

Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian “discussed the importance of building on positive developments to benefit the people of the region and enhance regional stability and prosperity,” the UAE’s state-run WAM news agency reported.

More from WPR: Houthi Attacks Could Derail UAE-Iran Diplomacy

Zambia Seals $6.3 Billion Restructuring in Breakthrough for Developing Nations

By Leigh Thomas | Reuters (registration required)

Zambia has struck a deal to restructure $6.3 billion in debt owed to other governments, including China, marking a long-awaited breakthrough for indebted nations around the world that have faced lengthy negotiations with creditors.

More from WPR: The Pandemic Debt Crisis Was Only Delayed, Not Solved

Mexican Court Strikes Down President’s Bid to Remake Election Laws

By Emiliano Rodríguez Mega | The New York Times

Mexico’s highest court on Thursday struck down a key piece of a sweeping electoral bill backed by the president that would have undermined the agency that oversees the country’s vote, and that helped shift the nation away from single-party rule.

More from WPR: AMLO’s Electoral ‘Reform’ Has Mexico in the Streets

Little Hope for Change as Guatemala Nears Vote in Presidential Elections

Agence France-Presse (free)

Guatemalans go to the polls Sunday with two popular candidates disqualified and several prosecutors and journalists detained or in exile amid a government pushback on anti-corruption efforts.

More from WPR: Change Isn’t on the Ballot in Guatemala’s Presidential Election

Twitter Agrees to Comply With Tough EU Disinformation Laws

By Lisa O'Carroll | The Guardian (free)

Twitter has agreed to comply with tough new EU laws on fake news, Russian propaganda and online crime after a team of officials from the European Commission entered its headquarters to stress test its capacity to operate legally in Europe.

Eleven Candidates to Run for President in Zimbabwe

By Nyasha Chingono | Reuters (registration required)

Eleven candidates will run for the Zimbabwean presidency in an August election, the electoral commission has said, after several hopefuls were disqualified for failing to raise the $20,000 needed to appear on the ballot.

More from WPR: The Deck Is Stacked Against Zimbabwe’s Opposition in Upcoming Elections

Turkey's Lira Hits Fresh Record Lows After Rate Hike

Reuters (registration required)

The Turkish lira weakened as much as 2.8% to a fresh record low early on Friday, extending losses as the central bank's large rate hike a day earlier, reversing President Tayyip Erdogan's policy, fell short of market expectations.

More from WPR: Erdogan’s Obsession With Low Interest Rates Could Be His Downfall

US Combat Ship to Make Rare Port Call in Vietnam Amid South China Sea Tensions

Reuters (registration required)

The U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan will stop at Central Vietnam's port city of Danang on Sunday in a rare visit for a U.S. warship to the southeast Asian nation, as tensions with Beijing in the South China Sea remain high.

More from WPR: Vietnam Is Doubling Down on Its ‘Multi-Alignment’ Strategy

Ahead of Election, Cambodia Amends Law to Bar Non-Voters From Contesting in Future

Reuters (registration required)

Cambodia's parliament voted unanimously to amend an election law on Friday to penalise anyone who boycotts next month's poll, which critics have said will be a sham because of Prime Minister Hun Sen's efforts to stamp out all opposition.

More from WPR: Hun Sen Is Tightening His Grip Ahead of Cambodia’s Elections

Arrest of Mexican Army General Ordered in Case of Missing Students

By Natalie Kitroeff | The New York Times

Mexican prosecutors have obtained a warrant for the arrests of an Army general and 15 other soldiers in connection with the disappearance of 43 students in 2014, a crime considered one of the worst atrocities in the country’s recent history.

More from WPR: A Year After Students Disappeared, Mexico’s Judiciary Still Weak as Ever

Israeli Settlers Rampage Through Palestinian Village After Hamas Shooting

By Shira Rubin and Sufian Taha | The Washington Post

Armed Israeli settlers rampaged through a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank on Wednesday afternoon, leaving at least one Palestinian dead and 12 injured a day after four Israelis were killed by Hamas gunmen near an Israeli settlement.

Honduras Hands Prison Control to Military Police, Expands Emergency Powers After Deadly Riot

Reuters (registration required)

Honduras will return control of most of the country's penal system to the military police for the next year, the Central American country's presidential office said late on Wednesday, a day after a prison riot claimed nearly 50 lives.

More from WPR: Reforming Latin America’s Overcrowded Prisons Won’t Be Easy

Jarosław Kaczyński Returns to Polish Front Line for Election Battle With Donald Tusk

By Raphael Minder and Barbara Erling | Financial Times

Jarosław Kaczyński, the reclusive leader of Poland’s ruling conservative party, has made an abrupt comeback to frontline politics to face his longtime liberal nemesis Donald Tusk in the autumn’s fiercely contested national election.

More from WPR: Poland’s Democratic Erosion Is as Worrying as Its Border Crisis

Macron Says Global Lending System Must Adapt to Fight Climate Change at Paris Summit

Agence France-Presse (free)

In his opening remarks at the Summit for a New Global Finance Pact, Macron told delegates that the world needs "public finance shock" to fight poverty, climate change and environmental degradation, adding the current system was not well suited to address the world's challenges.

Sierra Leone’s Maada Bio Seeks Re-election Amid Economic Woes

Al Jazeera (free)

Approximately 3.4 million Sierra Leoneans are expected to vote in a general election on Saturday in which incumbent President Julius Maada Bio is seeking a second and final term amid frustrations over economic hardship.

More from WPR: Bio Faces an Uphill Task in Sierra Leone’s Elections

Iran Has Talks With EU's Mora Amid Efforts to Save Nuclear Pact

Reuters (registration required)

Iran met in Qatar with European Union mediator Enrique Mora as part of efforts to revive its 2015 nuclear pact with world powers, as Tehran and Washington seek to cool tensions with a mutual "understanding" to help end the deadlock.

More from WPR: The IAEA Just Bought Some Time for Nuclear Diplomacy With Iran

Indonesia Moves Site of ASEAN Military Drills Away From South China Sea

Reuters (registration required)

Indonesia has changed where it will host ASEAN's first-ever joint military exercise to a location away from the South China Sea where several countries including China have overlapping territorial claims, its military said on Thursday.

More from WPR: Indonesia’s Military Modernization Must Go Beyond New Hardware

In Hosting Modi, Biden Pushes Democracy Concerns to the Background

By Peter Baker and Mujib Mashal | The New York Times

In granting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a coveted state visit, complete with a star-studded gala dinner, U.S. President Joe Biden will shower attention on a leader presiding over democratic backsliding in the world’s most populous nation.

E.U. Takes Aim at China in Proposed Economic Strategy

By Matina Stevis-Gridneff | The New York Times

The European Commission on Tuesday unveiled a new trade doctrine aimed at curbing China’s ability to squeeze Europe’s economy, and at preventing European companies from exporting sensitive, military-linked technology that could give China an edge.

Thousands Take to the Streets in Colombia to Protest Government’s Reforms

By Manuel Rueda | Associated Press (free)

Thousands of people marched in Colombia on Tuesday to voice their frustration with President Gustavo Petro’s government and its attempts to make sweeping changes to the nation’s health and pension systems, and its labor laws.

More from WPR: Petro’s Domestic Agenda Has Hit a Wall in Colombia

Nations Pledge Billions in Ukraine Reconstruction Amid Staggering Need

By John Hudson | The Washington Post

The United States and European countries announced billions of dollars in new recovery assistance to Ukraine on Wednesday aimed at addressing the staggering destruction in the war-torn country caused by Russia’s invasion.

Once Starved by War, Millions of Ethiopians Go Hungry Again as US, UN Pause Aid After Massive Theft

By Ellen Knickmeyer and Cara Anna | Associated Press (free)

Almost three months have passed since the aid suspension in parts of the country, and reports are emerging of the first deaths from starvation during the pause. At the earliest, aid to the northern Tigray region will return in July, the U.S. and U.N. say, and to the rest of the country at some point after that when reforms in aid distribution allow.

More from WPR: The Tigray War Is Over. Ethiopia’s Conflict in Oromia Is Raging On

Kazakhstan Unexpectedly Proposes Ending Syria Talks in Astana

Reuters (registration required)

Diplomats from the three countries met in the Kazakh capital Astana for the 20th time this week to discuss the situation on the ground, a roadmap to rebuild Turkey-Syria ties, Israeli attacks and a host of other issues. But on Wednesday, Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Kanat Tumysh unexpectedly called for the conclusion of trilateral talks, saying their goal had been achieved.

More from WPR: The Arab League Just Handed Assad a Win, No Strings Attached

China Lashes Back as Biden Labels Xi a 'Dictator'

By Trevor Hunnicutt and Ryan Woo | Reuters (registration required)

China hit back on Wednesday after U.S. President Joe Biden referred to President Xi Jinping as a "dictator", saying the remarks were absurd and a provocation, in an unexpected spat immediately following efforts by both sides to lower tensions.

Indian Carriers to Buy Up to 1,000 Airliners from Boeing, Airbus

By Eli Tan and Aaron Gregg | The Washington Post

The world’s two largest jet manufacturers have announced record-setting deals driven by surging demand from regional airlines in India, signaling a possible resurgence for a commercial aviation industry battered by a years-long covid-induced malaise.

More from WPR: India Will Need More Than Population Growth to Surpass China’s Economy