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News

May 27, 2020

Trump Wants Troops in Afghanistan Home by Election Day. The Pentagon Is Drawing Up Plans

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff & Julian E. Barnes | The New York Times
Senior military officials are set to brief President Trump in the coming days on options for pulling all American troops out of Afghanistan, with one possible timeline for withdrawing forces before the presidential election, according to officials with knowledge of the plans.

More from WPR: ISIS Is Trying to Gain a Bigger Foothold in Afghanistan as the U.S. Draws Down

Pentagon’s No. 2 IG Official Resigns After Being Passed Over

By Robert Burns | Associated Press
The No. 2 official in the Pentagon’s office of inspector general, Glenn Fine, resigned Tuesday, several weeks after he was effectively removed as head of a special board to oversee auditing of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic relief package.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

News

May 26, 2020

U.S. Bans Flights From Brazil, Where Pandemic Is Raging

By Letícia Casado & Anatoly Kurmanaev | The New York Times
The United States, citing Brazil’s surging coronavirus crisis, has banned flights from the nation, delivering a blow to its embattled leader, who has tried to use his warm relations with President Trump to bolster his political standing.

Richard Grenell to Step Down as U.S. Ambassador to Germany

By James Politi | Financial Times (subscription required)
Richard Grenell is to step down as U.S. ambassador to Germany after a contentious tenure in which relations soured between the Trump administration and Berlin over everything from Iran and trade to climate change and defense.

Africa

News

May 27, 2020

Suspected Islamist Militia Kills at Least 17 in Northeastern Congo

By The Editors | Reuters
Suspected Islamist fighters killed at least 17 people in an early morning raid on a village in northeastern Congo on Monday, a local civil society leader and a monitoring organization said, the latest attack in a recent surge in violence.

South African Bans on Tobacco, Liquor Amid Virus Stir Debate

By Andrew Meldrum & Nqobile Ntshangase | Associated Press
A bootlegging culture has sprung up across South Africa in response to the government’s nearly 8-week-old ban on the sale of tobacco and alcohol, part of its strict lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

News

May 26, 2020

Ivory Coast Army Joins Burkina Faso in Anti-Jihadist Operation

By The Editors | Reuters
Soldiers from Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso conducted their first joint operation against jihadists active near their shared border, killing eight suspected militants and arresting 14 others, Ivory Coast’s army said Sunday.

Sudan to Establish Police Force to Protect Health Workers

By Samy Magdy | Associated Press
Sudan’s transitional authorities are working to create a police force to protect health facilities, the prime minister’s office said Saturday, as attacks against health workers and hospitals increase amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

The Americas

News

May 27, 2020

Vote Counting in Suriname Suspended Due to ‘Tired Staff’

By Harmen Boerboom | Associated Press
Vote counting from Suriname’s National Assembly elections was suspended Tuesday as the governing party trailed in announced returns, with authorities saying electoral personnel were exhausted a day after widespread problems in voting.

Brazil Police Raid Rio Governor’s Residences Amid COVID-19 Probe

By Ricardo Brito & Rodrigo Viga Gaier | Reuters
Brazilian federal police Tuesday raided the residences of Rio de Janeiro’s right-wing Governor Wilson Witzel as part of a COVID-19 corruption probe, targeting one of President Jair Bolsonaro’s political foes as the pandemic sweeps the nation.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

Colombia’s Government Is Using the Coronavirus to Weaken the Historic Peace Agreement

By Laura Gil | The Washington Post
It’s no secret that Colombia’s president, Ivan Duque, and his ruling party have never been fond of the peace agreement signed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas in 2016. The deal has come under enormous pressure over the years, but the pandemic has provided the perfect pretext to avoid its implementation.

More from WPR: ‘In Many Ways, the Conflict Never Ended.’ Ongoing Violence Threatens Colombia’s Peace

News

May 26, 2020

Second Fuel Tanker From Iran Arrives in Venezuela

By Kejal Vyas & Benoit Faucon | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
A second tanker dispatched by Iran was welcomed Monday by Venezuelan naval frigates and helicopters as it entered national waters, a lifeline for embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that reflects the closer ties being forged between Tehran and U.S. adversaries in Latin America.

More from WPR: How Nicolas Maduro Is Surviving ‘Maximum Pressure’ in Venezuela

Ex-Strongman Bouterse Seeks Another Term in Suriname

By Harmen Boerboom | Associated Press
Few leaders have the sort of shadows that hang over Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse, a former coup leader and strongman, convicted of murder and drug smuggling, who is overseeing a dire economy. Yet the charismatic 74-year-old president stands a fair chance of holding onto power as the small South American nation elects a new National Assembly on Monday—a body that will choose the next president in August.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

How Cubans Lost Faith in Revolution

By Anthony DePalma | The New York Times
In this election year, the key for American politicians to understanding Cuba’s politics is understanding its people and the promises of a better life that were not kept.

Asia-Pacific

News

May 27, 2020

Australian Police Won’t Charge Reporter After Leak Probe

By Rod McGuirk | Associated Press
Australian police said Wednesday that they had decided against charging a journalist over a newspaper article she wrote more than two years ago following a high-profile investigation that triggered a national storm over press freedom.

Taiwan President Pledges Humanitarian Relief for Hong Kongers

By Yimou Lee | Reuters
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday pledged to draw up a plan to give humanitarian relief to people involved in pro-democracy protests in Taiwan’s most concrete intervention since a renewal of unrest in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

How Modi Failed the Pandemic Test

By Hartosh Singh Bal | The New York Times
The starkest failure of the Indian government’s coronavirus strategy has been the devastation it imposed on the country’s workers.

News

May 26, 2020

China’s Military Vows to Defend the Country’s Interests in Hong Kong

By Steven Lee Myers & Elaine Yu | The New York Times
The commander of China’s military garrison in Hong Kong said in an interview posted Tuesday that forces stationed there would “resolutely” protect the country’s national security interests, a pointed reminder of Beijing’s ultimate power to enforce its rule over the semiautonomous territory.

More from WPR: Could COVID-19 Lead to the End of Hong Kong’s Autonomy?

Hong Kong Police Fire Tear Gas as Protesters Resist China’s Grip

By Vivian Wang, Austin Ramzy & Tiffany May | The New York Times
Thousands of protesters swarmed some of Hong Kong’s busiest neighborhoods Sunday, singing, chanting and erecting roadblocks of torn-up bricks and debris, as the police repeatedly fired tear gas, pepper spray and a water cannon during the city’s largest street mobilization in months.

More from WPR: China Seizes on COVID-19 to Try and Crush Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Movement

Opinion

May 26, 2020

Europe

News

May 27, 2020
May 26, 2020

Poland’s Supreme Court Appointment Sparks Political Dispute

By James Shotter & Agata Majos | Financial Times (subscription required)
Poland’s president has appointed a former deputy justice minister as the head of the country’s supreme court, in a move that critics said further undermined judicial independence in the country.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

Britain Adrift

By Lawrence D. Freedman | Foreign Affairs
The United Kingdom’s search for a post-Brexit role.

Middle East & North Africa

News

May 27, 2020

Six Killed in Saudi Arabia in Shooting Incident

By The Editors | Reuters
Saudi Arabian police in Assir, a region close to the Yemeni border, are investigating after a shooting incident in which six citizens died Tuesday, state-run news agency SPA reported Wednesday.

Turkey Looks to Weather Coronavirus Crisis Without IMF Support

By Laura Pitel | Financial Times (subscription required)
Turkey’s battered finances have been shaken further by the coronavirus pandemic but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains determined to weather the crisis alone rather than request IMF help—something the populist leader has sworn he will never do.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

News

May 26, 2020

Syria’s Assad Is Confronting the Toughest Challenges of the Nine-Year War

By Liz Sly & Asser Khattab | The Washington Post
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is confronting the biggest challenges to his hold on power since Syrians first rose up against him nine years ago, as a rift within his family, a collapsing economy and rising tensions with his key ally Russia lay bare the fragility of his regime.

ISIS Prisoners Threaten U.S. Mission in Northeastern Syria

By Eric Schmitt | The New York Times
A year after American-backed forces seized the last remnant of territory under Islamic State rule in Syria, some 10,000 captured ISIS fighters in Kurdish-run wartime prisons pose “a significant risk” to the United States mission in the country’s northeast, military commanders say.

U.N.: Libya Coast Guard Intercepts, Detains About 400 Migrants

By AP Editors | Associated Press
Libya’s coast guard intercepted about 400 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s Mediterranean coast over the past two days, and brought them to the capital of Tripoli from where they were taken to a detention center, the U.N. migration agency said Monday.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

United States

News

May 27, 2020

Trump Wants Troops in Afghanistan Home by Election Day. The Pentagon Is Drawing Up Plans

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff & Julian E. Barnes | The New York Times
Senior military officials are set to brief President Trump in the coming days on options for pulling all American troops out of Afghanistan, with one possible timeline for withdrawing forces before the presidential election, according to officials with knowledge of the plans.

More from WPR: ISIS Is Trying to Gain a Bigger Foothold in Afghanistan as the U.S. Draws Down

Pentagon’s No. 2 IG Official Resigns After Being Passed Over

By Robert Burns | Associated Press
The No. 2 official in the Pentagon’s office of inspector general, Glenn Fine, resigned Tuesday, several weeks after he was effectively removed as head of a special board to oversee auditing of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus economic relief package.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

News

May 26, 2020

U.S. Bans Flights From Brazil, Where Pandemic Is Raging

By Letícia Casado & Anatoly Kurmanaev | The New York Times
The United States, citing Brazil’s surging coronavirus crisis, has banned flights from the nation, delivering a blow to its embattled leader, who has tried to use his warm relations with President Trump to bolster his political standing.

Richard Grenell to Step Down as U.S. Ambassador to Germany

By James Politi | Financial Times (subscription required)
Richard Grenell is to step down as U.S. ambassador to Germany after a contentious tenure in which relations soured between the Trump administration and Berlin over everything from Iran and trade to climate change and defense.

ISIS Prisoners Threaten U.S. Mission in Northeastern Syria

By Eric Schmitt | The New York Times
A year after American-backed forces seized the last remnant of territory under Islamic State rule in Syria, some 10,000 captured ISIS fighters in Kurdish-run wartime prisons pose “a significant risk” to the United States mission in the country’s northeast, military commanders say.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

How Cubans Lost Faith in Revolution

By Anthony DePalma | The New York Times
In this election year, the key for American politicians to understanding Cuba’s politics is understanding its people and the promises of a better life that were not kept.

The Americas

News

May 27, 2020

Vote Counting in Suriname Suspended Due to ‘Tired Staff’

By Harmen Boerboom | Associated Press
Vote counting from Suriname’s National Assembly elections was suspended Tuesday as the governing party trailed in announced returns, with authorities saying electoral personnel were exhausted a day after widespread problems in voting.

Brazil Police Raid Rio Governor’s Residences Amid COVID-19 Probe

By Ricardo Brito & Rodrigo Viga Gaier | Reuters
Brazilian federal police Tuesday raided the residences of Rio de Janeiro’s right-wing Governor Wilson Witzel as part of a COVID-19 corruption probe, targeting one of President Jair Bolsonaro’s political foes as the pandemic sweeps the nation.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

Colombia’s Government Is Using the Coronavirus to Weaken the Historic Peace Agreement

By Laura Gil | The Washington Post
It’s no secret that Colombia’s president, Ivan Duque, and his ruling party have never been fond of the peace agreement signed with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrillas in 2016. The deal has come under enormous pressure over the years, but the pandemic has provided the perfect pretext to avoid its implementation.

More from WPR: ‘In Many Ways, the Conflict Never Ended.’ Ongoing Violence Threatens Colombia’s Peace

News

May 26, 2020

U.S. Bans Flights From Brazil, Where Pandemic Is Raging

By Letícia Casado & Anatoly Kurmanaev | The New York Times
The United States, citing Brazil’s surging coronavirus crisis, has banned flights from the nation, delivering a blow to its embattled leader, who has tried to use his warm relations with President Trump to bolster his political standing.

Second Fuel Tanker From Iran Arrives in Venezuela

By Kejal Vyas & Benoit Faucon | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
A second tanker dispatched by Iran was welcomed Monday by Venezuelan naval frigates and helicopters as it entered national waters, a lifeline for embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that reflects the closer ties being forged between Tehran and U.S. adversaries in Latin America.

More from WPR: How Nicolas Maduro Is Surviving ‘Maximum Pressure’ in Venezuela

Ex-Strongman Bouterse Seeks Another Term in Suriname

By Harmen Boerboom | Associated Press
Few leaders have the sort of shadows that hang over Suriname’s President Desi Bouterse, a former coup leader and strongman, convicted of murder and drug smuggling, who is overseeing a dire economy. Yet the charismatic 74-year-old president stands a fair chance of holding onto power as the small South American nation elects a new National Assembly on Monday—a body that will choose the next president in August.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

How Cubans Lost Faith in Revolution

By Anthony DePalma | The New York Times
In this election year, the key for American politicians to understanding Cuba’s politics is understanding its people and the promises of a better life that were not kept.

Europe

News

May 27, 2020
May 26, 2020

Richard Grenell to Step Down as U.S. Ambassador to Germany

By James Politi | Financial Times (subscription required)
Richard Grenell is to step down as U.S. ambassador to Germany after a contentious tenure in which relations soured between the Trump administration and Berlin over everything from Iran and trade to climate change and defense.

Poland’s Supreme Court Appointment Sparks Political Dispute

By James Shotter & Agata Majos | Financial Times (subscription required)
Poland’s president has appointed a former deputy justice minister as the head of the country’s supreme court, in a move that critics said further undermined judicial independence in the country.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

Britain Adrift

By Lawrence D. Freedman | Foreign Affairs
The United Kingdom’s search for a post-Brexit role.

Africa

News

May 27, 2020

Suspected Islamist Militia Kills at Least 17 in Northeastern Congo

By The Editors | Reuters
Suspected Islamist fighters killed at least 17 people in an early morning raid on a village in northeastern Congo on Monday, a local civil society leader and a monitoring organization said, the latest attack in a recent surge in violence.

South African Bans on Tobacco, Liquor Amid Virus Stir Debate

By Andrew Meldrum & Nqobile Ntshangase | Associated Press
A bootlegging culture has sprung up across South Africa in response to the government’s nearly 8-week-old ban on the sale of tobacco and alcohol, part of its strict lockdown to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

News

May 26, 2020

Ivory Coast Army Joins Burkina Faso in Anti-Jihadist Operation

By The Editors | Reuters
Soldiers from Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso conducted their first joint operation against jihadists active near their shared border, killing eight suspected militants and arresting 14 others, Ivory Coast’s army said Sunday.

Sudan to Establish Police Force to Protect Health Workers

By Samy Magdy | Associated Press
Sudan’s transitional authorities are working to create a police force to protect health facilities, the prime minister’s office said Saturday, as attacks against health workers and hospitals increase amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

Middle East & North Africa

News

May 27, 2020

Six Killed in Saudi Arabia in Shooting Incident

By The Editors | Reuters
Saudi Arabian police in Assir, a region close to the Yemeni border, are investigating after a shooting incident in which six citizens died Tuesday, state-run news agency SPA reported Wednesday.

Turkey Looks to Weather Coronavirus Crisis Without IMF Support

By Laura Pitel | Financial Times (subscription required)
Turkey’s battered finances have been shaken further by the coronavirus pandemic but President Recep Tayyip Erdogan remains determined to weather the crisis alone rather than request IMF help—something the populist leader has sworn he will never do.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

News

May 26, 2020

Second Fuel Tanker From Iran Arrives in Venezuela

By Kejal Vyas & Benoit Faucon | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
A second tanker dispatched by Iran was welcomed Monday by Venezuelan naval frigates and helicopters as it entered national waters, a lifeline for embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that reflects the closer ties being forged between Tehran and U.S. adversaries in Latin America.

More from WPR: How Nicolas Maduro Is Surviving ‘Maximum Pressure’ in Venezuela

Syria’s Assad Is Confronting the Toughest Challenges of the Nine-Year War

By Liz Sly & Asser Khattab | The Washington Post
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is confronting the biggest challenges to his hold on power since Syrians first rose up against him nine years ago, as a rift within his family, a collapsing economy and rising tensions with his key ally Russia lay bare the fragility of his regime.

ISIS Prisoners Threaten U.S. Mission in Northeastern Syria

By Eric Schmitt | The New York Times
A year after American-backed forces seized the last remnant of territory under Islamic State rule in Syria, some 10,000 captured ISIS fighters in Kurdish-run wartime prisons pose “a significant risk” to the United States mission in the country’s northeast, military commanders say.

U.N.: Libya Coast Guard Intercepts, Detains About 400 Migrants

By AP Editors | Associated Press
Libya’s coast guard intercepted about 400 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s Mediterranean coast over the past two days, and brought them to the capital of Tripoli from where they were taken to a detention center, the U.N. migration agency said Monday.

Opinion

May 26, 2020

Asia-Pacific

News

May 27, 2020

Trump Wants Troops in Afghanistan Home by Election Day. The Pentagon Is Drawing Up Plans

By Thomas Gibbons-Neff & Julian E. Barnes | The New York Times
Senior military officials are set to brief President Trump in the coming days on options for pulling all American troops out of Afghanistan, with one possible timeline for withdrawing forces before the presidential election, according to officials with knowledge of the plans.

More from WPR: ISIS Is Trying to Gain a Bigger Foothold in Afghanistan as the U.S. Draws Down

Australian Police Won’t Charge Reporter After Leak Probe

By Rod McGuirk | Associated Press
Australian police said Wednesday that they had decided against charging a journalist over a newspaper article she wrote more than two years ago following a high-profile investigation that triggered a national storm over press freedom.

Taiwan President Pledges Humanitarian Relief for Hong Kongers

By Yimou Lee | Reuters
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen on Wednesday pledged to draw up a plan to give humanitarian relief to people involved in pro-democracy protests in Taiwan’s most concrete intervention since a renewal of unrest in Chinese-ruled Hong Kong.

Opinion

May 27, 2020

How Modi Failed the Pandemic Test

By Hartosh Singh Bal | The New York Times
The starkest failure of the Indian government’s coronavirus strategy has been the devastation it imposed on the country’s workers.

News

May 26, 2020

China’s Military Vows to Defend the Country’s Interests in Hong Kong

By Steven Lee Myers & Elaine Yu | The New York Times
The commander of China’s military garrison in Hong Kong said in an interview posted Tuesday that forces stationed there would “resolutely” protect the country’s national security interests, a pointed reminder of Beijing’s ultimate power to enforce its rule over the semiautonomous territory.

More from WPR: Could COVID-19 Lead to the End of Hong Kong’s Autonomy?

Hong Kong Police Fire Tear Gas as Protesters Resist China’s Grip

By Vivian Wang, Austin Ramzy & Tiffany May | The New York Times
Thousands of protesters swarmed some of Hong Kong’s busiest neighborhoods Sunday, singing, chanting and erecting roadblocks of torn-up bricks and debris, as the police repeatedly fired tear gas, pepper spray and a water cannon during the city’s largest street mobilization in months.

More from WPR: China Seizes on COVID-19 to Try and Crush Hong Kong’s Pro-Democracy Movement

Opinion

May 26, 2020

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