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United States

News

July 10, 2020

Arrests Along Mexico Border Jumped 40 Percent Last Month, Despite Trump Administration’s Immigration Crackdown

By Nick Miroff | The Washington Post
The number of migrants detained along the Mexico border jumped 40 percent in June, defying a Trump administration emergency crackdown that has cited the coronavirus pandemic to swiftly “expel” those who cross illegally, according to enforcement statistics released Thursday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

More from WPR: Trump’s Latest Immigration Restrictions Are Ill-Advised—and Un-American

U.S. Approves $620 Million Missile Upgrade Package for Taiwan

By The Editors | Reuters
The United States has approved a possible $620 million upgrade package for Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Taiwan, the State Department said, the latest purchase from the United States to deal with a rising threat from China.

Opinion

July 10, 2020

Africa

News

July 10, 2020

At Least Three Killed in Protests Over Congo Election Chief

By Benoit Nyemba | Reuters
At least three people were killed during protests in Congo’s capital and elsewhere Thursday, a U.N. rights body said, after the nomination of an election commission chief stirred public anger and further tension in the ruling coalition.

The Americas

News

July 10, 2020

Asia-Pacific

News

July 10, 2020

Lawmaker Who Once Taught Chinese Spies Drops Out of Race in New Zealand

By Rachel Pannett | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
A Chinese-born New Zealand lawmaker who once taught English to Chinese spies said he won’t run for re-election, a decision that comes as many countries recalibrate policies in response to Beijing’s growing influence.

Europe

News

July 10, 2020

EU’s Michel Lays Out Recovery Plan for Summit Negotiation

By The Editors | Reuters
European Council President Charles Michel on Friday laid out plans for a long-term EU budget of 1.074 trillion euros and a recovery fund of 750 billion euros for pandemic-hammered economies, the starting point for negotiations at a summit next week.

Denmark Gives Russia’s Nord Stream 2 Pipeline a Path to Completion

By Brett Forrest | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Denmark granted unexpectedly swift approval for resuming construction of the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline in Danish waters, potentially clearing one of the last hurdles for completing the project at the center of a geopolitical tussle.

Opinion

July 10, 2020

Middle East & North Africa

News

July 10, 2020

Major Explosion Rocks Iran Again, the Third Blast in Three Weeks

By Farnaz Fassihi | The New York Times
An explosion rocked western Tehran early Friday, state media reported, causing widespread power failures in two residential areas and unnerving Iranians awakened for the third consecutive week by an early-morning blast.

U.N. Official: 700 People Died in Syrian Camps for ISIS Families

By Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press
The U.N. counterterrorism chief said his office received information that 700 people died recently in two camps in northeast Syria, where about 70,000 mainly women and children connected to Islamic State fighters are detained in “very dire conditions.”

Opinion

July 10, 2020

In Deep Trouble, Iran Grabs a Chinese Lifeline

By Jason Rezaian | The Washington Post
One possible reason for the Iranian leaders’ continued air of confidence may well be the massive deal they’re negotiating with China. If successful, it would see hundreds of billions of dollars invested in Iranian infrastructure as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

United States

News

July 10, 2020

Arrests Along Mexico Border Jumped 40 Percent Last Month, Despite Trump Administration’s Immigration Crackdown

By Nick Miroff | The Washington Post
The number of migrants detained along the Mexico border jumped 40 percent in June, defying a Trump administration emergency crackdown that has cited the coronavirus pandemic to swiftly “expel” those who cross illegally, according to enforcement statistics released Thursday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

More from WPR: Trump’s Latest Immigration Restrictions Are Ill-Advised—and Un-American

U.S. Approves $620 Million Missile Upgrade Package for Taiwan

By The Editors | Reuters
The United States has approved a possible $620 million upgrade package for Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Taiwan, the State Department said, the latest purchase from the United States to deal with a rising threat from China.

Opinion

July 10, 2020

News

July 9, 2020

As Economy Reels From Pandemic, Trump and Mexican President Mark Start of Three-Nation Trade Pact

By David Nakamura & David J. Lynch | The Washington Post
President Trump on Wednesday marked the start of a three-nation regional trade deal in a Rose Garden ceremony with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that took on a celebratory tone discordant with the widespread economic damage of the coronavirus pandemic.

More from WPR: AMLO’s Strange Trip to Washington Baffles Mexicans but Thrills Trump

Beirut Businessman Imprisoned by U.S. is Back Home

By AP Editors | Associated Press
A Lebanese businessman serving a five-year sentence in the United States for providing millions of dollars to Hezbollah, the militant group, arrived Wednesday in Beirut after his early release.

Opinion

July 9, 2020

News

July 8, 2020

U.S. Commander Confident Iraq Will Ask American Forces to Stay as It Confronts Militias

By Missy Ryan | The Washington Post
Iraq’s new leader has taken significant steps to confront Iranian-linked militias that have targeted American troops, a top U.S. military official said Tuesday, adding that the United States must remain patient as Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi challenges groups with formidable military and political clout.

More from WPR: How Soleimani’s Assassination Is Upending Iraq’s Foreign Policy

The Americas

News

July 10, 2020

Arrests Along Mexico Border Jumped 40 Percent Last Month, Despite Trump Administration’s Immigration Crackdown

By Nick Miroff | The Washington Post
The number of migrants detained along the Mexico border jumped 40 percent in June, defying a Trump administration emergency crackdown that has cited the coronavirus pandemic to swiftly “expel” those who cross illegally, according to enforcement statistics released Thursday by U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

More from WPR: Trump’s Latest Immigration Restrictions Are Ill-Advised—and Un-American
July 9, 2020

As Economy Reels From Pandemic, Trump and Mexican President Mark Start of Three-Nation Trade Pact

By David Nakamura & David J. Lynch | The Washington Post
President Trump on Wednesday marked the start of a three-nation regional trade deal in a Rose Garden ceremony with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador that took on a celebratory tone discordant with the widespread economic damage of the coronavirus pandemic.

More from WPR: AMLO’s Strange Trip to Washington Baffles Mexicans but Thrills Trump

Opinion

July 9, 2020

Europe

News

July 10, 2020

EU’s Michel Lays Out Recovery Plan for Summit Negotiation

By The Editors | Reuters
European Council President Charles Michel on Friday laid out plans for a long-term EU budget of 1.074 trillion euros and a recovery fund of 750 billion euros for pandemic-hammered economies, the starting point for negotiations at a summit next week.

Denmark Gives Russia’s Nord Stream 2 Pipeline a Path to Completion

By Brett Forrest | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Denmark granted unexpectedly swift approval for resuming construction of the Russian-backed Nord Stream 2 pipeline in Danish waters, potentially clearing one of the last hurdles for completing the project at the center of a geopolitical tussle.

Opinion

July 10, 2020

News

July 9, 2020

Macron’s New Cabinet Stirs Ire of French Feminists

By Adam Nossiter | The New York Times
Macron’s new interior minister and head of the national police, Gerald Darmanin, has been accused of rape in an affair that dates to 2009. His choice for justice minister, a celebrity lawyer named Eric Dupond-Moretti, who is ubiquitous on French television, has drawn the ire of feminists in France for hostile and insensitive remarks.

More from WPR: A Wave of Femicides Forces France to Confront a Domestic Violence Crisis

Russia Detains Governor, Accusing Him of Murdering Entrepreneurs

By Tom Balmforth | Reuters
Russian security forces Thursday detained a regional governor who staged an election upset against the country’s ruling party in the Far East in 2018 and accused him of organizing the murder of several entrepreneurs 15 years ago.

Opinion

July 9, 2020

Why India and Russia Are Going to Stay Friends

By Emily Tamkin | Foreign Policy
Conventional wisdom holds that New Delhi will turn to Washington as it increases competition with Beijing. But Moscow’s importance cannot be ignored.

News

July 8, 2020

Britain Says It Will Resume Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia

By Stephen Castle | The New York Times
One day after sanctioning 20 Saudis for human rights violations, Britain on Tuesday sent a very different signal to the government in Riyadh, ending a moratorium on arm sales to Saudi Arabia over its involvement in the bloody conflict in Yemen.

Russia Arrests Space Agency Official, Accusing Him of Treason

By Andrew Higgins | The New York Times
Russia’s secret police Tuesday arrested a respected former reporter who worked in recent months as an adviser to the head of the country’s space agency, accusing him of treason for passing secrets to a NATO country.

Africa

News

July 10, 2020

At Least Three Killed in Protests Over Congo Election Chief

By Benoit Nyemba | Reuters
At least three people were killed during protests in Congo’s capital and elsewhere Thursday, a U.N. rights body said, after the nomination of an election commission chief stirred public anger and further tension in the ruling coalition.
July 9, 2020

Mali Leader Promises Court Changes in Bid to Quell Protests

By Baba Ahmed | Associated Press
In a televised midnight speech, Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita promised early Thursday to reform the country’s constitutional court in a bid to quell another round of protests calling for his resignation.

Protests in the DRC Over Election Chief Appointment Plans

By The Editors | AFP
Police in the Democratic Republic of the Congo made several dozen arrests as they broke up Wednesday’s protests in two cities over plans to name a new head to the country’s election panel, police and activists said.

Opinion

July 9, 2020

News

July 8, 2020

Zimbabwe’s Health Minister Fired Over COVID-19 Graft Scandal

By Farai Mutsaka | Associated Press
Zimbabwe’s health minister has been fired for inappropriate conduct after he was accused of illegally awarding a multi-million-dollar contract for COVID-19 medical supplies to a shadowy company that sold the government $28 face masks and other materials at inflated prices.

Over 180 Bodies Found Dumped in Burkina Faso Town, Report Says

By Ruth Maclean | The New York Times
The bodies of at least 180 men thought to have been killed by security forces have been found dumped in fields, by roadsides and under bridges in a town in the West African country of Burkina Faso over the past eight months, witnesses told human rights researchers.

Opinion

July 8, 2020

Middle East & North Africa

News

July 10, 2020

Major Explosion Rocks Iran Again, the Third Blast in Three Weeks

By Farnaz Fassihi | The New York Times
An explosion rocked western Tehran early Friday, state media reported, causing widespread power failures in two residential areas and unnerving Iranians awakened for the third consecutive week by an early-morning blast.

U.N. Official: 700 People Died in Syrian Camps for ISIS Families

By Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press
The U.N. counterterrorism chief said his office received information that 700 people died recently in two camps in northeast Syria, where about 70,000 mainly women and children connected to Islamic State fighters are detained in “very dire conditions.”

Opinion

July 10, 2020

In Deep Trouble, Iran Grabs a Chinese Lifeline

By Jason Rezaian | The Washington Post
One possible reason for the Iranian leaders’ continued air of confidence may well be the massive deal they’re negotiating with China. If successful, it would see hundreds of billions of dollars invested in Iranian infrastructure as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

News

July 9, 2020

Iran-Backed Militia Says PM’s Actions Could Bring Escalation

By Qassim Abdul-Zahra & Samya Kullab | Associated Press
A powerful Iran-backed militia said Wednesday there would be “escalation” if Iraq’s prime minister continues to clamp down on armed groups, as tensions spiked following the killing of a prominent analyst, pitting the state against rogue elements.

Beirut Businessman Imprisoned by U.S. is Back Home

By AP Editors | Associated Press
A Lebanese businessman serving a five-year sentence in the United States for providing millions of dollars to Hezbollah, the militant group, arrived Wednesday in Beirut after his early release.

U.N. Chief Warns Foreign Interference in Libya ‘Unprecedented’

By Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned that foreign interference in Libya’s war has reached “unprecedented levels” and urged key players and their backers to unblock the political stalemate and agree to a cease-fire and peace talks.

Opinion

July 9, 2020

News

July 8, 2020

U.S. Commander Confident Iraq Will Ask American Forces to Stay as It Confronts Militias

By Missy Ryan | The Washington Post
Iraq’s new leader has taken significant steps to confront Iranian-linked militias that have targeted American troops, a top U.S. military official said Tuesday, adding that the United States must remain patient as Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi challenges groups with formidable military and political clout.

More from WPR: How Soleimani’s Assassination Is Upending Iraq’s Foreign Policy

Asia-Pacific

News

July 10, 2020

U.S. Approves $620 Million Missile Upgrade Package for Taiwan

By The Editors | Reuters
The United States has approved a possible $620 million upgrade package for Patriot surface-to-air missiles to Taiwan, the State Department said, the latest purchase from the United States to deal with a rising threat from China.

Lawmaker Who Once Taught Chinese Spies Drops Out of Race in New Zealand

By Rachel Pannett | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
A Chinese-born New Zealand lawmaker who once taught English to Chinese spies said he won’t run for re-election, a decision that comes as many countries recalibrate policies in response to Beijing’s growing influence.

Opinion

July 10, 2020

In Deep Trouble, Iran Grabs a Chinese Lifeline

By Jason Rezaian | The Washington Post
One possible reason for the Iranian leaders’ continued air of confidence may well be the massive deal they’re negotiating with China. If successful, it would see hundreds of billions of dollars invested in Iranian infrastructure as part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.

News

July 9, 2020

Australia Halts Hong Kong Extradition Agreement and Extends Visas

By Austin Ramzy | The New York Times
Australia will suspend its extradition agreement with Hong Kong because of the new national security law imposed by China and extend temporary visas for Hong Kongers in the country, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Thursday.

Thailand Backs Same-Sex Unions, a Rare Move in Asia

By Hannah Beech | The New York Times
In a country that has long been a rare bastion in Asia for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, Thailand said Wednesday that it had approved a draft bill that would give same-sex unions many of the same benefits as those of heterosexual marriages.

Opinion

July 9, 2020

Why India and Russia Are Going to Stay Friends

By Emily Tamkin | Foreign Policy
Conventional wisdom holds that New Delhi will turn to Washington as it increases competition with Beijing. But Moscow’s importance cannot be ignored.

News

July 8, 2020

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