More Than a Show: China’s Exercises Help It Practice Seizing Taiwan
By Chris Buckley & Amy Chang Chien | The New York Times (free)
A day after Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, visited Taiwan, celebrating it as a bulwark of democracy, China launched three days of military exercises around the island, which its forces may use to press in closer than ever, honing their ability to impose a blockade.
More from WPR: Biden’s Taiwan ‘Gaffe’ Just Said the Quiet Part Out Loud
China Blocks Some Taiwan Imports but Avoids Chip Disruptions
By Joe McDonald | Associated Press (free)
China blocked imports of citrus, fish and other foods from Taiwan in retaliation for a visit by a top American lawmaker, Nancy Pelosi, but has avoided disrupting one of the world’s most important technology and manufacturing relationships.
More from WPR: Social Media Outrage Won’t Drive Social Change in China
Senate Overwhelmingly Votes to Add Sweden and Finland to NATO
By Catie Edmondson | The New York Times
The Senate on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a treaty that would expand NATO to include Finland and Sweden, with Republicans and Democrats linking arms to pave the way for one of the most significant expansions of the alliance in decades amid Russia’s continued assault on Ukraine.
More from WPR: NATO Finds a New Sense of Purpose in an Old Mission
Prime Minister Resigns, Adding to Political Turmoil in Peru
By Franklin Briceño | Associated Press (free)
Peru’s prime minister announced his resignation Wednesday, adding to political uncertainty in the South American nation as President Pedro Castillo faces several criminal investigations after only a year in office.
More from WPR: Peru Is Tired of Castillo’s On-the-Job Training
France’s Macron Poised to Win Passage of Measures to Fight Inflation
By Sam Schechner | The Wall Street Journal
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to secure passage of a package of measures to help bolster household finances, a boost for the French leader as the country copes with rampant inflation stemming in part from Russia’s war of attrition in Ukraine.
Journalist, Three Others Killed in Mexico; 13th This Year
Associated Press (free)
A journalist was among four people killed inside a beer shop in central Mexico, the 13th media worker killed in the country this year.
Senegal Opposition Leader Asks Supporters to Defend Their Votes by Any Means
By Diadie Ba | Reuters
A Senegalese opposition leader Wednesday called on supporters to be ready to defend their votes by any means, accusing the ruling party of President Macky Sall of wanting to steal a legislative election the opposition claims to have won.
More from WPR: The ‘Senegalese Exception’ Loses Its Luster
U.S., Indonesia Hold Joint Military Drills Amid China Concerns
By Niniek Karmini | Associated Press (free)
The United States and Indonesian militaries began annual joint combat exercises Wednesday on Indonesia’s Sumatra island, joined for the first time by participants from other partner nations, signaling stronger ties amid growing maritime activity by China in the Indo-Pacific region.
Colombia’s Military Eyes New President Gustavo Petro With ‘Deep Unease’
By Gideon Long | Financial Times (free)
Former left-wing guerrilla navigates tense relations with country’s armed forces as he prepares to take office
More from WPR: Petro and Colombia’s Armed Forces Are Heading for a Showdown
Iran Nuclear Negotiators to Meet in Last-Ditch Effort to Revive Deal
By Laurence Norman & David S. Cloud | The Wall Street Journal
Iran, the U.S. and the European Union said Wednesday that they would send negotiators to Vienna for what could be make-or-break talks on reviving the 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran, but expectations of an agreement weren’t high after months of stalled negotiations.
Sri Lanka Targets Organizers of Protests That Toppled President
By Skandha Gunasekara & Mujib Mashal | The New York Times
The Sri Lankan government is cracking down on the people who participated in a protest movement that toppled the island nation’s president last month, arresting several demonstration leaders, slapping others with travel bans and ordering the clearing of the last remaining protest tents.
More from WPR: Rajapaksa’s Gone, but Sri Lanka’s Crisis Is Far from Over
Italy Investigating Case of Hospitalized Ex-Kremlin Official
By Claire Parker | The Washington Post
Authorities in Italy are examining the case of a former senior Russian official who was hospitalized in Sardinia this week after suffering neurological symptoms, Italian media reported Wednesday.
Ukraine Builds a Case That Killing of POWs Was a Russian War Crime
By Michael Schwirtz, Christiaan Triebert, Kamila Hrabchuk & Stanislav Kozliuk | The New York Times
Five days after an explosion at a Russian prison camp killed at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war, evidence about what happened remains sparse, but Ukrainian officials said Wednesday that they were steadily compiling proof that the mass slaughter was a war crime committed by Russian forces.
More from WPR: Condemning Russian War Crimes in Real Time Can Save Lives
Saudi, UAE Save Oil Firepower in Case of Winter Supply Crisis
By Dmitry Zhdannikov & Maha El Dahan | Reuters
OPEC leaders Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates stand ready to deliver a “significant increase” in oil output should the world face a severe supply crisis this winter, sources familiar with the thinking of the top Gulf exporters said.
Germany’s Conservative Leaders Push for Nuclear Power to Stay On as the Country Breaks From Russian Fuels
By Erika Solomon | The New York Times
Germany’s leading conservative politicians will visit one of the country’s last remaining nuclear plants Thursday as part of a push to urge the government to abandon its planned exit from nuclear power amid growing concerns of a looming energy crisis due to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
More from WPR: Europe’s Gas-Rationing Plan Shows the Cracks in the EU’s Unity
Kenya’s Election Rips Open Scars of Inequality, Corruption
By Cara Anna | Associated Press (free)
Kenya’s Aug. 9 election is ripping open the scars of inequality and corruption as East Africa’s economic hub chooses a successor to President Uhuru Kenyatta. The vastly rich son of the country’s founding leader, Kenyatta has deflected graft allegations by calling for transparency but done little in a decade in power to enable it.
More from WPR: Another High-Stakes Presidential Election Has Kenya on Edge
U.K. Leadership Election Rules Changed Over Security Fears
By Jill Lawless | Associated Press (free)
Britain’s governing Conservative Party said Wednesday that it has delayed sending out ballots for the party’s leadership election after a warning from the U.K. intelligence services about the risk of fraud.
More from WPR: Boris Johnson Is Gone, but London’s EU Delusions Remain
Long a Climate Straggler, Australia Advances a Major Bill to Cut Emissions
By Damien Cave | The New York Times
After years of being denounced as a laggard on climate change, Australia shifted course Thursday, with the Lower House of Parliament passing a bill that commits the government to reducing carbon emissions by at least 43 percent from 2005 levels by 2030, and reaching net zero by 2050.
More from WPR: Albanese’s Domestic Agenda Could Reshape Australia’s Regional Relations
New Evidence Shows How Myanmar’s Military Planned Its Brutal Purge of the Rohingya
By Poppy McPherson & Wa Lone | Reuters
War crimes investigators have obtained thousands of pages of documents that shed new light on Myanmar’s campaign to expel the country’s Muslim minority, as well as efforts to hide it from the world. The group that collected the documents, many of which it shared with Reuters, is already handing its material to prosecutors in the Hague.
Indian Government Approves New Emissions Targets
By Sibi Arasu | Associated Press (free)
Nine months after India announced its target of “net zero” emissions by 2070 at the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow, the country’s federal cabinet finally approved a new climate plan on Wednesday.
Pelosi’s Visit and the Coming Taiwan Crisis
By Minxin Pei | The Strategist (free)
Pelosi is hardly responsible for today’s heightened tensions over the island. Even if she had decided to skip Taipei on her tour of Asia, China’s bellicosity toward Taiwan would have continued to intensify, possibly triggering another Taiwan Strait crisis in the near future.
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