News Wire | February 2023 Archive

To Heal Brexit Wound, U.K. and EU Strike a Northern Ireland Trade Deal

By Mark Landler & Stephen Castle | The New York Times

Britain and the European Union struck a landmark agreement Monday to end a festering dispute over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, potentially resolving one of the most poisonous legacies of Britain’s exit from Europe’s trade bloc in 2020.

More from WPR: Brexit’s Ghosts Still Haunt Northern Ireland

China, Saying It Can Mediate on Ukraine, Hosts Putin’s Ally Lukashenko

By Meaghan Tobin | The Washington Post

Even as China pushes to distance itself from the perception that it supports Russian hostilities in Ukraine—or at least benefits from economic ties with Russia amid strict Western sanctions—one of Moscow’s closest allies, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, is due to arrive in Beijing on Tuesday for a state visit.

More from WPR: With or Without Troops, Belarus Is Already Part of the War in Ukraine

A U.S. Diplomatic Push Arrives in the Heart of the Former Soviet Sphere

By Edward Wong | The New York Times

The Biden administration took its push to isolate Russia into the heart of the former Soviet sphere of influence Tuesday, with the top U.S. diplomat meeting with Central Asian leaders to urge them not to help Russia evade sanctions imposed by the West over its invasion of Ukraine.

More from WPR: China Is Taking Advantage of Russia’s Weakness in Central Asia

Chipmakers Receiving U.S. Federal Funds Barred From Expanding in China for 10 Years

By Demetri Sevastopulo | Financial Times (free)

Chipmakers must agree not to expand capacity in China for a decade if they are to receive money from a $39 billion federal fund designed to build a leading-edge U.S. semiconductor industry, according to new commerce department rules.