News Wire | July 2023 Archive

Yellen Says U.S. Doesn’t Seek ‘Winner Take All’ Fight With China

By Brian Spegele | The Wall Street Journal

U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pledged to Chinese Premier Li Qiang that the U.S. doesn’t seek economic estrangement from China, as she sought to curb a steep slide in relations between the world’s two biggest economies during a closely watched visit to Beijing. 

For the Third Time This Week, Earth Sets an Unofficial Heat Record

By Seth Borenstein and Isabella O'Malley | Associated Press

Earth’s average temperature set a new unofficial record high on Thursday, the third such milestone in a week that already rated as the hottest on record. The planetary average hit 63 degrees Fahrenheit (17.23 degrees Celsius), surpassing the 62.9-degree mark (17.18-degree mark) set Tuesday and equaled Wednesday, according to data from the University of Maine’s Climate Reanalyzer, a tool that uses satellite data and computer simulations to measure the world’s condition.

More from WPR: The Uneven Response to Global Climate Change

UN Chief Calls for a Robust International Police Force to Help Combat Haiti's Armed Gangs

By Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called Thursday for a robust international force to help combat Haiti’s armed gangs and restore security in the impoverished nation, saying that a U.N. expert’s estimate that Haiti needs up to 2,000 additional anti-gang police officers is no exaggeration.

More from WPR: Haiti’s Bwa Kale Vigilantes Are Just Another Form of Gang Violence

Prigozhin Is Said to Be in Russia, as Wagner Mystery Deepens

By Valerie Hopkins | The New York Times

The mercenary leader Yevgeny V. Prigozhin is in Russia and is a “free man” despite staging a rebellion against Moscow’s military leadership, the leader of Belarus said on Thursday, deepening the mystery of where Mr. Prigozhin and his Wagner group stand and what will become of them.

More from WPR: The Wagner Mutiny Was a Preview of Russia’s Post-Putin Civil War

Kenyan Police Clash With Opposition Protesters Over Tax Hikes

By Ayenat Mersie and Humphrey Malalo | Reuters

Kenyan police fired dozens of teargas canisters into a crowd of opposition supporters on Friday as they marched into the main business district of the capital to protest over tax hikes. Opposition leader Raila Odinga called the protests to oppose tax increases that have been imposed at a time when many are already struggling with high prices of basic commodities such as maize flour.

More from WPR: Protests in Kenya and South Africa Are About More Than the Cost of Living

West Clashes With Russia and Iran at UN over Tehran’s Uranium Enrichment and Drones for Russia

By Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press

The United States and its Western allies clashed with Russia and Iran at the U.N. Security Council on Thursday over Tehran’s advancing uranium enrichment and its reported supply of combat drones to Moscow being used to attack Ukraine.

Taiwan Disputes China’s Claim of Ability to Sink US Navy Aircraft Carrier Group

By Kathrin Hille | Financial Times

A U.S. warship sailed through the strait separating Taiwan and China on Tuesday, the navy said, the first such passage since leaders from the two rival superpowers held a video summit.

More from WPR: China’s Saber-Rattling Won’t Make Taiwan Shift Course

Yellen Faces a Diplomatic Test in Her High-Stakes Visit to China

By Allen Rappeport | The New York Times

At her confirmation hearing in early 2021, Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen struck a tough tone on China, describing it as America’s most important strategic competitor and pledging to confront its “abusive, unfair and illegal practices” that she said were harming businesses and workers in the United States.

Ukraine Strikes a Russian-Occupied City, Igniting a Huge Blast

By Cassandra Vinograd | The New York Times

Ukraine’s military launched an overnight strike on the Russian-occupied city of Makiivka, showing that it could still attack targets deep behind Russian lines as its troops fight in grueling trench warfare in a counteroffensive to reclaim land.

El Salvadoran Ex-President Mauricio Funes Sentenced to Six Years for Tax Evasion

Associated Press

An El Salvador court sentenced former President Mauricio Funes Wednesday to six years in prison for tax evasion, the second time in barely more than a month that a court has sentenced the ex-leader in absentia.

Biden and Swedish PM Meet to Discuss Sweden's NATO Bid

By Maggie Astor and Katie Rogers | The New York Times

In a meeting in the Oval Office, President Biden told Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson of Sweden that the country was a “valued friend and partner” and that he is “anxiously looking forward to your membership” in NATO. But “any decision on NATO membership is between the 31 allies,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, told reporters in a briefing.

Kenya to Delay Reopening Somali Border Over 'Wave of Attacks'

Reuters

Kenya will delay re-opening its border with Somalia because of a "wave of attacks" it blames on al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants, interior minister Kithure Kindiki said on Wednesday. In May the two governments had agreed to reopen several border posts within 90 days.

U.S. Navy Says It Prevented Iran From Seizing Tankers in Gulf of Oman

By Lisa Barrington and Jonathan Saul | Reuters

 The U.S. Navy said it had intervened to prevent Iran from seizing two commercial tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday, in the latest in a series of attacks on ships in the area since 2019.

South Korea, Japan Leaders Due to Meet on Sidelines of NATO Summit

Reuters

South Korea is coordinating with Japan to hold a meeting between their leaders on the sidelines of a NATO summit in Lithuania next week, a South Korean presidential official said on Thursday.

Israel Says Deadly Raid on West Bank City Is Over

By Isabel Kershner and Aaron Boxerman | The New York Times

Israel’s military said on Wednesday that it had withdrawn from the occupied West Bank city of Jenin after a large-scale incursion that killed at least 12 Palestinians, left one Israeli soldier dead and sent thousands fleeing from their homes over the past two days.

Senegal President Sall Rules Out Reelection Bid After Violent Unrest

By Ngouda Dione and Diadie Ba | Reuters

Senegal President Macky Sall will not run for reelection next year, he said in a speech on Monday, ending widespread speculation that he would seek a third term his critics said would have been illegal.

More from WPR: Senegal’s Democratic Credentials Have Taken a Beating Under Macky Sall

Colombian Rebel Group Says It Will Stop Attacks on Military

By Manuel Rueda | Associated Press

Colombia’s largest rebel group said it will stop attacks on the nation’s military as it prepares for a ceasefire with the government that could bring both sides closer to ending five decades of war. In a statement published Tuesday, the National Liberation Army’s Central Command ordered its units across the country to “cease all offensive actions” against the military on July 6, including espionage.

Jens Stoltenberg to Stay as NATO Chief for Another Year

By Dan Sabbagh| The Guardian

Jens Stoltenberg has been asked to extend his tenure as Nato’s secretary general for a further year until October 2024 after members of the western military alliance failed to agree on a replacement before next week’s summit in Vilnius.

Rights Groups Raise Alarm After Burundi Walkout From UN Review

By Emma Farge | Reuters

Civil society groups on Tuesday decried Burundi's decision to walk out of a review of its human rights record and voiced concerns about a perceived slide in countries' cooperation with U.N. bodies.

More from WPR: Burundi Is Trying to Come In From the Cold

Egypt, Turkey Appoint Ambassadors to Upgrade Diplomatic Relations

By Huseyin Hayatsever and Nadine Awadalla | Reuters

Egypt and Turkey have appointed ambassadors to each other's capitals for the first time in a decade to restore normal diplomatic relations, their foreign ministries announced on Tuesday.

More from WPR: Turkey and Egypt Take a Step Closer to Repairing Ties

Philippines Accuses China of More 'Harrassment' Near Disputed Reef

Reuters

The Philippines on Wednesday accused China's coast guard of harassment, obstruction and "dangerous maneuvers" against its vessels, after another incident near a strategic feature of the South China Sea that has become a flashpoint between them.

Israel Unleashes Fiercest Air Attack on West Bank in Nearly Two Decades

By Isabel Kershner | The New York Times

Israel launched the most intense airstrikes on the occupied West Bank in nearly two decades on Monday, saying it was trying to root out armed militants in the city of Jenin after a year of escalating violence there. At least eight Palestinians were killed.

More from WPR: Peace Between Israelis and Palestinians Has Fallen Off the Agenda

NATO Readies Military Plans to Defend Against Bruised But Unbowed Russia

By Lorne Cook | Associated Press

Russia’s armed forces are bruised but by no means beaten in the war in Ukraine, a top NATO military officer said Monday, as he laid out the biggest revamp to the organization’s military plans since the Cold War should Moscow dare to widen the conflict.

More from WPR: NATO Finds a New Sense of Purpose in an Old Mission

Drug Cartel Violence Flares in Western Mexico After Vigilante Leader's Killing

Reuters

The drug cartel violence that citizen self-defense leader Hipolito Mora gave his life fighting flared anew on Sunday, just one day after he was buried, as shootings and road blockades hit the city of Apatzingan, a regional hub in Mexico’s hot lands.

More from WPR: AMLO Doubles Down on Mexico’s Failed Security Policy

Moscow Says 700,000 Children From Ukraine Conflict Zones Now in Russia

Reuters

Russia has brought some 700,000 children from the conflict zones in Ukraine into Russian territory, Grigory Karasin, head of the international committee in the Federation Council, Russia's upper house of parliament, said late on Sunday.

More from WPR: The ICC Is Just Getting Started on Going After Putin

Senegal's President Sall to Address the Nation Amid Third Term Rumours

Reuters

Senegalese President Macky Sall will address the nation on Monday evening, his office said, amid speculation that is he planning to run for a third term in office that the opposition has said would be unconstitutional. Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko called for his supporters to be ready to take to the streets if the president announced any such plan.

More from WPR: Senegal’s Democratic Credentials Have Taken a Beating Under Macky Sall

Israel to Buy More F-35 Fighter Jets From U.S., Expanding Fleet by 50 Percent

By Julia Frankel | Associated Press

Israel will buy 25 F-35 aircraft from the United States, the Israeli Defense Ministry announced Sunday, in a deal that increases Israel’s arsenal of the stealth fighter jets by 50 percent.

More from WPR: Why F-35 Fighter Jets Don’t Belong in the Gulf

Vietnam Becomes Vital Link in Supply Chain as Business Pivots From China

By Orla Ryan| Financial Times

Some of the biggest suppliers to global tech companies such as Apple are clustered close to northern Vietnam’s biggest port, Haiphong. Now geopolitical tensions between Beijing and Washington and the risks to business exposed by the Covid-19 pandemic are spurring more manufacturers to shift out of China.

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