News Wire | August 2023 Archive
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Iran's President Raisi Officially Invites UAE President to Visit Tehran
Reuters
Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi officially invited United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to visit Tehran in the near future, the semi-official Tasnim agency reported on Thursday.
A Leader of Niger’s Coup Visits Mali, Raising Fears of a Wagner Alliance
By Elian Peltier | The New York Times
A week after a military overthrow of Niger’s elected president, a coup leader and other officers flew to neighboring Mali on Wednesday to meet with its rulers, raising concerns that a key Western ally could grow closer to military leaders in Mali who partner with the Kremlin-backed Wagner private military company.
More from WPR: The West Needs to Prepare for the ‘Next Wagner’ in Africa
Brazil: At Least 45 Killed in String of Police Operations in Three States
By Constance Malleret | The Guardian
At least 45 people have been killed in a string of police operations across three Brazilian states, in a particularly bloody week even for Brazil—da country notorious for its police violence.
Catalan Kingmaker Tells Spain's Sanchez Not to Take Support for Granted
By Joan Faus | Reuters
Spain's Socialists (PSOE), seeking to form a government after a hard-fought national election, should not take the support of Catalonia's separatist parties for granted, one of their leaders said on Wednesday.
Labor Unions Across Nigeria Protest Against Soaring Cost of Living Under New President
By Chinedu Asadu | Associated Press
Labor unions marched across Nigeria on Wednesday to protest the soaring cost of living under the West African nation’s new president, with calls for the government to improve social welfare interventions to reduce hardship.
More from WPR: Nigeria’s Election Euphoria Might Be Short-Lived
Tunisia’s President Sacks Prime Minister, the First Woman to Hold That Job in an Arab League Nation
Associated Press
A brief statement from the presidential office late Tuesday did not give reasons for the dismissal of Najla Bouden Ramadhane. President Kais Saied had appointed the engineering school professor as Tunisia’s first female prime minister in September 2021.
More from WPR: Ghannouchi’s Arrest Could Be a Tipping Point for Tunisia’s Democracy
Bangladesh Court Sentences Exiled Opposition Leader to 9 Years in Jail on Corruption Charges
Associated Press
A court in Bangladesh sentenced former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s son and heir apparent on Wednesday to nine years in prison after finding the opposition leader guilty in a corruption case filed by the government in 2007.
More from WPR: Hasina Is Pushing Bangladesh’s Democracy to the Breaking Point
Trump Is Indicted in His Push to Overturn Election
By Alan Feuer and Maggie Haberman | The New York Times
Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump was indicted on Tuesday in connection with his widespread efforts to overturn the 2020 election following a sprawling federal investigation into his attempts to cling to power after losing the presidency.
More from WPR: Latin America Can Tell Us Something About Trump’s Indictment
Russia Strikes Ukraine's Danube Port, Sending Global Grain Prices Higher
By Pavel Polityuk | Reuters
Russia attacked Ukraine's main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on Wednesday, sending global food prices higher as it ramps up its use of force to reimpose a blockade.
More from WPR: The Global Food System Was Already Unsustainable Before the War in Ukraine
US Will Put Forward a UN Resolution to Authorize a Kenyan-Led Peace Mission to Fight Gangs in Haiti
By Edith M. Lederer | Associated Press
The United States said Tuesday it will put forward a U.N. Security Council resolution that will authorize Kenya to lead a multinational police force to help combat gangs in Haiti that control much of the capital and are spreading through the Caribbean nation.
More from WPR: The World Can’t Afford to Ignore Haiti’s Deepening Security Crisis
Poland Rushes Troops to Border, Belarus Denies Helicopter Violation
By Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska | Reuters
Poland said on Tuesday it was rushing troops to its eastern border after accusing Belarus, Russia's closest ally, of violating its airspace with military helicopters.
Deadly Protests in Senegal as Opposition Party Is Dissolved and Leader Detained
By Elian Peltier and Dionne Searcey | The New York Times
Senegal’s government has dissolved the country’s main opposition party and detained its leader on charges of fomenting insurrection, setting off a new round of protests in which two people were killed on Monday.
More from WPR: Senegal’s Democratic Credentials Have Taken a Beating Under Macky Sall
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Runs Drill on Disputed Islands as US Military Presence in Region Grows
By Nasser Karimi and John Gambrell | Associated Press
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard launched a surprise military drill Wednesday on disputed islands in the Persian Gulf, just as the U.S. military increase its presence in the region over recent ship seizures by Tehran.
More from WPR: The IAEA Just Bought Some Time for Nuclear Diplomacy With Iran
Under Hindu Nationalist Leaders, Sectarian Violence Flares in India
By Alex Travelli and Hari Kumar | The New York Times
In the early hours of Monday, on a train bound for Mumbai, India’s commercial capital, a police officer took up his service rifle, fatally shot his superior and then killed three unarmed passengers. All three of the passengers were Muslim men, according to Indian news reports.
More from WPR: Modi’s Hindu Nationalist Agenda Is Corroding India’s Democracy
Niger Crisis Deepens as France Plans Evacuation and Coup Leaders Get Support From Neighboring Juntas
By Sam Mednick| Associated Press
France prepared to evacuate French and European nationals from Niger on Tuesday, telling them to carry no more than a small bag, after a military coup there won backing from three other West African nations ruled by mutinous soldiers. The military governments of Mali and Burkina Faso said that “any military intervention against Niger will be considered as a declaration of war against Burkina Faso and Mali.”
More from WPR: Africa’s Stalled Post-Coup ‘Transitions’ Are Telling Us Something
Ukraine’s Attacks in Russia Aimed at Degrading Moscow’s Ability to Wage War
By Marc Santora and Ivan Nechepurenko | The New York Times
As Ukraine steps up its strikes inside Russian borders this summer, it is also making plain the nature of its targets: military-aligned sites that aid Moscow’s full-scale invasion, now in its 18th month.
UN Urges States in Haiti's Region to Join Kenya in Security Force
By Michelle Nichols | Reuters
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday welcomed Kenya's readiness to lead an international force to help Haiti's police combat gang violence and encouraged other countries—particularly from Haiti's region—to join the effort.
After Massive Hungarian Passport Fraud, U.S. Tightens Travel Restrictions
By Loveday Morris | The Washington Post
The United States on Tuesday said it would restrict access for Hungarians to its visa-waiver program amid concerns that foreign nationals have used fraudulently obtained passports to enter the country.
Senegal Opposition Leader Charged With Uprising, Party Dissolved
By Katarina Hoije | Bloomberg
Senegalese opposition politician Ousmane Sonko, who was again charged Monday and had his political party dissolved, will remain in custody while authorities investigate his role in fueling deadly riots last month.
More from WPR: Senegal’s Democratic Credentials Have Taken a Beating Under Macky Sall
Israel Says the Road to Normalizing Ties With Saudi Arabia is ‘Still Long’
By James Shotter and Samer Al-Atrush | Financial Times
Israel’s national security adviser said the road to establishing ties with Saudi Arabia was “still long”, despite increased efforts by the United States to facilitate a formal relationship between the two long-term adversaries.
More from WPR: The U.S. and Israel Are Deluding Themselves About the Abraham Accords
Myanmar Junta Grants Partial Pardon to Democracy Champion Suu Kyi
Reuters
Myanmar's ruling military pardoned on Tuesday jailed former leader Aung San Suu Kyi on five of the 19 offences for which she was convicted but she will remain under house arrest, state media and informed sources said.
More from WPR: It’s Time the World’s Democracies Paid Attention to Myanmar’s Civil War