News Wire | September 2023 Archive
MONTHLY NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
Mexico’s Supreme Court Decriminalizes Abortion Nationwide
By Simon Romero and Emiliano Rodríguez Mega | The New York Times
Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide on Wednesday in a sweeping decision that builds on an earlier ruling giving officials the authority to allow the procedure on a state-by-state basis.
More from WPR: Latin America’s ‘Green Tide’ Has Lessons for U.S. Abortion Rights Activists
African Leaders Call for Debt Relief to Help Tackle Climate Crisis
By Caroline Kimeu | The Guardian
African leaders have called for debt relief across the continent to allow countries to get on with responding to the climate crisis, as they publish the Nairobi declaration at the end of the first African climate summit.
More: Modi Asks Rich Nations to Soften Climate Demands Ahead of G-20
A Historic First for Mexico as Two Women Vie for the Presidency
By Emiliano Rodríguez Mega and Simon Romero | The New York Times
Mexico’s governing party chose Claudia Sheinbaum, a former mayor of Mexico City, as its candidate in next year’s presidential election on Wednesday, creating a watershed moment in the world’s largest Spanish-speaking country, with voters expected to choose for the first time between two leading candidates who are women.
More from WPR: AMLO’s Successor Will Be Anointed Long Before Mexico’s Elections
The UK is Rejoining the European Union’s Science Research Program as Post-Brexit Relations Thaw
By Jill Lawless | Associated Press
Britain is rejoining the European Union’s $100 billion science-sharing program Horizon Europe, the two sides announced Thursday, more than two years after the country’s membership became a casualty of Brexit.
Nigerian Election Tribunal Upholds Tinubu's Presidential Win
By Camillus Eboh | Reuters
Nigeria's presidential election tribunal on Wednesday rejected challenges by opposition rivals to Bola Tinubu's win in February's disputed vote, following a pattern seen in previous election years in Africa's most populous country.
More from WPR: Nigeria Did Not Get the Presidential Election It Was Promised
US Imposes Sanctions on Sudanese Paramilitary Leader for Human Rights Abuses
Associated Press
The United States imposed sanctions Wednesday on Sudanese paramilitary commander Abdel-Rahim Hamdan Dagalo for acts of violence and human rights abuses committed by his troops in their monthslong conflict with Sudan’s army.
More from WPR: Only a United Civilian Coalition Can Bring Peace to Sudan
Palestinians Set Out Terms for Agreeing to Historic Saudi-Israeli Deal
By Tom Bateman | BBC
A cash boost of hundreds of millions of dollars and more control of land in the occupied West Bank are among Palestinian demands in the event of a three-way deal involving the US, Saudi Arabia and Israel, the BBC has learned.
Australian PM to Visit China Soon as Both Sides Hail Progress
By Kirsty Needham | Reuters
Australia and China have made progress in returning to "unimpeded trade" and more is needed, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday as he met Chinese Premier Li Qiang at a regional summit in Indonesia.
Fighting Between Rival US-Backed Groups in Syria Could Undermine War Against the Islamic State Group
By Bassem Mroue | Associated Press
The weeklong clashes between rival U.S.-backed militias in eastern Syria, where hundreds of American troops are deployed, point to dangerous seams in the coalition that has kept a lid on the defeated Islamic State group for years. That could be an opportunity for the radical group to reemerge.
More from WPR: The Syrian Civil War’s Never-Ending Endgame
Ex-Leader of Proud Boys Sentenced to 22 Years in Jan. 6 Sedition Case
By Alan Feuer | The New York Times
Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the Proud Boys, was sentenced on Tuesday to 22 years in prison for the central role he played in organizing a gang of his pro-Trump followers to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and stop the peaceful transfer of presidential power.
Guatemala Prosecutor Seeks to Strip Electoral Authorities of Immunity After Election
By Sonia Pérez D. | Associated Press
Guatemala’s prosecutor for electoral crimes has asked the Supreme Court of Justice to strip five magistrates of the country’s top electoral authority of their immunity so they can be investigated on fraud allegations made by the loser of the Aug. 20 presidential election.
More from WPR: To Reform in Guatemala, Arevalo Will Need the World’s Attention
New EU Climate Chief to Explore Controversial Carbon Capture Strategy
By Alice Hancock and Andres Schipani | Financial Times
The EU’s new climate chief has been given a mandate to explore carbon capture in an effort to limit global warming, as the bloc countries debate whether to make allowances for the controversial technology in upcoming UN negotiations to end the use of fossil fuels.
Burkina Faso Says 53 Soldiers, Volunteers Killed in Clashes With Militants
Reuters
Seventeen soldiers and 36 volunteer fighters have been killed in heavy clashes with militants in northern Burkina Faso, the army said on Tuesday, the worst attack in months in the West African country that for years has been overrun by hardline militants.
First Saudi Ambassador Arrives in Tehran After Rapprochement
Reuters
Saudi Arabia's first ambassador to Iran since the resumption of diplomatic relations arrived in Tehran on Tuesday to start his new mission there, the Saudi state news agency said.
Myanmar Won’t Be Allowed to Lead Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2026
By Niniek Karmini | Associated Press
Southeast Asian leaders decided Tuesday that Myanmar won’t take over the rotating leadership of their regional bloc as scheduled in 2026, in the latest blow to efforts by its ruling generals to gain international recognition after violently seizing power in 2021.
More from WPR: Myanmar’s Junta Is Losing the Civil War
Iran Expands Stock of Near-Weapons Grade Uranium, IAEA Reports No Progress
By Francois Murphy | Reuters
Iran's stock of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent purity, close to weapons grade, continues to grow and there has been no progress in talks with Tehran on sensitive issues such as explaining uranium traces at undeclared sites, two reports by the U.N. nuclear watchdog seen by Reuters said on Monday.
Friendly Putin-Erdogan Meeting Keeps West Guessing
By Ben Hubbard and Paul Sonne | The New York Times
Putin and Erdogan stood side by side in the Russian resort city of Sochi and spoke of further expanding their countries’ partnership. They would increase trade and work together on energy issues, they said, despite efforts by Mr. Erdogan’s NATO allies to cripple Russia’s economy and limit its access to global energy markets.
More from WPR: Erdogan’s Foreign Policy Pivot Is All About Domestic Politics
Cuba Uncovers Human Trafficking of Cubans to Fight for Russia in Ukraine
Reuters
Cuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring that has coerced its citizens to fight for Russia in the war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry said on Monday, adding that Cuban authorities were working to "neutralize and dismantle" the network.
Zelenskyy Ousts Defense Chief as Ministry Grapples With Corruption Claims
By Siobhán O'Grady and Serhiy Morgunov | The Washington Post
Ukraine’s defense minister resigned Monday, hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky announced plans to replace him. The move came amid a widening graft probe, as Kyiv looks to signal to Western partners who provide enormous amounts of defense aid that it has zero tolerance for corruption.
Regional Leaders Absent as Mnangagwa Sworn in as Zimbabwe President
By Joseph Cotterill and Kudzanai Musengi | Financial Times
Southern African leaders were largely absent as Emmerson Mnangagwa was sworn in for a second term as Zimbabwe’s president, as the country’s opposition sought to rally the region to back a rerun of the disputed vote.
More from WPR: In Zimbabwe, State Coercion, Voter Apathy Pave Way for Mnangagwa Reelection
Gabon’s Military Leader Is Sworn in as Head of State After Ousting the President Last Week
By Sam Mednick and Yves Laurent Goma | Associated Press
Gen. Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, took the oath in the presidential palace in front of a packed, boisterous room of government officials, military and local leaders in Gabon’s capital, Libreville. Oligui is a cousin of the ousted President Ali Bongo Ondimba, served as a bodyguard to his late father and is head of the republican guard, an elite military unit.
More from WPR: In Gabon, the Bongo Family Is the State
Moroccans Protest After Algeria Acknowledges Deadly Shooting at a Group on Water Scooters
Associated Press
Long-standing tensions between Morocco and Algeria have moved up a notch with a deadly confrontation at sea last week between the Algerian Coast Guard and several men on water scooters.
More from WPR: Algeria-Morocco Tensions Are a Ticking Timebomb for North Africa
Israeli Military Raid in the Occupied West Bank Kills a Palestinian Man
Associated Press
Israeli troops killed a Palestinian man during an army raid in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials said, the latest incident in a yearlong wave of violence that has surged to levels unseen in the territory in some two decades.
More from WPR: The West Bank Is a Powder Keg. Israel’s Raids Could Set It Off
Pakistan in Uproar as Protests Over Soaring Energy Prices Turn Violent
By Zofeen T. Ebrahim | The Guardian
Protests against rising electricity and petrol prices have rocked Pakistan over the past week, with thousands taking to city streets and setting their electricity bills alight.
Xi Planning to Skip G-20 Summit While China-India Tensions Mount
Bloomberg
Tensions between China and India—the world’s two most populous countries—already threaten to prevent G-20 leaders from issuing a joint communique for the first time since the forum was created in 1999, according to separate people familiar with the situation. Xi’s non-attendance would be a further blow for the host, Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Putin Moves to Seize Control of Wagner’s Mercenary Empire
Bloomberg
A Defense Ministry-affiliated armed contractor is poised to assume charge of Wagner’s operations in the Central African Republic, said a person close to the Defense Ministry and two others close to the private military firm, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
More from WPR: The West Needs to Prepare for the ‘Next Wagner’ in Africa
Car Bomb Explosions and Hostage-Taking Inside Prisons Underscore Ecuador’s Fragile Security
Associated Press
Ecuador’s fragile security situation was underscored Thursday by a series of car bombings and the hostage-taking of more than 50 law enforcement officers inside various prisons, just weeks after the country was shaken by the assassination of a presidential candidate.
More from WPR: A Surge in Crime and Violence Has Ecuador Reeling
Families Crossing U.S. border Illegally Reached All-Time High in August
By Nick Miroff and Maria Sacchetti | The Washington Post
Record numbers of migrant families streamed across the U.S.-Mexico border in August, according to preliminary data obtained by The Washington Post, an influx that has upended Biden administration efforts to discourage parents from entering illegally with children and could once again place immigration in the spotlight during a presidential race.
More from WPR: The U.S. Should Welcome Immigrants With Open Arms—and Open Borders
Russia’s Putin and Turkey’s Erdogan Will Meet Amid Efforts to Repair Ukraine Grain Deal
Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin will host Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan for talks in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday, the Kremlin announced Friday, just over six weeks after Moscow broke off a deal partly brokered by Ankara that allowed Ukrainian grain to reach world markets despite the 18-month war.
Zimbabwe Opposition Calls for Nationwide Protests Over Disputed Vote
Reuters
Zimbabwe's main opposition party called on Friday for nationwide protests and a re-run of elections that it said fraudulently handed President Emmerson Mnangagwa a second term in office. The appeal from the Citizens Coalition for Change came a day after Mnangagwa said the vote was valid and warned there would be a crackdown on anyone spreading chaos.
More from WPR: In Zimbabwe, State Coercion, Voter Apathy Pave Way for Mnangagwa Reelection
US Military Warns Fighting in East Syria Could Lead to Islamic State Resurgence
Associated Press
he United States military called for an end to days of fighting between rival U.S.-backed groups in east Syria Thursday, warning it may help the resurgence of the Islamic State group.
More from WPR: The Syrian Civil War’s Never-Ending Endgame
Egypt Aspired to Be a Natural Gas Powerhouse. Now the Lights Are Out.
By Claire Parker and Heba Farouk Mahfouz | The Washington Post
Egypt was overzealous in its drive to produce and export natural gas, analysts say, failing to plan for declining fields and to diversify the energy sources that power its grid.
India Shows an Impressive 7.8% Economic Growth in April-June Quarter
Associated Press
India’s economy registered impressive growth of 7.8% in the first quarter of the current financial year (April-June), attributed to good performance by the agriculture and financial sectors, according to official data released on Thursday.
More from WPR: India Will Need More Than Population Growth to Surpass China’s Economy