Sunak Takes Helm as UK’s Third Prime Minister in Two Months |
Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has officially become prime minister (The Economist) of the United Kingdom (UK) after meeting with King Charles III. Conservative Party lawmakers overwhelmingly supported Sunak’s bid to succeed Liz Truss as both party leader and prime minister. The British Indian politician is the UK’s youngest prime minister (FT) in modern times and the first person of color to hold the position. A fiscal conservative, Sunak pledged to work for “economic stability” and warned of “difficult decisions to come” in his first speech as premier. He has also pledged to cap the number of refugees that the UK admits. On foreign policy, Sunak has so far vowed continued support (AFP) for Ukraine’s efforts in its war against Russia, saying the war “must be seen successfully to its conclusion.” |
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“To persuade both investors and voters to believe in post-Brexit Britain, Sunak needs a convincing growth agenda. Since tax cuts are unaffordable, that agenda must consist of regulatory reform,” CFR’s Sebastian Mallaby writes for the Washington Post. “[Sunak] is sometimes imagined as a social liberal, perhaps because of his youth, affection for ‘Star Wars’ and millennial vibes (in a recent interview he described eating ‘a lot of gluten’ as one of his ‘vices’). Yet his CV is straight from Tory central casting: Winchester College, Oxford University and the true-blue farming constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire,” The Economist writes. |
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U.S. Justice Department Unveils Criminal Cases Over Alleged Chinese Espionage |
One case said two Chinese citizens offered bribes (Politico) for information on an investigation into an unnamed Chinese tech company, which the court filings indicate is likely Huawei. Another named a scheme to forcibly return a Chinese-born U.S. resident back to China, and a third said several Chinese nationals sought sensitive information from U.S. universities. Australia: The country’s new national budget redirects money (The Guardian) away from fossil fuel developments to fund carbon capture and storage initiatives and scraps a plan that would have financed natural gas power plants. |
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Dozens Reported Dead in Myanmar After Military Strikes Rebel-Organized Concert |
A rebel group said at least fifty people were killed (AFP) when military jets attacked a concert it held in the northern Kachin State. Kenya/Pakistan: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said a panel will investigate (Dawn) Kenyan police officers’ alleged killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif. |
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Middle East and North Africa |
UN Envoy: ‘No Clear End in Sight’ to Libya Deadlock |
Newly appointed UN Libya envoy Abdoulaye Bathily told the UN Security Council (UN News) there is “no clear end in sight” to the political deadlock that has postponed Libyan elections originally set for December 2021, though he is holding consultations to resolve the matter. Israel/Palestinian territories: The Israeli military said it killed five gunmen (Times of Israel), including an alleged leader of a Palestinian militant group, during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus. |
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Uganda’s Capital Reports Nine New Ebola Cases |
Authorities reported the cases (The Telegraph) in Kampala yesterday, bringing the city’s total reported cases to fourteen. Sudan: Pro-democracy protesters gathered (Reuters) in the capital, Khartoum, today for the one-year anniversary of a coup that blocked a democratic transition in the country. For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s Michelle Gavin looks at the fallout from Sudan’s coup one year later. |
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Russian Court Rejects Appeal by Jailed U.S. Basketball Player |
A Moscow appeals court upheld a drug possession sentence (AP) for U.S. basketball star Brittney Griner in a hearing today. It ruled that her time in pretrial detention should contribute to her nine-year sentence. |
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Ruling Says OAS Head Mishandled Rights Chief’s Removal |
An internal review panel at the Organization of American States (OAS) found that Secretary-General Luis Almagro violated due process rights (AP) when he fired the body’s top human rights official in 2020. This Backgrounder looks at the role of the OAS. U.S./Nicaragua: The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions on Nicaragua’s mining sector in an attempt to deny (Reuters) President Daniel Ortega’s government resources that could be used to undermine democratic institutions. |
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House Progressives Issue, Then Walk Back, Letter Calling for Diplomacy on Ukraine |
A group of progressive Democrats in the House of Representatives released a letter calling for diplomacy (Bloomberg) to end the war in Ukraine. Hours later, they issued a statement clarifying that they have an “unequivocal commitment to supporting Ukraine in their fight for democracy and freedom.” On the Why It Matters podcast, CFR President Richard Haass discusses how the Ukraine war could end. |
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