Russia Attacks Ukraine Energy Infrastructure, Triggering Blackouts |
Russian air strikes hit Ukrainian energy facilities (Reuters) overnight, leaving more than one million people without power, Kyiv said. Ukrainian officials reported that dozens of drones and missiles put (Politico) the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on the verge of a blackout and sustained significant damage to the Dnipro hydropower station, Ukraine’s largest dam. The attacks follow a series of Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refining facilities in recent weeks. U.S. officials have repeatedly warned Ukrainian officials to halt the attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure over concerns they will provoke Russia to retaliate and drive up oil prices, the Financial Times reported.
Kyiv’s anti-missile defense systems shot down some of Moscow’s strikes overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, but he pointed to the need for an increase in military aid from allies. At least five people were reported killed in Russia’s attack, which Ukraine’s grid operator called the “largest combined attack” on Ukraine’s energy system since the start of the war. |
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“The Kremlin has taken a notably more aggressive line towards the West since the French president, Emmanuel Macron, opened the door to sending European ground troops to Ukraine,” The Guardian’s Pjotr Sauer writes.
“Russian missile attacks have grown more experimental and complex since late 2022, and Ukraine’s interception rates have declined as a result,” the Carnegie Endowment’s Dara Massicot writes for Foreign Affairs. “The Russian military’s long-term weaknesses will not matter if Ukraine is not supported this year.”
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South Korea Looks to Multicountry Framework for Decision on Chip Export Curbs |
Seoul’s trade minister said yesterday that it was working through (Bloomberg) the Wassenaar Arrangement, an export control body comprising forty-two countries, to make decisions and that it would take months to put any curbs in place. The United States has been seeking South Korea’s aid in curtailing China’s participation in chip supply chains. China is not a member of the organization.
Australia: The country will begin enforcing (Reuters) tougher requirements on student visas tomorrow in an effort to control immigration, as data released yesterday showed it reached a record high last year.
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Indian Authorities Arrest Senior Opposition Politician |
Authorities arrested (FT) Arvind Kejriwal yesterday as part of a money laundering probe that his party said was politically motivated. Kejriwal is the chief minister of Delhi and one of the most vocal critics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Afghanistan: The self-declared Islamic State claimed responsibility (AP) for a bombing yesterday at a bank in southern Afghanistan, saying it was intended for Taliban members. The attack killed at least three people.
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Middle East and North Africa |
UN Security Council to Vote on U.S.-Sponsored Resolution for Gaza Cease-Fire |
Today’s vote is over a resolution that calls for (WaPo) “an immediate and sustained cease-fire” and condemns restrictions on aid entering the Gaza Strip, attacks against civilians, and “all acts of terrorism,” including the October 7 attacks by Hamas. The resolution also offers “unequivocal” support for “such a cease-fire in connection with the release of all remaining hostages.”
China/Russia/Yemen: The Iran-backed, Yemen-based Houthi rebels told Beijing and Moscow at talks in Oman that their ships will not be targeted in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, Bloomberg reported. The countries could provide political support to the Houthis in return. Houthi, Chinese, and Russian spokespeople did not immediately comment on the matter.
This In Brief by CFR’s Noah Berman explains the Houthi threat to global shipping in the Red Sea.
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CFR’s Robert McMahon and Carla Anne Robbins discuss Senegal’s and Slovakia’s presidential elections, Pakistan and the Taliban exchanging fire, the IAEA’s first-ever nuclear energy summit in Brussels, and more. |
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Senegal to Hold Presidential Election After Pre-Vote Uproar |
Sunday’s vote will proceed after being delayed and rescheduled, events that shook perceptions (NPR) of Senegal as one of the most stable democracies in West Africa. The vote is seen as a wide open contest (France 24) to replace President Macky Sall, who has been in power for the last twelve years.
U.S./Niger: U.S. officials have held closed-door talks to see if some U.S. troops can remain in Niger following the military government’s announcement on Saturday that it was ending its security agreements with Washington effective immediately, the Washington Post reported. The situation remains “dynamic,” U.S. officials said.
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Irish Higher Education Minister Expected to Become Next Prime Minister |
Simon Harris said yesterday that he aims to be the next leader of the center-right Fine Gael party and appears to be unopposed (FT). Leo Varadkar, the party’s former leader and Ireland’s prime minister, announced this week that he will resign.
In this CFR meeting, Varadkar discusses Ireland’s foreign policy objectives.
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Haiti Police Operation Kills Senior Gang Leader |
Police killed gang leader Ernst Julme yesterday, a day after another leader was killed in what appeared to be an act of vigilante justice, police confirmed. Officers have struggled (Reuters) to quell gang attacks in the capital, Port-au-Prince, as negotiations to form a transition government in the country continue. Earlier this month, Haiti’s prime minister announced plans to resign once the transition government is formed.
For the Latin America’s Moment blog, CFR experts Will Freeman and Shannon K. O’Neil unpack the perils of Haiti’s lack of leadership.
Mexico/Venezuela: The countries agreed (Bloomberg) that Venezuelan migrants will receive jobs and a $660 stipend if they return to Venezuela as part of a new joint program, Mexican Foreign Minister Alicia Barcena said yesterday. She did not specify how many migrants would be part of the program.
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Justice Department Antitrust Campaign Reaches Apple |
The Justice Department, along with fifteen states and the District of Columbia, filed (CNN) an antitrust suit against tech giant Apple yesterday, alleging its restrictive terms on its app store violated competition law. It is the largest in a string of big tech companies targeted by recent antitrust probes. Apple denied the allegations and said it plans to fight them.
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NPR gathers what moments of joy look like from around the world captured by photojournalists for the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness. |
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