Top Ukrainian Officials Dismissed Amid Anticorruption Push
Top officials in Ukraine’s presidential office, Defense Ministry, and Prosecutor General’s Office resigned or were removed from their posts (WaPo) in the country’s largest leadership shake-up since Russia invaded. Several regional governors were also ousted. The changes come amid an anticorruption campaign (NYT) by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and follow media reports that the Defense Ministry agreed to buy food for the military at inflated prices. The Defense Ministry denied the reports of corruption but accepted the deputy defense minister’s resignation as a confidence-building measure.
Meanwhile, Russian forces have intensified fighting (WSJ) near the Dnipro River in southern Ukraine as Ukraine waits for deliveries of heavy weapons from Western countries. The government shake-up appears to be an attempt to reassure Ukraine’s Western partners, which have sent billions of dollars of aid, though there are no signs that this assistance has been mismanaged.
Analysis
“Kyiv’s officials have been at pains over the course of the war to attempt to show that the nation is pulling together and cleaning up its act on corruption in a bid to chart a course toward [European Union membership],” Politico’s Veronika Melkozerova writes.
“A new social contract emerged during the war between civil society, journalists and the government: We will not criticize you like we did before the war, but your reaction to any scandal and ineffectiveness must be as tough as possible,” the Kyiv-based Anti-Corruption Action Centre’s Vitaliy Shabunin tells the New York Times.
White House Nominates First North Korea Human Rights Envoy in Six Years
The U.S. Senate would still need to confirm (WaPo) Julie Turner, a State Department official. In July, South Korea named its own human rights ambassador to North Korea for the first time since 2017.
China/Sri Lanka: TheExport-Import Bank of China offered Sri Lanka a two-year pause (Reuters) on debt repayments as part of Colombo’s debt restructuring. The bank said it will also back Sri Lanka’s efforts to secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund.
South and Central Asia
Egypt’s Sisi Begins State Visit to India
Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi are expected to discuss (The National) business and security ties and sign a deal on the coproduction of military vehicles.
U.S., Israel Launch Their Largest Joint Military Exercise Ever
The exercise includes one hundred U.S. aircraft (CNN) and forty-two Israeli aircraft. It marks a boost in bilateral military cooperation and comes amid heightened tensions with Iran.
Russia/Syria: The countries restored (Reuters) a military air base in Syria’s north that was recaptured from the self-declared Islamic State in 2017. The base is intended for the countries’ joint use.
Sub-Saharan Africa
Rights Groups Call on Meta to Boost Content Moderation in Africa
Digital rights campaigners including Access Now called for (Reuters) Facebook’s parent company, Meta, to hire more content moderators and increase moderator’s pay after the social media giant’s main contractor in Africa said it would no longer screen posts for harmful content.
Nigeria: The country opened (AP) a $1.5 billion, Chinese-funded port in Lagos that aims to relieve congestion at the city’s two other ports.
Europe
Turkey’s Erdoğan Casts Doubt on Support for Sweden’s NATO Membership
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sweden can no longer expect Turkey’s support (The Guardian) for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) following a protest near the Turkish embassy in Stockholm during which a copy of the Quran was burned.
This In Brief discusses how NATO will change if Finland and Sweden become members.
Americas
Argentina Hosts Latin American Summit Without Venezuela’s Leader
A meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) kicks off in Buenos Aires (MercoPress) today. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro withdrew (MercoPress) from the conference, citing alleged plans for “aggression” against his delegation.
Brazil: The government declared a medical emergency (BBC) due to malnutrition among the Indigenous Yanomami community, and authorities airlifted sixteen people to the hospital.
United States
Health Authorities Recommend Annual COVID-19 Shots
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended (WaPo) that most people receive COVID-19 vaccines annually, like with flu vaccines.
