Author: Spandana Janapati

Dissanayake Takes Office: Sri Lanka’s New Leader Faces IMF Challenges

The new president of Sri Lanka, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, was sworn into office Monday September 23 after winning a snap election held five days prior. Under the tough austerity program imposed on Sri Lanka as part of a $2.9 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout agreement, former President Ranil Wickremesinghe

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Venezuela’s Fight For Democracy: Opposition Leader González Takes Refuge In Spain

Venezuelan opposition leader and presidential candidate Edmundo González requested asylum in Spain on September 8th to escape heightening political and diplomatic confrontation in Venezuela. The decision followed a controversial July 28th election in which President Nicolás Maduro claimed victory despite accusations of massive fraud and systematic repression. Venezuela then ordered

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Hundreds of Inmates Escape Nigeria Prison Amid Severe Floods

More than 200 inmates fled from a medium-security prison in Maiduguri, northeast Nigeria, on September 15th, due to flood waters that severely damaged the walls of their buildings. The Nigerian Correctional Service (N.C.S.) reported that 281 inmates escaped during the transfer of prisoners to a more secure facility. Some of

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Burkina Faso Massacre Underscores Escalating Violence At The Hands Of JNIM

On August 24, Central Burkina Faso was the site of an attack by an al-Qaeda-linked armed group called Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (J.N.I.M.). The attack occurred in the town of Barsalogho, a critical military crossing point for Ouagadougou. The gunmen hit civilians who were digging defensive trenches around security posts

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Sudan’s Struggle For Peace: Geneva Talks Begin Amidst Crisis

After more than a year of internal conflict, peace talks between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group began on August 14th in Geneva. The discussions are the first phase in a process that will be followed by further dialogues, unable to address more

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The Path Forward: China And Japan’s Diplomatic Negotiations Amid Global Tensions

On July 26th, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Japan’s Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa in Laos during an A.S.E.A.N. foreign ministers’ gathering. The discussion focused on several contentious issues, including the detention of Japanese nationals in China, restrictions on food imports, and limitations on semiconductor exports. This meeting represented

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Crisis At Sea: Migrants Arrive Exhausted On Spanish Canary Shores

On July 19, a boat carrying 64 migrants landed on Las Burras beach, Gran Canaria. Eleven of the migrants were taken to hospitals, with four in critical condition as emergency personnel and beachgoers rushed to help the exhausted arrivals. The migrants were packed into an old artisanal fishing boat by

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