Colombia's president-elect, Abelardo "El Tigre" de la Espriella, has vowed a hardline stance against armed groups. His approach contrasts with outgoing President Gustavo Petro's "Total Peace" policy. Crisis Group experts analyze the implications. This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group experts Renata Segura and Elizabeth Dickinson about Colombia’s turbulent election, president-elect Abelardo “El Tigre” de la Espriella’s hardline promises to fight armed groups and the legacy of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s signature policy of “Total Peace”.
The US has imposed new sanctions targeting an Iranian businessman and several exchange houses. The move aims to disrupt a global financial network used by Iran's Supreme Leader. The sanctions seek to limit Tehran's access to foreign currency. The United States imposed sweeping new sanctions targeting an Iranian businessman accused of managing a global financial network for Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei and several exchange houses that Washington says have helped Tehran evade sanctions and maintain access to foreign currency.
US President Donald Trump agreed to further talks with Iran. He warned Tehran the cease-fire is over. US President Donald Trump said Iran has as requested that “talks” between the two countries continue, although he emphatically warned Tehran that the current cease-fire is no longer in effect amid a flurry of tit-for-tat strikes by both sides.
Sudan's war-torn areas face a new cholera outbreak with over 100 dead. In war-torn Sudan, a deadly new cholera outbreak has already claimed more than 100 lives, heightening serious concerns for vulnerable communities including in besieged El-Obeid, where daily drone attacks have continued to hamper aid access.
James Jay Carafano says Trump holds all the cards in dealing with Iran amid diplomatic efforts. Despite days of military exchanges between the United States and Iran, Washington insists it remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution. To better understand Washington's posture, RFE/RL spoke with the Heritage Foundation's James Jay Carafano.
Volkswagen's retrenchment reflects Europe's auto industry crisis, with excess capacity and Chinese competition forcing plant closures. European carmakers have too much capacityDiego Faßnacht reports that Volkswagen’s retrenchment reflects a broader structural crisis in Europe’s auto industry, where excess capacity, weaker demand and intensifying Chinese competition are forcing plant closures and job The post Volkswage.
Nigeria's president ordered an investigation into a fictitious federal agency allocated 1.3bn naira in the 2026 budget. President orders investigation after fictitious body given funding, triggering renewed scrutiny of alleged corruptionA fictitious federal entity that was allocated 1.3bn naira (£700,000) in Nigeria’s 2026 budget has precipitated a political storm in Africa’s largest democracy in the run-up to a general election set for January. The fake agency came to light last October when Femi Gbajabiamila, the.
The US-Iran war brought shipping to a near-standstill in the Strait of Hormuz, stranding 6,000 seafarers. Renewed hostilities between the United States and Iran reportedly brought shipping to a near-standstill in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, leaving around 6,000 seafarers stranded aboard hundreds of vessels and Gulf countries on high alert for further attacks.
Representatives from 12 countries conducted a "virtual diplomatic field visit" to a Gaza displacement site. They heard from residents about their pressing needs. The UN facilitated the virtual tour. Representatives from 12 countries carried out a “virtual diplomatic field visit” to a displacement site in the Gaza Strip and heard from some of the residents about their pressing needs, the United Nations said on Thursday.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the Democratic Republic of the Congo's armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 group to cease hostilities following recent civilian deaths. He deplored the violence in eastern DR Congo. The conflict has resulted in numerous casualties. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk urged the armed forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group to cease hostilities as he deplored recent civilian deaths on Thursday.
The US struck 80 targets in Iran after Iranian forces fired on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz without coordination. For the second time since the US-Iran Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed, Washington and Tehran have slipped back into direct military confrontation. The United States struck “80 targets in Iran with precision munitions” after Iranian forces fired on several ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz without prior coordination with Tehran.
US senators and the Trump administration have agreed to advance a bill imposing tougher economic penalties on Russia and countries supporting its war economy. The move is aimed at Moscow's continued aggression. Kyiv has welcomed the decision. A bipartisan group of US senators said they had reached an agreement with the Trump administration to advance long-delayed legislation aimed at imposing tougher economic penalties on Russia and countries that continue to support Moscow’s war economy.
A brawl erupted in Lviv, western Ukraine, on July 8, between Ukrainian military recruiters and local residents as officers detained men who failed to register for duty. Authorities opened a criminal investigation. Russia was accused of using propaganda to incite unrest. A brawl between Ukrainian military recruiters and local residents erupted in Lviv, western Ukraine, on July 8, as the officers were detaining men who had failed to register for duty.
Ukraine launched multiple strikes against Russian energy assets, including oil terminals and tankers at sea. This forced Moscow to halt shipping through a major waterway. The attacks are part of Kyiv's "long-range sanctions" against Russia. Ukraine launched multiple strikes against Kremling energy assets, including oil terminals and tankers at sea, reportedly forcing Moscow to halt shipping through a major waterway as Kyiv intensifies what it has labeled its "long-range sanctions" against Russia.
Russian forces destroyed over 150 Ukrainian gas stations using Geran-2 drones in three months. Over the past three months, Russian forces have destroyed more than 150 gas stations in Ukraine using Geran-2 drones. The strikes are primarily carried out at a distance of 30–50 kilometers from the border and the front line.
Residents of Omsk, a Siberian city 2,250 kilometers east of Moscow, were shocked by a surprise Ukrainian attack. The attack brought the war close to home for Omsk inhabitants who had been watching it from afar for over four years. Many described the experience as a huge shock. For more than four years, the inhabitants of Omsk, a Siberian city more than 2,250 kilometers east of Moscow, have watched the war against Ukraine from afar.
Poland and Ukraine's ties are strained over World War II-era killings at a crucial time in Ukraine's defense against Russia. Poland, steeped in bad memories of the 1939 Nazi-Soviet invasion and decades of dominance from Moscow after World War II, is a firm backer of Ukraine’s defense against Russia. But a flare-up over their own bloody history is threatening ties at a crucial time -- and could have wide repercussions.
The UN Security Council called for urgent de-escalation amid a spike in civilian deaths from Russian drone attacks. The Security Council must use every tool and diplomatic channel to reach an urgent de-escalation, Rosemary DiCarlo, chief of UN political and peacebuilding affairs, told an emergency meeting on Thursday amid escalating deadly Russian drone and missile attacks on Ukrainian civilians. Stay tuned for live updates.
The United Nations paused to remember the over 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed in Srebrenica in July 1995. The town's women and survivors were left to rebuild their lives after the genocide. The UN marked the event to honor the victims and their families. The United Nations paused on Wednesday to remember the more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys killed in the town of Srebrenica in July 1995, and the women and survivors left to rebuild their lives in the aftermath.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Vijay faults police over Karur stampede. From TVK chief and TN CM Vijay’s Karur visit to renewed tensions in West Asia, this episode brings you the day’s biggest stories. We also track PM Modi’s New Zealand visit, the political buzz around Sharad Pawar’s meeting at Eknath Shinde’s office, WhatsApp’s reply to the Centre over its ‘username’ feature, FIFA updates, and more.
Indonesia rewrites the inflation playbook by not hiking interest rates. For over three decades, the standard playbook for taming inflation has remained virtually unchanged. Faced with surging prices, central banks invariably resort to hiking interest rates. The ripple effects are swift: demand cools, consumption slows and inflationary pressures gradually recede. This inflation-targeting framework has anchored global monetary policy since the 1990s, proving highly effe.
UNESCO urged lenders to expand debt-for-education swaps, citing many developing countries spending more on debt than schooling. The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) urged international lenders to expand debt-for-education swaps, warning in a Friday report that many developing countries are spending more on debt servicing than on schooling their children.
New Zealand's planned NZ$3.5bn datacentre sparks concern over electricity and water use, and potential noise pollution. Plans to build a NZ$3.5bn datacentre in Makarewa in the country’s south has drawn concern about electricity and water use, and potential noise pollutionPeople living near the site of New Zealand’s first planned AI datacentre are calling for more transparency about the project, especially about how the centre’s huge electricity and water use and potential noise pollution could affect them. Singapore.
The US indicted Lawrence Bishnoi and Satinderjeet Singh for directing the 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. The US decision to indict jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his alleged North American associate, Satinderjeet Singh (“Goldy Brar”), for allegedly directing the 2023 assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada is more than another organized crime prosecution.
Andy Burnham, a Labour Party member, is poised to become UK Prime Minister. He won a byelection in Makerfield on June 18. This development comes amid waning support for Keir Starmer within the party. Burnham, who is from Labour’s ‘soft left’ and was elected three times to run Manchester, won a byelection in Makerfield on June 18 in order to return to Westminster, as support for Keir Starmer within his party continued to evaporate.
