Global Beat: Terror in Manchester, Iran’s Election, and More
May 26, 2017

Global Beat is your weekly stop for news from around the world. Join us every Friday morning for important stories you should know about.

This week, a suicide bombing during a concert in Manchester kills 22 people; Iranians reelect President Hassan Rouhani to a second term; Brazil’s political crisis continues; and more.
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Americas

Brazil’s political crisis continues with the arrest of one of President Michel Temer’s aides in connection with a fraud investigation related to renovations of a 2014 World Cup soccer stadium. Another Temer aide surrendered a bag of hush money meant for former House Speaker Eduardo Cunha to the police. Temer assumed the presidency following the impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff. Her predecessor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is also facing several corruption charges. Marcos Casarin, head of Latin America macro research at Oxford Economics, told CNBC that there is a “100 percent” chance Temer will leave office before the end of his term in 2018.

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Central & South Asia

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena switched the roles of the country’s foreign and finance ministers in the first cabinet reshuffle of the coalition government since 2015. The move was intended to restore confidence in the administration’s handling of the economy. It is unclear if the former foreign minister’s removal is related to his co-sponsoring UN Human Rights Council resolutions calling for investigations into the country’s alleged wartime abuses.

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China & East Asia

Moody’s has downgraded China’s long-term local currency and foreign currency ratings to A1 from Aa3. The downgrade represents Moody’s “expectation that China’s financial strength will erode somewhat over the coming years, with economy-wide debt continuing to rise as potential growth slows.” The move will make borrowing money from overseas more expensive, pushing Chinese companies to borrow more from domestic banks. This was the country’s first downgrade since 1989.

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Europe & Russia

A suicide bombing during an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, United Kingdom, killed 22 people and injured more than 60. Police said 22-year-old Salman Abedi carried out the attack, but that he did not act alone, and have widened their investigation to seek a network of suspects. ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack. Abedi was born in Manchester but is believed to have made recent trips to Libya. Eight people have been arrested in connection with the attack, including Abedi’s 23-year-old brother Hashem and their father.

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Middle East & North Africa

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was reelected to a second term last Friday in an election that saw record voter turnout. The conservative opposition is questioning the election results and accusing the Rouhani administration of violating the law. Iran could experience another major transition soon if the 77-year-old supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is in poor health, passes away.

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Southeast Asia & Oceania

Indonesian police have set up a task force to target lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. On Sunday, police raided an alleged gay sex party in Jakarta and arrested 141 men, charging 10 of them with violating Indonesia’s pornography law, a crime punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim nation, has become increasingly hostile toward homosexuality, alarming rights advocates.

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Sub-Saharan Africa

Kenya has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cuba aimed at improving healthcare and strengthening medical cooperation. The MOU covers biotechnology, oncology, nephrology, urgent care, cardiovascular surgery, drug manufacturing, and other specializations. Kenyan Health Secretary Cleopa Mailu and Cuban Minister for Public Health Roberto Morales signed the agreement on the sidelines of the 70th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland. Cuba will also manufacture anti-retroviral medicines, anti-malarial drugs, vaccines, medical gases, and devices in Kenya.

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