The world in brief

2022-08-29

Russian forces fired at towns around the Zaporizhia nuclear power station in the
south-east of Ukraine. The plant was captured by Russian troops in March but is still
run by Ukrainian staff, and, according to Russia, is being shelled by Ukrainian forces. The

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fighting has increased fears of a radioactive leak from the plant. Residents in Zaporizhia
are being taught how to treat themselves with iodine in the event of radiation exposure.

Four associations of European judges challenged the European Council’s decision to

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grant Poland access to €23.9bn ($23.8bn) in grants and €11.5bn in loans. The cash had
been blocked because of a dispute over the independence of Polish judges, which the
European Commission said was being undermined. The judges said that Poland’s reform
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plans “fall short of what is required” to protect judicial independence.

The US Navy said two American warships were sailing through the Taiwan Strait, the
first to do so since Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the House of Representatives, visited
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Taiwan this month. The navy said it was demonstrating America’s “commitment to a free
and open Indo-Pacific”. China—which claims Taiwan as its own and carried out
large military exercises in response to Ms Pelosi’s trip—said it was monitoring the ships
and maintaining a high alert.

Liz Truss, the favourite to become leader of the Conservative Party and
hence Britain’s prime minister, reportedly “ruled out” further direct support for those
struggling with surging energy bills. Rishi Sunak, her rival for the job, said the
government “must provide some direct support”. Boris Johnson, the departing leader,
insisted that whoever wins on September 5th, “the government will announce another
huge package of financial support”.

Lee Jae-myung, who was narrowly defeated in this year’s South Korean presidential
election, was elected to lead the main opposition party. Mr Lee won nearly 78% of the
vote among members of the Democratic Party. In his victory speech he criticised the
administration of Yoon Suk-yeol, the conservative who won the presidential contest in
March.

Angola held a funeral for its late dictator, José Eduardo dos Santos, days after an
election which has been disputed by the opposition. In the general election on August
24th Mr dos Santos’s ruling party won a slim majority. But Adalaberto Costa Júnior, the
opposition leader, rejected the results. The state funeral gives the authorities an excuse to
clamp down on post-election protests.

Officials in Pakistan said on Sunday that the death toll from floods after heavy
monsoon rains that have afflicted the country since mid-June had risen to more than
1,000. In appealing for international help on Friday, the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif,
said that 33m of Pakistan’s 230m people had been affected by the floods.

Fact of the day: 145,000, the number of words in India’s constitution, the longest in the
world.

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