Ethiopia, Colombia, UAE/India
Today's three stories you should know
Ethiopia
In an unsurprising outcome, as predicted by journalist Zecharias Zelalem in a recent episode of The Proximities Podcast, the party of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has won a landslide in parliamentary elections held earlier this month, securing about 90 percent of seats. Abiy, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2019 for initially mending relations with longtime foe Eritrea, has come under increasing criticism for authoritarianism, and has presided over a country with a fractured opposition and armed rebellions in at least three regions. People in the northern Tigray region, the center of a civil war from 2020 to 2022, were not permitted to vote due to what were called "unfavorable conditions."
More from Africa News here.
Episode 4 of The Proximities Podcast, a conversation with Taiwanese-American writer and professor Michelle Kuo, is now available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
Colombia
Far-right lawyer and political outsider Abelardo de la Espriella has won Colombia’s photo-finish presidential election, according to an initial ballot count. With almost 100 percent of votes counted, de la Espriella had 49.66 percent while his rival, leftist Senator Iván Cepeda, was at 48.70 percent. De la Espriella, who is also a U.S. citizen and won the public backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, has pledged a fierce crackdown on the country’s patchwork of armed groups, saying he will scrap peace talks pursued by President Gustavo Petro, the first leftist leader in Colombian history, and launch U.S.-backed air strikes.
More from Al Jazeera here.
UAE/India
India is in talks with the United Arab Emirates to sell the Gulf nation some of its flagship defense equipment, including the much-vaunted supersonic cruise missile BrahMos, according to an exclusive report from Reuters. The news agency, citing four anonymous Indian sources, said the deal could also include the potential sale of India's air defense system Akashteer. The UAE appears to be stepping up its procurement of arms following Iranian strikes on its territory during the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. Analysts say it also wants to develop the ability to protect the Strait of Hormuz, which is crucial to its energy exports.
More from Reuters here.