Video of tragic incident sparks UK political firestorm, Peru to select its next president, Zelensky writes to Putin

Man’s death sparks political firestorm in the United Kingdom

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage called for the British public to respond with “pure, cold rage” after a video emerged on Monday showing 18-year-old Henry Nowak desperately calling for help while the police arrested him last December. He died hours later. What exactly is the controversy? When police arrived at the scene, they saw Nowak, who is white, bleeding profusely, while nearby was a 23-year-old British Sikh man Vickrum Digwa, who had stabbed him. However, the police arrested Nowak first because Digwa falsely accused the teenager of racially abusing him, before they noticed the full extent of his injuries. Days later, Digwa was charged with murder, and later convicted – he was sentenced in May to life imprisonment.

Farage suggested that the incident is the latest example of a “two-tier” police system that discriminates against white people – borrowing language used during protests against racial bias in policing that captured global attention in 2020, but in reverse. This response in and of itself has ignited its own backlash, with both Labour and Conservative leaders accusing the hard-right leader of exploiting Nowak’s death for political gain. Farage’s party already leads UK polls, but it would appear he’s keen to remain on the offensive.

Peru’s chaotic presidential election set to climax

Roughly 27 million Peruvians will decide on Sunday whether conservative Keiko Fujimori or leftist Roberto Sánchez will be the next leader of a South American country renowned for its huge copper and gold deposits. Like with other Latin American countries, crime has been a top issue for voters in Peru. The campaign has been riddled with logistical issues, notably when it took over a month to establish which two candidates would advance to the runoff from April’s first-round vote. Meanwhile, hundreds of Peruvians took to the streets of the capital, Lima, this week to protest Fujimori’s candidacy, fearing she could renew her father Alberto Fujimori’s authoritarian regime. Sánchez has his own links to a controversial ex-president, too: he has pledged to release his former mentor and president, Pedro Castillo, from jail – he’s serving an 11-year sentence for conspiring to commit a rebellion. Who’s going to win? We’d normally ask the shamans of Peru, but they were too divided to make a call during their ritual blessing on Monday.

Zelensky sends bombshell letter to Putin

In a scorching 1,800-word missive on Thursday, the Ukrainian president warned Vladimir Putin that his regime would not survive the war, and proposed a face-to-face meeting to end the war on sustainable terms. Notably, it suggests that the US, distracted by Iran, need not be a major mediator of the talks. The letter comes as Ukraine’s battlefield situation is improving, with Russia starting to lose occupied territory while Kyiv’s drones and missiles reach ever more sensitive Russian infrastructure. This week in St. Petersburg, Putin’s hometown, a plume of smoke from a Ukrainian strike blackened the sky during a major investment conference. So far, the two sides have been deadlocked: Putin wants Ukrainian regime change and more territory, while Ukraine wants a peace deal with sustainable security guarantees. On Thursday, Putin seemed unimpressed, casting doubt on Zelensky’s legitimacy as president of Ukraine.