The news at a glance ... International

Kiev, Ukraine

Second time’s the charm: A pro-Russian former prime minister, Viktor Yanukovich, has won Ukraine’s presidential runoff, narrowly beating pro-Western Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Yanukovich tried to steal a presidential election back in 2004, sparking the Orange Revolution, which brought Viktor Yushchenko to power, with Tymoshenko as his prime minister. This time, though, international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said Yanukovich won fair and square, in an “impressive display” of democracy in Ukraine. Still, Tymoshenko refused to concede defeat, alleging fraud and demanding a recount in several districts.

Moscow

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The joys of monopoly: Russia plans to jack up its price for ferrying American astronauts to the International Space Station, Russian space agency chief Anatoly Perminov said this week. NASA is retiring its space shuttles at the end of this year, and will have to rely on Russian Soyuz rockets for transport for at least the next seven years, until new shuttles are built. Under the current contract, NASA pays Russia $51 million per astronaut ferried—a price already far higher than the $35 million Russia charges private space tourists. But once Russia has a monopoly on transport to the station, Perminov said, “excuse me, but the prices should be absolutely different then.”

Beijing

Made in China, owned by China: China is now the world’s biggest exporter, knocking Germany from a position it had held for decades. According to 2009 data released this week, China exported $1.202 trillion worth of goods, compared with Germany’s $1.121 trillion. As if to underscore its global dominance, China also revealed that it has been amassing holdings in several major U.S. companies. In a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the government’s China Investment Corporation disclosed $9.6 billion worth of stock in Citigroup, Coca-Cola, Pfizer, and Apple, among others. CIC Chairman Lou Jiwei said CIC’s intention was to maximize returns on investments, not to try to exert control over the companies in which CIC invests.

Marjah, Afghanistan

Targeting the Taliban: Thousands of U.S., NATO, and Afghan troops this week were readying what was being billed as the largest offensive against the Taliban since 2001. The operation is aimed at taking back the Taliban stronghold of Marjah in Helmand province. Military officials publicized the attack before it began—both to warn civilians to take cover and to encourage wavering Taliban militants to lay down their arms.?“It has to do with letting people know what’s coming in the hope that the hard-core Taliban, or a lot of the Taliban, will simply leave,” said U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, “and maybe there will be less of a fight.” The offensive is the first major show of force in Afghanistan since President Barack Obama decided to send in 30,000 additional U.S. troops.

Tehran

Sanction this: Iran defied the international community this week by announcing it would enrich uranium to 20 percent purity. Iran said the uranium would be used in a medical reactor, but most experts doubt that, since Iran lacks the technology to convert uranium into the fuel rods needed to run one. The enrichment of higher-grade fuel is considered more likely to be a practice run for weapons-making, which requires 90 percent pure uranium. The U.S. and Israel immediately called for the U.N. Security Council to impose new sanctions to punish Iran. “Iran is racing forward to produce nuclear weapons,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel has not ruled out a military strike to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear power.

Colombo, Sri Lanka

Defeated candidate under arrest: Clashes broke out in Sri Lanka this week after defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka was arrested on charges of plotting to overthrow the government. Fonseka, the former army commander who crushed the rebel Tamil Tigers and ended their 25-year insurgency, was meeting with fellow opposition leaders when military police burst in and dragged him from his office. “This is not an arrest. This is an abduction,” said Fonseka’s spokesman, Mangala Samaraweera. Fonseka broke with President Mahinda Rajapaksa shortly after the war ended last year and challenged him unsuccessfully for the presidency two weeks ago. Thousands of protesters marched against his arrest and tussled briefly with smaller groups of government supporters.

Abuja, Nigeria

Veep takes over: Nigeria ended its three-month political crisis this week when the parliament named Vice President Goodluck Jonathan as acting president. The country had been in limbo since November, when President Umaru Yar’Adua went to Saudi Arabia to be treated for a heart condition but did not hand over power before he left. With the government leaderless, clashes broke out between Christians and Muslims, and a deal with rebels in the oil-rich Niger Delta fell apart. The unrest could continue, though, if Muslims oppose Jonathan’s rule; Yar’Adua is a Muslim, while Jonathan is a Christian. Yar’Adua’s absence sparked speculation that he was in a coma or even dead. The BBC aired excerpts of a telephone interview with him three weeks ago, but many Nigerian analysts doubted its authenticity.