Gustavo Petro becomes first leftist leader of Colombia

Francia Márquez is set to serve as the country’s first Black vice president. [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [View in your browser]( [Top of The World]( --------------------------------------------------------------- What The World is following Gustavo Petro becomes first leftist leader of Colombia [Former rebel Gustavo Petro, his wife Veronica Alcocer and his running mate Francia Marquez celebrate before supporters after winning a runoff presidential election in Bogota, Colombia, June 19, 2022.] Credit: Fernando Vergara/AP Colombia Gustavo Petro has become [Colombia’s first leftist leader]( after narrowly defeating real estate tycoon Rodolfo Hernández in the country’s runoff election on Sunday. It was Petro’s third attempt to win the presidency and comes as Colombia faces rising inequality, inflation and violence. Petro, a former rebel with the now-defunct M-19 guerrilla movement, has been a senator and mayor of the capital Bogotá. His vice president will be Francia Márquez, an environmental activist, who will serve as the country’s [first Black vice president](. Petro reached across the aisle during his victory speech, calling on the opposition to work together “to discuss the problems of Colombia.” India Protests continue in India over a new army scheme that turns recruitment contracts into short-term jobs. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had announced the policy last week that would hire soldiers for only four years, after which the majority of them would be relieved from duty [without any gratuity or pensionary benefits](, with only 25% of them being retained for further services. India’s military is the country’s second-largest employer — after the railways — and many youth, mostly from rural areas, depend on it for secure jobs. Demonstrators burned trains, blocked roads and ransacked public property. At least one person has died so far and hundreds have been arrested. The protests started in the eastern Bihar state, Haryana in the north and the western state of Rajasthan — all [key recruitment regions]( for the army. Ethiopia More than 200 people, mostly from the [ethnic Amhara group](, have been killed in Ethiopia’s Oromia region in one of the deadliest such attacks in recent memory amid continued ethnic tensions. Witnesses and the regional government have blamed the Oromo Liberation Army for the attacks, but the group has [denied responsibility](. An OLA spokesman blamed the violence on retreating military forces and local militia. Ethnic violence broke out in the country after the government and its allies tried to suppress a rebellion in the northern Tigray region in Nov. 2020, which soon escalated into a civil war. --------------------------------------------------------------- From The World [TikTok can be a ‘dangerous tool for hatemongers,’ Kenyan govt warns ahead of elections]( [A view of the TikTok app logo, in Tokyo, Japan, Sept. 28, 2020.]( Credit: Kiichiro Sato/AP/File photo A new Mozilla Foundation report states that election disinformation and hate speech are being [spread through TikTok]( in the run up to elections in Kenya next month. After violence erupted during 2007 elections, the government created an agency to quell ethnic strife, and it warns against a repeat of the unrest. ['Death is still better than living in Russia': A Ukrainian medic on the front lines says there's no choice but to fight]( [Ukrainian Cpl. Andrii Shadrin is a 26-year-old medic who has been fighting in the eastern Ukrainian Donbas region.]( Credit: Courtesy of Cpl. Andrii Shadrin Ukrainian Cpl. Andrii Shadrin has been deployed to the Donbas region to fight Russian-backed separatists [a half dozen times]( since 2014. The 26-year-old medic spoke to The World's host Carolyn Beeler from a makeshift base in the Luhansk region. --------------------------------------------------------------- Keep The World paywall free Your vital support sustains The World’s nonprofit newsroom so that The World’s independent reporting and human-centered stories can remain open and paywall free. We have a goal of raising $25,000 between now and June 30 to power our nonprofit newsroom for another year. Can we [count on your support]( to ensure The World remains free and accessible? --------------------------------------------------------------- Bright spot In the UK, doctors are giving out social prescriptions to treat loneliness and isolation. These conditions have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the country has been finding unique ways to help people — including the elderly — to cope. The Posh Club has become such a place for people to come together, dance and make new friends. 🕺💃 [Listen to the story here]( by Sofie Kodner and Zachary Fletcher. 🎧 [A Posh Club performer leads club-goers in a conga-line.] Credit: Peter Robertshaw/The World In case you missed it on The World --------------------------------------------------------------- Don't forget to subscribe to The World's Latest Edition podcast using your favorite podcast player: [RadioPublic](, [Apple Podcasts](, [Stitcher](, [Soundcloud](, [RSS]( [The World logo]( [The World on Facebook]( [The World's Twitter account]( [Donate]( | [Forward to a friend]( | [Subscribe]( | [Edit your subscription]( | [Unsubscribe]( | [View in your browser]( Top of the World is written weekday mornings by the team at [The World](. 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