Guyanese Businessman Facing US Extradition Elected Opposition Leader

Azruddin Mohamed, a Guyanese businessman facing extradition to the United States on charges of gold smuggling and money laundering, was elected as the opposition leader in Guyana, according to The Guardian. The election occurred six months after Mohamed formed a political party that quickly became the country's second largest.

The news comes as the international community grapples with discussions surrounding global trade and currency dominance. Just days before the 2025 Group of 20 summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, central bank governors from South Africa and China met to inaugurate a system aimed at moving international trade away from the dominance of the US dollar, Al Jazeera reported.

In other international trade news, former US President Donald Trump stated his intention to raise tariffs on South Korean goods, including automobiles, lumber, and pharmaceuticals, according to The Guardian. Trump accused South Korea of not adhering to a trade deal struck the previous year.

Meanwhile, in Costa Rica, a Russian family deported from the United States remained in legal limbo almost a year after a deal between the Trump administration and Costa Rica allowed for the deportation of individuals denied asylum in the US, The Guardian reported.

In Iraq, Nouri al-Maliki, the former prime minister, was nominated by the country's dominant Shia political bloc as its candidate, Al Jazeera reported.