Welcome to “Women Around the World: This Week,” a series that highlights noteworthy news related to women and U.S. foreign policy. This week’s post covers June 25 to July 1. 

Reading selections for the weekend of May 26, 2017.

Facebook takes down influence operations; UN elects new ITU head; Russian APTs use hacktivists as cover; Proton VPN pulls out of India; rumors of fake coup in China spread.

Pegasus spyware detected in PM Boris Johnson's office; Spyware targets Catalan separatists; NATO to conduct Locked Shields exercise; Lazarus Group steals $600 million in cryptocurrency; REvil returns…

In the run-up to last year’s presidential and parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe, hope was palpable in Harare. Civil society activists, journalists, and business leaders marveled at how political space had opened up in the wake of the coup that ousted longtime President Robert Mugabe. It was as if an entire country had opened up the windows to let in fresh air. However, these victories for Zimbabwe are ringing hollow because they occur against an alarming backdrop of state-sponsored violence and intimidation.