The Netherlands and Canada filed a complaint against Syria at the International Court of Justice this week, alleging that the Syrian government has tortured thousands of civilians since the start of the civil war more than a decade ago, Sky News reported. The complaint accused the...
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A Swedish appeals court ruled this week that authorities had no legal grounds to block protests involving the burning of the Quran earlier this year, despite police concerns that the planned demonstrations were a security risk, Agence France-Presse reported. The case centers on two planned book-burning...
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Italian and world leaders paid tribute to former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi after the business mogul-turned-politician passed away Monday, leaving behind a mixed legacy marked by scandals and sex-fueled parties that dogged him throughout his three terms in office, NPR reported. Local media said Berlusconi died...
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The Ethiopian government criticized the decision by two major aid organizations to suspend food assistance to the African country, a move that could jeopardize the food security of millions of people impacted by civil conflicts and drought in eastern Africa, Agence France-Presse reported. Last week, USAID...
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The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) confirmed Monday that the United States is planning to rejoin the agency after leaving it almost six years ago, a move that observers said is aimed at countering China’s rising influence within the organization, Axios reported. UNESCO...
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China is operating a spy station in Cuba, according to the US Biden administration, a revelation that comes days after reports emerged that Beijing was paying Havana to set up a facility just 100 miles off Florida, the Washington Post reported. The eavesdropping facility in Cuba...
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Montenegro held early parliamentary elections Sunday, a poll that comes as the NATO member faces political deadlock that could jeopardize the southeast European country’s path toward joining the European Union, the Associated Press reported. Voters will choose among 15 parties and coalitions raging from pro-Western to...
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A coalition of opposition parties won Guinea-Bissau’s parliamentary elections, dealing a blow to President Umaro Sissoco Embalo who dissolved the legislature last year over disputes with lawmakers, Al Jazeera reported. Results showed that the five-party coalition Terra Ranka secured 54 of 102 seats in last week’s...
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Australia will introduce a new bill next week that will ban the public display of Nazi symbols amid concerns that far-right and white supremacist groups are using them to raise their profile, Voice of America reported Thursday. The proposed law will prohibit flags, clothing, armbands, and...
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Norwegian officials warned Thursday that smoke and haze from Canada’s large wildfires are expected to permeate into the Scandinavian country in the coming days, the Associated Press reported. The Norwegian Climate and Environment Research Institute used a forecasting model to estimate how smoke would travel through...
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Egypt banned archaeologists from a Dutch museum from conducting excavations at a key site after a new exhibition on Egyptian history at the institution drew condemnation from officials and historians for linking ancient Egyptians to contemporary Black musicians, the BBC reported. The National Museum of Antiquities...
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Fiji will reconsider its security ties with China, the island nation’s leader hinted Wednesday, a potential shift that comes amid heightened geopolitical tensions in the Pacific region, the Associated Press reported. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the country was reviewing the controversial police cooperation deal that...
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Senegal ordered the temporary closure of some of its consulates abroad following attacks on its diplomatic missions this week, a move that came less than a week after the West African nation was hit with its worst unrest in decades, Reuters reported. The foreign affairs ministry...
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The Czech Republic ordered a ban on alcohol consumption on government planes this week following a sexual harassment scandal sourcing from an incident during a flight to South Korea in April, Politico reported. The scandal involved a military doctor accused of inappropriately touching a woman who...
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Kyrgyz authorities arrested more than 30 people Tuesday over allegations of attempting to oust President Sadyr Japarov, Euronews reported. Officials said the group – made up of opposition members – was planning to seize power through riots and protests. The detentions came a few days after European...
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Mexico’s ruling party won Sunday’s gubernatorial elections in the country’s most populous state, a victory that observers describe as a key test ahead of next year’s general polls, the Financial Times reported. Delfina Gómez Álvarez, the candidate for President Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s Morena party, secured...
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The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) ruled this week that Poland violated EU law with its controversial judicial reform, saying that the changes endangered the independence of the member state’s judiciary, Politico reported. In its verdict, the court sided with the European Commission...
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Hundreds of thousands of Polish protesters took to the streets of the capital Warsaw this week to protest against the country’s conservative government and call for change, a mass demonstration that comes ahead of a highly-anticipated parliamentary election in autumn, the Guardian reported. Opposition leader Donald...
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Taliban authorities are investigating the suspected poisonings of more than 80 Afghan students and teachers in the past few days, in an incident that resembles an outbreak of attacks recently on schoolgirls in neighboring Iran, the Washington Post reported. Officials said the incidents took place at...
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Violent scuffles between German police and far-left protesters in the eastern city of Leipzig left dozens of people injured this week, unrest that ignited days after a court sentenced a woman to prison for participating in attacks on neo-Nazis and other extremists, the Associated Press...
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