Two executives of Hong Kong pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily have been charged for violating national security law after police raided the newsroom on Thursday, June 17. Authorities claimed that several of the newspaper’s articles were in violation of Hong Kong’s new security legislation. The case has reignited concern internationally over
Russian opposition figure Lyubov Sobol announced Monday she was ending her bid for a seat in Russia’s parliament following a court ruling last week that branded organizations linked to Alexei Navalny “extremist” and unable to run for office. Navalny, who is currently serving two and a half years in jail
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani is set to meet with American President Joe Biden on Friday the 25th of June following a surge of violence in Afghanistan. The meeting between Biden and Ghani, joined by Abdullah Abdullah, the chairman of Aghanistan’s High Council for National Reconciliation, will be the first face-to-face
On June 18th, Ebrahim Raisi gained enough votes to win Iran’s presidential election and secure Iran’s second most powerful political position. In total, he received 61.95% of the vote in an election with a record low turnout of 48.8%. However, Raisi’s win was not unexpected; Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei endorsed
A decade after he was taken into custody by the International Criminal Court (ICC), ex-president Laurent Gbagbo is returning home to the Ivory Coast after being acquitted of charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He was captured back in 2011 for inciting post-election violence after refusing to step
Turkey has been negotiating its potential European Union (EU) membership since 2005, however there is a longer history to the relationship given that the accession process began in 1959. A Turkey that is a member of the EU now seems further away than ever as only 16 out of the
On June 13th, 2021, the Israeli Knesset approved the formation of a new rotation government to be led by a massive political coalition. The coalition, dominated by the right-wing Yamina coalition and the secular-centrist Yesh Atid party, includes elements from nearly every corner of Israeli political culture, such as the
On 14 June 2021, President Joe Biden’s administration made a statement announcing its support for the repeal of the 2002 Authorization for the Use of Military Force Act (AUMF). The proposal, initiated in the United States Congress, would decrease the power the executive office possesses in declaring war, which many
Recently in Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi, Nobel Prize winner and former State Counsellor of Myanmar, has been put on trial for five charges. Most importantly, the illegal possession of walkie-talkies and breaking Covid-19 regulations during her campaign for elections. On February 1st, 2021, the military took power in a
In what the BBC has described as a “rare” move the United Nations (UN) has condemned the recent military coup in Myanmar and called for an arms embargo against the country. Although the resolution adopted by the General Assembly on June 18th is not legally binding, it carries significant political
The Nicaraguan government has ordered the arrest of two more members of President Daniel Ortega’s opposition. With an upcoming presidential election, Nicaraguan authorities have carried out numerous attacks against Ortega’s political opponents. Most recently, sixteen people have been detained, including potential presidential candidates. Ortega’s administration passed new legislation in December
Last week, the Hungarian Parliament passed a legislation that bans material in schools that promotes homosexuality and gender change. This has led to large-scale protests in Budapest. Thousands of people have taken to the streets to voice their protests and ask the president to not sign the bill. The bill
On June 16th, 2021, Israeli airstrikes fired at militant sites in Gaza ruptured the already fragile and recently implemented ceasefire in the region. There were no reports of immediate casualties. Following this, Palestinians responded by sending incendiary balloons into Israel. This recent attack has proved to be a test for
