Author: Heidi A. Darvell

Military State Coup Attempt In Guinea

There were reports of gunfire in Conakry in the area of the presidential palace on the 5th of September. Armored vehicles and pick-up trucks have been seen moving towards an area close to the palace. Al Jazeera reported that residents were told through loudspeakers to keep indoors. Later the same

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Travel Bans, COVID-19 Surge, And Governmental Crisis In Tunisia

Amnesty International has recently criticized the Tunisian President, Kais Saïed, for imposing arbitrary travel bans on opposition politicians and businessmen. Amnesty International has reviewed 50 cases and found that those targeted by travel bans and house arrests had no current court case or judicial investigation against them and were not

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At Least 15 Killed in Southwestern Niger During Friday Prayer

An anonymous gunman opened fire during the Friday prayers in the village Thiem in the Tillaberi region, killing 16 people and injuring five. This attack comes just days after a previous attack took place in the same area. On August 16th, armed men on motorcycles attacked people working in the

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Poland Sends 900 Soldiers To Its Border With Belarus

Poland has announced that they will send 900 troops to the Belarus border to secure it and say they might send more if needed. Poland claims that there has been a surge of illegal attempts to cross the border. According to the Polish Interior Ministry, 2,100 people have attempted to

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12 Dead in an Ethnic Conflict in Far North of Cameroon

Last week 12 people died in clashes between herders and fishers in the Far North region of Cameroon, according to Reuters. However, VoaNews is reporting that 18 have been killed. At least 48 people were wounded and treated in hospitals in Cameroon and neighboring Chad. Between 40 and 100 houses

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Ghana And Ivory Coast Signs Cocoa Agreement

Ghana and the Ivory Coast, two of the world’s largest cocoa producers, signed an agreement on cooperation regarding its production. Together, they account for more than 40 percent of the world’s cocoa exports, but they only receive around 3% of global revenue. The new agreement targets some of the most

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Poland GIves In To EU Demands, Dissolves Disciplinary Chamber

Poland has announced that they will dissolve the highly criticized Disciplinary Chamber to end disagreements with the European Union. Jaroslaw Kaczynski, head of the ruling Law and Justice party (PiS), announced “We will dissolve the Disciplinary Chamber as it currently operates and in this way the subject of the dispute

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In The Aftermath Of The Rioting In South Africa

Over 300 people are believed to have been killed in the riots in South Africa that took place in the last month. Beginning with protests, the situation escalated into riots that involved looting and violence in townships in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. Sino Ngema, a community activist, told Al Jazeera

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Increased Hate Against Sweden’s Indigenous People

Several individuals belonging to the indigenous group Sami in Sweden have recently spoken out about the hate they have been a target of. Last year a member of the Sami, Jannie Staffansson, told SVT “I have never experienced such hate and threats that exist now, never”. There have also been

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28 Kidnapped Nigerian Students Have Been Released

Earlier this month 121 students were kidnapped from the Bethel Baptist High School in northern Nigeria. The children were in school to do sitting exams and were sleeping in their dorm when they were kidnapped by armed men. The armed men asked for food and a ransom in exchange for

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10 Years After The Utøya Attack

On July 22nd it was the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attack that took place in Norway. The anniversary marks the loss that took place but also asks questions about how to deal with the aftermath of the attack. It was a right-wing extremist, Anders Behring Breivik, that committed the

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U.N. Peacekeepers Attacked In Mali Again

U.N. reports that 13 U.N. soldiers have been wounded during their peacekeeping mission in Mali. Of the 13 soldiers, 12 of them were from Germany and one from Belgium. The attack happened in the Gao region in the north of Mali. The United Nations mission in Mali, United Nations Multidimensional

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Is South Sudan Ready For Peace?

South Sudan is the world’s newest recognize country and has faced many issues since its independence from Sudan. South Sudan recently celebrated 10 years of independence and on Independence Day leaders spoke of peace. The South Sudan President Kiir has recently stated that, “I assure you that I will not

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Protests In Hungary Over ‘Anti-Gay’ Bill

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

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Child Slavery Case Against Nestlé Rejected

The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that Nestlé and Cargill cannot be sued in the U.S. for child slavery that takes place on farms they buy cocoa from in Africa. The lawsuit details the claims of six men from Mali who were trafficked to the Ivory Coast as children and

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Belarussian State Hijacking And Sanctions

On 24 May, a Ryanair plane heading to Vilnius, Lithuania, was forced to change course and land in Minsk, Belarus. The cabin personnel was informed that there was a potential security risk on board the plane, and was then escorted by two Belarusian fighter planes to Minsk. The order reportedly

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