Afghanistan’s presidential elections were held last Sunday after being delayed twice due to failed peace talks between the Taliban and the US. According to Al Jazeera, bombings and rocket attacks in the Helmand, Nangarhar, Ghor, Kandahar, and Maidan Wardak provinces prevented or discouraged Afghan voters from going to the polls. […]
Pacific Island nations’ futures are increasingly threatened by human contributions to climate change. Last week, 18 members of the Pacific Islands Forum met to discuss pressing national issues. The regional summit saw tension between Australian leadership and smaller Pacific island governments on issues of climate change, fossil fuel reliance, and […]
The United States and South Korea proceeded with planned joint military exercises early last week, despite North Korea’s characterization of the exercises as provocative and threatening. North Korea claims that the drills jeopardize ongoing nuclear disarmament negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang. The exercises are aimed to assess Seoul’s military capability […]
Iran condemned a proposal introduced by the UK for a European-led naval mission to accompany tankers through the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s busiest oil shipping lane. Britain ordered its Royal Navy, by way of warship, to escort British vessels in the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday. Iran reacted in […]
A bomb went off Monday outside the Afrik Hotel near the international airport in Mogadishu, Somalia, killing at least 17 and wounding at least 18 others. The blast knocked witnesses to the ground and destroyed multiple buildings nearby. Reports detailed a thick black smoke all throughout the surrounding area after […]
Last week, the State Department approved an approximately $2.2 billion arms deal with Taiwan, including 108 General Dynamics M1A2T Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger missiles manufactured by Raytheon. The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced Monday that the Chinese government and Chinese companies would impose sanctions (the details of which remain unclear) […]
African political and economic leaders held a summit last week to work towards finalizing a $3.4 trillion free trade bloc known as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). This effort would unite economies across the continent, encompassing 1.3 billion people, 55 nations, and a combined GDP of approximately $2.5 […]
Whaling ships in Japan resumed commercial whaling efforts Monday after more than 30 years of participation in the international community’s efforts to curb the practice. Whaling vessels received permits from the fishing ministries to catch 227 Minke, Bryde’s, and Sei whales the next year (the IUCN Red List of Threatened […]
A delegation of political leaders from the U.S., Taliban, and Afghan government convened in Doha, Qatar beginning 29 June for a seventh round of peace talks aimed at ending the nearly two decade-long conflict in Afghanistan. The meeting comes at a time when violence continues to ravage Afghan communities. U.S. […]
General elections held in Guatemala on 16 June became the venue for a high-profile arrest that signified—at least in part—justice for the Maya Ixil people, many of whom lost loved ones in a 1982 genocide under the dictator, Efrain Rios Montt. The 36-year Guatemalan Civil War (1960-1996), during which 80 […]
