According to media outlets such as Al-Jazeera and The New York Times, a United States judge has ruled that the country has no legal authority to hold an Afghanistan man in the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison. Asadullah Haroon Gul, detained without trial for 14 years since his capture in Afghanistan,
On 25 May 2021, the United States Senate voted to adopt two amendments which point to the responsibility of the Covid-19 pandemic back at China and the Wuhan Institute of Virology. Passed within the Endless Frontiers Act, Amendment 1507 prohibits the nation from funding the Wuhan lab, while Amendment 2003
According to Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Decree no. 117/2021, Ukraine has committed to putting all options on the table to taking back control over the Russian annexed Crimea region. Signed on March 24th, President Zelensky has committed the country to pursue strategies that Ukrinform reports “will prepare and
According to the Los Angeles Times, some pro-democracy organisers in Hong Kong have had their bank accounts frozen because of recent pro-Beijing legislation intended to move the region past the ‘one-country two-systems’ era. Although the pro-democratic opposition has recently resigned on-mass from Hong Kong’s Legislative Council, and not held large
In the final stretch of his presidency, Trump has ordered plans to be carried out to withdraw United States military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan, making good on previous promises to do so. According to Al Jazeera, the United States will still have a presence of 2500 personnel in both
ABC News reported on 8 October that the Australian parliament was thought to be considering the issue of a boycott of the not-so-distant 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, in light of the tensions between the two nations and China’s human rights abuses. Senator Rex Patrick, representing South Australia, has voiced sentiment
During the 67th anniversary of the end of the Korean War, Kim Jong Un made several comments about North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. According to Al Jazeera, the leader claimed that because of their development of nuclear weapons “there won’t be any war on this land again, and our country’s safety
On March 27th, 2020, the CARES Act was enacted into law by President Trump after passing both government chambers. This legislation, which is nearly two and a half times larger than the global recession stimulus package, authorises the government to spend two trillion dollars in various ways to ‘aid’ the
In recent bilateral talks between the Australian and New Zealand governments, Prime Minister Ardern voiced her frustrations with Australia’s treatment of New Zealand migrants. While highlighting the reality that New Zealand migrants are unable to fully contribute to Australian society, she said to Prime Minister Morrison at a press conference
On February 5, 2020, the impeachment trial of President Donald Trump came to an expected end in acquittal. While Senator Mitt Romney shocked the Republican Party by voting for removal based on abuse of power, this outcome projects a bitter year for the American political scene in another election cycle.
Tension in the Middle East may again be reaching critical mass as recent events in Iraq have created a difficult situation for the region. While originally the United States targeted the Kataib Hezbollah militia, supported by Iran, in response to a deadly attack on one of its military contractors blamed
This past week the National Party of New Zealand released a discussion document of their proposed law and order policies. These have subsequently been discussed in the media with strategies to “crack down on gangs” receiving the most widespread coverage. The opposition party, which controlled the previous three government coalitions,
In an attempt to forestall another United States government funding shutdown, Congress passed a bill, signed by the President on November 21, to fund the government for another month. Written within the bill, which garnered bipartisan support, was yet another extension for a Patriot Act spying resolution which will now
Today, 17 November, marks the one-year anniversary of the French Yellow Vests movement. To celebrate the occasion, another weekend of protests dubbed ‘Act 53’ has commenced with media reporting that the Place d’Italie, a public square in Paris, has been transformed into a skirmish ground. Elsewhere in Paris, protestors defied
President Donald Trump proclaimed on 28 October, during a press conference announcing the death of ISIS leader al-Baghdadi, that the United States military would be holding onto Syrian oilfields until further notice. While this development is not surprising, given his lambasting of President Bush for not taking Iraq’s oil after
On 21 October, the unwell Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was told in a London court that he would face an extradition hearing in February 2020. This effectively denied his last chance to postpone his extradition trial to the United States on charges under the 1917 Espionage Act, an unusual charge
At the fourth round of presidential debates for the Democratic Party, held on October 15th, candidates finally weighed in on some foreign policy issues. Recently, as President Trump announced the withdrawal of military personnel from Syria, debate, or rather a unification of positions, occurred around this development. Russian election interference
In a move that admits the futility of the fighting in Yemen, Saudi Arabia is reportedly considering a new ceasefire with the Houthi movement. This comes after an ‘unverified’ video showed a major success for the Houthis in the aftermath of a battle on the border between the nations. According
Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced on 24 September 2019 that after a ‘whistle-blower’ drew attention to President Trump’s politically motivated decision to withhold aid to Ukraine, the Democrat-controlled House will open an impeachment inquiry. This comes after an eventful week for Trump as he approved military aid to Saudi Arabia, following attacks
President Trump announced on September 18th that he would replace his former National Security Advisor John Bolton with Robert O’Brien, now his former Envoy for Hostage Affairs. Although the circumstances of Bolton’s departure are somewhat unclear, this came after apparent disagreements over the advice he gave Trump on several issues
