Northern Ireland published a 500-page report on Mother and Baby Homes and Magdalene Laundries in the country last week, following a recent report on homes in the Republic of Ireland. The report depicts the experiences of women, children, and staff from 1922-1990. Mother and Baby Homes accompanied unmarried pregnant women,
Yemeni civilians have been caught in the fire of a violent civil war propagated by a plethora of international actors since 2015, creating a situation considered the worst man-made humanitarian crisis in the world. Though the official start of the current civil war was in 2015, violence is no new
On April 18th, 29-year-old journalist Lyra McKee was killed while covering riots in Londonderry/Derry, Northern Ireland. McKee was fatally shot while near police cars and was hit when protesters began shooting toward the police, described as “the enemy” by the perpetrators. She was taken into a police car, which drove
In response to immense national protests, current Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced he would no longer run for a fifth term. The president leading the “pouvoir,” the ruling elite regime in Algeria, since 1999 sparked the massive protests on February 22 of this year when he announced he would run
Inter-communal and ethnic violence in Burkina Faso continues to escalate, with over 100,000 having been displaced and lacking sufficient humanitarian aid funds. The wave of ethnic violence began in January 2019, with a Mossi-led attack on Fulani neighbourhoods in the village of Yirgou, leaving least 13 dead. The attack had
In December, Emmanuel Macron’s French government responded to weeks of gilets jaunes (yellow vests) protests by initiating a Grand Débat National (Great National Debate) in an attempt to quell the protests. The debate is meant to give all French citizens the opportunity to participate in dialogue about the national crisis that
The 2019 elections are rearing up in Nigeria, and amid them are democratic gains tainted by massive corruption. Presidential elections are set for February 16, while governors and House of Assembly will be elected on March second. Nigeria is Africa’s largest democracy, since its reinstatement of democratic rule in 1999
Members of the European Union (EU) Parliament are calling on the Romanian President of the EU to prioritize action towards the rapid decline of the rule of law and democracy in Hungary. A debate was held on January 30th, in which European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmerman called on EU countries
Despite Tunisia’s success with the Arab Spring Movement in 2011 and implementation of a democratic system of government, the country’s economy has remained bogged down by debt and international loan packages. Years of dinar depreciation and inflation amid public sector salary freezes has led Tunisians to take to the streets
In yet another eventful change in power for Madagascar, Andry Rajoelina officially took over the office of president on January 18th, 2019 after winning elections in 2018. While the ceremony of his inauguration on Friday was peaceful, Rajoelina’s path back into the office of president has not been easy. The
Several Gabonese soldiers seized a radio station January 7th to call for a coup amid economic dissatisfaction and the absence of President Ali Bongo. The soldiers overpowered the security forces at the radio station before Lieutenant Ondo Obiang Kelly suggested the coup over live radio. Gabonese security forces came in
Chinese President Xi Jinping continues to seek reunification with Taiwan in an attempt to “rejuvenate” China, and is willing to use military force to do so. President Xi said in a speech on January 2 that Taiwan is and will continue to be a part of the People’s Republic of
Tunisian journalist Abderrazak Zorgui died on December 24 after setting himself on fire, in the hopes of inciting a revolution in Tunisia. Following in the footsteps of Mohammad Bouazizi, who set himself on fire in 2010 and is credited with inciting the Arab Spring movement across Tunisia and North Africa,
The election committee of the Afghan government announced that the presidential election is set to take place on April 20, 2019, meanwhile the Taliban is participating in talks with the U.S. and other peace-seeking countries. Candidates have yet to be announced, but current President Ashraf Ghani has announced his plans
The Syrian border with Jordan reopened on October 15, 2018, allowing the movement of goods and people between the two countries for the first time in three years. This is the first time the border has been open since its closing in 2015, marking an end to three years of
