On February 22nd, Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, chaired a United Nations Security Council meeting on climate security. The purpose of the meeting was to determine “links between climate change and conflict and prevention measures.” According to Reuters, in 2011, the council adopted a statement expressing
On January 7th, Indonesia released suspected Bali bombings mastermind, Abu Bakar Bashir, from prison. In 2011, Bashir, one of the spiritual leaders for the Jemaah Islamiyah, was sentenced to 15 years in prison over links to active extremist groups and terrorist attacks across Indonesia. He was initially imprisoned in 2005
Chemical weapons watchdog ready to assist Russia in Navalny case. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) was asked by Russia to assist with the alleged murder attempt of Alexei Navalny, a Russian opposition figure. According to Reuters, Alexei Navalny was said to have been poisoned by a
German police arrested 300 far-right protesters earlier this month. According to a BBC report, around 38,000 people had participated in a widespread protest in Berlin. While they were mostly peaceful, they were later joined by several hundred, many of which were affiliated with the far-right movement. Far-right protesters, among the
German forces fear inroads by Neo-Nazis after plastic explosives and Nazi artifacts were found at the home of a highly ranked sergeant in the German special forces. The sergeant who was nicknamed Little Sheep was suspected of being a Neo-Nazi. According to the New York Times, buried in the garden
The Balikpapan district court in Indonesia found seven Papuan men guilty of treason. The seven men prosecuted are part of the “Balikpapan Seven” group of West Papuan activists and university students who were arrested last August. They were found guilty for their involvement in anti-racism protests that erupted as a
The Trump administration has announced that the United States will be officially withdrawing from the Paris climate accord. According to CNN, this was the first step “in a year long process to leave the landmark agreement to reduce emissions of planet warming gases.” This decision was first brought to the
The United States has authorized the deployment of troops to Saudi Arabia among high tensions in the Gulf. According to Al Jazeera, the Pentagon has stated that the move would provide an additional deterrent in the face of emergent, credible threats in the region. The decision was prompted by increased
Russia has suspended its Arms Control Deal with the United States after the U.S. announced its withdrawal due to Russian violations. According to Reuters, the U.S. notified Russia of its plans to withdraw from the treaty within 6 months unless Russia decides to return into compliance with treaty agreements. Back
Turkey plans to enact safe zones in northern Syria in the hopes that Syrian refugees currently living in Turkey will be able to return home. According to VOA, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has proposed a 250 km-long and 32 km-deep zone in northeast Syria to protect the Turkish border
The Human Rights Watch has asked Argentina to investigate Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the war crimes in Yemen and for the murder of Turkish journalist Jamal Khashoggi. According to Al Jazeera, Argentina’s constitution grants universal jurisdiction for war crimes and torture. Thus, they can have their judicial authorities
On Sunday November 4th, Bahrain sentenced three senior members of an opposition movement, Al-Wefaq, to life in prison for alleged cooperation with Qatar. According to Al Jazeera, the head of Al-Wefaq, Sheikh Ali Salman, and his fellow group members Sheikh Hassan Sultan and Ali al-Aswad were said to be working
Russia warns of an arms race if the U.S. pulls out of Weapon Treaty. The U.S. says Russia has violated the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty and plans to withdraw. The INF treaty was signed by the United States and the USSR in 1987 at a Cold War Washington
Hungary has banned rough sleeping and has given police officers the power to remove homeless people from the streets and to destroy their belongings. The law was passed by parliament in June, however it came into force on Monday after months of criticism. The law specifically bans “habitual residence in
Ebola could spread from the Democratic Republic of Congo to Uganda and Rwanda. According to Reuters, the rate of Ebola cases has more than doubled since September after rebel violence in northeastern DRC caused response efforts to be briefly suspended, health officials said. The disease is believed to have infected 194
A suicide bomber detonated his explosive at an election rally in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar on Tuesday, killing at least 13 people and wounding over 30, officials said, warning that the toll was likely to climb. According to Al-Jazeera, provincial governor spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said the attack happened at
The leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has vowed “revenge” on the U.S. over the recent Ahvaz terror attack. According to Al-Jazeera, the attack took place during the annual military parade held in Ahvaz. It killed 29 people and injured 70 more, with both military personnel and civilians among the casualties.
Two Yemeni children were killed in a Saudi-UAE air attack that took place last week in the Northern Province of Yemen, Saada. The air strike hit a displaced Yemeni family’s home and killed two young siblings – a three-month old baby girl named Somood and her three-year old brother Nabil,
Sweden’s far-right party, the Sweden Democrats, gained nearly 18 percent of votes in general election. Thus making the Sweden Democrats, an anti-immigration nationalist party, the second largest in parliament. According to The Irish Times, the Social Democrats, Sweden’s once dominated party fell to 28.4 percent, its lowest level of support
Voting has begun in Rwanda’s parliamentary elections. More than 500 candidates from five political parties and four independent contestants took part in the elections that begun on Sunday, September 2nd and lasted three days. According to Al-Jazeera, the elections were to elect legislators for the 80-seat Chamber of Deputies, 24
