The European Union (EU) is seeking suspension of its 2020 Visa Facilitation Agreement with Belarus as it applies to government officials, citing Minsk’s increased migrant human rights abuses and lack of compliance. This announcement is a response to a recent spike in irregular migration patterns at Belarus’ borders with nearby
Thursday, August 26th: Twin bomb attacks on Kabul airport orchestrated by Isis-Khorosan result in 170 civilian deaths and 13 U.S. military fatalities. The attack was expected, but escaping citizens were too desperate to heed warnings. Sunday, August 29th: U.S.A. strikes ISIS explosive-filled vehicle using drone technology. Ten Afghan civilians were
On July 10th, Abiy Ahmed won 410 of 436 seats in the Ethiopian Parliament to secure his role as Prime Minister for another five years. Abiy tweeted that it was “a historically inclusive election,” even though one-fifth of Ethiopia’s population did not participate due to “insecurity and logistical problems,” according
On 19 June, Ebrahim Raisi won the popular vote to become the eighth president of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although he promises to champion economic prosperity and fight corruption, many are complaining that the election was not competitive and fraudulent. Amidst great economic hardship throughout Iran and continued nuclear
A transition of power has yet to take place in a historic Samoan election, despite a fairly certain electoral outcome. The anticipated new Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, Samoa’s first female Cabinet Minister and daughter of Samoa’s first PM, would now become the first female PM of Samoa and join
Beginning at 7:04 AM on Thursday, March 25th, North Korea fired two ballistic missiles into eastern waters, violating the United Nations Security Council resolution on nuclear weapons. This move follows last weekend’s release of two “cruise missiles” into the Yellow Sea. While the United States dismissed the first launch as
On Friday, February 5th, the International Criminal Court (ICC) decided that its jurisdiction rightfully extends to Palestinian territories. This landmark ruling is significant given that Palestine is not internationally recognized as an official state, even by the United Nations where it holds non-member observer status. The response to the ICC’s
On January 21st, the government of the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) declared a 15-day state of emergency in response to safety concerns throughout the country, especially in Bangui. The capital city has now been taken by the Coalition of Patriots for Change rebel group currently occupying about two-thirds of the
After a year of researching and combatting COVID-19, a new strain of the novel coronavirus was discovered in the U.K. last week. This variant is becoming the most prominent strain throughout southern England, but has also been discovered in Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, and South Africa. While scientists do not believe
On November 27th, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, the head scientist for Iranian nuclear development, was shot in his car in Tehran. Following the assassination, Iranian authorities released various conflicting reports on how Fakhrizadeh was killed. At first, officials believed that both Fakhrizadeh and one of his bodyguards died in a gunfight between
After almost three years of negotiation, Canadian natural gas company TC Energy has sold a $1.1 billion Canadian dollar ($769 million U.S. dollar) stake in the Keystone XL (KXL) oil pipeline to a group of Indigenous First Nations. The share was bought by Natural Law Energy (NLE), a conglomerate of
As United States President-elect Joe Biden prepares to take office and receive international security briefings, Germany has stated that it is once again open to collaborating with the U.S. to combat Iranian nuclear development. In 2015, Iran and the P5+1 countries (U.S, U.K., Russia, France, China, plus Germany) signed the
As his time in the White House comes to a close, President Trump recently announced his continued commitment to removing US troops from Afghanistan in an effort to end the long-standing regional war. In an October tweet, Trump promised to finalize US involvement and remove all troops by Christmas. With
Four people were killed and twenty-three wounded in a terrorist attack in Vienna, Austria last Monday, November 2nd , after a gunman wielding an automatic rifle and a machete fired into crowds enjoying one final evening in the city before another coronavirus curfew. The Austrian police shot and killed the
On Tuesday, October 27th, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Sudan resumed long-term negotiations over the construction and operation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), the largest hydroelectric dam in Africa. This 4.6 billion dollar structure which sits on the Ethiopia-Sudan border has caused tensions since its beginnings in 2011. Although the
On Monday, October 19th, the Netherlands promised to compensate the children of any Indonesian citizen killed through summary execution by Dutch soldiers during the Indonesian War of Independence. Any children that can credibly prove their relation to a victim and confirm that his death was a result of execution are
Remnants of a conflict seemingly settled 26 years ago have flared up again this past week in the South Caucasus region. Azerbaijan and Armenia resumed conflict on September 27th, reviving long-existing tensions between the two previous Soviet republics. The current battle is concentrated on Nagorno-Karabakh: an Armenian ethnic enclave located
