CNN: – Ugandan lawmakers on Tuesday approved some of the world’s toughest anti-gay laws, some of which carry the death penalty and up to 20 years in prison for those who identify as LGBTQ+. The new legislation puts additional pressure on LGBTQ+ people in a country where same-sex relationships were already illegal, punishable by life … Read more
CNN: – In the Netherlands, a farmers’ protest party has caused a shock after winning state elections this week, just four years after it was founded. Could their rise have wider implications? The farmer-citizen movement, or BoerburgerBeweging (BBB), arose out of mass demonstrations against the Dutch government’s environmental policies, protests that saw farmers use their … Read more
CNN: – South Korean President Yun Suk-yeol met his Japanese counterpart in Tokyo on Thursday for a fence-mending summit, the first such visit in 12 years, as the two neighbors try to counter North Korea’s threats to growing concerns about China. Those shared security challenges were on display just hours before the trip, when North … Read more
CNN: – The United Kingdom will increase defense spending by $6 billion to “harden up” against growing threats from Russia and China, the country’s leader has announced ahead of expected talks with AUKUS partners the United States and Australia. In a statement on Sunday, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to use the extra spending, … Read more
Tel Aviv, Israel CNN: – US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to weaken Israel’s judiciary as protesters paralyzed two of Tel Aviv’s main tourist arteries on Thursday, fueling a nationwide movement against the controversial proposals. A CNN team at Ben Gurion Airport saw people walking with suitcases to Terminal 3 … Read more
Tokyo CNN: – China should not be surprised that Washington and its allies in Asia are deepening military ties, given Beijing’s aggressive behavior toward many of its neighbors, the US ambassador to Japan said in an exclusive interview with CNN on Wednesday. “You look at India, the Philippines, Australia, the United States, Canada or Japan. … Read more
CNN: – The US State Department on Monday imposed visa sanctions on a Syrian soldier it says killed at least 41 unarmed civilians in a Damascus neighborhood in April 2013. Amjad Youssef, a military intelligence officer for Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and his immediate family will be barred from entering the United States, Secretary … Read more
Hong Kong CNN: – A Chinese city says it has destroyed one billion pieces of personal data collected during the pandemic, as local governments gradually dismantle their coronavirus surveillance and tracking systems, abandoning the country’s controversial zero-Covid policy. Wuxi, a manufacturing hub on China’s east coast and home to 7.5 million people, held a ceremony … Read more
Abu Dhabi, UAE CNN: – Particles of uranium enriched to bomb levels have been found at an Iranian nuclear facility, according to the United Nations nuclear watchdog, as the United States warned that Tehran’s ability to build a nuclear bomb was accelerating. In a limited report seen by CNN, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency … Read more
CNN: – Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador dismissed concerns on Monday about his plan to downsize the country’s electoral watchdog, accusing protesters of links to drug traffickers. Images of a mass protest in Mexico City on Sunday showed tens of thousands of people wearing pink, the color of the National Electoral Institute (INE), which … Read more