In a park in Heze city in China’s eastern Shandong province, two people were killed and 24 wounded, including three currently in critical condition, when a bomb was detonated Monday night. The bomber was also killed. Chinese authorities have identified the man as Xie Xintang, 33, an unemployed villager. official state media Xinhua, which originally … Read more
Monday night’s terrorist attack in southeastern Turkey, in which 31 people were killed and around 100 injured, may be the first of a series of seven. The Turkish government is pointing toward the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) for the attack in Suruc, and if it was carried out by the terrorist … Read more
Ramadan, Islam’s holy month, regularly sees a significant increase in religiously-motivated killing, but this year’s was the most deadly of the century, according to The Religion of Peace, a terrorism watch group that keeps records of killings in the name of Islam. “This year’s Ramadan was the highest since I’ve been keeping track,” Glen Roberts, editor … Read more
The United Nations’ top diplomat in South Sudan is not needed by the country, according to the young nation’s Unity State government. Mary Cummins was the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) head, based in oil-rich Unity State. The UN’s human rights division released a report at the end of June in which it accused … Read more
The number of Russian desertions in the first half of 2015 is already almost double the number of desertions between 2010 and 2014, according to Russian journalists and lawyers involved, who also say that Russian soldiers do not want to fight in Donbas despite high pay promised by recruiters. Commenters have noted that the actual … Read more
After months held in Thai immigration detention centers, over 100 Uighurs have been deported to China, despite protests from the United Nations and the Uighurs themselves, who fear punishment in China. “Thailand and Turkey are not rivals and we do not want to destroy trade and commerce with Turkey,” said Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha … Read more
Complaints against Jiang Zemin, the former leader of China’s Communist Party, rose from only a few thousand to around 35,000 over the previous month. The number of complainants is currently around 44,000. They are practitioners and supporters of the Chinese religion Falun Gong, and they are urging China’s governing authorities to bring Jiang to justice for … Read more
Under the banner of the New England Annual Conference of United Methodist Churches, 600 Methodist churches in six states have issued a resolution passed Saturday calling for an end of the War on Drugs in the name of Christ. The group urged “a new system of the care and restoration of victims” and the community … Read more
Dong-Hyuk Shin, the only North Korean prison camp escapee, revealed that the inaccurate details in his autobiography “Escape from Camp 14” were neither lies nor confusion about his memories following his traumatic experiences. He just wanted to keep some painful experiences to himself. “First of all, let me tell about the controversial issues surrounding my book, as some … Read more
What is the state of lobbying in Europe? How transparent is it? Is there a clear and enforceable code of conduct for lobbying activities? How diverse are the voices affecting decision making? In their latest report Lobbying Europe: Hidden Influence, Privileged Access Transparency International (TI) answers these very questions. The study looks at the practice … Read more
BELGRADE, Serbia — Early Saturday morning the Macedonian town of Kumanovo was awakened by a major shootout and grenade explosions. According to local media reports, police officers were attacked by an armed group, estimated to be 70 fighters strong. TV NOVA morning news reported that one whole part of the town was blocked by strong police forces, and many more of Macedonian … Read more
Current Senator and former President of Uruguay José “Pepe” Mujica was awarded a diploma distinguishing him as a Doctor Honoris Causa of the Universidad de Buenos Aires School of Economics last night. The ceremony took place at the UBA School of Economics despite a minor disturbance earlier that day in which university students cut off … Read more