World

128 articles

Geopolitics, trade, conflict, and international

WHO Declares Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the First Since 2024 Mpox

On May 17, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus determined that the Bundibugyo virus outbreak across the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda meets the criteria for a Public Health Emergency of International Concern — the 9th PHEIC ever declared. As of May 16, DRC reports 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths in Ituri Province; Uganda has confirmed two imported cases in Kampala, with one death. No licensed vaccine or therapeutic exists for the Bundibugyo strain.

WorldMay 16

Coalition of 49 States Meets in Brussels, Announces €50M EU Fund and Canada's Claims Commission Signature; 2,100 Ukrainian Children Have Been Returned

The International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children held its first high-level ministerial meeting in Brussels on May 11, co-chaired by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, Commissioner Marta Kos, Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand, and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha. The EU announced nearly €50 million for Ukraine's child protection system, Canada signed the International Claims Commission convention and imposed new sanctions on 23 individuals and 5 entities, and a follow-on ministerial was confirmed for Toronto on September 28–29.

WorldMay 16

Woodland Hills Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Grand Jury Indictment Charging Iran-to-Sudan Weapons Brokering Through Oman Shell Company

Shamim Mafi, an Iranian-born U.S. permanent resident, was indicted by a federal grand jury on May 1 and pleaded not guilty on May 8 to IEEPA conspiracy charges alleging she used an Oman-registered company to broker a €61.6 million drone sale, 55,000 bomb fuses, and 240 million rounds of ammunition from Iran's defense establishment to Sudan's military — while allegedly admitting to FBI agents at LAX that she knew the activity violated U.S. sanctions.

WorldMay 11

El Salvador Life Sentences for Minors Age 12 and Up Take Effect — IACHR Says Law Is Incompatible With International Standards

El Salvador's constitutional reforms enabling life imprisonment for minors as young as 12 convicted of homicide, feminicide, rape, or gang membership entered into force on April 26, 2026. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called the measure incompatible with inter-American jurisprudence five days before implementation.

WorldMay 11

First U.S.-Venezuela Flights Land in Caracas After Seven-Year Ban, Following Maduro Capture

American Airlines resumed direct Miami-Caracas service on April 30, 2026, ending a flight suspension that began in May 2019. The resumption followed the January 2026 U.S. military capture of Nicolás Maduro, a TSA security assessment at Simón Bolívar Airport, and a State Department travel alert downgrade.

Tanzania Commission Says 518 Were Killed in October 2025 Post-Election Violence, Far Below Opposition Estimates

WorldApr 24

A presidential commission of inquiry, chaired by former Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, delivered its 153-day investigation to President Samia Suluhu Hassan on April 24, 2026, finding 518 deaths and 2,390 injuries during the violence that followed Tanzania's disputed October 29, 2025 general election. The main opposition party CHADEMA rejected the findings; Western diplomats had previously estimated 1,000 to 2,000 deaths.

World

WHO Declares Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the First Since 2024 Mpox

Coalition of 49 States Meets in Brussels, Announces €50M EU Fund and Canada's Claims Commission Signature; 2,100 Ukrainian Children Have Been Returned

Woodland Hills Woman Pleads Not Guilty to Grand Jury Indictment Charging Iran-to-Sudan Weapons Brokering Through Oman Shell Company

El Salvador Life Sentences for Minors Age 12 and Up Take Effect — IACHR Says Law Is Incompatible With International Standards

First U.S.-Venezuela Flights Land in Caracas After Seven-Year Ban, Following Maduro Capture

Tanzania Commission Says 518 Were Killed in October 2025 Post-Election Violence, Far Below Opposition Estimates

Netanyahu Reveals He Was Treated for Early-Stage Prostate Cancer, Delayed Announcement Two Months to Deny Iran 'Propaganda'

Georgia Issues First Mandatory Burn Ban in State Forestry History as Wildfires Tear Through 91 Counties

Four Candidates Take Questions on UN WebTV as Race to Succeed Guterres Opens

WHO Validates Algeria as 29th Country to Eliminate Trachoma, Leaving 30 Still Endemic

FAO and WMO: Extreme Heat Costs 500 Billion Work Hours a Year as Crop Thresholds Crack Above 30°C

Ramaphosa Suspends SAPS Commissioner Masemola After Court Charges Over R228 Million Medicare 24 Contract Linked to Alleged Crime Figure