International

Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai finally made a public appearance over the weekend after vanishing from sight for nearly three weeks. After a social media post accusing former Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli of sexual assault on November 2, which has since been deleted, her disappearance from the public eye sparked concerns over her safety worldwide. The United Nations placed mounting pressure on China, demanding for Peng’s whereabouts and calling for an investigation into her allegations.

In recent months, China has been enacting progressively stricter regulations in the fields of entertainment and education. On August 31st, all minors under 18 were prohibited from playing mental and physical growth of children. Growing rates of near-sightedness and concern for poor academic performance in favor of games are cited as the main causes of concern.

Millions of recently leaked documents, collectively known as The Pandora Papers, have uncovered the financial secrets of the world’s rich and powerful.

In a scathing 286 page filing about deforestation in the Amazon, Austrian not-for-profit environmental group AllRise is accusing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro of “crimes against humanity” to the International Criminal Court. 

When German chancellor Angela Merkel announced her intention to not run in the 2021 election two years ago, everyone knew it would be a defining event that would shape not only Germany's future, but the entirety of Europe’s.

On September 20th, Canadians headed to the polls to vote in the 44th Canadian federal election. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the election on August 15th hoping that his Liberal Party would win a majority in the House of Commons.

Nigeria has seen an alarming rise in mass school kidnappings in the past year and especially these last few months, leaving at least 1 million students unsure as to whether they will be able to attend school this year due to safety concerns. Armed groups have targeted schools to carry out their mass abductions for ransom, with more than 1,400 children abducted and 16 dead so far this year. At this point, 200 are still missing, leaving “families and communities remain[ing] fearful of sending children back to their classrooms”, said Peter Hawkins, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria.

20 years after the most awful terrorist attack in American history on September 11, 2001, the United States has pulled out of its longest war in history. Started under George W. Bush to focus on finding Osama bin Laden and bring down the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, Operation Enduring Freedom marked the rise of America’s presence in Afghanistan when airstrikes bombed Kabul on October 7, 2001. After losing over 2,400 American soldiers and over 40,000 Afghani civilians, the Taliban continues to freely operate in Afghanistan. 

International outrage has been mounting ever since what is being called a “state-sponsored hijacking” that occurred on Sunday, May 23. A Ryanair flight carrying about 120 passengers headed to Vilnius, Lithuania from Athens, Greece, was intercepted by a Belarusian fighter jet mid-flight and ordered to land in Belarus’ capital, Minsk, due to “a potential security threat on board”.

As the opioid epidemic continues in North America, the same crisis has slowly grown in Africa over the last decade. Tramadol - an opioid used to treat pain - has spread throughout the continent in alarming amounts. In 2013, 300kg of the substance was seized in Africa. By 2017, it had gone up to three tons. Currently, 87% of opioid seizures globally occur in Africa, and the future does not look promising for the already struggling continent.