Today’s picks: resistance to Islamism in Mali, the illegal organs trade and more recriminations between China and the U.S. over the South China Sea.
Africa
The Muslim World Observes Ramadan
During the lunar month of Ramadan, Muslims around the world fast from dawn to dusk and strive to be more pious and charitable.
Congo Unrest: Clashes with Rebels Spark Refugee Exodus
More than 200,000 civilians have had to flee their homes and several hundred fighters have been killed in recent clashes between rebels and Congolese government forces. Reports of support for rebel fighters from neighboring …
Must-Reads from Around the World, July 26, 2012
Today’s required reading: Romney’s Euro vision, the London Olympics from Ai Weiwei’s point of view and reports of renewed repression in Mali.
A Sudden Death in Ghana: President John Atta Mills (1944-2012)
Though Mills’ passing was sudden, the encouraging sign was the smoothness with which Ghana’s democratic processes kicked into gear
Is Syria’s Bashar Assad Going the Way of Muammar Gaddafi?
As his regime slowly crumbles and options for exile and reconciliation narrow, Syria’s embattled President Bashar Assad looks likely to cling grimly on to power, no matter the consequences
Displaced by War, Sudanese Refugees Face Worsening Crisis
A year after achieving its independence, South Sudan is wracked by instability and concerns over the frailties of its fledgling government. A refugee crisis, sparked by neighboring Sudan’s brutal crackdown on rebel militias north …
Teodorin Obiang: The Dictator’s Son with a Malibu Mansion and a Warrant for His Arrest
Wanted on money-laundering charges in France, Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, son of the 70-year-old President of Equatorial Guinea, is the poster child of Africa’s kleptocratic political elites
Melinda Gates Launches Global Crusade for Contraception
American philanthropist Melinda Gates wants to put family planning and contraception on the global agenda with a $4 billion war chest. Here’s why this is a big deal
A Year After Freedom: How to Heal South Sudan?
One year after its independence, the fledgling nation of South Sudan is torn by feuding factions, burdened by a sclerotic, likely corrupt government and forever in the shadow of war with Sudan to the north. All the while, its …
Meet Mahmoud Jibril: The Man Who May Be Libya’s First Elected Leader
Following landmark elections this past weekend in Libya, results point to a coalition of moderates and secularists winning the majority of votes. The head of that camp is Mahmoud Jibril, a man once at the heart of the Gaddafi …
Why the Islamists Are Not Winning in Libya
Despite electoral victories in Egypt and Tunisia, the Islamists concede they have not won the parliamentary polls in Libya. Here’s why
Destroying Timbuktu: The Jihadist Who Inspires the Demolition of the Shrines
The charismatic military leader of Salafist rebels in Mali may just be helping to found an Islamic caliphate, but he is also taking apart an ancient city’s heritage