In today’s brief: an interview with the Dalai Lama, Israeli settlements under the spotlight and the mysterious deaths of U.S. forces in Africa
Africa
Libyans Turn Out for a Landmark Election
On Saturday, polls opened for Libya’s first free election after decades of Muammar Gaddafi’s authoritarian rule.
50 Years of Algerian Independence: Scenes from a 20th Century War
July 5 marks the 50th anniversary of Algeria’s independence from France — the latter had ruled the former as a colony since 1830. The bitter, eight-year-long war that paved the way for Algerian freedom is immortalized in …
Exclusive: French Officials Detail “Big Coup” Bust of Key Al-Qaeda Enabler
French counter-terror authorities tell TIME about a Tunisian arrested on suspicion of being a central figure in al-Qaeda’s activity on the internet and in the terrorist network’s recruitment, and fund-raising.
Libya Releases ICC Lawyer, but Will Justice Follow?
Libya released a team of International Criminal Court lawyers detained in the town of Zintan for nearly a month for supposedly conniving with the imprisoned son of Muammar Gaddafi. But questions remain about the ICC mission and …
Countering al-Shabab: How the War on Terrorism Is Being Fought in East Africa
Two bombings of churches in Kenya pointed to the resurgence al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups in East Africa. But a TIME investigation into how the region’s countries (and the U.S.) are handling groups like Somalia’s al-Shabab …
Timbuktu’s Destruction: Why Islamists Are Wrecking Mali’s Cultural Heritage
Ansar Dine, a radical Islamist militia, has set about destroying mausoleums and shrines in the historic Malian city of Timbuktu, which was once a great center of Islamic learning in the 15th and 16th centuries
Is Rwanda Backing Rebels Led by a War Criminal in Congo?
A U.N. report accuses Rwanda of recruiting and arming rebels in Congo led by a commander who’s been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, casting a shadow over President Paul Kagame’s sterling reputation in the West
Sudan’s Blue Nile Offensive: Is This the Next Darfur?
Thousands of refugees are pouring into South Sudan from the north with tales of atrocities at the hands of the Sudanese government in Blue Nile state
Why Is It So Hard to Combat Child Marriage?
Organizations across the globe fight to end the practice, but entrenched traditions, poverty and ineffectual governance stifle the chances for real progress
Must-Reads from Around the World, June 28, 2012
Today’s global media stories look at the conviction of a prominent journalist in Ethiopia, the possibility of peace talks being revived in the Middle East, and the debate over Egypt’s new first lady.
Extradition of Gaddafi Deputy Plunges Tunisia into Political Crisis
The extradition from Tunisia to Libya of Al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmoudi, former deputy to the late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, may be cheered in Tripoli. But it has exposed the growing power struggle between Islamists and …
Wishful Spring Thinking or the Beginning of the End for al-Bashir?
Does a week of protests in and around Khartoum show that Sudan is facing its own Arab Spring?