Police cars torched during rioting between rival groups of Eritreans in the Netherlands

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Rioting broke out between two rival groups of Eritreans in the Netherlands on Saturday night, police said. Officers used tear gas in an attempt to quell the unrest in The Hague as rioters torched police cars and a bus. Images from the scene showed vehicles in flames and dozens of men … Read more

Nicaragua shuts down scouting association and several other social and religious groups

MEXICO CITY — Nicaragua’s government has shut down the country’s scouting organization and seven other nongovernmental organizations, state media La Gaceta reported Friday, the latest in an ongoing crackdown that has seen the government toss out religious orders, charities and civic groups. The Interior Minister, which regulates the operations of NGOs in the Central American … Read more

Central African Republic says 10,000 children are still fighting alongside armed groups there

BANGUI, Central African Republic — About 10,000 children are still fighting alongside armed groups in Central African Republic more than a decade after civil war broke out, the government said Monday. Marthe Kirima, the minister for family and gender, said in a statement that children are still being recruited as fighters, spies, messengers, cooks and … Read more

Aid groups condemn Israel’s plans to remove civilians from Rafah combat zones

Moody’s downgraded Israel’s credit rating Friday and changed its outlook for the country to negative, citing the war with Hamas and reflecting the ratings agency’s concern that the conflict could become a long-term economic burden. Moody’s downgraded Israel’s rating from A1 to A2, which is still in a category it considers “low credit risk.” The … Read more

Rights groups denounce acquittal of former Serbian security officers accused of killing a journalist

BELGRADE, Serbia — Media rights groups and opposition campaigners on Saturday condemned a Serbian appeals court ruling that acquitted four former intelligence officers who were jailed for the killing of a prominent journalist and newspaper publisher who was fiercely critical of the government in Belgrade. Slavko Curuvija was shot dead at the entrance to his … Read more

Pakistan carries out strikes on militant groups inside Iran

Pakistan’s military said it carried out a series of “highly co-ordinated” military strikes on militant groups in Iran on Thursday. “A number of terrorists were killed during the intelligence-based operation,” the foreign ministry said in a statement. Iranian media reported several explosions and said three women and four children, all of whom were foreign nationals, … Read more

Myanmar Junta and Ethnic Guerrilla Groups Agree to Ceasefire

BEIJING — Myanmar’s military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country’s northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday. Myanmar’s military government confirmed the development, as did the ethnic alliance. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday … Read more

The Myanmar military says it and ethnic guerrilla groups have agreed to an immediate cease-fire

BEIJING — Myanmar’s military has reached a cease-fire agreement with an alliance of ethnic minority guerrilla groups it has been battling in the country’s northeast, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Friday. Myanmar’s militray government confirmed the development. The agreement was brokered at talks mediated by China on Wednesday and Thursday in Kunming, a Chinese provincial … Read more

Mariska Hargitay’s Sexual Assault Survival Story Praised by Advocacy Groups

Mariska Hargitay revealed this week that she’s a survivor of sexual assault — something a number of orgs advocating on behalf of victims are singing her praises over, for good reason. The actress penned a gut-wrenching piece for People this week detailing her experience — which detailed what she says was an outright rape committed … Read more

Germany’s Scholz condemns alleged plot by far-right groups to deport millions if they take power

BERLIN — German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday sharply condemned alleged plans by members of far-right groups who supposedly met recently at a mansion outside Berlin to devise a plot to deport millions of immigrants, even those with German citizenship, if the groups take power. The alleged plan, which was published in an article by … Read more