Newsletter Archive

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A gunman opened fire on a group of US Congressmen this morning, injuring Louisiana Republican Stephen Scalise in Alexandria, Virginia, just south of Washington, while he and fellow GOP lawmakers were practicing for an annual baseball game. The 51-year-old congressman is the third-ranking House Republican. The lawmakers preparing for a friendly charity baseball face-off with congressional Democrats. Authorities have identified the now-deceased shooter as a 66-year-old Illinois man who posted anti-President Trump rants on Facebook.

When Wissem Gamra walked through the gates of Yale University, he was the first undergraduate from Tunisia in the school’s 317-year history, and many of his fellow students had never heard of the North African country. Like other international students, Gamra is eager to learn about American culture, while also teaching a little about his own.

VIDEO: China’s out to win friends and influence people worldwide and Hollywood is one of the avenues it’s using to achieve that goal. The globe’s most populous nation is exerting so-called ‘soft power’ through media and the movies to make itself more attractive to outsiders. It also wants to compete with Hollywood, which welcomes Chinese investment. But is too much Chinese money in Hollywood dangerous?

After a century-long diplomatic friendship, Panama is dropping Taiwan in favor of China. Panama’s president announced this week that the Central American country would switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China, the second biggest investor in the Panama Canal. The move is considered a big win for Beijing in its drive to isolate the self-governing island China claims as its own territory.

Young people came out in huge numbers for last week’s vote in Britain. Pollsters estimate turnout soared from 44 percent in 2015 to as much as 72 percent this year. And most voted for the left-wing Labour party. Many youth activists took inspiration from Senator Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid, which failed but still galvanized left-leaning, young voters.

The Vietnamese blogger who was honored by first lady Melania Trump in March has been formally charged by Hanoi for the very activities that earned her the US accolade. The government accuses Nguyen Ngoc Nhu Quynh, known as Mother Mushroom, of conducting propaganda against Vietnam. Critics say the law used to charge her is designed to suppress dissent.

Pakistan is caught in the middle of the clash between Qatar and Saudi Arabia which, along with Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, severed diplomatic relations with Qatar due to alleged ties to terrorists, a claim Qatar strongly denies. Pakistan has a close relationship with both countries and a lot to lose if the dispute drags on or turns violent.