31: Once again, Iranian authorities on Friday arrested human rights lawyer Narges Mohammadi, who had been granted medical leave from prison while serving multiple sentences that totaled 31 years. Mohammadi is a prominent critic of the Islamic Republic, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her activism. The regime has cracked down on internal opposition since its 12-day war with Israel in June.
3: Trump has started going after Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro’s family, sanctioning three of his nephews. Two of these family members were known as “narco nephews,” and were convicted in the US of cocaine trafficking charges in 2016 – former President Joe Biden granted them clemency in 2022.
67: The number of cultural traditions honored by UNESCO. Italian cooking, Ghanaian highlife music, and now, Swiss yodeling, are on this world heritage list. Yodel-lay-hee-hoo!
Algerians are headed to the polls today to elect their next members of parliament. However, hopes for true democracy look more remote than ever.
In addition to the health concerns from the Ebola outbreak, the UN is sounding the alarm on a potential development crisis in Africa sparked by the disease.
The protests in the small Balkan country were touched off by the start of construction on a seaside luxury resort linked to US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.