International News
Coverage of international events and global policy shifts. The Daily Signal offers news reporting with opinion and commentary on world affairs.
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- News
Judge Who Declines to Do Same-Sex Marriages Says Civil Rights Struggle Inspired His Career
A Toledo judge who declined to officiate at the wedding of two women Monday has apologized to the couple for a 45-minute delay, explaining that his âpersonal and Christian beliefsâ compelled him to ask that another judge step in. Judge C. Allen McConnell said he was awaiting guidance from the Ohio Supreme Court on whether…Ken McIntyre -
- Opinion
Why Iâd Never Invest in the Chinese Stock Market (And Itâs Not Just Because of the New Decline)
From the summer of 2009 through 2012, I was an American economist living in Beijing. Although an avid stock investor, I have never once owned a Chinese listed company. Let me tell you why. Traditionally, Chinese households have had (basically) two places to put their savings: the banking system and residential real estate. With housing…William T. Wilson -
- News
Japanese and South Korean Ambassadors Identify Strategies to Combat North Koreaâs Growing Power
Through its continuous work to build, deploy and sell nuclear weapons and its general belligerence toward the rest of the region, North Korea is putting pressure on nearby democracies. Those democracies should put the pressure right back on the hermit kingdom by opposing its missile development and sales and exposing its appalling human rights record….Diana Stancy -
- News
A Tale of Two Cities: Ukraine Wins One Back, But War Remains Close
MARIUPOL, UkraineâA thunderstorm loomed over Mariupol on the afternoon of July 6. To the north, the sky turned dark and a cool pre-storm breeze kicked up as the sounds of distant thunder began to roll in. A waitress at the Natalka coffee shop on Prospekt Lenina smiled and said, âItâs only a storm. Not artillery.â…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
How U.S. Plans Respond to Russia Breaking Yet Another Arms Treaty
In a turn of events that surprises no one, Russia continues to act in a belligerent fashion on the world stage. While testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on June 25, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work spoke strongly against Russiaâs âprovocations,â calling them âirresponsibleâ and an attempt to âintimidate our allies and us.â…Cameron Swathwood -
- Opinion
Cuban Dissident Who Warned Obama Engagement With Castro Would Fail Injured By Castroâs Thugs
When President Obama confidently asserted âthis is what change looks likeâ during his Cuba embassy announcement last week, he couldnât possibly have had in mind the picture of a bloodied and bandaged Antonio Rodiles. And yet, the dissident leader warned Obama that very day in a tweet that appeasement meant more repression of dissidents. Rodiles…Mike Gonzalez -
- Opinion
This Could Be the Beginning of the End for the European Union
Its failure to make a âĴ1.73 billion euro payment to the International Monetary Fund by June 30 makes Greece the first developed country in history to default to the IMF. It could also mark the beginning of the end for the European Union as the world has known it. Brinkmanship by Greeceâs hard-left Syriza governmentârejecting…James M. Roberts -
- News
State Silences Bakers Who Refused to Make Cake for Lesbian Couple, Fines Them $135K
Oregon Labor Commissioner Brad Avakian finalized a preliminary ruling today ordering Aaron and Melissa Klein, the bakers who refused to make a cake for a same-sex wedding, to pay $135,000 in emotional damages to the couple they denied service. "This case is not about a wedding cake or a marriage," Avakian wrote. "It is about…Kelsey Bolar -
- News
Meet the Former Addict Who Now Cuts Homeless Peopleâs Hair for Free
Nasir Sobhani knows first-hand the toll addiction and homelessness can take. Which is why these days the recovering cocaine addict and barbershop owner spends his time helping others in need in an effort to pay his good fortune forward. âI love it so much, itâs like my new way of getting high âĤ Itâs like…Leah Jessen -
- News
In Ukraine, War and Peace Live Side By Side
KYIV, UkraineâKonstantin Bernatovichâs hands began to tremble. He leaned forward, breathing quickly. He tried to say something, but his English failed him and he pulled out his smartphone to type a Russian message into Google Translate: âSeeing you makes me feel very nervous. I have to go smoke a cigarette for a moment to calm…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
A Space War With China or Russia Is a Real Threat
A war in space sounds like a great plot for a summer blockbuster. Unfortunately, a conflict in space isnât just a Hollywood movie script anymore, but a threat in the real world. Both Russia and China have developed, or are developing, the ability to shoot satellites out of space. In addition to this, a number…Justin Johnson -
- Opinion
The Flash, the Boom, and the Dark: 8 Days on the Front Line of the Ukraine War
PISKY, UkraineâThere are a lot of ways to die in Pisky, and they all come down to seconds and inches. Snipers, artillery, mortars, booby-traps. Thatâs the worst part of this war. You just never know when itâs going to happen. Seconds and inches. Fifty more years and the long road ahead, or the flash and…Nolan Peterson -
- Opinion
Chinese Say They’re Just Watching the Weather From Islands in South China Sea
Having antagonized much of the region with its island building in the South China Sea, as demonstrated by the loud chorus of concern heard at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore several weeks ago, Beijing is now claiming that the islands are intended for weather observation. âThe construction of infrastructure for observation and communication is the…Dean Cheng -
- Opinion
African Growth and Opportunity Act and Generalized System of Preferences Renewal Delayed by Fast-Track Debate
After much delay, Congress has acted on two much anticipated trade preference programs: the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP). But, unfortunately, the preference bills have been caught up in the controversies surrounding President Obamaâs trade agenda. At the last minute, House leaders attached language to the renewal…Anthony B. Kim -
- Opinion
What America Can Learn From Europe’s Attempts to Stem Growth of Islamist Ideology
Watching Europeans grapple with multiculturalism as they attempt to stem the growth of Islamist ideology at home can be instructive. It may even convince U.S. leaders of the wisdom of once again assimilating immigrants to a unique American culture and set of national principles. In Germany, one of the most controversial aspects of multiculturalism, granting…Mike Gonzalez -
- News
This Is What the Ukraine War Looks Like: 8 Days on the Front Line
PISKY, UkraineâThe notion that the Ukraine cease-fire is still largely holding, or even being followed at all, is fiction. In the eastern Ukrainian village of Pisky, only six kilometers from the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, and two kilometers from the ruined Donetsk airport, the Ukrainian army 93rd Mechanized Brigade is engaged in sustained combat with…Nolan Peterson -
- News
The Issue That May Determine Who Wins Iowa
With the race to the White House in full swing and the Iowa Caucus less than eight months away, one issue hits Iowans closer to home than most: renewable fuels. At a briefing in Washington this week, the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association emphasized that exceedingly local issues like ethanol and biodiesel will play big in…Leah Jessen -
- Opinion
Hong Kong Rejects Communist China’s Bogus Election Plan
The people of Hong Kong have once again given the world a lesson in democracy and liberty, this time by rejecting a bogus election plan hatched by communists in the Peopleâs Republic of China. This is the gist of confusing events that took place Thursday in the former British colony. Lawmakers in the mini-legislature, the…Mike Gonzalez -
- Opinion
North Koreaâs Brutal Regime, Not the Weather, Primary Culprit for Nationâs Food Shortage
In the past Pyongyang blamed its poor crop yield on alternating claims of cataclysmic floods and droughts that left South Korea unaffected. The reality was that North Koreaâs disastrous economic system was to blame, combined with the countryâs mountainous geography which is not conducive to agricultural self-sufficiency. Historically, the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula…Bruce Klingner -
- Opinion
This Bill Would Stop Obama Administration From Punishing People Who Stand Up for Marriage
In April, members of the Supreme Court asked Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, the federal governmentâs top lawyer, if the administration could strip religious schools that believe marriage is the union of husband and wife of their tax-exempt status should the Court redefine marriage. Verrilli responded by saying â[i]tâs certainly going to be an issue.â Congress…Ryan T. Anderson