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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opinion
Don’t Silence the 50 Million Who Voted for One Man-One Woman Marriage
As the Supreme Court prepares to hear oral arguments in cases involving the freedom of states to make marriage policy, thousands gathered Saturday on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the third annual March for Marriage. The event’s largest crowd to date called on the Court to respect the voice of the American people,… -
news
After Bakers’ Fundraising Campaign Shut Down, Florist Who Rejected Same-Sex Wedding Faces Same Fate
Less than 48 hours after the crowdfunding website GoFundMe shut down a campaign setup for Sweet Cakes by Melissa, GoFundMe yanked a similar fundraiser for a 70-year-old Washington florist facing seven-figure financial penalties for violating her state’s anti-discrimination law. The campaign, created for Barronelle Stutzman, a Christian florist who refused to make flower arrangements for… -
news
‘If the Russians Come, We Will Destroy Them’: Ukrainian Civilians Prepare for War
DNIPROPETROVSK, Ukraine—Outside this city at a Ukrainian army facility called the Polygon, which is typically used for tank training, about 200 civilian volunteers gathered this past weekend for a military exercise. Many had no military experience; some had never held a weapon. But many decided to train for war due to widespread worries about an… -
opinion
550 Slaves Rescued in Indonesia: Time to Get Serious About Fighting Human Trafficking in Asia
An estimated 550 slaves were rescued from the remote Indonesian island Benjina late last week. The International Organization for Migration believes there are at least 4,000 men that have not yet been rescued and may be victims of human trafficking. Events in Benjina are a reminder that the fight against human trafficking in Asia is… -
news
Ukraine Conflict Threatens to Spread as Anti-Communist Law Increases Tensions
ODESSA, Ukraine—Outside of the city administration building here on April 16, three older men who said they were from the local Communist party unfurled a red hammer and sickle flag to protest a national law banning symbols of the Soviet Union. Nearby, police and local militia units were standing in a defensive ring around city… -
news
Two Weeks to Make a Soldier: A Ukrainian National Guard Unit Trains to ‘Fight to the Death’
KYIV, Ukraine—At its training camp on the outskirts of Kyiv this past weekend, the Ukrainian National Guard Azov Regiment held its Spartan Test—a grueling three-hour rite of passage meant to test the mental and physical strength of both new recruits and battle-hardened veterans. The ordeal is the capstone to a two-week-long whirlwind military training program,… -
opinion
How Our North Korea Negotiations Should Guide Our Iran Negotiations
The interim Iranian nuclear framework is a vague accord with significant shortcomings. Moreover, the ink had barely dried before Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei disputed the Obama administration’s depiction of what had been agreed to. Khamenei declared that all sanctions against Iran must be removed immediately upon signature of a final accord in three months. He… -
news
Australian Satellite Company Backed by Export-Import Bank Loans Files for Bankruptcy
An Australian satellite company backed by hundreds of millions of dollars in taxpayer-funded loans from the Export-Import Bank has filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy, putting the company’s future in doubt. According to filings from the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the District of Delaware, Australian satellite company NewSat filed a petition for Chapter 15 bankruptcy yesterday. Chapter… -
opinion
Why Are We Going Down Same Path With Iran We Did With North Korea?
A U.S. president reaches a nuclear agreement with a rogue state. He steps before the microphones and declares, “This is a good deal for the United States.” The pariah nation will, he continues, “freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program” and the “entire world will be safer as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons.”… -
news
As Ukraine Tries to Purge Its Communist Past, Terrorist Threats Follow
KHARKIV, Ukraine—As fighting continues to escalate in east Ukraine, a pro-Russian separatist group calling itself the “Kharkiv Partisans” declared Tuesday that it would execute five Ukrainian civilians for every Communist monument destroyed, underscoring worries that a recent law banning Soviet symbols might escalate tensions in the war-torn country. The threat followed a Monday meeting in… -
opinion
China, Not America, Rescues Its Own Citizens Stuck in Yemen
As the situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate, consider this striking contrast between the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the United States. One country dispatched naval forces to evacuate its citizens from the collapsing Middle East state. In the process, they evacuated citizens from 10 other countries, including Great Britain, Japan and Germany. The other… -
opinion
Cyber Espionage: Report Claims China Behind Southeast Asia Hacks
Cyber security firm FireEye’s recent report details persistent cyber espionage in Southeast Asian countries over the past decade. Many of the victims include defense and communication firms and local journalists who reported on regional affairs and Chinese government issues. The report claims these attacks were state sponsored, likely by the Chinese government—a known cyber aggressor…. -
opinion
Why the 169 Targets UN Is Pursuing Won’t Lead to Progress in Reducing Poverty
Regardless of the name, the United Nations’ proposed list of Sustainable Development Goals actually reads more like a wish list cobbled together by a committee that could not say no. The Sustainable Development Goals, which are the heirs to the Millennium Development Goals, consist of a whopping 169 proposed targets under 17 categories. As The Economist… -
opinion
Firing of Officer Who Shot Unarmed Suspect Shows Benefits of Non-Unionized Police Departments
Americans were stunned last week by graphic video of North Charleston, S.C. Police Officer Michael T. Slager shooting an unarmed suspect in the back after a routine traffic stop. The video led to Slager both being charged with murder and fired from the North Charleston Police Department. Slager’s quick dismissal from the department stands in… -
opinion
How the Next President Can Stand Up to a Resurgent Russia
Usually, domestic issues are front-and-center in presidential campaigns. Not so this year. From Islamist terror in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to the growing Iranian nuclear threat, foreign and national-security policy is the hot topic among White House aspirants. That’s not a bad thing. The next leader of the free world must be able… -
news
Visit to a Mariupol Hospital Lays Bare Ukraine War’s Toll
MARIUPOL, Ukraine—In "All Quiet on the Western Front," Erich Maria Remarque wrote: “A hospital alone shows what war is.” The hospital here is no exception. The faces of soldiers, both young and old, recovering from wounds and sickness incurred on the front lines — located only eight miles away from here — speak to the… -
news
Ukraine Moves to Ditch its Soviet Past
KYIV, Ukraine—The Ukrainian parliament approved a law Thursday renaming the Great Patriotic War as the Second World War, underscoring a sweeping move by the post-revolutionary government here to ditch its Soviet past. Also on Thursday, Ukrainian lawmakers passed a law banning the promotion of symbols of “Communist and National Socialist totalitarian regimes,” as well as… -
news
What Americans Think About Business Owners Who Refuse to Serve Same-Sex Weddings
A new poll found that Americans are split on whether business owners should be allowed to decline to participate in same-sex marriages due to their religious beliefs. A poll conducted by NBC News, the University of Pennsylvania’s Program on Opinion Research and Election Studies and SurveyMonkey found that 48 percent of Americans believe businesses and… -
news
Ukraine Bracing for Separatist Offensive
KYIV, Ukraine—Pro-Russian separatists have been put on “full alert” for a major offensive that Ukrainian and U.S. military officials anticipate will happen in the next two months, a Ukrainian military spokesman said here Wednesday. Ukrainian military officials and front-line troops say the attack will begin sometime from Orthodox Easter on April 12 to May 9,… -
opinion
Would China Have Launched the AIIB If Congress Had Approved IMF Reforms? Yes.
Does anyone really believe that China would have shelved its newly launched, $100 billion Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) if Congress had approved the International Monetary Fund (IMF) “Reform Package” negotiated by the Obama Administration in 2010? That’s what proponents of the IMF reforms would have you believe as they fired off a new round…