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
South Korea and Japan Resolve ‘Comfort Women’ Issue
South Korea and Japan reached a landmark agreement Monday to settle long-standing divisive issues resulting from Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean Peninsula. The most emotional and complex topic was that of women forced into sexual slavery, euphemistically known as “comfort women.” Japan had asserted that the issue, included compensation, had been settled during the 1965… -
news
No Way Out: The Forbidden Himalayan Escape Route for Tibetan Refugees From China
NAMCHE BAZAR, Nepal—There are a lot of ways to die on the Nangpa La. For one, the altitude can kill you. This is what Tibetan refugees face as they flee China's oppression: At more than 19,000 feet (roughly the same height as Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa) this mountain pass, which bridges the Himalayas between Nepal… -
opinion
North Korea’s Leadership, Not the Weather, Is to Blame for Worsening Humanitarian Crisis
Earlier this year, Pyongyang declared it was suffering the “worst drought in 100 years.” Indeed, North Korea has suffered widespread food shortage since the early 1990s when an estimated 5 percent of its population died of starvation and related diseases. The situation remains dire. According to the World Development Indicators, 15.2 percent of North Korean… -
opinion
Why Are North Korean Defectors Destined for Severe Punishment?
China is currently considering repatriating nine young North Korean defectors back to North Korea. In early October, the defectors fled North Korea by crossing the Yalu River to Shenyang and then traveling to the town of Nanning on the Chinese border with Vietnam. They crossed into Vietnam on Oct. 22 but were caught by Vietnamese… -
opinion
Putin Is Developing an Underwater Drone With Nuclear Weapons That Can Target US
Russia is developing a drone submarine that can deliver a nuclear warhead or dirty bomb (targets electronics) at U.S. coastal areas. Russian officials confirmed the existence of the program – dubbed Kanyon by the Pentagon – after images of a document detailing plans for the sub were broadcast on Russian state-run television. According to the document,… -
news
Here Are the 95 Republicans Who Opposed the Omnibus Spending Bill
The $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill sailed through the House on Friday by a vote of 316-113. Ninety-five Republicans split with House GOP leadership to vote against the spending bill. Another 150 Republicans supported it, while just 18 Democrats opposed it. Here is the full list of the Republicans who voted against the spending bill… -
opinion
How UN Conferences Have Created a False Climate Narrative
Last week in Paris, I had the pleasure of speaking at an event hosted by the Heartland Institute, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow (CFACT). The conference, entitled “A Day of Examining the Data” brought climatologists to talk about the state of climate science and economists to talk about the… -
opinion
The Negative Effects on Haiti of Too Much Foreign Aid
In Haiti, the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, the wheels of economic progress grind forward slowly. In the case of a newly-rehabilitated flour mill in Port-au-Prince, however, those grinding gears can actually be seen and heard. For a nation struggling with hungry citizens the reopening of the Moulins d’Haiti (LMH) flour mill isn’t small… -
opinion
Hunger and Health Crisis in North Korea
In June of 2015, North Korea was reported to be suffering its “worst drought in 100 years.” Indeed, the country has suffered widespread food shortage since the early 1990s, when an estimated 5 percent of its population died of starvation and related diseases. The situation remains dire. According to the World Development Indicators, 15.2 percent… -
news
Ukraine War Freezes Over as State Department Updates Travel Warning
KYIV, Ukraine—As the Ukraine war approaches its third calendar year, daily skirmishes threaten to unglue a shaky truce. The consequences of Russia’s military pivot to Syria, meanwhile, remain foggy. The U.S. State Department on Monday updated its travel warning for Ukraine, urging all U.S. citizens in the eastern Donbas region and in Russian-occupied Crimea to… -
opinion
North Korea’s Failed Diplomacy
Twin events over the weekend dashed tremulous predictions that North Korea was seeking to improve strained relations with South Korea and China. Pyongyang’s decisions to engage in senior-level talks with South Korea, and send Kim Jong-un’s hand-picked Moranbong band to Beijing, presaged (it was hoped) the regime’s intent to substitute parley for its typical pugnacity…. -
opinion
Russia’s Nuclear Treaty Violations and the Obama Administration’s Tepid Response
Russia continues to violate the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty by fielding a prohibited ground-launched cruise missile system. Rose Gottemoeller and Brian McKeon, two high-level administration officials dealing with arms control issues, testified earlier this month before a joint hearing of the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees on how the Obama administration is… -
opinion
The Real People Who Will Be Affected by Last Minute Changes to the Visa Waiver Program
Tuesday, the House passed an amendment that would suspend those who have been to Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the Sudan in the past 5 years from being eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). This ban will affect the missionaries, humanitarian aid and rights workers, and journalists from France, United Kingdom, Japan, and 35 other… -
opinion
Why North Korea’s Claim That It Has a Hydrogen Bomb Is Worrisome
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un asserted that his country has built a hydrogen nuclear bomb to “defend its sovereignty and the dignity of the nation.” If true, it would mark a significant and startling escalation in the regime’s ability to threaten the United States in its allies. While North Korea has developed an arsenal of… -
opinion
China’s Major Pollution Problem Causes Beijing to Issue a ‘Red Alert’
On Monday, for the first time, Beijing announced a “red alert.” The alarm was a consequence of the thick smog that had blanketed the city and was deemed a health hazard even to healthy residents of Beijing. The air quality is rated on a scale of zero to 500 (the higher the number, the worse… -
opinion
7 Disputes Being Debated This Week at the UN Climate Conference in Paris
Week one of the U.N. climate conference in Paris (COP21) concluded with the adoption of a draft “outcome.” This was the must-have first step if the U.N. is to have a chance of adopting a full treaty this week. The draft is riddled with unresolved and divisive issues. For instance, it contains multiple versions of… -
news
Experts Urge John Kerry to Include Christians in State Department Middle East Genocide Finding
A silent persecution of Christians tantamount to genocide is ongoing in the Middle East, according to experts in Washington. Last week, at a panel organized by The Heritage Foundation to discuss modern Christian martyrs, academic, religious, and media leaders discussed the persecution—as well as the inattention being paid to the issue by developed nations including… -
opinion
Venezuela Staves Off Default in Advance of Dec. 6 Election
Legislative and municipal elections this weekend might give Venezuelans a chance to get out from under the oppressive reign of corruption and criminality that have been the hallmarks of the government of President Nicolás Maduro. But don’t hold your breath. Maduro has warned that he will not “surrender the revolution” to an opposition victory, and… -
opinion
Why China Shouldn’t Be Trusted on Its Climate Commitment
There has been a lot of attention given to China at the climate conference in Paris. As the largest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions in the world, a lot depends on what China will do—or more accurately what it won’t do. Lots of media reports have commended China for its sudden commitment to climate change. But… -
opinion
Leading Muslim Voice Speaks Out Against Islamic Extremism
In the aftermath of the massacre in Paris and the shooting this week in San Bernardino, Calif., the debate over the threat of Islamic terrorism is again front and center. Many political leaders, including President Barack Obama, refuse to make the connection between the terrorist acts of groups like ISIS and the religion of Islam….