In Germany this week, Chancellor Angela Merkel called for a ban on the “full veil” for Muslim women within the country. Germany, a country that has welcomed nearly one million immigrants this year, has taken a more conservative turn with this decision after recent attacks by Syrian refugees. Others believe that this is simply a political move by Merkel who is seeking re-election for a fourth term as Chancellor. In the wake of other European countries making similar moves against Islamic tolerance, it will be interesting to see if any other countries go forward with similar bans. If you would like to learn more about Germany’s new ban, read here:
Angela Merkel calls for widespread ban on ‘full veil’ Islamic coverings

Italy held a referendum vote on Sunday to make a constitutional change that would reduce bureaucracy in the country’s political system by slashing the number of positions in the Senato from 315 to 100. The referendum failed and with it brought the resignation of the country’s youngest-ever prime minister, Matteo Renzi, who spearheaded this campaign. Although Renzi handed in his resignation to the President on Monday, it was not accepted, as he is now expected to wait until the latest budget is approved. The vote came out to 40 percent in favor and 59 percent against. Click here to learn more about the results of the referendum:
Italy: Renzi’s resignation delayed after meeting with President

Alexander Van der Bellen is the new President of Austria after a contentious election against the country’s far-right party candidate Norbert Hofer. Considered the “Trump of Austria,” Hofer and his Freedom Party, which was reportedly founded in part by Nazis, has pushed a nationalist, anti-immigrant national rhetoric that still received 46 percent of the vote. Although this was a victory for Austrians that are pro-European, many are still worried that a Brexit-type situation may still be possible. To learn more about Austria’s elections, read here:
Austria’s ‘Trump’ lost the presidential election. But liberals shouldn’t be celebrating.

President Rodrigo Duterte has kept his promise to see to the extrajudicial killings of drug users and dealers in his country of the Philippines. Daniel Berehulak  of the New York Times went to the Philippines and witnessed 57 deaths from this crusade in 35 days. He documented this experience through incredibly graphic and moving images that show just how deliberate and frequent these murders are in this country at the hands of Duterte. To see these pictures and learn more about what is going on in the Philippines, read Berehulak’s story here:
‘They Are Slaughtering Us Like Animals’

An air strike on Wednesday has killed at least 52 civilians and severely injured many others after the Iraqi Army accidentally bombed an ISIS-held area called al-Qaim. Many were waiting on lines in the area for their pay checks when the attack happened. Although the Army maintains that they did make a dent in their fight against ISIS with this attack, many are questioning the Army’s intelligence gathering.  If you would like to read more about the situation in Iraq and this incident in al-Qaim,  click here:
Iraqi army mistakenly bombs civilians in ISIL-held city