For the first time, Argentina is carrying out a trial against Army members specifically for the so-called vuelos de la muerte, where thousands of dissidents between 1976 and 1983 were drugged, forced onto military aircraft and dumped into the ocean to drown.
Why it matters: The trials show how Latin American countries are still trying to reckon with the toll of the U.S.-backed dictatorships and provide a modicum of justice over 40 years later.
Taliban special forces used tear gas, rifle butts and metal clubs to break up a protest in Kabul on Saturday led by Afghan women demanding equal rights, the New York Times reports.
Driving the news: Several of the women participating in Saturday's women's march — the second in two days — told the Times they were beaten by Taliban fighters.
Thousands of Afghans are waiting at U.S. bases in Germany, Italy and Spain — and those countries want to know they will end up in the U.S. before they commit to resettling additional Afghan refugees.
The big picture: EU leaders are desperate to avoid a repeat of the migrant crisis ignited by the Syrian civil war, which drove a record 1.3 million people to seek asylum in Europe in 2015 alone.
Angela Merkel looms so large over German politics after 16 years as chancellor that both leading candidates to replace her are positioning themselves as her political heir.
Why it matters: Merkel has been the power broker at Europe’s top table, the first call to Europe for U.S. presidents, and the only chancellor a generation of Germans has known. She remains popular at home and the face of European leadership abroad. But when Germany goes to the polls on Sept. 26, she won’t be on the ballot.
Angela Merkel has been the face of European leadership, a global power broker, a force for stability and a trusted friend to multiple U.S. presidents. But she’s about to hand over the keys to Europe’s economic powerhouse and one of the world’s most respected countries.
Why it matters: Both of the leading candidates to replace Merkel are positioning themselves as her political heir. But whoever wins will likely have to chart a different course than Merkel has, including navigating the thorny balance of power between the U.S. and China.
The U.S. has sanctioned four Iranian intelligence operatives for their role in an alleged campaign to silence critics of the Iranian government, the Treasury Department said Friday.
Driving the news: The four operatives planned to abduct Masih Alinejad, a New York City-based Iranian-American activist, according to the Treasury Department. They have also targeted other Iranian dissidents in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and the United Arab Emirates.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett assured the leaders of U.S Jewish organizations on Friday that he would take steps to reduce the conflict with the Palestinians.
Why it matters: Bennett holds hardline positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and opposes the two-state solution, but he also wants to show that he can make progress on the issue even without any political breakthrough.
Chile’s central bank became the latest in Latin America to hike interest rates this week, startling markets with a decision to double its overnight rate.
Why it matters: Inflation has been running high in parts of Latin America. And central bankers across the region don’t have the luxury of maintaining a “looser for longer” monetary policy the way the Fed and the ECB do.
AstraZeneca agreed to deliver 200 million more doses of its coronavirus vaccine to the European Union by the end of the first quarter of 2022, the company announced Friday.
Why it matters: The deal ends a monthslong legal dispute between AstraZeneca and the EU over vaccine supplies and will bring the total number of doses delivered by the company to the EU to 340 million.
Japan's Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Friday he will not seek re-election as the leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party this month, bringing his time as prime minister to an end ahead of a general election on Nov. 28.
Why it matters: Japan is the world's third-largest economy and a key U.S. ally. Suga became the first world leader to visit the White House in-person in April, where he and President Biden announced a "new era" in U.S.-Japan relations aimed in part at countering China's influence in the Indo-Pacific.
New Zealand police shot dead a man after he entered an Auckland supermarket and stabbed multiple people in an "ISIS-inspired" terrorist attack on Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said.
Details: Authorities said six people were taken to hospital, three with critical injuries, after the stabbing at the supermarket in LynnMall shopping center. The attacker was a known "violent extremist," Ardern said at a briefing.
An ISIS militant pleaded guilty Thursday to all charges related to his participation in a "brutal" scheme to capture, torture and ultimately behead hostages in Syria, including four Americans, the Justice Department said Thursday.
Why it matters: Alexanda Amon Kotey, a former British citizen who was part of an ISIS cell dubbed "The Beatles," is among those responsible for the 2014 executions of American journalist James Foley and other hostages, according to the DOJ.
