Australia’s Stand on Gay Marriage - By the end of the year, Australia’s Attorney-General promises that Australia will see plebiscite and parliamentary vote on the same-sex marriage. So far, civil unions are accepted in most of the states, however, marriage has not yet been recognized.

Hong Kong Bookseller Returns Home - Mighty Current is a Hong Kong-based publication that targets the Chinese government and the Communist party. Just this past October the content criticizing Xi Jinping’s private life was published and as the five publishers visited Shenzhen in mainland China they were detained. However, two out of five men returned safely to Hong Kong.

The Philippines' Active Stand on North Korea - The Philippines will be the first country today to impose planned UN sanction on North Korea. The MV Jin Teng, a suspected North Korean ship, arrived to a coast close to Manila last Thursday. The ship will be confiscated and the crew will be deported.

Nancy Reagan Dies at 94 - The wife of the 40th president of the United States, Nancy Reagan, died on Sunday in her home in Los Angeles due to the congestive heart failure. As an influential first lady, she was a trusted adviser to her husband Ronald Reagan.

China’s Economy in the Spotlight - China’s National People’s Congress held its annual meeting during which the delegates created a rough idea of the current year’s economic trajectory. The target GDP has been brought down by 0.5 points to 6.5%.

Slovakia Elections - As the extreme rightist party gained prominent in the most recent Slovak elections, left-nationalist Robert Fico is now struggling to form a new government. Still, Fico’s views are not refugee-friendly as he dismisses multiculturalism as “fiction” and insists on declining refugees from entering the country. He has also been criticized for his lack of reforms in the realm of health and education.

This article was written by Lana Kugli. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Chloe Haddaway.