Restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic have increased threats to press freedom in the region, raising questions over how to respond.   

The United Nations is fast-tracking discussions that aim to forge an international agreement to curb plastic waste, one of the most pervasive and hazardous environmental pollutants.

President Biden has vowed to diversify the top ranks of government agencies. The small and shrinking number of senior Black diplomats, in particular, could undermine U.S. foreign policy goals.

The conflict in oil-rich Libya has become a proxy war, fueled by rival foreign powers such as Russia and Turkey.