Muslim mob destroys Egyptian church

EGYPT: At least eight churches have been closed in Luxor governorate, and one near Minya was destroyed by Muslim mobs. Yet the government has kept 3,500 churches that predate a licensing law waiting—some for 20 years—to be legalized.

IRAQ: A fourth straight night of protests Thursday culminated in torched government buildings in Basra, Iraq’s third largest city and the gateway for Persian Gulf exports—unrest that’s sending the Iraqi Parliament into emergency session this weekend. Protesters also targeted the Iranian Consulate over Tehran’s interference in the country and cutting off a water supply.

ITALY: Migrant arrivals in Italy decreased 81 percent since last year, but the death rate for migrants crossing the Mediterranean is higher than it’s been since the 2015 migration crisis: For every 18 migrants reaching Italy by boat, one person drowned attempting the voyage.

JAPAN: A powerful earthquake is adding to misery, with nearly 3 million residents without power only days after the largest storm in a quarter-century, Typhoon Jebi, struck.

INDIA’s Supreme Court unanimously rejected a colonial-era law criminalizing gay sex, a section of law repealed in 2009 but reinstated in 2013.

CANADA: NAFTA always was two sets of bilateral trade agreements, this map shows, not the multilateral trade pact it was portrayed to be. Yet Canada is still talking about NAFTA, while the United States insists on separate arrangements.

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Compared to others in the region, the UAE is an oasis of religious freedom.

GERMANY: Everyone should have a car that runs on sunshine.

To have Globe Trot delivered to your email inbox, email Mindy at mbelz@wng.org.