Editor’s Note: This listicle is part of a weekly series by The Ball State Daily News summarizing five stories from around the world. All summaries are based on stories published by The Associated Press.
Canadian elections, U.S. troops in Syria, the Brexit vote, the WikiLeaks founder’s extradition and the enthronement of Japan’s new emperor make up this week’s five international stories.
Canada elects parliament in vote seen as threat to Trudeau
Canadians are electing a new Parliament Monday after a tight election campaign that has raised the threat of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau being knocked from power after one term because of a combination of scandal and high expectations. Polls indicate Trudeau’s Liberal Party could lose to the rival Conservatives or perhaps win but still fail to get a majority of seats in Parliament and have to rely on an opposition party to remain in power.
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US troops in Syria heading to Iraq, not home as Trump claims
While President Donald Trump insists he’s bringing home Americans from “endless wars” in the Mideast, his Pentagon chief says all U.S. troops leaving Syria will go to western Iraq, and the American military will continue operations against the Islamic State group. The fight in Syria against IS, once spearheaded by American allied Syrian Kurds who have been cast aside by Trump, will be undertaken by U.S. forces, possibly from neighboring Iraq.
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UK’s Boris Johnson set to push for vote on EU divorce bill
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was expected to push for a vote on his European Union divorce deal Monday as Parliament geared up for a week of guerrilla warfare over Brexit. With just 10 days to go until the U.K. is due to leave the bloc Oct. 31, Johnson’s government planned to ask for a “straight up-and-down vote” on the EU divorce agreement. That request comes two days after lawmakers voted to delay approving the deal.
Read more: Brexit
WikiLeaks founder Assange in court to fight extradition
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange appeared in London court Monday to fight extradition to the United States on charges of conspiring to hack into a Pentagon computer, with his legal team saying it needs more time to prepare its case. U.S. authorities accuse Assange of scheming with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break a password for a classified government computer. The case is expected to take months to resolve.
Read more: Julian Assange
Japan set to celebrate Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement
Japan is abuzz ahead of a ceremony Tuesday marking Emperor Naruhito’s ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne. It is one of several formal ceremonies, which began in May and lasts through the spring for Naruhito, 59, who has been a full-fledged emperor since succeeding in May after the abdication of his father, Akihito. Tuesday’s ceremony allows Naruhito to proclaim himself Japan’s 126th emperor in a ritual dating back to the seventh century.
Read more: Japan