A new danish conscription law introduced this year places young women alongside young men in the military draft; Canada played host to a royal visit from the King and Queen of Sweden; Millions of letters and parcels are arriving late in the UK, as Royal Mail is struggling to meet its delivery targets;

Prosecutors in Milan are investigating claims that wealthy Italians took part in so-called 'sniper safaris' in the early 1990s in war-torn Bosnia; Istanbul's popular mayor has been accused of 142 corruption offences; and the ancient role of the Hakawati carries Arabic folktales into Syria's latest political chapter.

In Ukraine, the constant threat of Russian attacks has led to the closure of the Kyiv to Kramatorsk train; US president Donald Trump has threatened to send the military to Nigeria to protect Christians there; and over 30 years after independence, Slovenia still has challenges balancing its linguistic culture with the rights of other ethnicities.

Deadliest police raid in the city of Rio de Janeiro results in 132 deaths; A presidential pardon saves a man in Tunisia from the death penalty over a Facebook Post; and the world famous La Fenice Opera House mired in controversy over the appointment of an inexperienced conductor

Challenges facing Japan's first ever female prime minister; Possibilty of reunification of Cyprus; and the role of cricket in relations between India and Pakistan

How furloughed US federal workers spend their time; the Premier League on playing overseas fixtures; and cold water poured on Italy's plans for Sicilian bridge.

The Senegalese premier of Brian Friel's Translations, Beluga Whales at risk of euthanasia in Ontario, and a new museum to commemorate the largest massacre of civilians in Europe since World War II.

Drone sightings in Denmark raise security questions for the European country; Indigenous and non-indigenous people marked the fifth annual National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada; And World Heritage Site under threat from tourism in the Portuguese town of Sintra.

The last free cities in Eastern Ukraine brace under daily Russian fire; A storm of criticism over plans to loan the Bayeux Tapestry to Britain; and the long search for justice in Guatemala, decades after civil war.

Jair Bolsonaro sentenced to prison as Trump declares it a 'witch hunt'; Beloved Canadian author approved for medical assistance in dying; and many of India's richest citizens are leaving the country.