Bahrain ordered a top U.S. diplomat to leave the country on Monday after he met with a leading Shiite opposition group. The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Tom Malinowski is not welcome in Bahrain. It said he intervened in the country's domestic affairs by holding meetings with some groups at the expense of others.

The Sri Lankan government through diplomatic channels has protested the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funding a project supposedly aimed at enlightening the Sri Lankan public on election systems and voting rights.

The Netherlands might be giving one of its long-running traditions a makeover, for a very good reason. During parades celebrating Christmas, crowds are peppered with revelers in blackface, who are dressed up as Zwarte Piet, or "Black Pete", the dumb, servile sidekick of Santa Claus, according to Dutch folklore. While some might argue that the practice is nothing more than a harmless tradition, a Dutch court ruled on July 3 that Amsterdam should reconsider allowing the controversial figure in its parades, since it reinforces negative stereotypes of black people. 

Egypt is tightening its control over social media by acquiring new software that would facilitate extensive monitoring of dissidents’ communications, putting even stay-at-home opposition supporters at risk.  Authorities say they need such tools to fight terrorism in Egypt. 

President Barack Obama's administration has taken the US gay rights revolution global, using American embassies across the world as outposts in a struggle that still hasn't been won at home. Sometimes US advice and encouragement is condemned as unacceptable meddling. And sometimes it can seem to backfire, increasing the pressure on those it is meant to help. With gay pride parades taking place in many cities across the world this weekend, the US role will be more visible than ever.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington blasted members of Congress forvoting to rename its street address after an imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate in what was a clear -- if somewhat juvenile -- attempt to needle Beijing for its human rights record.

There is no question that the prize is a valuable initiative showcasing Taiwan’s soft power and desire to make the world a better place. In providing a platform where exceptional international minds can come together and participate in meaningful dialogue, the prize is addressing new challenges of the modern world by combining millennium-old wisdom of the East with the cutting-edge technology of the West.

A worldwide advertising campaign calling for a boycott of tourism to Botswana, launched by Survival International - the global movement for tribal peoples' rights - has reached hundreds of thousands of travelers. The ad has been published in international travel and lifestyle magazines including Wired, Escapism, Departures and Centurion magazines in France, Italy, Austria, Germany, Japan, and the U.K.