TL;DRHamas has elected Khalil al-Hayya as its new leader following a two-year transitional period. Experts interpret this appointment as a shift away from the more pragmatic factions within the organization.

TL;DRThe widespread consumption of the painkiller Tramadol is identified as a contributing factor to militia-led violence in the Central African Republic. The substance is transported into the country via smuggling routes originating in Asia and passing through the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

TL;DRCuban artist and government critic Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara has arrived in the United States following his release from a high-security prison in Cuba. He was received in Miami after his whereabouts had previously been unknown.