Category: Uncategorized

Gaza genocide ‘spills into West Bank’

PalestineA group of UN experts warned that the genocide in Gaza is spilling into the West Bank as a wider war engulfs the region. The experts argue that Israeli policy is designed to coerce Palestinians to leave in both territories. The report also covered occupied East Jerusalem, finding: "Israel is accelerating measures that alter Jerusalem's demographic composition, religious character and legal status, destroying the remnants of the pluralistic fabric that Jerusalem has represented for centuries, for Muslims, Christians and Jews… What is being done to this world symbol of spiritual coexistence and shared heritage is irreversible." (Photo: RJA1988 via Jurist)

New Taliban criminal code threatens women, minorities

AfghanistanAmnesty International condemned the recently adopted "Criminal Procedure Regulation for the Courts" in Afghanistan, saying that the legislation violates the rights of women, girls and minority groups in the country. Among critical aspects of the new law is its decriminalization of domestic violence in cases where a woman does not actually have visible injuries or broken bones (Article 32), and its imposition of a three-month prison sentence for a woman who undertakes to visit relatives without permission from her husband and does not comply with a court order to return home (Article 34). Under Article 34, women and girls in abusive situations will have less recourse to seek refuge with family, Amnesty found. Article 26 also officially designates Shia Muslims, who make up some 15% of the population, as "heretical." (Photo: ArmyAmber/Pixabay)

Ninth Circuit: Trump may suspend refugee admissions

refugeesThe US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that President Donald Trump has the power to suspend refugee admissions to the United States, though the court provided some relief to refugees who had already been conditionally approved before the policy was implemented. Refugees and refugee resettlement organizations filed the lawsuit challenging a January 2025 executive order signed by Trump, which suspended refugee resettlement programs in the United States. The lawsuit, filed in a federal district court in Washington state, won a preliminary injunction requiring the government to continue aspects of the refugee program. The government appealed the decision, stating that the refugee program was within the president’s legal authority. The dispute may ultimately reach the US Supreme Court if the parties seek further review of the Ninth Circuit's decision. (Photo: Grace Deng/Washington State Standard)

Ethiopia accused of backing Sudan’s RSF

Sudan​​Sudan has accused Ethiopia of allowing drones to be launched from its territory to carry out attacks against Sudanese government forces. This marks the first time Sudan has directly accused its neighbor of involvement in the three-year civil war against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). In a statement, Sudan's Foreign Ministry warned of unspecified consequences. The drone accusation follows reports of the construction of an RSF training base in northwest Ethiopia, paid for by the United Arab Emirates. (Map: PCL)

US Congress rejects war powers resolution on Iran

DCThe US Senate turned down a War Powers Resolution (WPR) in a 47-53 vote, declining to impose limits on President Donald Trump's ability to wage war with Iran. If it had passed, the resolution would have required President Trump to seek congressional approval prior to any continued military action. The vote mostly fell along party lines, with only two senators crossing the aisle—Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul (R) voted in favor of the resolution, while Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman (D) voted against it. Later, the House of Representatives also rejected a WPR, which would have directed President Trump to cease all military action against Iran unless authorized by Congress through a formal declaration of war or authorization to use military force (AUMF). The vote tally was 212 to 219. Four Democrats—Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar, Maine Rep. Jared Golden, Ohio Rep. Greg Landsman, and California Rep. Juan Vargas—joined Republicans in opposing the resolution. (Photo: bones64/Pixabay)

UN demands civilian protection amid Middle East escalation

MinabThe United Nations urgently called for civilian protection amid growing violence and instability in the Middle East—and particularly in regard to the ongoing US and Israeli military operations against Iran. The UN urged a thorough investigation into a deadly strike on a girls' school in Iran, and requested the disclosure of all relevant information. The attack in the southern coastal city of Minab reportedly killed 168 people. According to Iran's Ministry of Education, the overwhelming majority of the slain were schoolgirls aged seven to 12. The strike came on the first day of coordinated US and Israeli airstrikes officially targeting Iranian infrastructure and military facilities. (Photo: Mehr via Wikimedia Commons)

US sanctions Rwanda military

RDFThe US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) and four of its top military officials over their support, training, and fighting alongside M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The RDF have reportedly provided direct operational support to the M23 and its affiliates by introducing advanced military equipment to eastern DRC, including GPS jamming systems, air defense equipment, and drones. According to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the US seeks the immediate withdrawal of RDF troops, weapons and equipment. (Photo: US Air Force via Wikimedia Commons)

Algeria: retrial for Kabylia activists facing execution

KabyleAmnesty International pressed for Algerian authorities to ensure that the retrial of 94 people in the violent events of August 2021 in the Kabylie region complies with international human rights safeguards, emphasizing opposition to use of the death penalty and warning against any form of torture. The defendants are charged in the lynching of a man wrongly accused of starting devastating wildfires that ravaged Algeria in 2021. However, Amnesty found that the convictions against several of the accused appear to have been politically motivated, as they were affiliated with the Movement for the Self-determination of Kabylie (MAK), designated as a terrorist organization by authorities. The retrial was ordered by the Supreme Court, which found the convictions had been tainted by irregularities, including evidence coerced through torture. At least 38 defendants may face death sentences. (Map: Kabyle.com)

Did US-Israel attacks on Iran abort nuclear deal?

IranThe coordinated US-Israel military strikes on Iran began 48 hours after the conclusion of a third round of US-Iran indirect nuclear negotiations in Geneva, mediated by Oman, that had produced what multiple parties described as an unprecedented breakthrough. Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi told CBS News the day before the strikes began that Iran had agreed to zero stockpiling of enriched uranium, with existing stockpiles to be down-blended to the lowest possible level and converted into reactor fuel under full International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) verification. "The single most important achievement, I believe, is the agreement that Iran will never, ever have a nuclear material that will create a bomb," Albusaidi said, describing the understanding as stronger than the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiated under Obama. (Image: Grunge Love via Flickr)

Pakistan declares ‘open war’ on Afghanistan

KhyberViolence has once again broken out between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with Islamabad declaring "open war" on Kabul. Afghan forces fired on military bases across the border in Pakistan, reportedly using drones. Pakistan retaliated, striking what it said were military targets in Kabul and several border provinces. Afghanistan's Islamic Emirate government said its attacks were a response to earlier Pakistani air-strikes that killed at least 13 civilians in Nangarhar province. Pakistan accuses the Taliban government of harboring fighters from the Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistan (TTP)—accused of being behind recent attacks in Islamabad and Peshawar. Afghan Minister of Interior Sirajuddin Haqqani said the "doors for dialogue" remain open but insisted that if Afghanistan continues to be attacked, it will respond. (Map: Google)

UN: ‘wicked’ trafficking for cyber-scam ops

scam centersThe UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) released a report warning that the rapid expansion of cyber-fraud compounds in Southeast Asia has resulted in widespread human rights abuses. At least 300,000 people originating from 66 countries are currently forced to work in these operations, primarily in Burma and Cambodia. The OHCHR described the phenomenon as a "wicked problem" requiring coordinated, human rights-based responses rather than enforcement-only crackdowns. Yet national government have responded with air-strikes on the compounds, endangering the exploited workers being held at the facilities. (Image: OHCHR)