India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Jair Messias Bolsonaro met in New Delhi Jan. 26, pledging a “new chapter” in cooperation between their two countries, especially naming counter-terrorism and exploitation of minerals, hydrocarbons and other natural resources. (India Today,… Read moreModi and Bolsonaro: twin threat to tribal peoples
Key climate indicators such as greenhouse gas concentrations, global temperatures, ocean heat and sea levels all reached record highs in recent years, according to the World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate 2025 report. The past 11 years have been the warmest on record, with 2025 among the top three. Melting ice, rising seas, and extreme weather are intensifying risks to ecosystems, health, and economies. With the 1.5°C warming limit established by the Paris Agreement nearing, the report stresses urgent emissions cuts. "Every key climate indicator is flashing red," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Humanity has just endured the 11 hottest years on record. When history repeats itself 11 times, it is no longer a coincidence. It is a call to act." (Image: blende12/Pixabay)
With international eyes on the catastrophe in the Gaza Strip, an economic and human rights crisis is rapidly unfolding in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Violence by both the Israeli army and settlers is escalating, with entire Palestinian villages emptied, the residents forced to flee. Intensified restrictions on mobility are being imposed by the occupation forces, work permits are being cancelled by the tens of thousands, and tax revenues that Israel collects on West Bank exports are being withheld from the Palestinian Authority. At least 290 Palestinians, including 75 children, have been killed since Oct. 7—double the figure for all of last year. (Photo: B'Tselem)
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressed the United Nations General Assembly regarding the dispute with India over shared waters of the Indus River and the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Sharif told the Assembly that any attempt by India to stop, impede or divert Pakistan's share of the Indus River waters "will be treated as an act of war." He further stated that India’s unilateral decision to hold the IWT in "abeyance" following last year's militant attacks in Kashmir had "no legal basis whatsoever." India has already restricted the flow of water for periods through dams on Indus tributaries that are apportioned to Pakistan by the treaty. (Photo: Heartography/Pixabay via Jurist)
Amnesty International accused Argentina of putting in place a "techno-authoritarian" surveillance infrastructure without adequate legal safeguards, as the government's newly created AI security unit expands state monitoring powers over citizens' online communications and physical movements. In a new report, the rights group stated that Argentina's Ministry of Security spent at least $1.2 million on surveillance technology between 2024 and 2025, including social media monitoring tools, facial recognition software, and thermal-sensing camera-equipped drones with automatic tracking of targets and capacity to transmit images in real time. (Image: Celina Hilbert)
Amnesty International condemned the conviction in Turkey of environmental activist Esra Işık. The activist was convicted of "resisting a public official to prevent performance of duty" and "insulting a public official," and sentenced to two years and one month in prison. Işık was detained in March following participation in demonstrations against an extraordinary "urgent" land expropriation decision by the Turkish government, in which over 600 parcels in the Akbelen Forest area were to be seized for expansion of a coal mine. (Photo: Cumhuriyet)
Amnesty International warned that the recent move by Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso to submit formal notifications of withdrawal from the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) paints a bleak future for thousands of conflict survivors, threatening their right to truth, justice and reparations. The three countries recently formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), a mutual defense and economic confederation that seeks to reject the political influence of Western powers. The AES countries are currently engaged in coordinated military actions to beat back surging jihadist offensives, which have resulted in massive civilian casualties across their shared borders. The Sahel war has contributed to an ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region, and resulted in multiple massacres and extrajudicial killings committed by state security forces and paramilitaries with Kremlin ties, as well as by insurgent groups. (Photo: Mali Government Information Center via Morning Star)
The Zionist-fascist convergence under Bibi's regime is getting too blatant even for the habitually pro-Israel Anti-Defamation League, whose leader stayed away from a supposed "International Conference on Combating Antisemitism" held in Jerusalem under auspices of the Israeli government, headlining Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu—and also featuring several figures from the European and American xenophobic (and even anti-Semitic!) far right. (Image via frgdr Blog. Hebrew lettering in background spells names of places in Europe where Jews were exterminated.)
Amnesty International condemned China for banning family members from visiting the resting places of people who perished in the 1989 Tiananmen Square repression. This is the first time in 37 years that the Chinese authorities have banned the visit. According to the Tiananmen Mothers group, the authorities notified family members of people who lost their lives in the 1989 massacre that they cannot travel to Beijing's Wan'an Cemetery or conduct any commemoration in the cemetery. (Photo: Hong Kong Alliance via Amnesty International)
The International Court of Justice opened oral hearings on the merits of a territorial dispute between Guyana and Venezuela over the Essequibo region, with Guyana asking the court to declare that Venezuela has no legitimate claim to the oil-rich territory that constitutes some two-thirds of Guyana's landmass. Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, who assumed the role after the US military operation that led to Nicolas Maduro's capture earlier this year, stated in August 2025 that Venezuela would ignore the ICJ's final ruling. (Map: Google)
Panama Ports Company SA (PPC), a subsidiary of the Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison, commenced arbitration proceedings against Danish shipping firm Maersk over the planned takeover by Maersk of PPC's port terminals in Panama. The case comes after Panama's Supreme Court ruled that a concession allowing the PPC to control and operate the Balboa and Cristóbal ports was unconstitutional. As a result of the ruling, Panama’s central government seized control of both ports—much to the dismay of China, and the open delight of the Trump administration. (Photo: Maersk Line via Wikimedia Commons)
Key climate indicators such as greenhouse gas concentrations, global temperatures, ocean heat and sea levels all reached record highs in recent years, according to the World Meteorological Organization's State of the Global Climate 2025 report. The past 11 years have been the warmest on record, with 2025 among the top three. Melting ice, rising seas, and extreme weather are intensifying risks to ecosystems, health, and economies. With the 1.5°C warming limit established by the Paris Agreement nearing, the report stresses urgent emissions cuts. "Every key climate indicator is flashing red," said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "Humanity has just endured the 11 hottest years on record. When history repeats itself 11 times, it is no longer a coincidence. It is a call to act." (Image: blende12/Pixabay)
