Hundreds of people demonstrated Saturday in the southern Syrian city of Sweida, pressing for the self-determination of the Druze people. Protesters demanded full independence from Syria, dismissing ideas of federalism or autonomy as inadequate. Speakers at the protest argued that statehood would guarantee their security, citing recent episodes of violence as evidence that inter-ethnic coexistence [...]
Canada’s federal government has ordered Air Canada flight attendants back to work after a breakdown in collective bargaining talks between the airline and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families and chief of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, announced the decision on Saturday, citing the [...]
The People’s Republic of China on Friday called on Cambodia and Thailand to deepen dialogue and restore mutual trust following recent border clashes, emphasizing the importance of stability for the two neighbors and the wider region. Speaking during a Thursday tea gathering in Anning, Yunnan province, with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak [...]
London’s Metropolitan Police on Friday announced that over 60 people will be prosecuted for supporting the proscribed Palestine Action group, in the wake of multiple arrests at a demonstration led by the group earlier this month. Stephen Parkinson, director of Public Prosecutions, said that while the public has a democratic right to peacefully protest the [...]
Advocacy groups filed criminal charges against Germany’s foreign and interior ministers on Friday, accusing them of “failing to prevent” the deportation of Afghan nationals from Pakistan, despite their “having been granted admission to Germany.” The 34 Afghan nationals, who had applied for asylum in Germany, were deported by Pakistani officials just days before the lawsuit [...]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed concern on Friday over accusations of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, stating that a recent report by the UN Human Rights Office highlights the need for accountability. HRW specifically urged the UN Human Rights Council to take action to protect human rights in the country, including by supporting the [...]
The Russian Ministry of Justice added Reporters Without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF) to its list of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) deemed “undesirable” in the country on Thursday. RSF Director General, Thibaut Bruttin, said in a statement responding to Russia’s actions that the Kremlin’s message was to continue to gag voices that exposed its censorship and [...]
The UN raised alarm on Thursday over the sharp increase in conflict-related sexual violence in 2024, stating that “ore than 4,600 survivors endured abuses used as weapons of war, torture, terrorism and political repression” throughout the year. The UN urged all involved parties to “adopt clear orders prohibiting sexual violence” and “ensure accountability.” The UN [...]
Judicial reforms recently passed by the Lebanese parliament are a step in the right direction but ultimately “fall short,” said Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a statement issued on Friday. The Lebanese Parliament passed a law regarding the organization of the judiciary on August 7. The new law evolved from the introduction of draft legislation [...]
India’s foreign ministry on Thursday reiterated that the Court of Arbitration has “no existence in the eye of law,” stating that it lacks any legal authority to make pronouncements about the 1960 water-sharing pact between India and Pakistan. The ministry described the tribunal as “illegally constituted” and said New Delhi has never recognized its legitimacy. [...]
