The recent finalization of Russia’s Selena project, a nuclear power plant slated for the lunar surface by 2035 under the joint Russo-Chinese International Lunar Research Station program, has been hailed as a triumph of engineering. But beneath the cooling towers lies a volatile reality. We are about to place the highest-stakes technologies of the 21st [...]

Amnesty International, together with 13 civil society organizations, called on candidates in Benin’s upcoming legislative and presidential elections on Thursday to prioritize human rights protection within their political programs. The rights organization noted that the deteriorating human rights situation in Benin demands political action in order to align with international human rights standards. It also [...]

A US Customs and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot a Minneapolis woman on Wednesday during continuing agency operations in the city. The next day, CNN reported that Minnesota officials told the news outlet that “the feds have blocked them from investigating the fatal ICE shooting” of Renee Nicole Good, 37-year-old mother and [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Wednesday that UK authorities have “severely restricted” the right to protest, contravening international human rights obligations and creating an environment in which peaceful dissent can be treated as a criminal act. The report noted that the UK’s Labour government has not reversed extensive anti-protest laws introduced by the previous [...]

The US State Department on Wednesday announced that it will halt all assistance programs that benefit the Somali Federal Government after a report that a US-funded World Food Programme (WFP) warehouse was demolished and its contents seized by Somali officials. The online post said that President Donald Trump has a “zero-tolerance policy for waste, theft, [...]

Google and Character.AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) firm, agreed Wednesday to settle a lawsuit linked to a teen’s suicide in 2024, a landmark settlement for AI-related harm cases. The US District Court for the Middle District of Florida dismissed the lawsuit following the agreement  between the plaintiff and defendants. The parties have 90 days to [...]

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will begin hearings on the merits of the Rohingya genocide case on January 12, marking a crucial stage in the process of prescribing legal accountability for the atrocities that have taken place in Myanmar since 2016. In November 2019, The Gambia requested that the court institute proceedings against Myanmar [...]

President Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum Wednesday directing the United States to withdraw from 66 international organizations, including the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The memorandum orders all executive departments and agencies to cease participation in and funding for 31 UN organizations and 35 non-UN entities [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported on Wednesday that South Sudanese security forces have committed rights violations against civilians, including arbitrary arrests and torture, under the pretext of a crackdown on criminal gangs. The organization urged the authorities to halt these actions and conduct thorough investigations into all alleged abuses. HRW stated that South Sudanese security [...]