Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Monday urged Thai authorities to conduct criminal investigations into allegations that junior conscripts were routinely subjected to cruel and degrading treatment by their seniors in hazing rituals, a practice often defended as a way to “man up” recruits, but often results in lifelong trauma. HRW Asia director Elaine Pearson commented [...]
Amnesty International on Monday condemned the conviction in Türkiye of environmental activist Esra Işık. Amnesty’s deputy regional director for Europe, Esther Major, spoke on the broader impacts of the conviction on the fight to defend the environment: Today’s decision is a devastating blow for Esra Işık and for those engaged in the long struggle to [...]
UN agencies warned on Monday that Afghanistan faces one of the world’s biggest displacement crises. This warning was based on a series of overlapping challenges identified in the country’s latest socioeconomic review by the UN Development Programme (UNDP). UNDP chief Alexander De Croo noted, “In Afghanistan, crises rarely happen one at a time.” In particular, [...]
UN experts on Monday warned that the expulsion of political prisoners from Belarus and subsequent invalidation of their passports may amount to transnational repression, enforced statelessness, and rights violations. The concerns stem from the December 2025 release of 123 prisoners to Ukraine and Lithuania following negotiations with the United States. Most of these individuals were [...]
Leaders of the militant Palestinian group Hamas announced on Monday that it will dissolve its governance structure in Gaza, complying with the terms of the US-brokered peace deal and welcoming an interim “technocratic” governing committee. Hamas has governed the Gaza Strip for nearly two decades. Dr. Ismail al-Thawabta, director general of the Government Media Office [...]
The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published a landmark review on Monday that proposes recommendations to regulate the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the financial decisions made by consumers. The study, titled the Mills Review, anticipates that both consumers and firms will start delegating “more financial decision-making to AI systems,” including for making agreements, [...]
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Monday signed into law a landmark artificial intelligence (AI) bill, cementing the state as a “national leader in setting guardrails for responsible innovation and growth.” Senate Bill 315, or the AI Safety Measures Act, implements new safety regulations on AI companies developing frontier models, the most advanced and costliest AI [...]
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported Monday that more than 300 children were killed or injured in Sudan during the first six months of 2026, warning that intensified fighting in the Darfur and Kordofan regions has continued to place children at heightened risk. According to UNICEF, Darfur and Kordofan have recorded the highest number [...]
Bahrain’s High Criminal Court held its first hearing Sunday in a national security case involving 19 defendants accused of forming and operating a terrorist organization linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The case concerns 19 individuals, of whom 11 are currently in custody and eight remain at large. Prosecutors allege the group sought [...]
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday issued a stay of proceedings and recalled a pending arrest warrant against state Attorney General Liz Murrill. The 5-2 per curiam decision pointed out “disturbing defects” in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court’s procedure, namely the (1) failure to follow the Louisiana Code of Criminal Procedure and administer a grand [...]
