Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara confirmed Monday that one of two Japanese nationals detained in Iran has safely returned to the country. The individual, who had been held by Iranian authorities since last year, arrived in the country Sunday in good health. The confirmation followed an announcement by Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi, who stated [...]
The highly anticipated Italian constitutional referendum was rejected on Monday, according to published results, with roughly 53 percent voting against and about 47 percent in favor. The referendum, known as the “Justice Reform,” was called by presidential decree on January 13 and scheduled for March 22-23. It was governed by Article 138 of the Italian [...]
A Thailand court on Tuesday held Akara Resources PLC, operator of the Chatree Gold Mine in northern Thailand, liable for environmental damage and adverse health impacts suffered by surrounding communities, in what stands as the nation’s first environmental class action suit. The case was brought by more than 300 villagers from Phichit and Phetchabun provinces, who [...]
The government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) amended its National Security Law on Monday to expand law enforcement powers, giving police the ability to require suspects in “national security” investigations to reveal passwords to their electronic devices Failure to provide a password can be punished by up to one year in prison [...]
Amnesty International on Monday condemned the growing use of discriminatory legal frameworks by governments across the Americas to systematically target civil society organizations, a trend it described as regressive and alarming. In a new report, Amnesty noted that practices by governments in Ecuador, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela imposed excessive restrictions on civil [...]
A prohibition on lawyers, journalists and members of the public from observing the trial of jailed Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu is arbitrary and unfounded, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday. Benjamin Ward, deputy Europe and Central Asia director at HRW, asserted that the lack of transparency violates İmamoğlu’s right to a fair trial, stating: The [...]
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Friday expressed concern over the targeted shooting of an Ecuadoran journalist and called on authorities to continue investigating the matter. The group reported that two gunmen shot journalist José Vinces in the stomach while he investigated a tip that human remains lay abandoned in the Huaquillas cemetery. Vinces [...]
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Saturday reported a devastating attack on Al Deain Teaching Hospital in Sudan that resulted in numerous deaths and injuries. The March 20 attack in in East Darfur’s capital, Al Deain, killed over 64 people, including 13 children, as well as nurses, a doctor, and patients. Eighty-nine people were additionally [...]
Two poets, Artyom Kamardin and Yegor Shtovba, remain imprisoned in Russia as of Friday, on charges related to their reading of anti-war poems. This has been an ongoing matter since December 2023, when a Moscow court sentenced Kamardin to seven years and Shtovba to five and a half years in prison. The court declared both [...]
Over 650 delegates, from over 33 countries and 120 organizations, arrived in Cuba on Saturday, bringing 20 tons of aid. The Nuestra América Convoy, named for the famous essay by Cuban nationalist José Marti, arrived in Havana to break the US embargo. Inspired by the Global Sumud Flotilla, which attempted to bring aid to Gaza [...]
