Prominent Tibetan Buddhist monk Geshe Phende Gyaltsen died in Chinese prison on January 26, according to Thursday reports from Radio Free Asia. Chinese authorities arrested Geshe Phende in March 2022. The Chinese Communist Party exercises predominant authority over Tibetan areas. In 2018, the Ministry of Public Security issued a notice declaring a wide range of [...]
The Under-Secretary-General of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism Vladimir Voronkov Thursday released a statement on the threats posed Islamic State Da’esh (ISIS) to international peace and security. Voronkov said that, despite losses in leadership and diminishing cash reserves, the threat Da’esh poses to international security is high and has increased in and around zones of [...]
The US Thursday welcomed 222 released political prisoners from Nicaragua. The US Department of State heralded their arrival as a “constructive step towards addressing human rights abuses” in Nicaragua. A Biden administration official told the New York Times that officials for Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and US President Joe Biden negotiated the prisoners’ release. The [...]
The US Department of the Treasury Thursday announced sanctions against nine entities involved in the production, sale and shipment of millions of dollars worth of Iranian petrochemicals and petroleum. The action targets entities across multiple jurisdictions, including six Iranian manufacturers and their subsidiaries and three companies in Malaysia and Singapore. Under Secretary of the Treasury [...]
A Kenyan court ruled Monday that Meta, Facebook’s parent company, can be sued in a case involving mental injury to a former Facebook moderator in the course of his employment. Justice Jacob Gakeri rejected Meta Platform Inc.’s and Meta Platforms Ireland Ltd’s motion to dismiss, which claimed that the court lacked jurisdiction. Justice Gakeri stated [...]
The Australian government introduced the Workplace Gender Equality Amendment (Closing the Gender Pay Gap) Bill 2023 into Parliament Wednesday, attempting to close the country’ gender pay gap. The bill would increase employer transparency and raise the bar from the “minimum standard” gender equality benchmark provided by the Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012. The new amendment [...]
Global internet monitor Netblocks reported Wednesday that Turkey has restricted access to Twitter in the aftermath of a series of earthquakes that hit Turkey, Syria and the surrounding region. The powerful earthquakes and their aftershocks have caused 11,000 casualties and widespread destruction. The Twitter restrictions came after Turkish authorities raised concerns about disinformation online without [...]
Russia denied US allegations that it violated the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) Wednesday in a statement released by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Amid new US calls for Russia to allow nuclear inspectors in the country, the Russian foreign ministry alleges that “US activities” violated the treaty’s prescribed inspection procedures. In [...]
The UN Tuesday expressed concern for the safety of journalists in Cameroon following the second murder of a journalist within two weeks. In a statement, UN Human Rights spokesperson Seif Magango said that the murder of radio presenter Jean-Jacques Ola Bebe last Thursday follows several concerning reports of violence against journalists in Cameroon. Ola Bebe [...]
Australian Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek Wednesday refused an application from mining magnate Clive Palmer to build an open cut coal mine ten kilometres from the world heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef. The refusal marks the first time that Australian authorities have blocked a coal mine under the Environment Protection Biodiversity Conservation Act. About 9,000 public submissions [...]
