The impeachment trial of Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte began Monday on charges of bribery, graft and other corruption. Duterte is currently facing four articles of impeachment. The Philippine House of Representatives voted to impeach her in May with 257 votes in favor, with only 106 needed to impeach. Under the Philippines Constitution, the Senate [...]
The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention found Monday that Israel’s detention of Gazan doctor Hussam Abu Safiya violates international human rights law, and called for his immediate release, noting that his lawyer and rights groups warn that his life is in imminent danger. The five-member panel of independent experts, which operates as a special [...]
Meta revealed in a court filing Monday that state attorneys general (AGs) are seeking up to $1.4 trillion in penalties ahead of an August trial over claims that the company knowingly designed Facebook and Instagram to be addictive to teen users. The staggering figure represents the large share of Meta’s total market capitalization, currently listed [...]
A French appeals court on Tuesday upheld politician Marine Le Pen’s conviction for embezzling EU funds but reduced her ban on holding elected office. The Paris Court of Appeal sentenced Le Pen to two years of imprisonment, one year of “at home electronic monitoring,” and a €100,000 fine. The ruling also imposed a 45-month ban [...]
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 firector 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, [...]
