A recent investigation by RFE/RL’s Schemes unit revealed that a senior Russian commander shared a meme among fellow officers that read, “It’s not a war crime if it was fun.” The sentiment is shocking, but it is not surprising—particularly given the context in which it was shared: alongside messages documenting the mutilation of prisoners, the [...]

On the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Tuesday, Amnesty International called on the international community to maintain a steadfast commitment to hold Russia accountable under international law for its aggressions. Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the international community imposed sanctions, and used international legal tools to [...]

As we stand in February 2026, there is no industry or area of our daily lives that has not been infiltrated, touched, or impacted by Artificial Intelligence (AI)—whether we are aware of it or not. This is not just true globally but even here in South Africa. If it’s not being used by your search [...]

FedEx filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday to recover a full refund of tariffs FedEx payed to comply with the president’s several executive orders imposing high tariffs on imports in 2025. FedEx filed their suit in the US Court for International Trade. The company seeks “a full refund from Defendants of all [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Tuesday decried the “lenient” sentencing of military officers involved in the 2020 Ngarbuh massacre in Cameroon, in which 21 civilians were killed. On February 14, 2020, military troops and Fulani militiamen killed 21 civilians, “including 13 children and 1 pregnant woman.” Homes and properties were pillaged and burned, and village [...]

A Human Rights Watch (HRW) report Tuesday revealed alarming human rights abuses in Iran, including claims of mass arbitrary arrests and detentions since December, including of children, as well as torture and forced disappearances of protesters involved in the January demonstrations. HRW found that Iranian authorities are carrying out violent arrests, and often sentencing detainees [...]

In a statement Tuesday, Human Right Watch (HRW) called on South Africa to adequately protect the country’s whistleblowers, and pressured authorities to conduct effective and impartial investigations to properly provide justice for the victims of retaliation and their families. In his State of the Nation Address on February 12, South Africa President Cyril Ramaphosa stated, [...]

UN experts called for fairness and transparency on Monday during the murder trial for those accused of ordering the killing of Brazilian human rights defender Marielle Franco and her driver Anderson Gomes. Experts noted that the trial was the “final chapter” in a fight for justice, after long delays prevented the conclusion of the investigation. [...]

British police arrested Peter Mandelson, former UK ambassador to the United States, on Monday on “suspicion of misconduct in public office” following allegations that he improperly shared sensitive government information with Jeffrey Epstein. Metropolitan Police said they arrested a 72-year-old man in Camden, North London, for questioning as part of an ongoing criminal investigation. Officers [...]

A US federal court in Utah on Monday rejected a Republican challenge to enjoin use of the state’s new congressional map, holding that the challenge was unlikely to succeed and it was too close to the 2026 midterm elections to change the map. The new map, called Map 1, approved in December 2025, places a [...]