I began publicly invoking the word “genocide” in July 2025 to describe the actions of the Israeli government in Gaza in response to the horrific Hamas terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, and the incomprehensible ongoing hostage crisis. Since that time, despite increasing agreement among liberal Jewish organizations over the use of this term, I [...]

A coalition of 15 rights groups, including Amnesty International, Article 19 and Politics for Women Myanmar, released a joint public statement on Tuesday, expressing concern over reports of an ever-worsening human rights crisis in Myanmar prisons. The letter condemned the military regime for its widespread use of torture and the systematic denial of healthcare to [...]

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called on the international community to “break down barriers and restore fairness in global development,” during opening remarks at the Third United Nations Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDC3) in Awaza, Turkmenistan. The conference, held from August 5 to 8, brings together representatives from the 32 landlocked developing [...]

Hong Kong authorities on Monday cancelled passports and banned financial support for 16 overseas-based pro-democracy activists accused of endangering national security. The orders were issued under Hong Kong’s 2024 Article 23 national security legislation, officially known as the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance. The 16 activists are among 19 individuals wanted by police since July for alleged [...]

Global Affairs Canada (GAC) released a statement on Monday confirming that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have provided “life-saving humanitarian assistance” in Gaza amidst the “pressing humanitarian needs of Palestinians.” CAF relied on CC-130J Hercules aircraft to drop 21,600 pounds of aid to Gaza. In the statement, GAC accused the Israeli government’s restrictions on aid [...]

The UN on Tuesday called for dismantling the US/Israeli-backed aid distribution group in Gaza to allow experienced humanitarian organizations to provide unfettered aid to Palestinians, citing reports of war crimes at distribution points. UN experts have warned that Israel is committing war crimes through Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) operations and is in breach of international [...]

The UN expressed concern on Monday over Sudan’s worsening humanitarian crisis, amid rising starvation, displacement, and violence against civilians resulting from ongoing civil war. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that the current humanitarian situation is critical. Armed violence between Sudanese government troops and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) [...]

On Monday, the US Department of State (DOS) issued a Temporary Final Rule establishing a 12-month visa bond pilot program for visitors seeking B-1 (business) or B-2 (tourism) visas from selected countries. Under this new rule, consular officers may require applicants to post a bond valued at $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, depending on the officer’s [...]

A new study released by a UK-based charitable organization on Monday revealed the pressures and threats faced by academics and students engaged in Chinese-related studies at British universities. The study, titled “Cold Crisis: Academic freedom and interference in China studies in the UK,” was conducted by group UK-China Transparency, based on an anonymous survey of [...]

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) officials on Tuesday to reopen the station Radio Nsenda Muana and release arrested station journalists. Angela Quintal, CPJ’s regional director, said that “DRC authorities should reverse the decision to suspend Radio Nsenda Muana and ensure that journalists are not criminalized for [...]