The United Nations reported on Monday that approximately 640,000 women and girls in Ukraine will face disruptions to essential services following the United States’ decision to cease nearly all financial contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). These cuts will directly impact psycho-social support, gender-based violence services, safe spaces, and economic empowerment programs crucial [...]

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned on Monday that escalating conflicts and deepening societal divisions are fueling “turbulence and unpredictability” across the globe. Addressing the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Türk called for renewed commitments to international law and human rights, emphasizing the urgent need for collective action in multiplying crises. [...]

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Saturday designating English as the national language of the United States, citing the fact that the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were written in English. The executive order stated: In welcoming new Americans, a policy of encouraging the learning and adoption of our national language will make [...]

Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged South Africa and other countries on Monday to endorse the political declaration on strengthening the protection of civilians from the humanitarian consequences arising from the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. Crisis, conflict and arms director at HRW Ida Sawyer commented, “South Africa should deepen its determination to protecting [...]

Amnesty International called Friday for the immediate release of Israeli and foreign civilians held hostage by Hamas and Palestinians arbitrarily detained by Israel. The organization said that the release of hostages and prisoners should be not conditional upon the result of the next phase of ceasefire negotiations between Hamas and Israel. There are at least [...]

A US federal judge held Saturday that President Donald Trump’s decision to terminate Hampton Dellinger as head of the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) is unconstitutional. The Special Counsel’s Office protects the merit system in the federal civil service. The judge held that the Dellinger’s removal was not within Trump’s power and violated the removal [...]

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey commuted the death sentence of Robin “Rocky” Myers to life imprisonment on Friday over concerns about Myers’ possible innocence. Myers was convicted of capital murder in 1994 following the killing of Ludi Mae Tucker, his neighbor. Myers pleaded not guilty and claimed that he was not present at the crime scene [...]

Several civil rights organizations on Saturday filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration to halt the transfer of noncitizens from the US to the US Naval Station at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The lawsuit, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Center for Constitutional Rights, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and the ACLU of [...]

A coalition of US Democratic committees filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging President Donald Trump’s February 18 executive order extending his control over independent agencies. The lawsuit centered on authority over the Federal Election Commission (FEC), an independent agency charged with enforcing federal campaign finance laws. Plaintiffs stated that the “unprecedented assertion of presidential power,” [...]

The Supreme Court of Canada on Friday allowed an application by the Métis Nation–Saskatchewan (MNS) for judicial review of the Saskatchewan government’s mining permit approvals to proceed. The court ruled that the application, launched in 2021, was not an abuse of process because previous proceedings between the parties had not addressed the dispute in the [...]