Escalating conflict in Ukraine In an oral update, Ilze Brands Kehris, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, reported a sharp escalation in hostilities in Ukraine. Civilian casualties have surged, with April to June seeing nearly 50 per cent more deaths and injuries compared to the same period in 2024. “More than 90 per cent of […]
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Since September 2023, more than 2.43 million undocumented Afghan migrants have returned from Iran and Pakistan. Women and girls account for about half of the returnees from Pakistan, while their share among those returning from Iran has been steadily rising, reaching around 30 per cent in June. The escalating pace of returns is straining Afghanistan’s […]
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4 July 2025 – A groundbreaking clinical trial has demonstrated that a single injection of gene therapy can significantly restore hearing in individuals with congenital deafness, with improvements observed in just weeks. The study, published in Nature Medicine, involved ten participants aged 1 to 24, all with mutations in the OTOF gene, which impairs the […]
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The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague confirmed last week that it had detected and contained a “new, sophisticated, and targeted” cyberattack—its second major security breach in less than two years. The incident occurred as the city hosted the NATO summit, coinciding with a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks reportedly launched by pro-Russian […]
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4 July 2025 – Independence Day, celebrated annually on July 4th, commemorates the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, marking the formal separation of the 13 American colonies from British rule and the founding of the United States of America. 📜 Historical SignificanceAlthough the Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, the […]
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Harare, 3 July 2025 – Press freedom advocates are calling for the immediate release of Faith Zaba, editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, following her arrest over a satirical column critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa. Zaba was charged with undermining or insulting the authority of the president after publishing an article titled “When you become mafia […]
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However, this creates challenges by limiting land access for the next generation and diminishing their voice in agricultural policymaking. Without land assets, young people struggle to secure the resources needed to become agricultural producers themselves. Between 2005 and 2021, the number of youth employed in agrifood jobs declined by 10 per cent, prompting concerns for […]
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London-based mid-market private equity firm MML Capital Partners has announced the final close of its latest fund, Partnership Capital VIII, at €1 billion (approximately $1.2 billion), marking a nearly 50% increase over its predecessor. The fund was oversubscribed, securing commitments from 11 new institutional investors. MML’s previous fund, Partnership Capital VII, closed at €670 million […]
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Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration On 03/07/2025 Minister of State for Migration, Colm Brophy, launched the 2025 Integration Fund, making €3.5 million available to support the integration and inclusion of migrants across Ireland. The fund consolidates two previous programmes—the International Protection Integration Fund (IPIF) and the Communities Integration Fund (CIF)—into a single, streamlined […]
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4 July 2025 – China is finalising a new regulatory framework for driver-assistance systems, aiming to strike a balance between rapid innovation and public safety. The move follows a fatal crash involving a Xiaomi SU7 sedan in March, which intensified scrutiny of assisted-driving technologies. 📋 Regulatory Overhaul in ProgressAuthorities are drafting rules that will require […]
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