UN Report Condemns Human Rights Violations Against Afghan Returnees

On July 24, 2025, the United Nations released a damning report detailing widespread human rights abuses committed by Taliban authorities against Afghan nationals who were involuntarily returned to Afghanistan from neighboring countries. The findings, compiled by the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the UN Human Rights Office, are based on interviews with 49 […]

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Press Freedom Under Threat in the Philippines: Legal Pressure and Targeted Violence

The state of press freedom in the Philippines has come under renewed scrutiny following two alarming developments: the continued detention of investigative journalist Frenchie Mae Cumpio and the murder of radio broadcaster Erwin Labitad Segovia. Cumpio, who has been held in Tacloban Prison for over five years, faces charges widely criticized as politically motivated. A […]

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Over 100 Public Figures Demand Release of French Journalist Christophe Gleizes

A coalition of more than 100 prominent public figures—including celebrated football coaches Vahid Halilhodzic and Hervé Renard, Goncourt Prize-winning author Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, and acclaimed filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius—has called for the immediate release of Christophe Gleizes, a French sports journalist sentenced to seven years in prison in Algeria. Gleizes, a contributor to So Foot and […]

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Africa Continental Brief: Business, Policy, Conflict, and Innovation

Date: July 25, 2025 Business & Macro 🇧🇼 Botswana Seeks Larger Stake in De BeersBotswana is pursuing an increased ownership stake in De Beers, the diamond company majority-owned by Anglo American, according to the Financial Times. The move reflects the government’s long-term strategy to secure greater returns from its diamond resources. Climate & Energy 🇬🇭 […]

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WHO EMRO | Launch of the Regional Coalition for Mental Health and Substance Use Prevention

24 July 2025, Cairo, Egypt – On 17 July 2025, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean launched the Regional Coalition for Mental Health and Substance Use Prevention. A webinar held for the launch brought together civil society organizations (CSOs) working on mental health and substance use from across the Region. […]

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Saudi Arabia Intensifies Crackdown on Journalists Amid Rising Censorship

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia continues to escalate its repression of press freedom, with 14 journalists currently detained under opaque and arbitrary conditions. Among them are Wajdi al-Ghazzawi, Turad al-Amr, Maha al-Rafidi, and Zana al-Shahri, whose cases reflect a broader pattern of silencing dissenting voices. This intensifying crackdown reached a chilling milestone with the execution […]

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U.S. Launches Coordinated Crackdown on North Korea’s Illicit Revenue Networks, Announces $15 Million in Rewards

In a unified effort, the Departments of State, Justice, and the Treasury have announced a comprehensive initiative to disrupt North Korea’s transnational criminal enterprises, which include activities such as cryptocurrency theft, fraudulent IT work, counterfeit trafficking, and oil smuggling. These operations, often targeting American companies and citizens, directly fund North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction […]

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Syria: UN commission hails recent action to address past violations

Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro highlighted the establishment of the National Transitional Authority and the National Authority for Missing Persons which are expected to help reveal the fate of the more than 100,000 Syrians estimated to have been forcibly disappeared or gone missing. They are also expected to expose the truth about systematic violations like arbitrary detention, […]

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Deep-sea must not turn into ‘Wild West’ of rare minerals exploitation, agency head says

Marking its 30th anniversary, ISA is the world’s authority on the deep-sea beyond national jurisdiction. Washington may have passed an order on deep-sea licensing in international waters earlier this year, but the authority’s chief Leticia Carvalho said the United States, which is not an ISA member, “is going at it alone”. “The rest of the […]

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Torture, threats and arbitrary arrests: UN warns of ‘serious abuses’ against Afghans forced to return

These abuses include threats, cases of torture, mistreatment and arbitrary arrest and detention, according to the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The report said these violations were committed against Afghans “based on their profile” and targeted women, media workers and civil society […]

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