Mexico's drought, heatwave and water shortage are so bad even police are blocking traffic in protest ( apnews.com )
'No one can act with impunity’: ICC arrest warrants in Israel-Hamas war are a major test for international justice, academic says ( theconversation.com )
***Written by Amy Maguire, Associate Professor in Human Rights and International Law, University of Newcastle ***...
Whistleblowers allege widespread abuses at Israeli detention camp: Palestinian inmates being beaten, kept shackled to hospital beds or made to stand for hours ( www.theguardian.com )
Prisoners held at an Israeli detention camp in the Negev desert are being subjected to widespread physical and mental abuses, with at least one reported case of a man having his limb amputated as a result of injuries sustained from constant handcuffing, according to two whistleblowers who worked at the site....
China launches 'punishment' war games around Taiwan ( www.reuters.com )
A furious China launched "punishment" drills around Taiwan on Thursday in what it said was a response to "separatist acts", sending up heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated President Lai Ching-te....
China's food security dream faces land, soil and water woes ( www.reuters.com )
- In 10 years, China aims to slash grains, soybean imports...
Julian Assange’s appeal to avoid extradition to the US will go ahead, and it could be legally groundbreaking, legal expert says ( theconversation.com )
The High Court in UK rejected the US government assurances that Julian Assange's rights to freedom of expression would be protected. The court gave a brief judgement stating there would be a full appeal on the freedom of expression and nationality discrimination grounds in relation to all charges Assange faces, allowing Mr...
Uyghur organisation says members of the ethnic group in France face “intimidation and harassment” amounting to “repression” by the Chinese state in legal complaint ( www.euractiv.com )
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Russia’s misinformation machine targets Slovakian assassination attempt, debunked narratives suggest Ukrainian military aid was a factor in attack ( www.bloomberg.com )
It didn't take Russia's misinformation machine long to settle on who was to blame for the first assassination attempt on a European national leader in more than two decades....
China Dissent Monitor: protests by Chinese people increase in first quarter 2024 with labor protests being the most widespread reasons for dissent, researchers say ( freedomhouse.org )
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Japan protests over Chinese ambassador's "extremely inappropriate" comment about Japanese people who would be "dragged into the fire" if they support Taiwan's independence ( www.reuters.com )
Japan has lodged a protest against the Chinese ambassador's "extremely inappropriate" comments about Taiwan, chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Wednesday....
UK defence minister says intelligence has evidence of Chinese lethal aid to Russia in its war against Ukraine ( www.reuters.com )
British defence minister Grant Shapps accused China on Wednesday of providing or preparing to provide Russia with lethal aid for use by Moscow in its war against Ukraine....
Ireland and Spain have followed Norway in announcing their recognition of a Palestinian state ( www.dw.com )
Norway, Spain, and Ireland will recognize an independent Palestinian state as of May 28....
China: Mass Relocations of Tibetans Coerced by Extreme Pressure and Misleading Information, Rights Group says ( www.hrw.org )
- The Chinese government is using extreme forms of pressure to coerce Tibetans to relocate their long-established villages....
Russia is waging a shadow war on the West that needs a collective response, Estonian leader says ( www.independent.co.uk )
Perched on the open ramp at the rear of a British Chinook helicopter, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas flew home from the annual Spring Storm military exercises, pleased to see NATO allies cooperating. But she later said that other types of warfare were on her mind....
Burning Sun: Exposing the secret K-pop chat groups - BBC World Service Documentaries ( youtu.be )
Syria: protests against HTS face repression in Idlib ( countervortex.org )
Activists lament 'impunity' of Iran's Raisi after crash death ( www.france24.com )
Human rights groups and emigre opposition factions expressed regret that Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi's death meant he never saw justice for crimes they say he committed during decades as a leading figure in the Islamic republic.--...
Foreign businesses operating in China and Taiwan raise concerns about Beijing's recently-revised state secrets law ( www.dw.com )
China's expanded Law on the Guarding of State Secrets, which was passed by lawmakers in February, took effect on May 1 to bring it into line with Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent efforts to broaden national security-driven regulations....
War in Ukraine: Peace on Russian terms will not mean an end to human suffering, Estonian Prime Minister says ( www.eurointegration.com.ua )
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Poland arrests nine on charges of Russian-ordered sabotage ( www.euractiv.com )
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Iran hangs at least seven people, including two women, as surge in executions intensifies, rights group says ( www.al-monitor.com )
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Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi says she is facing a new trial after she accused the security forces of sexually assaulting women ( www.bbc.com )
In a message from Evin prison where she is being held, Ms Mohammadi said the trial relates to an audio post, in which she condemned a "full-scale war against women" by the Iranian regime....
Wikileaks' Julian Assange given permission to appeal against U.S. extradition, UK court rules ( www.reuters.com )
WikiLeaks' founder Julian Assange's battle to avoid extradition to the United States received a huge boost on Monday when London's High Court ruled that U.S. assurances over his case were unsatisfactory and he would get a full appeal hearing....
International Criminal Court applied for arrest warrants for Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza for war crimes ( www.bbc.com )
The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has applied for arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas's leader in Gaza for war crimes....
Chinese nationals are trying to get to Australia by boat over a weak economy and political oppression at home ( www.abc.net.au )
As night fell over the Indian Ocean, Li thought he would die in his boat....
