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Human rights

Human rights
Latest news, features and analysis on human rights, with a focus on civil liberties in Hong Kong, mainland China and Asia.
Displaced Palestinians gather for food at a charity kitchen in central Gaza on December 20. Israel will suspend over two dozen aid groups for not meeting new vetting rules in Gaza. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

Israel to ban aid groups from Gaza in 2026 over vetting rules

Critics condemn the vague new requirements as arbitrary hurdles that endanger staff, dismissing Israel’s claims of regulatory non-compliance.

Middle East

‘Hell to pay’: Trump warns Hamas and Iran after talks with Netanyahu

Israel

Israeli president denies Trump claim Netanyahu pardon is ‘on its way’

United Nations

‘World stands at a crossroads’: UN chief issues grim New Year message

Antonio Guterres laments US$2.7 trillion global arms race and urges leaders to choose ‘people and planet over pain’ in 2026.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. Photo: AFP
Russia

Putin signs law allowing Russia to ignore foreign court rulings on Ukraine

Under the changes, Moscow can ignore international judgments on Ukraine, shielding officials from ICC warrants and war crime tribunals.

Myanmar

‘They always lie’: pro-military party claims big lead in Myanmar’s disputed vote

The overwhelming lead claimed by the USDP in the first poll phase is met with condemnation from rights groups warning of a rigged process.

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United Nations

‘Adapt, shrink or die’: US pledges US$2 billion for UN aid in humanitarian cut

Trump administration’s latest aid pledge is a small fraction of what the US has contributed in the past.

Women displaced by fighting in Sudan line up to receive food aid at a camp in Al Dabbah. Photo: AP
Myanmar

Why Myanmar’s junta election cannot hide a collapsing economy

Analysts warn that conflict, power shortages and resource extraction under military rule are pushing Myanmar’s economy further into reverse.

Israel-Gaza war

Trump and Netanyahu to discuss next phase of Gaza plan during US visit

Israel’s prime minister is making his fifth visit to see Trump in the United States this year.

Keir Starmer

Starmer under fire for activist’s return from Egypt as old posts resurface

Prime minister faces criticism from Jewish groups and Britain’s opposition over Alaa Abdel-Fattah’s return to the UK.

Alaa Abdel-Fattah, who returned to the UK after years of diplomatic efforts by London to secure his release from detention in Egypt. Photo: AP
Myanmar

‘Lost my future’: Myanmar’s ‘charade’ election dims hopes of diaspora

The junta’s phased election starting on Sunday has been slammed as a ploy for its generals to stay in power.

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A Myanmar police officer stands guard during the Union Solidarity and Development Party’s election campaign on the final day of campaigning in Naypyitaw on Friday. Photo: EPA
Venezuela

Venezuela ‘frees 99 prisoners’ detained after 2024 election protests

Rights groups said the number released ‘does not correspond to reality’ despite growing pressure from Washington on President Maduro.

Middle East

Blast in Syria kills 8 at mosque targeting Alawite minority in Homs

Authorities investigate explosive devices planted during Friday prayers, heightening sectarian tensions and fears among minorities.

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Africa

The brutal life of child recruits under a shadowy African rebel group

Kidnapped, drugged and forced to loot, survivors detail life inside the ADF’s hidden forest camps in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A charred wreckage of a truck following an attack by Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces rebels, in the town of Ntoyo in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in September. Photo: Reuters
Myanmar

Stay or go? Rohingya see no way out of predicament as Myanmar heads to poll

Myanmar’s phased election, set to start on Sunday, is likely to be steered by the same leaders responsible for driving the Rohingya out.

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A boat with Rohingya refugees attempts to enter Malaysia from Langkawi in this photo released on January 4. Photo: Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/AP
The Philippines

Philippine court upholds murder verdict in Duterte’s drug war case

While the ruling has been hailed as a win for human rights, it may not have much impact on Duterte’s ICC case, legal analysts say.

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Hong Kong society

Opinion | Hong Kong’s new legislators must strengthen child protection laws

The city’s children need better legal protection from cruelty, sexual grooming and internet advances.

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Africa

Algeria brands French colonisation a crime, demands reparations, apology

France’s rule over Algeria from 1830 until 1962 remains a sore spot in relations between the two countries.

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French troops in Algiers in 1956. The North African nation of Algeria suffered some of the most brutal forms of colonial rule. Photo: AP
Singapore

Former Singapore lawyer and human rights activist M Ravi dies

The 56-year-old was a vocal advocate for the LGBTQ community and supported the abolition of the death penalty in the city state.

Donald Trump

Pulled story on Trump immigration crackdown accidentally airs on Canadian app

The ‘60 Minutes’ segment on migrants sent to a notorious El Salvador mega-prison was quickly removed, but copies have spread online.

US-China relations

‘Missing’ 6-year-old Yuanxin and father reunited, then deported together to China

Activist says separation from son pressured dad to accept deportation so they could be together, despite fear of returning to homeland.

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Yuanxin, the six-year-old son of Chinese asylum seeker Fei Zheng, whose separation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement in late 2025 sparked national attention and public outcry. Photo: Handout
United States

Trump administration triples ‘self-deport’ stipend to US$3,000

The limited-time offer includes a free flight and requires use of the CBP Home app before the end of the year.

US officials oversee a deportation flight at Fort Bliss, Texas in February. Photo: Department of Defence/AFP
United States

Did ‘political’ reasons postpone ‘60 Minutes’ report on El Salvador prison?

CBS delayed its CECOT prison report, where the US has sent hundreds of migrants, citing more reporting and sparking outcry over censorship.

Africa

Sudan war drags on as drone attack kills 10 in Darfur market

The conflict has split Sudan in two as the army controls the north, east and centre while the UAE-backed RSF dominates Darfur and parts of the south.

Malaysia

31 Malaysians repatriated from Myanmar job scam syndicate

The job scam victims rescued from a Myawaddy job syndicate return home safely after intensive diplomatic negotiations and a 26-hour land journey.

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People from China, Vietnam, and Ethiopia – believed trafficked and forced to work in scam centers – sit masked in detention after their February release in Myawaddy, eastern Myanmar. Photo: AP
Israel-Iran conflict

Man executed in Iran for spying for Israel tortured to confess: rights group

The 27-year-old, arrested while taking pictures of a military headquarters, was accused of executing over 200 similar assignments for Mossad.

Israeli air defence systems intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv early on June 18. Photo: AFP
Israel-Gaza war

UN declares Gaza famine over, but ‘situation remains critical’

Meanwhile, Oxfam says hunger in Gaza remains ‘appalling and preventable’, accusing Israel of blocking aid from humanitarian agencies.

Africa

UN says Sudan’s RSF killed 1,000 civilians in horrific 3-day attack on camp

New report details three days of terror at the Zamzam displacement camp in April, citing mass executions and gang rapes.

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