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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.
Residents flee their homes to escape clashes between armed gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti last month. Photo: AP
Americas and the Caribbean

Armed men in Haiti’s capital seize top official in rare high-level abduction

Security expert James Boyard was cabinet director of the defence ministry and also inspector general of Haiti’s police.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh, India pledge closer border cooperation amid migration row

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Malaysia

‘We’re not going anywhere’: indigenous people in Malaysia rally for land rights

China-Latin America relations

US targets Cuba oil giant as Beijing and Havana deepen party ties

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces sanctions on Union Cuba-Petroleo after Havana and Beijing hold positive bilateral talks.

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US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces sanctions on Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company Union Cuba-Petroleo on Thursday. Photo: Reuters
Crime

Video | Indonesian soldiers guilty of acid attack on activist

The court ruled that the soldiers acted on their own initiative out of revenge, but critics called the verdict ‘a blatant whitewash’.

Indonesia

Indonesian soldiers jailed for up to 3 years over acid attack on activist

Amnesty International called the trial for the attack, which left Andrie Yunus blind in one eye, ‘a blatant whitewash’.

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Pakistan

Acid attack on female doctor forces Pakistani women to reconsider medicine

The attack on Mahnoor Nasir at her hospital has shown the risk of violence and social disparities women face in Pakistan.

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Medical practitioners stage a protest to express solidarity with acid attack victim Mahnoor Nasir in Quetta on Tuesday. Photo: AFP
International Criminal Court

ICC chief prosecutor suspended over sexual misconduct allegations

Karim Khan, facing allegations of misconduct with a female aide, denies any wrongdoing.

US-China relations

Nationals from China, India among 17 new US denaturalisation cases

Chinese-born Georgia resident among 17 people accused of obtaining citizenship through fraud or concealing serious crimes.

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Americas and the Caribbean

US sanctions over 100 Nicaraguan officials and relatives after activist death

Marco Rubio announces sweeping visa restrictions, pointing to the death of imprisoned Indigenous leader Brooklyn Rivera.

Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega with his wife and co-president Rosario Murillo. Photo: AP
Africa

Kenya police fire tear gas, arrest ex-chief justice at national park protest

Hundreds of activists join protest against plans to build on part of a national ‌park in Kenya’s capital.

Kenya’s former chief justice and presidential contender David Maraga, centre, being shielded by protesters. Photo: Reuters
Middle East

Gunman opens fire in central Israel, killing 1 and wounding 5

Palestinian attacker shot dead by police after targeting several locations close to the boundary with the occupied West Bank.

United States

US to send third-country deportees to Central African Republic

Amid demonstrations across the US against Trump’s immigration policies, the impoverished African country has agreed to take deported migrants from other countries.

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US-China relations

How Chinese drink chains are testing the limits of soft power

New tea and coffee brands from China are winning customers across America, but their broader influence remains unclear.

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Illustration: Brian Wang
Myanmar

Deformed fish in river, pollution from rare earth mines in Myanmar fuel fears

Russian and Chinese firms are also competing to be the first to reach a tungsten mine in a conflict zone, sparking concerns of NGOs.

A drone view shows a gold mine in Shan State, Myanmar, as seen from Chiang Rai province, Thailand, last year amid increased rare earth and gold mining at the Kok River’s source in Myanmar. Photo: Reuters
US-China trade war

‘Utterly absurd’: China and EU push back on US forced labour tariff claims

Trump administration threatens tariffs of up to 12.5 per cent on imports from 60 economies over failure to ban goods made with forced labour.

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Nordic nations

Sweden prepares prisons for 13-year-old gang killers

Gangs use social media to recruit teenagers, and in some cases children as young as 11, to commit murders and bombings across the Nordics.

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United States

Court blocks US military removing transgender troops for now

Appeals court shields current service members from discharge while leaving wider enlisting restrictions in place.

The Pentagon, headquarters of the US military, in Washington. File photo: AP
The Philippines

Philippine lawmaker charged with corruption to surrender

Senator Jinggoy Estrada has strongly denied allegations that he received more than 570 million pesos (US$9.3 million) in kickbacks.

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Indonesia

Video | Why is this Indonesian documentary causing controversy?

The documentary ‘Pig Feast: Colonialism in Our Time’ has sparked controversy across the country since it began screening in April 2026.

The Philippines

Philippine lawmaker surrenders, posts bail after court orders his arrest

This will allow Senator Jinggoy Estrada to remain free while the corruption case against him proceeds.

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Senator Jinggoy Estrada smiles during a break in investigations on flood-control projects at the Senate Blue Ribbon committee in Pasay city, Philippines in 2025. Photo: AP
War and conflict

Israel, Russia hit back after being added to UN blacklist for sexual violence in conflicts

UN documentation of alleged abuses sparks furious denials from both nations.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has faced fierce diplomatic pushback from both Israel and Russia. Photo: Reuters
Israel-Gaza war

Netanyahu orders Israeli military to seize 70% of Gaza, expanding control

Israel effectively controls an estimated 64 per cent of the tiny coastal strip, bombarded to ruins by war.

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Middle East

Israel launches deadly strike near Beirut as it widens offensive in Lebanon

Escalating hostilities in Lebanon strain a fragile ceasefire ahead of crucial negotiations in Washington.

Donald Trump

‘Gestapo tactics’: Springsteen hits out at Trump, announces protest festival

Rock icon launches ‘Power to the People’ line-up as artists back out of Trump’s US 250th anniversary events.

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performing in 2024. Photo: TNS
United States

US judge allows Trump to implement mail-in voting executive order

The decision comes as Trump’s Republicans battle to keep control ‌of both houses of the US Congress in the November midterm elections.

President Donald Trump gestures outside the White House in December. Trump has for years pushed the false claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result of widespread voter fraud and has criticised voting by mail. Photo: AP
The Philippines

Philippine ex-president Duterte’s ICC trial to start on November 30

He faces three counts of crimes against humanity, and will be the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC.

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Cambodia

Video | Cambodia’s Hun Sen pardons detained opposition leader

Many political opponents were convicted during Hun Sen’s time in power while Sam Rainsy, the co-founder of Sokha’s party, CNRP, remains in self-exile in France.

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