By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari (right) and Hadi Ali Chattha, during a court hearing in Islamabad, Pakistan, December 5, 2025. © 2025 Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images (New York) – Pakistani authorities on September 17, 2026, rearrested human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha soon after the Supreme Court granted them bail, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should immediately release the two and drop the criminal charges against them, which appear aimed to punish peaceful expression and human rights advocacy.The authorities had…
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Friday, September 18, 2026
Over 1,000 cases of sexual violence against civilians and prisoners of war (POWs) in Ukraine have been documented from the start of Russia’s invasion to the end of July this year.
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By Jean Sovon
As in-person gatherings have become difficult to organize or too risky for citizens, online protest has become an increasingly common form of political dissent in Togo.
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By Amy Cannon, Associate Professor of Writing, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
For Annie Dillard, the sonic intensity of poetry was critical to every form of writing she published throughout her life.
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image A small metal enclosure which was used to hold detainees, reportedly for up to two hours, as seen during an unannounced inspection by the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS OIG) at ICE's now-closed immigration detention center Florida Soft-Sided Facility (FSSF) also known as Alligator Alcatraz, in Ochopee, Florida, January 21, 2026. © 2026 DHS OIG/Handout via Reuters On September 11, the US Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General published reports outlining findings from visits to Krome North Service Processing…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Petare, a low-income neighborhood on the outskirts of Caracas, Venezuela, September 17, 2026. © 2026 Human Rights Watch (Washington, DC) – Venezuela needs to take urgent measures and carry out institutional reforms to protect people’s basic rights, Human Rights Watch said today, following its first official visit to the country since 2008. Human Rights Watch visited Caracas this week and met with interim President Delcy Rodríguez, other government officials, human rights groups, members of the opposition, journalists, relatives of political prisoners, foreign…
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By Stuart Jones, Professor of Sedimentology & Geoenergy, Durham University
Andrew Crossland, Professor in Practice, Department of Engineering, Durham University
Jon Gluyas, Professor of Geoenergy, Carbon Capture and Storage, Durham University
The UK government is deciding whether to approve a licence for Jackdaw gasfield, around 250km east of Aberdeen, in the North Sea. This is being presented by supporters as part of the answer to Britain’s energy-security problem. The UK government has argued that if Britain still needs gas, then producing it domestically is preferable to imports.
But there is a fundamental problem with treating new gas production as an answer to long-term energy needs especially when there are other enduring ways to use the North Sea to reduce bills, increase energy security and create jobs in the emerging…
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By Adam Taylor, Professor of Anatomy, Lancaster University
There are very few downsides to exercise. But a recent viral story highlighted one of the more embarrassing – and potentially dangerous – issues that can occur when your body reaches it limit with exercise.
Joanna Wietrzyk, the winner of the recent women’s pro Hyrox race in Beijing (a challenging fitness race that blends running and strength), found herself in the spotlight not for her performance – but because she soiled…
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By Kenneth Armstrong, Emeritus Fellow of Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge
In a speech to the European Parliament, Canadian prime minister Mark Carney declared that “Europe and Canada are stronger together”. He also backed an offer made by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, one day earlier for Canada to become the first “associate member” of the bloc.
“Canada welcomes this ambition,” he said. “An alliance for the future is a unique, positive approach that we will define together.” But what might associate membership look like, how significant is von der…
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By Mark Shanahan, Associate Professor of Political Engagement, Faculty of Arts, Business and Social Sciences, University of Surrey
For the past decade, global diplomacy has been dictated by one man’s social media musings. Since Donald Trump first glided into the Trump Tower atrium on his golden escalator, he – and what he has to say – has been the story, throwing red meat to the media and shaping the affairs of the US and the wider world through reactions to his increasingly imperial pronouncements.
But the 47th US president has been off-key of late, and his outbursts on everything from tariffs to the war in Iran have sent his popularity…
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