By Human Rights Watch
(Beirut,) – Bahraini authorities have detained Ebrahim Sharif, a prominent political activist, for peaceful comments he made in Beirut, Human Rights Watch and the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy (BIRD) said today.Yusuf al-Jamri, a blogger, said that the authorities detained Sharif, former secretary general of Bahrain’s National Democratic Action Society, due to comments he made in Beirut to LuaLuaTV calling for Arabs and Arab governments to support Palestinians. The Bahrain authorities should immediately release him and end their long-standing practice of detaining people for…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image People march in front of the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara during a demonstration organized by the "I Need Peace Women's Initiative”, July 8, 2025. © 2025 Bilal Seckin/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images Conflicts and crises cause harm based on gender. Because women and girls across the globe experience legal, economic, and cultural discrimination, they also experience the impacts of conflict in distinct and often more profound ways than others.With data underscoring escalating conflict globally, reaching a level not seen since the post-World…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Activists carry a banner warning of efforts to dismantle environmental licensing requirements in Brazil. © 2025 Cesar Muñoz Acebes/Human Rights Watch (Belém) – Brazil’s Congress should reject proposals to dismantle environmental licensing requirements and to revoke a plan to protect human rights defenders, Human Rights Watch said today. Instead, it should contribute to global efforts to curb climate change by approving the Escazú agreement. “As the world comes together to tackle the climate crisis at COP30 in Brazil, its Congress is considering proposals…
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By Human Rights Watch
Click to expand Image Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul after a press conference at Parliament in Bangkok, September 3, 2025. © 2025 Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo (Bangkok) – The new Thai government should reverse the trend of past administrations and take concrete action to uphold human rights, Human Rights Watch said in a letter to Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul on November 12, 2025. Anutin took office on September 7 following a parliamentary election and royal endorsement.“The Anutin government should make human rights a priority and demonstrate a commitment through swift and effective…
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By Abhimanyu Bandyopadhyay
”Hasina’s continued stay in India is reshaping bilateral tensions,” says Shafiqul Alam. Her interviews from exile have raised concerns in Bangladesh navigates a sensitive diplomatic moment before national elections.
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By Martyn Kirk, Professor, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University
When we talk about the health effects of PFAS, we commonly think about any physical effects on the body.
For instance, does exposure to these long-lasting, per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals increase our risk of cancer, liver disease or pregnancy complications?
What’s less talked about is the psychological distress of living in a community affected by PFAS pollution – the uncertainty of whether your sickness is down to PFAS or something else, the stigma of living there, or the financial stress of watching property values drop, among other factors.
Later today,…
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By Ciaran Doolin, PhD candidate, School of Science in Society, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
In the 19th century, scientists could see landscape signs suggesting glaciers were larger in the past, but they settled on tectonic uplift as an explanation.
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By Ismail Albayrak, Professor of Islam and Catholic Muslim Relations, Australian Catholic University
Dzavid Haveric, Adjunct Research Fellow, Centre for Islamic Studies and Civilisation, Charles Sturt University
Hergott Springs was used as a camel station on a crossroads to the goldfields during inland exploration. ‘Afghans’ built three mosques in this small outback town.
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By Lisa M. Given, Professor of Information Sciences & Director, Social Change Enabling Impact Platform, RMIT University
It comes at a time when the online gaming giant faces several lawsuits and growing calls to be included in Australia’s social media ban.
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By Budiman Minasny, Professor in Soil-Landscape Modelling, University of Sydney
Alex McBratney, Professor of Digital Agriculture & Soil Science; Director, Sydney Institute of Agriculture, University of Sydney
Damien Field, Associate Professor, Institute of Agriculture, University of Sydney
Producing food has a climate cost. But it doesn’t have to. Farmers can cut emissions, boost nutrients and restore nature – while making their farms more resilient
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