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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.
Students attend a class at Al-Shamal Educational School, located just 100 metres from the “Yellow Line” in Jabalia Refugee Camp on January 12. Photo: Xinhua
Israel-Gaza war

Unicef delivers school kits to Gaza after 2.5-year Israel blockade

Thousands of school kits reach Gaza as Unicef confirms Israel lifts blockade that left children learning without pencils or books.

Gun violence in the US

ICE shooting of Alex Pretti sparks NRA backlash, Trump U-turn

United Nations

Hundreds feared missing or dead in Mediterranean shipwrecks, UN says

United States

ICE thaw? White House softens tone after Minneapolis killings outrage

Some federal agents will start leaving Minneapolis following White House talks with the state’s governor and city mayor.

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Gunshot damage in a window pane near a makeshift memorial for Alex Pretti in Minneapolis. Photo: AFP
Donald Trump

Trump does not want to see people killed on US streets, White House says

Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the death of a nurse in Minnesota was a result ‍of ‘deliberate and hostile resistance by Democrat leaders’.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel recovers final hostage remains, key for next phase of Gaza truce

Returning all hostages has been central to the Gaza ceasefire. Gvili’s family urged Israel to delay phase two until his remains are returned.

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The Philippines

Duterte vs ICC: judges reject ‘unfit’ plea, set date for drug war case

The 80-year-old faces a February hearing on crimes against humanity after the court rejected defence arguments that he was unfit to take part.

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Rodrigo Duterte addresses troops during the Armed Forces’ 82nd anniversary in Quezon City in December 2017. Photo: AP
United States

The public face of Trump’s aggressive deportation campaign

From tossing tear gas to defending fatal shootings, the US Border Patrol chief relishes his high-profile role in Trump’s America.

Israel-Gaza war

Israel launches ‘large-scale operation’ to locate last hostage in Gaza

Israel’s Netanyahu conditions the opening of Gaza’s vital southern border on the recovery of Ran Gvili’s remains.

United States

‘Wake-up call’: Obama and Clinton speak out as latest killing shocks US

Two former presidents join the outcry over the shooting of Alex Pretti, as video analysis appears to contradict the government’s statements.

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Clashes at the scene where federal agents fatally shot Alex Pretti on Saturday. Photo: Reuters
Britain

UK police arrest dozens after protesters breach prison grounds

The incident took place outside HMP Wormwood Scrubs in West London, where a pro-Palestinian hunger striker is being held.

HMP Wormwood Scrubs in West London. Photo: Reuters
US-Venezuela conflict

Venezuela frees dozens of political prisoners as leader tells US ‘enough orders’

Rights group says it has verified the identities of 104 of those freed as Venezuela navigates life after Maduro.

Myanmar

Video | Can Myanmar’s elections bring an end to its civil war?

International observers and bodies have slammed the elections as a sham that is neither free nor fair.

Spain

‘Slavery’: Spanish police free 15 Chinese women forced into prostitution

Fourteen people were arrested, including Chinese nationals, after a woman escaped her captors and reported sexual and physical assaults.

Fifteen Chinese women in Spain have been freed after police smashed a prostitution ring. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Cambodia

Video | South Korean scam suspects brought home from Cambodia

Seoul continues its crackdown on scam centres in Southeast Asia following the kidnapping and murder of a South Korean student in Cambodia.

Police officers escort South Koreans allegedly involved in scam operations in Cambodia after being forcibly repatriated from Cambodia, at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Korea January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Kim Soo-hyeon
Israel-Gaza war

Israel to empty Gaza of Palestinians with ‘more out than in’ policy: sources

As the Rafah crossing reopens next week, sources say Israel aims for a net outflow of Palestinians by blocking returns, raising fears of forced exile.

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United States

‘Used as bait’: outrage after ICE detains 5-year-old boy in Minnesota

ICE allegedly had the boy knock on his front door to lure family out. Father and son are now detained in Texas, with their asylum case under review.

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Israel-Gaza war

Israeli forces kill Palestinian children, journalists in Gaza despite ceasefire

Eleven Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire on Wednesday, threatening the peace deal as the US tries to push the agreement forward.

Mourners carry the bodies of three journalists through Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza Strip on Wednesday. Photo: EPA
Malaysia

Rohingya refugees at risk of removal as Malaysia begins biometric documentation

Rohingya are often undocumented as Myanmar’s authorities refuse to recognise them as a legitimate community.

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Iran

Iran says 3,117 died in protests in first official toll. Activists fear it’s much higher

Activists report toll is at least 4,902, with many more feared dead in the demonstrations that began December 28.

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Americas and the Caribbean

Chile’s president-elect picks Pinochet lawyers as ministers of human rights, defence

Jose Antonio Kast installs a ‘great team for difficult times’, after being elected on a wave of anti-crime and anti-immigrant sentiment.

Chile’s president-elect Jose Antonio Kast. Photo: AFP
Middle East

Opinion | Will Iran’s instability force China to rethink its Middle East strategy?

The assumption that domestic unrest can be treated as background noise, unlikely to disrupt energy flows, is becoming increasingly untenable.

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Security forces are seen during a pro-government rally on January 12, in Tehran, Iran. Photo: Getty Images/TNS
Israel-Gaza war

Israel’s demolition of UN compound in East Jerusalem raises legal concerns

Israel banned UNRWA in October 2024 over alleged Hamas ties. The agency says demolition of sites that stored Gaza aid violates international law.

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Poverty

Opinion | Why we should aspire to raising living standards for all

Our history of progress shows we can care for a growing population, but only if we tackle inequality and protect the environment.

Iran

Hackers target Iran state TV with exiled prince’s message to forces

In clips, Reza Pahlavi urges security forces to ‘join the people’ in the nationwide demonstrations.

People hold up US flags and portraits of Reza Pahlavi in front of the US consulate in Frankfurt, Germany on Friday. Photo: AFP
United States

Pentagon readies 1,500 troops for potential Minnesota deployment

US Army units from Alaska ordered to prepare for Minnesota surge as governor mobilises National Guard.

A law enforcement officer uses a battering ram to force entry into a home during an immigration raid in St Paul, Minnesota. Photo: Reuters
Donald Trump

Trump thanks Iran for ‘cancelling’ hanging of hundreds of political prisoners

The president has suggested for days that the US might strike Iran if its government triggered mass killings in its crackdown on protesters.

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Middle East

Iran cleric demands death for protesters, threatens Trump amid unrest

Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami urged the execution of detained protesters, a step the Trump administration warned could spark military action.

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