Lack of transparency in space weapons nations are pursuing
By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN and RYAN MANZUK 05 October 2026 The United States military recently confirmed that the U.S. has deployed weapons in space, VIENNA -- Air Force Secretary Troy Meink made headlines recently by confirming the United States has deployed weapons in space. He did not, however, detail what the weapons were, how they work or if they were targeting other objects in space. It’s not just U.S. efforts regarding space weapons that remain shrouded in mystery. Her
ABC News
Oct 7
Human Rights Activist Held in Notorious Vietnam Jail
By Farid Farid October 8, 2026 Australian-Vietnamese democracy activist Tran Hiep is being held in prison on a number of charges. Photo: PR IMAGE PHOTO An Australian human rights advocate is being detained in a notorious jail for political prisoners in Vietnam after he went missing for 11 days. Democracy activist Tran Hiep is jailed at B34 Detention Centre of the Ministry of Public Security in Ho Chi Minh City, according to consular correspondence sent to his wife Chloe Dang
Haiti postpones elections indefinitely amid gang violence
By France 24 October 7, 2026 Haiti has indefinitely postponed elections scheduled for December and February, the electoral council said Tuesday, citing technical and operational requirements as gang violence continues to disrupt preparations. The delay leaves Haitians without a democratic process as authorities struggle to register voters and secure areas needed for the poll. Men of the local defence force stand guard in a cemetery during a funeral service for people killed i
France 24
Oct 7
Myanmar’s Min Aung Hlaing visits Malaysia
By AP and Reuters Oct 7, 2026 Myanmar leader Min Aung Hlaing arrives in Malaysia for his first visit since the 2021 coup, as deportations of Myanmar nationals draw concerns from the UN and rights groups. Myanmar President Min Aung Hlaing gestures at a business forum during his official state visit to Vietnam, in Hanoi [File: Thinh Tien Nguyen/Reuters] Myanmar’s military leader-turned-president has arrived in Malaysia for talks with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, as Kuala Lumpu
Al Jazeera
Oct 7
Djibouti face "overlapping emergencies" as Yemen's refugee exodus continues
By United Nations News (UN News) October 6, 2026 Djibouti is facing “overlapping emergencies” as refugees fleeing the conflict in Yemen arrive on its shores while migrants continue to travel in the opposite direction, the UN migration agency (IOM) warned on Tuesday. Credit: © IOM/Alexander Bee More than 3,700 refugees have reached the Horn of Africa nation in the past three weeks after a dangerous crossing of the Red Sea, said Alexandre Coissac, head of IOM’s mission in the
UN News
Oct 7
Japan Provides Emergency Grant to Yemen and Djibouti amid humanitarian crisis
By Arab News Japan October 6, 2026 Credit: Arab News Japan (ANJ) TOKYO: The Government of Japan decided to provide an Emergency Grant of USD 10 million to Yemen and Djibouti, in light of the urgent humanitarian needs arising in both countries in response to the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen and its expanding repercussions on neighboring states, to ensure peace and stability in the Middle East region, including the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which is of utmos
ARAB NEWS
Oct 7
Special Report: The Islamic State-K - A Resurgent Threat
By Alžběta Frommerová and Michał Jagielski Genocide Watch A still taken from an undated video shows Hafiz Saeed (center), the founder of IS-K, at an undisclosed location at the Afghanistan-Pakistani border in January 2015. Introduction After the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria’s (ISIS) territorial collapse in 2019, the threat to the West receded as ISIS’ capacity to strike Europe declined. Over the past four years, however, IS branches in sub-Saharan Africa have made the regi
Genocide Watch
Oct 7
Persecution of Transgender People in the United States
Special Report, October 2026 By Grace Harris Transgender rights supporters rally outside of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC, US, December 4, 2024. © 2024 Jose Luis Magana/AP Photo. Human Rights Watch In the United States (US), conservative backlash against 2SLGBTQ+ rights movements is producing violent, systemic persecution of transgender Americans. Transphobic ideology and political scapegoating have fueled efforts to deny transgender identities, exclude trans people fro
Genocide Watch
Oct 7
Mauritius Rights Body Calls for Marriage Equality
By Ryan Thoreson October 1, 2026 Port Louis in Mauritius, November 12, 2024. © 2024 Xinhua/Shutterstock The National Human Rights Commission in Mauritius earlier this year urged the government to legally recognize same-sex marriages, stating that the refusal to recognize such unions is discriminatory and lacks justification under domestic law. The Commission’s recommendation comes after two same-sex couples filed complaints alleging that the country’s civil status office’s re
Human Rights Watch
Oct 7
Junta Strips 5 More Exiled Critics of Nationality
By Human Rights Watch September 22, 2026 Latest Crackdown Heightens Rights Concerns Amid Renewed Political Tensions Former Niger Prime Minister Ouhoumoudou Mahamadou speaks to the media in Paris, August 1, 2023. © 2023 AP Photo/Christophe Ena (Nairobi) – Niger’s junta has provisionally stripped five more exiled opposition figures of their nationality, extending a controversial policy increasingly used against critics of the military authorities, Human Rights Watch said today.
Human Rights Watch
Oct 7
Georgia: Critics Jailed for Online Speech
By Human Rights Watch September 18, 2026 The Georgian Interior Ministry headquarters in Tbilisi, February 2, 2010. © 2010 David Mdzinarishvili/Reuters (Berlin, September 18, 2026) – Georgian authorities are using vague administrative offenses to jail or heavily fine people for online speech, deepening the government’s crackdown on freedom of expression, Human Rights Watch said today. Since June 2026, a new Ministry of Internal Affairs unit has monitored social media and refer
Human Rights Watch
Oct 7
Baha’is Face New Prison Terms Across Iran
By IranWire October 2, 2026 Three Baha'is in Tehran, Hengameh Sharifinia, Foad Abdolghaffari and Fahim Agahi, have been sentenced to a combined 35 years in prison, along with supplementary penalties and the confiscation of property. As of 2 October 2026, the BIC has verified that 64 Baha’is, including 33 women and 31 men, are currently detained or imprisoned across Iran. At least 19 others are serving sentences outside prison under electronic monitoring or are temporarily on
IranWire
Oct 7
