The International Criminal Court rejected new United States sanctions, calling them an assault on the rule of law. The court stated that no one stands above the law. It added that history will judge this moment. The statement emphasized the foundations of the international legal order. The sanctions are "an assault on the rule of law and on the very foundations of the international legal order which strikes at the simple principle that no one stands above the law", said the court in a statement.
The United States imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court as an institution. Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowed to dismantle the court unless it ends threats to American citizens. The move targets the court directly. Washington views its operations as a national security risk. The United States has imposed sanctions on the International Criminal Court (ICC) as an institution, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio vowing on Friday to “dismantle the ICC, brick by brick” unless it ends what Washington regards as a “threat” to its citizens.
A social media post featuring a plant selfie in the Colombian jungle led to the discovery of a new giant waterlily species. The plant is so large it is visible from space but is already critically endangered. Conservationists are now working to protect the newly identified species in its natural habitat. Species with leaves large enough to be seen from space is already critically endangered – and plans are afoot to protect itA chance social media encounter has led to the race-against-time discovery of a new species of giant waterlily that has until now been hidden in the depths of Colombia’s jungle.
A Starlink trial in Italy connected a smartphone to the internet without mobile coverage or external antennas. The test drew attention in Iran. Iranian authorities heavily filter internet access. They imposed a near-total blackout during the January protests. A Starlink trial on an Italian hilltop connected an ordinary smartphone to the Internet without mobile coverage, a satellite dish, or an external antenna.
A UN envoy warned that Yemen has fallen back into full-scale war. A Houthi offensive launched in September escalated the twelve-year conflict. Spillover from the US-Iran war provoked a new displacement crisis. The Security Council met to discuss the worsening situation. The Security Council met to discuss the crisis in Yemen Friday, where a Houthi offensive launched in September has sharply escalated the 12-year-long war for control of the country and spillover from the US-Iran war has provoked a new displacement crisis.
Millions of Afghans struggle to afford basic food. Some have turned to selling a healthy kidney to survive. The financial gain is often modest and fails to clear family debts. One woman reported her health deteriorated significantly after the procedure. As millions of Afghans struggle just to afford food, some have turned to selling one of their last remaining resources: a healthy kidney.
The UN World Health Organization warned that over 700,000 displaced people in Tawila, Darfur, face severe shortages. They lack adequate healthcare, food, water, and protection. The agency called for an urgent increase in resources. The Security Council simultaneously extended sanctions on Sudan. More than 700,000 displaced people in Tawila, in Sudan’s war-ravaged Darfur region, face severe shortages of healthcare, food, water and protection, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Thursday as it called for an urgent increase in resources.
Kenya is tracing all contacts of its first Ebola death case. The World Health Organization’s top official in the country confirmed that the United Nations and partners are providing full support for the rapid response effort. Kenya’s first Ebola death has triggered a race to trace everyone the victim came into contact with, as the United Nations and partners provide full support, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) top official in the country has told UN News in her first interview on the case.
Washington and Tehran are fighting over global energy prices, with the United States seeking lower costs and Iran aiming to keep them high. Five specific market developments will determine whether the conflict escalates or de-escalates. The outcome hinges on how these factors shift fuel and gas pricing dynamics. Oil, gas and fuel prices are central to the U. S.-Israeli war with Iran, with Washington striving to lower them and Tehran to keep them high.
Sky News Africa correspondent Yousra Elbagir discussed her reporting from inside Sudan’s ongoing war on The Horn podcast. She detailed conditions in El Obeid and El Fasher, describing how civilians are surviving the conflict. The conversation also explored potential pathways for ending the war. In this episode of The Horn, Alan speaks with Yousra Elbagir, Sky News’s Africa correspondent, about her reporting from inside Sudan’s war, including around El Obeid and El Fasher, how Sudanese are surviving the war and how the war could end.
Crisis Group Africa director Murithi Mutiga told Hold Your Fire! that fighting has resumed in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region, raising the risk of spillover into Sudan and Eritrea. He warned that renewed clashes could push the dispute toward full‑scale war and strain ongoing diplomatic initiatives This week on Hold Your Fire!, Richard speaks with Crisis Group’s Africa director Murithi Mutiga about renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia, how the conflict could unfold, the risks of regional escalation and whether diplomacy can still stop the slide into all-out war.
Six weeks after Nepal’s deadly flooding, communities are still rebuilding. UNICEF warned that sustained help is needed. Global warming increases the risk of another Himalayan catastrophe. The disaster has left lasting impacts on local populations.
The UN Development Programme reported that Myanmar is experiencing a simultaneous collapse of shelter, healthcare, and livelihoods. Years of conflict, displacement, and climate shocks have deepened poverty for millions of families with limited resources. Years of conflict, displacement, economic disruption and climate shocks in Myanmar have led to the “simultaneous collapse” of shelter, healthcare, schooling and livelihoods affecting millions of people, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a report issued on Thursday.
Armed resistance in Afghanistan is spreading beyond isolated pockets, challenging the Taliban's claim of stable governance. Five years after taking Kabul, the group still controls all provincial capitals. However, the growing geographic dispersion of insurgent groups undermines their argument for international acceptance. Five years after seizing Kabul, the Taliban’s strongest argument for international acceptance rests on control. The Taliban governs every provincial capital and faces no conventional army capable of marching on Kabul.
Belarus will remove contaminated status from 177 cities and towns on January 1, 2027. This change affects 566,400 people. The land was contaminated by the 1986 nuclear accident in Soviet Ukraine. A total of 930,600 people live in the affected territory. A recent announcement that 177 cities, towns and villages will lose their “contaminated” status on January 1, 2027 affects some 566,400 people from a total of 930,600 living on Belarusian territory that was contaminated by the 1986 nuclear accident in Soviet Ukraine.
India exported Akash missile systems to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Defense Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the deals. Central Asian states seek alternative suppliers. This move counters Russia's waning dominance. It also addresses Sino-Indian rivalry. A flurry of landmark arms deals is reshaping Central Asia’s strategic landscape, as regional states leverage alternative defense suppliers to assert their sovereignty amid Russia’s waning dominance and an intensifying Sino-Indian rivalry.
Mikhail Klimaryov, a Russian activist living in Germany, says Kremlin agents continue to target him abroad. The persistent pressure has driven him into a state of paranoia regarding his personal safety. He fled Russia to escape political persecution but remains under constant surveillance. Mikhail Klimaryov fled Russia to escape political persecution and now lives in Germany, but says he is still not safe.
A UN independent expert warned that older women face violence and neglect while remaining invisible in protective laws and policies. The report highlighted how existing frameworks fail to address the specific vulnerabilities of aging women globally. Older women around the world face violence, exploitation and neglect, yet remain largely invisible in the laws, policies, data and services designed to protect women overall, a UN independent human rights expert said on Thursday.
