The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2026 Peace Prize to South African jurist Navi Pillay. The decision recognized her decades of work securing justice for marginalized groups. It also challenged the notion that power justifies oppression. Pillay served as the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 2008 to 2012. Her career spanned international tribunals and domestic legal reform in South Africa. The award highlights her consistent advocacy for the powerless against state and corporate overreach.
Guinea-Bissau approved a trial withholding hepatitis B vaccines from newborns. Danish researchers will conduct the study. It aligns with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine vision. The decision allows the controversial research to proceed in the country. Recommended dose of hepatitis B vaccine will be withheld from thousands of newborns by Danish researchersA controversial research trial that will withhold hepatitis B vaccines from some African newborns was given approval to move forward this week. It is a central part of the vaccine vision for Robert F Kennedy Jr, the secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a longtime.
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 suspected drone strike killed at least 40 people in Sudan’s Blue Nile State near the Ethiopian border. UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric confirmed the toll based on initial ground reports. Most of the casualties were women and girls. A suspected drone strike has left at least 40 dead in Sudan’s Blue Nile State – near the Ethiopian border -,.
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.
Crisis Group analysts track global conflicts and crises weekly. They highlight under-reported trends and major developments. Field experts explain why specific hotspots matter. The report outlines necessary actions for each monitored region. On Our Radar scans conflicts and crises around the globe every week and features some of the hotspots Crisis Group’s analysts are closely watching. Whether an under-reported trend or a headline-grabbing development, our field experts explain why it matters or what should be done.
Oil and gas prices drive the U. S.-Israeli war with Iran. Washington seeks lower prices while Tehran aims to keep them high. Five market developments could influence whether fighting escalates or de-escalates. Energy costs remain central to the conflict's trajectory. Oil, gas and fuel prices are central to the U. With both sides determined to prevail, five market-shaping developments in particular could affect whether fighting ramps up or de-escalates.
Sky News correspondent Yousra Elbagir reports from inside Sudan's war. She covers areas around El Obeid and El Fasher. The discussion details how civilians survive the ongoing conflict. The episode also explores potential paths to 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's Africa director Murithi Mutiga discusses renewed fighting in northern Ethiopia. She analyzes how the conflict might unfold. The conversation covers risks of regional escalation. Diplomacy remains a potential tool to prevent all-out war. 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.
Dozens of CIA officers have reported debilitating symptoms over the past decade. The condition, known as Havana syndrome, remains unexplained. Officials have not confirmed whether the incidents stem from mass hysteria or targeted energy weapon attacks. Dozens of CIA officers have been afflicted by debilitating symptoms over the past decade. Are they the result of ‘mass hysteria’? Or are they from attacks with an energy weapon and, if so, who is responsible?
The UN Security Council addressed escalating Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets and infrastructure. The four-year-old conflict has seen a recent spate of violence and human rights violations. Council members urged an immediate end to the cycle of attacks. Escalating violence and human rights violations in the four-year-old Russia-Ukraine war are in the spotlight in the Security Council on Friday following a spate of Russian attacks against civilian targets and infrastructure in recent days.
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.
Anduril Industries will invest US$3.7 billion to build a software-defined shipyard. The facility aims to overhaul US submarine manufacturing capabilities. The project addresses urgent needs in naval industrial capacity within the Indo-Pacific region. A multibillion-dollar private initiative to overhaul US submarine manufacturing marks an urgent push to revitalize naval industrial capacity at a pivotal moment in the Indo-Pacific balance of power.
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.
The Reserve Bank of India raised interest rates for the first time in four years. Governor Sanjay Malhotra acted amid high inflation and record lows for the rupee. The decision signals significant pressure on India's economic stability. It’s not often that events in Mumbai reverberate through global markets. But the Reserve Bank of India’s first interest rate hike in almost four years speaks volumes about the chaotic state of play.
Armed resistance in Afghanistan is becoming more geographically dispersed and organizationally distinct. This shift challenges the Taliban's claim of full control. The group governs all provincial capitals but faces growing internal opposition. International acceptance hinges on their ability to maintain order. 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.
A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday. The quake hit at a depth of 12.6 kilometres, collapsing buildings and roads. Thousands fled to the streets, though the country avoided widespread destruction or confirmed deaths. The quake caused buildings and roads to collapse but the country appeared to escape widespread destruction or deathsA magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck southern Panama on Friday, damaging buildings and sending thousands into the streets, but the country appeared to escape widespread destruction or deaths. The US Geological Survey (USGS) said the earthquake hit at a depth of 12.6km (7.8 miles), with.
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 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.
