human rights

For the past 13 days, Iran has experienced one of the most comprehensive internet shutdowns in recent history. Triggered at the outset of the sudden escalation between Israel and Iran, the blackout severed ordinary citizens from global information networks, turning smart phones into nothing more than expensive paperweights. Yet, in bedrooms and university dorms across Tehran and other major cities, a determined network of young Iranians have worked around the clock to breach government firewalls—and keep Iran’s voice alive online.

Survivors of child sexual exploitation (CSE) in Telford have issued a stark warning to politicians and campaigners: cease the “political tug of war” over the voices of vulnerable women before a new national grooming gangs inquiry begins. Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones—who spearheaded a local “gold-standard” investigation in Telford—urge decision-makers to step aside and let survivors shape the forthcoming national review.

As Israel’s air strikes on Iran intensify and Iran’s retaliatory missile launches continue, ordinary Iranians find themselves caught between fear for their safety and cautious hope for political change. From gridlocked highways leading out of Tehran to shuttered marketplaces and hushed whispers of regime collapse, citizens across Iran are navigating unprecedented turmoil. This article explores the lived experiences, anxieties, and aspirations of Iranians in Tehran, Ahvaz, Khuzestan, Isfahan, and beyond.

Hours after being deported from Israel, climate activist Greta Thunberg accused the Israeli government of “kidnapping” her and the eleven other passengers aboard the UK-flagged aid vessel Madleen. In a press conference at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle Airport, Thunberg insisted that she and her fellow volunteers had done nothing illegal while sailing in international waters to deliver humanitarian relief to Gaza. The activists were intercepted 200 kilometers off the Gaza coast on Monday and towed to Ashdod, where some remain in custody awaiting deportation hearings.

Vanuatu, an archipelagic nation in the South Pacific, operates an economic citizenship scheme known as the Development Support Program (DSP). Established in the late 1990s, the program allows foreign nationals to acquire full Vanuatu citizenship through a minimum investment of US $130,000 (approximately AU $201,000). Proponents argue the scheme generates much-needed revenue for one of the world’s smallest economies, funding public services, infrastructure projects, and pandemic recovery efforts. According to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the DSP contributed nearly 9 percent of Vanuatu’s government revenue in 2024—albeit a drop from a peak of 33 percent in 2020, when travel restrictions led more applicants to seek expedited citizenship.

At its heart, this case was about how the law interprets the word “woman” in a 2018 Scottish law that encourages equal gender representation on public boards. A group called For Women Scotland argued that the law should not include transgender women in its definition of “woman”. After a series of appeals, the case landed in the UK’s highest court.

In one of the deadliest incidents involving first responders in Gaza, 15 Palestinian paramedics and rescue workers were killed by Israeli forces and their bodies dumped into a bulldozed pit outside Rafah, according to eyewitnesses and family accounts. The killings, which occurred in the early hours of 23 March, have shocked relatives and raised grave concerns about the targeting of humanitarian personnel amid ongoing conflict.

A new report from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) has laid bare the disturbing reality faced by women in politics across the Asia-Pacific region. Interviews with female Members of Parliament (MPs) and staff from 33 countries—including Australia, China, Indonesia, Thailand, India, and the Philippines—reveal that gender-based violence, harassment, and abuse have become all too common in parliamentary workplaces. The findings underscore an urgent need for reform to protect the women who serve in these democratic institutions and to ensure that parliaments remain safe havens for robust debate and law-making.