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July 12, 2026
 

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HUMAN RIGHTS

The U.S. Supreme Court in Washington on Wednesday, the day justices released a ruling in Louisiana vs. Callais. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the Voting Rights Act in the middle of primary season could create a potentially chaotic scramble among states that may consider drawing new maps.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 30, 2026
U.S. Supreme Court guts key provision of Voting Rights Act
With November congressional elections looming, the decision could prompt Republican-led states to seek to redraw electoral maps in order to gain an advantage.
A visitor walks past a mural featuring the name of Andrie Yunus, the deputy coordinator of the KontraS rights group who suffered serious injuries when two men on a scooter threw acid at him, at the Mural Exhibition "From Citizens for Andrie" in Jakarta on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 29, 2026
Acid attack in Indonesia evokes brutality of Suharto era
The brutal ambush of an outspoken military critic led to four arrests, but activists say that more were involved.
Iranian women walk along a busy street in Tehran on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 29, 2026
As some hijabs come off in Iran, restrictions stay in place
Though enforcement of wearing hijab appears to have slackened, authorities can still summon women for not wearing the headscarf and shut down cafes for not upholding the rule.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un speaks in Pyongyang on Feb. 23.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 28, 2026
North Korean executions rose dramatically during COVID-19, report shows
Death penalty cases related to foreign culture, religion and “superstition” jumped by 250% after the country closed its borders, the report showed.
An activist holds a poster during a demonstration in support of Andrie Yunus, a staff member of Indonesian human rights nongovernmental organization KontraS (Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence), who was attacked with acid by an unidentified person, in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on March 14.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
Apr 27, 2026
Acid attacks highlight growing danger for Indonesian activists
Activists and observers say a climate of repression is taking root with a government that baulks at criticism under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto.
Hideko Hakamata, of former death-row inmate Iwao Hakamata, speaks during a gathering in Tokyo in June to call for a revision of Japan's retrial system.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2026
Former death-row inmate’s sister further denounces Japan’s review of retrial system
Hideko Hakamata says she opposes the draft government bill, which seeks to ban the use of evidence disclosed during court proceedings on retrial petitions for any other purpose.
Escalating violations of international law by major powers, especially under U.S. President Donald Trump with his conflicts and actions in Iran and Venezuela, expose the fragility of the rules-based order but also create an opportunity for reform.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 24, 2026
Trump has made the case for international law
The task now is to re-imagine an international legal regime that works more reliably for more people, without exception for the powerful.
Nanette Castillo, mother of drug war victim Aldrin Castillo, reacts after the International Criminal Court's rejection of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s challenge to the court’s jurisdiction over his crimes against humanity charges, in Quezon City, Philippines, on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 23, 2026
ICC judges reject bid to release former Philippine President Duterte
The Philippines formally withdrew its International Criminal Court membership in 2018, and the defense had argued this meant ​the court had no jurisdiction over the case.
Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares called on Tuesday for a discussion on suspending a pact governing the EU's ties with Israel, which came into force in 2000.
WORLD
Apr 22, 2026
EU divided on suspension of Israel pact as Spain pushes for action
A number of ministers called for suspending the pact with Israel over concerns about settlements in ‌the West Bank, ‌the humanitarian situation in Gaza and a new death penalty law.
At least 3,646 people have been arrested in Iran since the war broke out on Feb. 28, nongovernmental organization Iran Human Rights said on Tuesday.
WORLD
Apr 22, 2026
Arrests, hangings and blackout: Iran cranks up wartime repression
At least 3,646 people have been arrested since the war broke out, according to Norway-based nongovernmental organization Iran Human Rights, with hangings a near daily occurrence.
Young Afghan evacuees play soccer in a residential compound in Doha, Qatar. The U.S. is offering Afghan refugees at a camp in the country the choice to emigrate to Congo or returning to their Taliban-ruled homeland, an activist has said.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 22, 2026
U.S. tells Afghans to choose Taliban-run homeland or Congo, activist says
More than 1,100 Afghans have been in limbo in a refugee processing camp in Qatar after U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a halt to a resettlement program.
The leaders of Russia, Israel and the United States are seeking to impose a new "predatory" world order while most countries are too cowardly to stop them, rights group Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 21, 2026
Amnesty International warns that ‘predator’ leaders seek to impose new ‘world order’
Certain leaders have rejected the global multilateral system in favor of a “vision without moral compass,“ where “war, not diplomacy, rules,“ a report from the group said.
The Justice Ministry setting up a study panel regarding the misuse of generative artificial intelligence comes amid a sharp rise in such cases and concerns legislation in Japan has not kept up with the rapid advancement of AI.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 17, 2026
Government to launch study panel for generative-AI misuse
With a meeting scheduled for late April, the group will examine civil liability for the unauthorized use of people’s likenesses and voices.
Ruling Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have asked the Justice Ministry to amend a bill aimed at revising Japan’s retrial system.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 16, 2026
LDP members demand rewrite of bill to revise retrial system
The bill proposes a one-year limit on court proceedings initiated by prosecutors’ appeal against a retrial ruling, but party members want such appeals banned entirely.
Men sit along the seaside near an unofficial camp for displaced people in Beirut on Tuesday.
WORLD / Society
Apr 16, 2026
Forced displacements to soar by 4.2 million by 2027, aid group warns
The numbers do not include those affected by the war in the Middle East, the agency said.
U.S. prison populations have dropped sharply since 2008, but gaps in mental health care mean many vulnerable individuals continue to cycle through the criminal justice system instead of receiving treatment.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 15, 2026
U.S. prisons are emptier. Will psychiatric hospitals fill up?
More recent statistics on psychiatric beds in hospitals and resident patients in state psychiatric hospitals show a mostly flat trajectory through 2023.
The Gombe area of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. The African country is set to receive more than 30 deportees from the United States this week, none of whom are Congolese nationals.
WORLD
Apr 15, 2026
Congo to receive first group of deportees from U.S. this week, sources say
The move is the latest example of Washington using agreements with African governments to accelerate migrant removals.
Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a ceremony at the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum during a two day state visit to Hanoi in 2023.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 14, 2026
China model gains appeal in Vietnam as police expand power
The two communist neighbors have swung between conflict and cooperation over centuries, with Hanoi now leaning more openly toward Beijing.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung speaks during his new year news conference at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on Jan. 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 11, 2026
South Korea president clashes with Israel on rights and disinformation claims
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Saturday accused Israel of failing to “reflect” on allegations of rights abuses by its forces, after Israel decried him for amplifying social media “disinformation.”
A woman holds a handheld fan bearing the image of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's wedding photo, during an election campaign event in Tokyo on Feb. 7.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 11, 2026
Debt-laden Japan should review spending on gender equality, survey finds
The results come from a taskforce, set up in an effort to emulate the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, seeking cost-cutting suggestions from the public.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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