International news

The diplomatic relationship between Azerbaijan and Russia has deteriorated significantly following a series of escalating incidents, beginning with tensions over an AZAL plane crash investigation and dramatically worsening after two Azerbaijani brothers, Huseyn and Ziyaddin Safarov, died following raids in Yekaterinburg on June 27. Forensic examinations revealed the brothers had been severely beaten, contradicting Russian authorities' claims of natural causes, while other detained Azerbaijanis reported torture and abuse. In response, Azerbaijan has taken retaliatory measures including raids on Russian media outlets like Sputnik, detention of Russian citizens, and cancellation of bilateral meetings, while Russia has reportedly targeted Azerbaijani businesspeople and blocked Azerbaijani websites. The situation has particularly affected the estimated two million ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Russia, with reports of deportations and growing concerns for their safety.

Turkey's democratic institutions face significant challenges as the state intensifies pressure on political opposition, media, and civil liberties. The main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) is embroiled in a leadership crisis through a court case that could nullify their 2023 congress that elected Özgür Özel as leader, replacing long-time chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu. Simultaneously, Istanbul's popular mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu faces multiple legal battles including terrorism charges, potential imprisonment, and a political ban that could prevent his 2028 presidential candidacy. The crackdown extends beyond politics to media freedom, with veteran journalist Fatih Altaylı's arrest for allegedly threatening President Erdoğan, and to human rights, with mass detentions during banned LGBTQ+ Pride marches, reflecting Turkey's deteriorating civic space.

The article explores the creative practices that flourish within Ukrainian prisons, where inmates transform limited materials into art despite confined spaces. Prison-made artifacts range from hand-crafted knives, games, religious items, and tattoos to written works like poetry and stories. The article highlights specific examples from various prisoners including filmmaker Serhiy Parajanov, who created 800 collages while imprisoned, and women prisoners who make decorated handkerchiefs called "marochki." These creative expressions serve as both psychological survival mechanisms and potential pathways to rehabilitation in Ukraine, which has one of the highest imprisonment rates in the Council of Europe.

Following Bangladesh's July 2024 uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the initial promise of democratic reform has deteriorated into increased violence and censorship against women activists. Nadira Yeasmin, a feminist academic advocating for equal inheritance rights, has become a primary target of Islamist backlash after a Women's Affairs Reform Commission report proposed equal inheritance for women. Conservative religious groups like Hefazat-e-Islam and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami have organized protests against the report and Yeasmin specifically, leading to her being transferred from her teaching position to an Officer on Special Duty role with no assigned responsibilities. The interim government has remained silent on these issues while violence against women has escalated across the country.

International Reggae Day (IRD) celebrated its 31st year with the theme "One Love, One Voice, One Day," emphasizing reggae music's role in activism. The celebration featured the awarding of the second annual Winnie Mandela Humanitarian Award to Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley for her climate justice advocacy. Events took place globally, from Las Vegas's new "Bob Marley Hope Road" attraction to celebrations in Kenya, Malaysia, and North Carolina. This year's focus included environmental action, with IRD encouraging followers to "plant a reggae tree" in support of the UN's Trillion Tree Challenge, reaffirming reggae's historical power as a vehicle for social change.

of "Regained Culture: Ukrainian voices curate Ukrainian culture" This article examines the parallel struggles of Ukrainian artists across different eras to express Ukrainian identity through public art. It contrasts the experiences of Soviet-era monumental artist Alla Horska, who secretly incorporated Ukrainian symbols into officially sanctioned works while facing political persecution, with contemporary muralists like Yevgenia Fullen and Hamlet Zinkivsky who navigate bureaucracy and public opinion in modern Ukraine. The piece highlights how Horska's artistic resistance against Soviet repression cost her life and nearly erased her legacy, particularly her mosaics in Donbas that are now threatened by Russian invasion. Despite operating in different political contexts, both generations of artists share a commitment to nonconformism and using public spaces as platforms for expression, though contemporary artists face different challenges in war-time democratic Ukraine than their predecessors did under totalitarianism.

The League of Social Democrats (LSD), one of Hong Kong's last pro-democracy groups, announced its disbandment on June 29, 2025, after 19 years of operation, citing "tremendous political pressure." The dissolution came on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Beijing's 2020 security law, adding the LSD to dozens of political parties, labor unions, and civil society groups that have disbanded since the law's enactment. Chair Chan Po-ying could not elaborate further on the specific reasons behind the decision during the press conference. The LSD, founded in 2006 to advocate for democratic reform and support the working class, previously held seats in the Legislative Council and District Councils before a 2021 electoral overhaul effectively barred opposition members from standing.