international news

In early November 2025, thousands of Brazilian women participated in "Rise Women Alive" marches across multiple cities to protest the normalization of violence against women and demand action on the country's femicide crisis. The demonstrations were sparked by several recent high-profile cases, including a woman who lost both legs after being dragged by a car, a workplace shooting that killed two women, and multiple domestic violence incidents resulting in deaths and severe injuries. Despite Brazil having progressive legislation against gender-based violence, including laws passed in 2006, 2015, and 2024 that establish severe penalties for femicide, violence against women continues to escalate, with data showing four women killed daily due to their gender. Security experts and advocates emphasize that while laws have improved, implementation and prevention efforts remain inadequate, allowing a dangerous pattern of violence to persist and become normalized in Brazilian society.

Georgia has experienced an unprecedented year of sustained pro-European Union protests following the disputed October 2024 parliamentary elections and the government's subsequent suspension of EU integration efforts. The demonstrations, which began with thousands gathering on Tbilisi's Rustaveli Avenue, have been met with severe police violence including tear gas, water cannons, and mass arrests of over 450 protesters in the initial weeks alone. The ruling Georgian Dream party has responded by implementing increasingly authoritarian measures, including banning protest gear, dramatically increasing fines for road-blocking, restricting media funding, and bringing criminal charges against opposition leaders for alleged coup attempts. Despite facing financial penalties, physical violence, and growing legal restrictions, protesters have adapted with creative resistance tactics and continued daily demonstrations, though their numbers have gradually declined over the year. The movement reflects Georgia's struggle between Western integration and what critics characterize as the government's authoritarian pivot away from democratic norms. # Key Takeaways

Two rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the M23 and Congo River Alliance, have formed an alliance and seized control of major cities including Goma and Bukavu, establishing a parallel government. According to an Oakland Institute report, these rebel groups, backed by Rwanda, are funding their military operations by taking over mineral-rich mining areas containing gold, coltan, tin, and other valuable resources throughout North and South Kivu provinces. While rebel leaders claim they are fighting for their country rather than minerals, evidence suggests Rwanda's strategic goal is controlling DRC's natural resources, with the rebels smuggling hundreds of tons of coltan to Rwanda and generating approximately $800,000 monthly through mining taxes. Despite the Congolese government's appeals to international bodies and a U.S.-brokered peace agreement collapsing, President Tshisekedi has acknowledged his inability to stop the war, though a new framework peace agreement was signed with Qatar's mediation in November 2025.

Vivien Sansour, founder of the Palestine Heirloom Seed Library, created the initiative out of a deep desire to preserve Palestinian agricultural heritage and cultural identity threatened by occupation and displacement. Rather than pursuing traditional academic study, she chose to visit elders and villages throughout Palestine to collect indigenous seeds and the stories attached to them, recognizing that these agricultural varieties represent thousands of years of relationship between people, land, and crops. Her work expanded beyond Palestine into a global grassroots movement as others facing oppression and cultural loss connected with her mission. Sansour views the destruction of Palestinian farmland as part of a larger global crisis involving violence, surveillance capitalism, and climate change, positioning her seed preservation work as creating "tender spaces" of resistance and hope for future generations rather than attempting immediate large-scale change.

In Azerbaijan, where LGBTQI+ individuals face systemic discrimination, violent crackdowns, and hate crimes documented since 2017, a new generation of queer filmmakers is creating an alternative cinematic history through personal storytelling. These independent short films, often made by trans and non-binary directors who are graduates of the Azerbaijan State University of Culture and Arts, challenge decades of heteronormative representation where queer characters appeared only as caricatures or punchlines. Through intimate portrayals exploring themes of home, safety, and identity, filmmakers like Vusala Hajiyeva, Miray Deniz, and Mehriban Karimova are documenting lives that have been systematically erased from mainstream culture. Their work, which includes films about the 2017 mass arrests, the murder of activist Avaz Hafizli, and personal transition journeys, serves as both resistance and documentation in a country that ranks among Europe's lowest on LGBTQI+ rights indexes.

Following a devastating 5.7-magnitude earthquake in Bangladesh on January 21 that killed at least 10 people, social media erupted into debate over whether women should wear hijabs or headscarves before evacuating dangerous buildings. While men fled freely in minimal clothing without criticism, women faced pressure to prioritize modest dress over their own safety, with some refusing to evacuate due to concerns about their appearance. This controversy reflects deeper issues in Bangladeshi society where patriarchal norms have become so internalized that many women fear social judgment more than physical danger, despite Islamic jurisprudence clearly prioritizing life preservation over modest attire during emergencies. The author argues this incident exposes how Bangladesh's increasingly conservative political climate since August 2024 has intensified the policing of women's bodies and freedoms, with radical Islamist groups exploiting instability to push women out of public life.

Guinea-Bissau's military seized power on November 27, 2025, immediately after ballots were counted in the country's presidential and legislative elections, claiming they were preventing foreign and domestic actors from tampering with results in collaboration with drug traffickers. The military junta appointed General Horta Nta Na Man as transitional president for a one-year period, though many African leaders and international observers are questioning the coup's legitimacy given its suspicious timing. Both presidential candidates had initially claimed victory, but opposition leader Fernando Dias and several prominent African political figures believe former President Umaro Sissoco Embalo fabricated the coup to avoid revealing unfavorable election results. Regional organizations including ECOWAS and the African Union have condemned the military takeover and are calling for the restoration of constitutional order and publication of the legitimate election results. # Key Takeaways

Following a December 2024 boat tragedy that killed over 300 Pakistanis attempting to reach Europe illegally, Pakistani authorities have implemented an aggressive airport screening program that has resulted in thousands of legitimate travelers being denied boarding at the last minute. The Federal Investigation Agency, responding to both domestic pressure and demands from Gulf countries, has been stopping passengers with valid visas and documents through a practice called "offloading," with decisions often based on subjective factors like appearance, home district, and travel history rather than concrete evidence. The crackdown disproportionately affects residents of Punjab's Gujrat and Sialkot regions, areas known for legal labor migration that contribute billions in remittances to Pakistan's economy. While officials claim the measures combat human trafficking, there is no evidence the policy has been effective, as smuggling networks have simply shifted to land and sea routes, while legitimate travelers face financial devastation and constitutional rights violations.

Bangladeshi migrant workers are increasingly falling victim to sophisticated digital fraud schemes that exploit their hopes for overseas employment and better economic opportunities. Scammers use social media platforms, fake job advertisements, and fraudulent recruitment agencies to trap workers who pay thousands of dollars for non-existent jobs, often ending up stranded abroad or trafficked to forced labor situations. The problem has intensified as migration processes shift online without adequate safeguards, with workers losing an estimated two billion dollars to syndicates between 2022-2024, while others are lured into online betting scams and identity theft. Most workers lack digital literacy to distinguish legitimate opportunities from fraud, and despite over one million Bangladeshis migrating for work in 2024, the existing system of informal brokers and fragmented government oversight leaves them extremely vulnerable to exploitation.

Following the United States' designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern due to religious violence, Nigerian peace advocates and religious leaders from both Christian and Muslim communities are emphasizing that Boko Haram's brutal insurgency affects all faiths equally, not just Christians. The militant group has killed approximately 35,000 civilians and displaced over 2 million people since beginning violent attacks in 2009, with former President Buhari noting that roughly 90 percent of victims have been Muslims. Various Nigerian organizations are rejecting what they characterize as foreign-driven narratives that could inflame religious divisions, instead calling for unity and locally-developed solutions to address the complex mix of ethnic, political, and economic factors driving the violence. The Nigerian government has recently intensified military operations, increased security funding, and invested in rehabilitation programs for former fighters while engaging international partners for technical assistance rather than military intervention.

A dam owned by Congo Dongfang Mining (CDM), a Chinese subsidiary operating in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, collapsed on November 4, 2025, releasing highly toxic water containing lead and arsenic into surrounding communities and the Lubumbashi River. The contaminated water flooded residential areas, killed aquatic life, and poisoned wells that poor residents depend on for drinking water, creating serious health risks for local populations. Local residents claim the company has been illegally discharging acidic wastewater during rainstorms since 2012, using rainfall as cover for their activities. In response to the disaster, the national Minister of Mines suspended CDM's operations for three months, while the Minister of Justice announced an investigation to identify and prosecute those responsible for what environmental experts are calling an environmental crime.

In November 2025, coordinated bot attacks targeted Instagram accounts of Serbian student protest movements and independent North Macedonian media, attempting to trigger automatic platform shutdowns through floods of fake followers and mass reporting. The Serbian Students in Blockade movement, with over one million followers, and North Macedonia's Sloboden Pechat media outlet both experienced sophisticated attacks designed to exploit Instagram's content moderation algorithms. While the student movement quickly recovered their profiles with help from IT support teams, Sloboden Pechat had to lock their account to prevent further damage, limiting their public reach. Cybersecurity experts confirmed these unprecedented attacks required substantial resources and organization, though the perpetrators' identities remain unverified, with speculation ranging from state actors to external destabilizing forces. # Key Takeaways

The Devadasi system, an ancient Indian religious practice where young girls were dedicated to temple service, has devolved from a prestigious cultural tradition into a hereditary system of sexual exploitation and social marginalization that persists despite being banned in 1947. Karnataka's 2025 Devadasi Abolition Bill represents a fundamental shift from previous prohibition-only approaches by emphasizing rights, rehabilitation, and participatory reform developed through consultation with over 15,000 affected women, activists, and scholars. The legislation grants legal identity to children born to Devadasi women, establishes paternity through DNA testing if necessary, provides inheritance rights, and offers pathways to economic independence through housing compensation and agricultural land allocation. Unlike earlier punitive laws that failed to dismantle supporting social structures, this bill positions Devadasi women as rights-bearers and active participants in policy-making rather than passive recipients of state assistance.

Nigerian activist and nurse Abiodun Olamide Thomas was arrested following a Facebook Live video criticizing police brutality and government officials during the 2024 EndSARS memorial. After evading surveillance and attempted entrapment, she was eventually detained through the arrest of her uncle, then held for weeks across multiple facilities before being granted bail in January. Her prosecution under Nigeria's Cybercrimes Act exemplifies a broader pattern of authorities weaponizing digital laws to silence critics, despite a 2024 amendment meant to address the law's vagueness after an ECOWAS court ruling. The case reflects Nigeria's deteriorating online freedom environment, where journalists, activists, and even ordinary citizens face arrest and prosecution for social media posts, product reviews, and investigative reporting. # Key Takeaways

At COP30 held in Belém, Brazil, climate scientist Sineia Do Vale (Sineia Wapichana) advocated for recognizing Indigenous territorial rights as fundamental to effective climate policy, emphasizing the integration of traditional and scientific knowledge. Indigenous communities across the Amazon have been developing climate adaptation plans based on natural indicators like plant behavior, bird patterns, and seasonal cycles to monitor environmental changes and prevent disasters. The region has faced devastating impacts, particularly in Roraima state where fires destroyed 80 percent of rural cultivated areas in 2024, threatening biodiversity and culturally significant species. Indigenous representatives at the conference stressed the urgent need for direct funding mechanisms and meaningful inclusion in climate decision-making processes to support their ongoing mitigation and adaptation work.

Nigeria's recently discovered lithium deposits have attracted significant Chinese investment, with over 80 percent of lithium mining projects now financed by Chinese investors as China seeks to strengthen its position as a global mining superpower. Since September 2023, Chinese companies have invested more than $1.3 billion in Nigeria's lithium processing sector, with the Nigerian government requiring all minerals to be processed domestically before export to create local jobs and add value. While this partnership has led to infrastructure development and the establishment of electric vehicle manufacturing facilities, serious concerns have emerged about illegal artisanal mining in lithium-rich regions. Low-income communities, including children, engage in dangerous informal mining operations to survive, creating exploitative labor chains that indirectly benefit Chinese companies even when they don't directly employ children. Environmental advocates are calling for stricter regulations, better safeguards, and more sustainable mining practices to protect both workers and the environment.

The Network of Sustainable Development Actors (RADD), a Cameroon-based organization, organized a forest immersion experience for women on November 17, 2025, while COP30 was taking place in Brazil. This initiative aimed to reconnect women in the Congo Basin with forests and empower them as key actors in climate change mitigation and conservation efforts. The program included panel discussions, forest activities, seed fairs, and meetings with forest representatives, targeting six categories of women including those near agro-industries, seed guardians, product processors, urban women, indigenous people, and young forest advocates. RADD Executive Secretary Marie Crescence Ngobo explained that modernization and extractive industries have distanced women from forests, and this immersion seeks to renew their alliance with nature and position them as essential contributors to national climate strategies. The organization receives support from local Cameroonian institutions and international partners including AWID, the Africa Climate Justice Movement, and the Agroecology Fund.

Across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, Generation Z is revolutionizing political activism by leveraging digital tools to challenge systemic corruption and inequality in ways that traditional power structures struggle to comprehend or control. From Nepal's rapid government collapse following online mobilization to Madagascar's nationwide uprising over basic services, young protesters are using social media platforms, encrypted networks, and memes to coordinate decentralized movements that demand transparency, merit-based governance, and accountability. These youth-led protests have toppled governments in multiple countries, forced appointment of grassroots activists to ministerial positions, and created cross-regional networks sharing tactics despite facing violent repression and restrictive legislation. What distinguishes these movements is not just their digital fluency but their refusal to accept the status quo, as they frame their demands around climate justice, economic fairness, and access to basic necessities that directly threaten their survival. # Key Takeaways

Dr. J. Jarpa Dawuni is a Ghanaian-born legal scholar and Full Professor of Political Science at Howard University who has dedicated her career to amplifying African women's voices in law and leadership. Through her interdisciplinary work combining law, political science, and gender studies, she identified and filled a critical gap in academic literature regarding African women in the legal profession, conducting fieldwork across multiple countries and developing the theoretical framework of matri-legal feminism. Her entrepreneurial approach to activism led her to establish Howard University's first Center for Women, Gender, and Global Leadership with $1 million in funding, demonstrating her ability to transform vision into institutional change. Inspired by her grandmother's dignified resistance and early encounters with women role models, she has secured millions in research grants, trained judges and lawyers on gender issues, and founded the Institute for African Women in Law. Her work emphasizes that activism exists at all levels of society and that supporting women in positions of influence creates multiplicative effects throughout communities.

Journalist and political activist Muammar Ibrahim was detained by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) following their violent occupation of Al-Fasher, North Darfur's capital, in October 2024. Ibrahim had been reporting on the humanitarian crisis in the besieged city, where civilians faced starvation, restricted movement, and mass atrocities during a siege lasting over 560 days. After the city fell, the RSF accused him of defamation and lacking neutrality for describing them as a militia in his reporting. His detention has sparked widespread calls for his release from journalists, activists, and international human rights organizations who fear for his safety. # Key Takeaways

Citizen archivists across South Asia are working to preserve endangered oral traditions by recording folk songs, oral histories, and traditional knowledge from 14 language communities and uploading them to open-access platforms like Wikimedia Commons. This initiative, called "Enhancing Indic oral culture on Wikimedia projects," has produced 227 recordings that capture generations of knowledge at risk of disappearing due to cultural homogenization and socioeconomic changes. The oral narratives reveal aspects of daily life rarely emphasized in mainstream education, such as agricultural practices, alternative depictions of religious figures, and marginalized communities' resistance to cultural suppression. By documenting these traditions themselves, native speakers ensure ethical data collection while making previously oral-only knowledge accessible on mainstream knowledge platforms like Wikipedia and Wikisource.

Artists and advocates organized a fundraising concert at the Palestine House of Freedom in November to support UNRWA staff working in Gaza amid ongoing conflict. The event showcased musical and visual performances, including two films directed by Ilana Alazzeh featuring compositions by Niko Michalopoulos that highlight Palestinian suffering and resilience. The artistic works incorporate testimony from Palestinian children and imagery representing mothers mourning their deceased children, aiming to raise awareness about casualties and displacement. Organizers emphasized that global solidarity through creative expression is crucial for supporting Palestinians both in occupied territories and diaspora communities, with the event serving as both fundraiser and call to action. # Key Takeaways

Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been living in exile in India since fleeing Dhaka in August 2024, where she now faces serious criminal charges including corruption, human rights violations, and war crimes. Bangladesh's interim government, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, has expressed strong concerns about India allowing Hasina to conduct media interviews from exile, arguing she is using Indian territory to spread inflammatory statements that fuel unrest in Bangladesh. The interim government claims significant progress in stabilizing the country's economy and institutions after the July-August 2024 uprising that ousted Hasina's administration. Relations between Bangladesh and India have become strained over the asylum issue, with Bangladesh's government urging India to prevent Hasina from interfering in Bangladeshi affairs while preparing for national elections scheduled for early 2026.

Bangladesh's interim government has expressed serious diplomatic concerns over India's decision to allow ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to remain indefinitely in the country and grant her access to Indian media outlets. Following her flight from Dhaka in August 2024 after a major uprising, Hasina has been residing in a secure New Delhi location while facing numerous charges in Bangladesh, including crimes against humanity for which she was sentenced to death in absentia. The interim government, led by Chief Adviser Professor Yunus, claims to have stabilized Bangladesh's collapsed economy and institutions over the past year while implementing democratic reforms. Relations between India and Bangladesh have deteriorated as Dhaka accuses New Delhi of allowing Hasina to spread inflammatory statements that contribute to unrest, and the government is now preparing for national elections scheduled for early 2026.

Artificial intelligence technology is becoming increasingly integrated into daily life, with global surveys showing 55% of people view AI as more beneficial than harmful. However, LGBTQ+ community members face disproportionate risks from AI systems due to biased training data that perpetuates harmful stereotypes and reductive representations of queer identities. Beyond digital harms, AI-powered automatic gender recognition systems are being deployed for surveillance purposes, particularly in countries with anti-LGBTQ+ governments like Hungary, where authorities monitor Pride events under the guise of public safety. Major AI models from companies like Meta and OpenAI have been found to generate negative content about gay people over half the time, demonstrating widespread homophobia in their underlying data. The article argues that developers must partner with LGBTQ+ stakeholders throughout the development process and implement strict prohibitions on gender detection technologies to ensure AI serves all people equitably. # Key Takeaways

In 2025, multiple Western nations including Switzerland, Portugal, and Canada's Quebec province have implemented bans on religious face coverings and symbols, particularly affecting Muslim women who wear burqas, niqabs, or hijabs. Quebec's expanding secularism laws now prohibit religious symbols in public schools and plan to extend these restrictions to daycares, with politicians competing to broaden such measures further. This pattern mirrors coercive dress codes in countries like Afghanistan and Iran, where women are forced to cover themselves, revealing a global contradiction where women's clothing choices remain controlled by governments rather than the women themselves. The article argues that whether mandating covering or uncovering, both approaches strip women of agency and autonomy, with Western nations hypocritically condemning religious coercion abroad while imposing their own dress codes at home under the guise of secularism and liberation. # Key Takeaways

The author, drawing from their brother's experience as an ER doctor in Turkey's border regions, argues that humanitarian crises abroad directly impact local communities through interconnected supply chains, information networks, and migration patterns. Rather than viewing distant suffering as separate from domestic concerns, the piece demonstrates how unmet basic needs in one region create cascading effects that manifest as healthcare emergencies, economic strain, and social instability elsewhere. The author advocates for proactive investment in food security, education, and cash support as practical measures that prevent crises rather than merely responding to them. Through concrete examples like malnourished children and carbon monoxide poisoning from makeshift heating, the piece calls for solidarity-based action—including awareness-raising, political accountability, and recognizing shared humanity—as both morally necessary and strategically sound in an interconnected world.

Activists from São Paulo's marginalized peripheral neighborhoods have developed approximately 30 proposals to present at the upcoming COP 30 climate conference in Belém, Brazil. The "Letter from the Peripheries on Commitments for the Climate," signed by 50 collectives and 1,000 community leaders, addresses issues like flooding, housing inadequacy, and environmental degradation that disproportionately affect poor areas. The Peripheral Front for Rights, which organized the initiative, argues that residents of these neighborhoods experience climate impacts first and most severely, yet their perspectives are typically excluded from international climate discussions dominated by privileged elites. Their proposals emphasize community-driven solutions including waste management improvements, environmental education, green currency for recycling, reforestation efforts, and holding polluters accountable while ending forced evictions from informal settlements. # Key Takeaways

A viral TikTok video showed a masked individual giving cash to Tamru, a struggling man in Addis Ababa, which sparked widespread donations from Ethiopian diaspora members totaling over $3,600 intended to purchase him a three-wheeled taxi. However, Tamru alleges he was pressured to send approximately $1,212 from his account to associates for various fees like "tax clearance" and "processing," while the promised vehicle never materialized. The incident involves anonymous TikTok accounts @melektegnaw_ and @baladeraw, which operate charity-styled content using identical formats of masked donors and emotional narratives, raising questions about transparency and platform accountability. Despite Tamru's public allegations on YouTube channel Eyoha Media and subsequent confrontations, no financial documentation was provided, and major Ethiopian broadcasters failed to challenge the fundraisers' lack of transparency, highlighting how charity scams exploit social media platforms operating in under-resourced language markets.

Najeebullah Khitab, an Afghan singer born and raised in Pakistan over 46 years, faces deportation as part of Pakistan's large-scale repatriation program that began in 2023, affecting approximately 2.8 million Afghan refugees. Despite spending his entire life in Pakistan and repeatedly attempting to gain citizenship, Khitab must return to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan where music is banned, effectively ending his career and sole source of income. The deportation process has unfolded in three phases targeting different documentation categories, with legal challenges by refugee advocates failing in multiple courts and the UNHCR providing minimal assistance. Khitab and hundreds of other refugee families now wait outside the UNHCR office in Quetta with their belongings, seeking repatriation certificates while border tensions temporarily halt their departure. # Key Takeaways