The United States of America (USA) has been placed on a global civic space watchlist by a coalition of international civil society organisations, joining countries such as Turkey, Serbia, El Salvador, Indonesia, and Kenya as areas of urgent concern.
Author: Elizabeth Jenrola Oso
Elizabeth Jenrola Oso
Elizabeth Omojenrola Oso is a Communications and Language Arts graduate, content writer, and reporter with a focus on thoughtful, human-centered storytelling. She is passionate about crafting clear, compelling narratives that inform, engage, and inspire.
Tensions flared once again along the Thai-Cambodian border as Thailand accused Cambodia of launching an overnight assault in breach of a newly agreed ceasefire aimed at ending days of deadly cross-border fighting. According to Thailand’s foreign ministry, troops stationed in Sisaket province came under sustained fire from Cambodian forces on Tuesday night, with reports of small arms and grenade attacks continuing into Wednesday morning. “This represents a flagrant violation of the ceasefire agreement,” read a statement from the ministry. The accusations come just a day after the two neighbours formally agreed to a truce following five days of clashes that…
A group of prominent Israeli public figures, including artists, academics, and intellectuals, has issued an extraordinary plea for the international community to impose “crippling sanctions” on Israel, in response to what they describe as the state’s brutal campaign of starvation against Palestinians in Gaza. In a letter published by The Guardian, the 31 signatories, among them an Academy Award winner and a former attorney general, accuse Israel of deliberately starving the population of Gaza and contemplating the forced expulsion of millions. They call on the international community to act decisively to end what they describe as a humanitarian catastrophe. “The…
The US deputy attorney general, Todd Blanche, has held a second in-person meeting with convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, as calls mount for full transparency over the federal investigation into the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. Blanche met Maxwell behind closed doors on Thursday and again on Friday at the federal prosecutor’s office inside the courthouse in Tallahassee, Florida, where Maxwell is currently serving a 20 year prison sentence for her role in Epstein’s abuse network. Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, confirmed that the questioning concluded on Friday afternoon. “We started this morning at 9 o’clock and wrapped just after lunch,…
Children under the age of 16 will be banned from having YouTube accounts from December, following a major policy reversal by the Albanese government. The Google-owned platform had previously been exempt from Australia’s national under-16s social media ban, but will now be included alongside other major services such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. The change will be formally announced on Wednesday by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Anika Wells. It follows advice from the eSafety commissioner, who warned that YouTube poses a significant risk to young users despite operating differently from traditional social media platforms. Minister Wells…
More than 30 people have died and tens of thousands have been displaced following days of relentless rainfall and severe flooding in Beijing and its neighbouring regions, according to Chinese state media. State broadcaster CCTV reported that 28 people were confirmed dead in the Miyun district on the city’s northern outskirts, with an additional two fatalities in Yanqing district as of midnight on Monday. Both districts lie far from central Beijing but were among the worst-hit areas during the downpour. In neighbouring Hebei province, a landslide on Monday killed four individuals, while eight others remain missing. Torrential rain began over…
A gunman opened fire inside a Manhattan skyscraper on Monday evening, killing four people, including an off-duty New York police officer, before turning the gun on himself. Authorities confirmed the attack occurred at 345 Park Avenue, a highrise that houses the headquarters of the National Football League (NFL) and several prominent financial firms. The shooter, identified as 27 year old Shane Tamura of Las Vegas, reportedly drove cross-country before arriving in New York earlier in the day. According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Tamura had a documented history of mental illness and was found dead at the…
The United States government has reiterated that using a tourist visa with the primary intention of giving birth in the country is not permitted, warning that such actions may result in visa denial and long-term immigration consequences. This cautionary message was delivered via an official statement posted on the X (formerly Twitter) page of the country’s Mission in Nigeria on Monday. It forms part of a broader effort by the government to clamp down on what is commonly referred to as birth tourism, a practice in which foreign nationals travel to the US on temporary visas with the main goal of…
Thailand and Cambodia have reached an “immediate and unconditional” ceasefire agreement following high-level peace talks hosted by Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim.
Direct flights between Moscow and Pyongyang have officially commenced this week, marking a symbolic deepening of diplomatic and military relations between Russia and North Korea, as well as offering Russian travellers a rare new international route. The inaugural flight, operated by Russia’s Nordwind Airlines, departed from Sheremetyevo Airport in Moscow on Sunday and arrived in the North Korean capital approximately eight hours later, according to the airport’s official website. Russia’s transport ministry confirmed that the route would initially operate on a monthly basis, with the first return flight from Pyongyang to Moscow scheduled for Tuesday. Tickets for the route were…
