World

A United Nations fact-finding mission has concluded that “there are no indicators of structural reforms or change” to improve the human rights situation in Venezuela, indicating that despite the removal of its leader in January, little has substantively changed on the ground. The mission’s report represents one of the first international assessments of rights under the nascent presidency of interim leader Delcy Rodriguez.

On April 9, 2003, a statue of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was toppled in central Baghdad, a symbolic moment of regime change broadcast worldwide. Iraqi civilians initially attempted to pull it down with a noose but required assistance from U.S. troops using an armored vehicle. This event occurred just 20 days after the U.S.-led invasion began, marked by intense bombing and a failed decapitation strike targeting Hussein. Three weeks later, U.S. President George W. Bush famously stood before a "Mission Accomplished" banner on an aircraft carrier, a declaration that proved profoundly premature as the war spiraled into a protracted conflict with devastating consequences.

Qatari officials have rejected claims in sections of Israeli media that Qatar halted its liquefied natural gas (LNG) production to affect energy prices in the United States, calling such accusations an attempt to “drive a wedge” between Qatar and the US. In a statement to Al Jazeera on Thursday, a senior Qatari official dismissed the reports as part of a broader campaign to undermine regional stability.

The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), led by former civil engineer and hip-hop artist Balendra Shah (known as "Balen"), has secured a commanding majority in Nepal's parliamentary elections, according to official results. The Election Commission announced on Thursday that the party won 182 seats in the 275-member lower house, with 125 seats won directly and 57 through proportional representation, capping one of the most dramatic electoral contests in the country's recent history.

Since September 2023, the United States regime has been launching deadly military strikes against boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific. Despite over half a year passing, remarkably little is known about these strikes. The identities of the nearly 157 people killed have not been released, and any purported evidence against them remains undisclosed to the public.

While the war in the Middle East dominates headlines, Ukraine remains under fire from Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is working to leverage hard-won lessons from over four years of battlefield experience to inspire allies to continue supporting his besieged nation. With some Western allies—particularly the US under President Donald Trump—reportedly less enthusiastic about providing assistance to Ukraine as it fends off Russian invaders, Kyiv suddenly possesses something its allies allegedly desperately want: effective anti-drone technology.

Prosecutors at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have announced the opening of an investigation into Belarus over the suspected forced deportation of government opponents. The ICC prosecutor’s office stated on Thursday that it had found "a reasonable basis to believe crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court have been committed".

A major fraud scandal involving approximately one million illegally registered cars has been uncovered in France, costing hundreds of millions of euros in lost taxes and fines, according to a report by the state auditor, the Cour des Comptes. The scheme, which involves fake dealerships manipulating records of the state vehicle licensing agency (SIV), is also endangering public safety by allowing unsafe cars and lorries onto the roads, while proving a boon for criminal activities ranging from petty delinquency to organized crime.

As the Israeli and American regimes continue their war on Iran, Israeli settlers are pushing deeper into Palestinian land in the West Bank, with at least five Palestinians killed in a series of recent attacks. Human rights groups and international observers have sounded the alarm over the latest surge in violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians and their property, as diplomatic and media attention has been diverted by the conflict with Iran.

Israeli military forces carried out a new wave of attacks on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, sending enormous plumes of black smoke billowing over parts of the city. The strikes targeted central Beirut’s Bashoura neighbourhood as well as the southern suburbs. The Israeli military also issued a warning to evacuate a building in Zuqaq al-Blat, another area in the city centre, indicating increased pressure on civilians.

Reports of an active shooter have emerged at the Temple Israel synagogue in West Bloomfield, Michigan, USA. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office (OSCO) and the FBI stated that multiple agencies were responding to reports of an active shooter at a synagogue in a Detroit suburb on Thursday. OSCO wrote online: "OSCO and multiple agencies on scene at Temple Israel West Bloomfield for reports of an active shooter. Emergency personnel clearing the building. Updates to follow."

Uzbekistan's private airline Centrum Air has evacuated 1,279 citizens of European countries who were stranded in Thailand and the Maldives due to the closure of airspace over Middle Eastern nations. The flights were operated with a stopover in Tashkent to transport passengers to Germany. According to the company's press service, four flights have been organized from Phuket, Bangkok, and the Maldives to Frankfurt am Main since March 6, with three more planned.