Today's news: since 2003, incursions by settlers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem have increased by over 18,000 per cent; According to RSF, press freedom has never been so ‘difficult’, with China and North Korea occupying the lowest positions;  At least six people have been killed and 55 injured in a stampede at a Hindu temple in Goa; An armed man has killed three people in southern Thailand, with suspicions falling on an Islamic separatist; Hong Kong police have arrested the father and brother of Anna Kwok.

IRAN

The government has announced the withdrawal from Parliament of a draft law that sought to punish violence against women, after the extremist fringe linked to the ayatollahs distorted it, rendering it ineffective. Activists and critics see this as a new setback for women's rights. Originally proposed by the administration of former President Hassan Rouhani, it aimed to increase penalties for physical abuse and provide support services for victims. However, amendments significantly altered its fundamental principles, causing it to fail.

ISRAEL - PALESTINE

Israeli settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem have increased by more than 18,000 per cent since 2003, when Israeli authorities began allowing raids on Islam's third holiest site, ignoring Waqf directives. According to estimates, 53,488 Israeli settlers stormed Al-Aqsa in 2024, an increase of 18,507% since 2003 (a total of 289 incursions). In 2022 - before the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023 - 47,935 settlers stormed the compound protected by police, soldiers, religious leaders and parliamentarians.

CHINA - NORTH KOREA - CAMBODIA

Press freedom is at its lowest level globally in over 20 years, and economic pressures are undermining journalism. This is according to the annual report by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which, for the first time since 2002, describes the global situation as ‘difficult’. The bottom three places were occupied by China (down six places to 178th), North Korea and Eritrea. Cambodia, an ally of Beijing, also fell 10 places to 161st.

INDIA

At least six people died and 55 were injured in a stampede that broke out in a temple in the western coastal state of Goa, where hundreds of Hindu devotees had gathered for a ceremony that triggered a stampede. The incident, not uncommon during Hindu religious gatherings where huge crowds gather in confined spaces without security measures, occurred last night during the annual Shri Lairai Zatra festival in the village of Shirgao, popular for its fire walking.

THAILAND

An armed man shot and killed three people, including a child, in southern Thailand, in an area that has been the scene of a decade-long separatist struggle. The attack took place late yesterday evening in a residential area of Tak Bai district, Narathiwat province, one of three provinces with a Muslim majority. Police believe the suspect, who is still at large, is linked to an Islamic rebel group.

HONG KONG

Police have arrested the father and brother of Anna Kwok, who is wanted by the authorities, on charges of managing her finances in various capacities. This is the first case in which the National Security Law imposed by Beijing has been applied to the family members of a wanted person. Kwok is the executive director of the Washington-based Hong Kong Democracy Council and one of 19 overseas activists wanted for ‘collusion with foreign forces’.

SYRIA

According to the UNHCR, more than 1.4 million Syrians have returned to their country of origin since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad's regime on 8 December 2024. The UN agency adds that reconstruction remains a major challenge due to the destruction caused by 14 years of conflict and calls for international support. Housing, healthcare, education and livelihoods are needed for those returning.

RUSSIA

The major Russian state project for the ‘Development of the Unmanned Flight System’, launched in 2024 at the behest of Vladimir Putin, has completely stalled. So far, it has produced only 1,429 drones instead of the 2,717 planned and has postponed the remainder to a later date due to delays and insufficient funding from the Ministry of Finance to the Ministry of Industry.

UZBEKISTAN - UNITED STATES

The US Department of Homeland Security has thanked Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev for his cooperation in organising the repatriation flight of 140 illegal Uzbek, Kazakh and Kyrgyz migrants to the United States. They were taken to Tashkent on a Boeing-787 operated by Uzbekistan Airways, in an operation financed by the Uzbek government, which promises to ‘continue cooperation for mutual security’ as ‘an example to all’.

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