"Bankrolling abuse" in West Bank settlements; FIFA's human rights standards to be tested in Russia; confiscating property in Syria; little chance of free and fair elections in Libya; silencing NGOs in Hungary; crackdown on women activists in Saudi Arabia; window dressing at the African Union; prosecuting war crimes at home; & European Union to deploy election observers to Zimbabwe.

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Today, ABC Entertainment took swift action and cancelled the "Roseanne" show, after its star, Roseanne Barr, tweeted a racist statement targeting an adviser to former US president Barack Obama, Valerie Jarrett. ABC's president called the tweet "abhorrent, repugnant, and inconsistent with our values...". 

Russian journalist Arkady Babchenko has been shot dead in Kyiv, Ukraine. Babchenko left Russia previously due to security concerns arising from his critical reporting on the Kremlin. 

A new report estimates that more than 4,600 people were killed when Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017. The shocking new figure stands in stark contrast to the official death toll which currently stands at 64. According to the report, a large number of these deaths were due to problems arising from inadequate healthcare services on the island. 

The United States Supreme Court today refused to hear a challenge to a restrictive Arkansas abortion law that would effectively ban medication abortions in the state. The Court's decision will allow the law to remain in place and could result in the closure of two out of the three remaining abortion clinics in Arkansas, striking serious a blow to women's health in the state. 

From earlier todayIsrael’s largest banks are bankrolling abuse in West Bank settlements, a new Human Rights Watch report has found. By partnering with developers to build homes reserved exclusively for Israelis on Palestinian land, the banks contribute to displacing Palestinians unlawfully.

To help clean up its act after numerous corruption scandals, FIFA has agreed to require minimum human rights standards for countries that apply to host football competitions, including zero tolerance for discrimination based on sexual orientation. The first test of these new policies will come on June 14 as the 2018 FIFA World Cup opens in Russia, a country openly hostile to LGBT people

A new property law that was recently passed by the Syrian government is a worrisome addition to its arsenal of ‘urban planning laws’ that it has used to confiscate property without due process or compensation. A Q&A published by Human Rights Watch today explains why.

Four Libyan leaders meet for a summit in Paris today in what is French President Emmanuel Macron’s second attempt to convince Libyan authorities to hold elections this year and to respect the results. But unless coercion, discrimination, and intimidation of voters, candidates and political parties are addressed, there is little chance of any elections being free and fair.

Hungary’s governing party, Fidesz, uses xenophobia to fuel discrimination against migrants and is now trying to silence NGOs.

Just weeks before lifting a ban on women driving, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is cracking down on the very women who for years urged the reforms that are now being implemented and trumpeted abroad.

The African Union’s promised investigation into systemic gender discrimination is nothing more than “window dressing”, say staffers. Last month, an investigation by South Africa’s Mail & Guardian revealed that at least 37 women employees at the African Union Commission (AUC) had complained of routine ill-treatment, humiliation and discrimination.

The compelling stories told by victims of war crimes, torture and crimes against humanity - who are still waiting for justice years later - shows the need for greater action by national governments to prosecute those crimes.

And finally, for the first time in 16 years, the European Union will deploy observers to Zimbabwe's general election expected later this year. The news comes amid reports that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) turned a blind eye to thousands of violations during voter registration.

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