Plus: Road of broken lives in Europe; Trump's deportation machine; FIFA & Israeli settlement clubs; Turkmenistan's sham elections; Belgium & safe schools.

Get the Daily Brief by email.
A new bill in Oklahoma would require a woman to get permission from her sexual partner in order to have an abortion. The bill's sponsor shockingly referred to women as "hosts" in his description of the bill's purpose. This outrageous language comes amid widespread concern in the United States currently on potential rollbacks on reproductive rights and protection for women's health. Oklahoma state legislator Rep. Justin Humphrey said: “I believe one of the breakdowns in our society is that we have excluded the man out of all of these types of decisions. I understand that they feel like that is their body,” he said of women. “I feel like it is a separate — what I call them is, is you’re a ‘host.’ And you know when you enter into a relationship you’re going to be that host and so, you know, if you pre-know that then take all precautions and don’t get pregnant,” he explained.
Child marriage threatens girls’ mental and physical health, places them at heightened risk of violence, and often permanently ends their education. And while these problems may seem far away, they are not. Shockingly, 14-year-old children can legally marry in New York. Since the year 2000, thousands of girls under 18 have married adult men. And the risks to their well-being are great. It's time to end child marriage in New York. Take action now.
New evidence shows that Syrian government forces conducted coordinated chemical attacks in opposition-controlled parts of Aleppo during the final month of the siege of the city. The attacks killed at least nine civilians, including four children, and injured around 200. This isn't the the first time that Syrian civilians have suffered because the government flaunted international prohibitions on the use of chemical weapons.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with United States President Donald Trump for the first time today to discuss cross-border trade cooperation. But if Canada's interest in preventing the alienation of Muslim communities holds true, President Trump's policies and proposals that risk conflating Islam with violent extremism should play an important role in their talks.
From earlier today: The world’s largest mass forced return of refugees in recent years is taking place in Pakistan, according to a new HRW-report released today. Pakistani authorities have carried out a campaign of abuses and threats to drive out nearly 600,000 Afghans since July. The returnees include 365,000 registered refugees, who now face spiraling armed conflict, violence, destitution, and displacement in Afghanistan.
Region / Country