Saudi's Fury Over Human Rights Row: Daily Brief
Saudi's fury over diplomatic spat with Canada; more disturbing news from Zimbabwe; no human rights progress in China a decade after Olympic glory; rebuilding Syria; police brutality in Papua New Guinea; plight of migrant workers abroad; a string of troubling burglaries in Uganda; a new bride's horrific murder in Iraq; and the Japanese medical school which falsified women's grades...
Saudi Arabia's state airline has suspended its direct flights to Toronto and halted medical treatment for its citizens in Canada after the Canadian government called for the release of detained activists. It is the latest move by Saudi to protest against Canada taking a firm stance on the arrests of prominent women's rights campaigners by Saudi authorities, which have sparked a global outcry. Saudi has also frozen all trade and expelled Canada's ambassador over what it calls "interference" in the Kingdom's internal affairs. Canada has responded by saying it "will continue to advocate for human rights".
Unrest is continuing following elections in Zimbabwe, with news today that a senior member of Zimbabwe's opposition MDC Alliance, Tendai Biti, has been arrested at the border with Zambia. Police accuse Mr Biti of inciting violence following last month's election, while the MDC Alliance alleges the presidential poll was rigged. Six people were killed after the military intervened to curb protests in the capital, Harare.
Today marks exactly 10 years since China hosted the 2008 Olympic Games. It was hoped that hosting such a prestigious global event would help China become more open and more tolerant, but that dream is dying.
Ever wondered what life is like for ordinary Syrians trying to rebuild their lives as the country's relentless war grinds to an end? This must-read piece lifts the lid on how towns have been emptied of young men, families' struggle for survival, and how the political changes Syria's original uprising demanded may now take a generation - or more - to achieve.
An investigation is underway and two officers have been suspended after a video circulated on social media depicting police brutality against a teenage boy in Papua New Guinea.
Domestic migrant workers in the Middle East continue to face confinement and abuse. The vast majority of migrant workers are women, who - through the abusive 'kafala' system which ties workers to their employers - often do not have the freedom to leave their home or even rest.
A troubling "string of burglaries" committed against the offices of human rights and development groups in Uganda is giving cause for alarm.
The horrific case of an Iraqi woman apparently murdered at home should prompt Iraq’s new parliament, once formed, to finally pass a domestic violence law which has been pending since 2015.
And finally there is outrage in Japan, with news that a medical school artificially lowered the grades of female applicants, in order that more men would graduate as doctors.