US Returning Asylum Seekers to Danger in Mexico: Daily Brief
US returning asylum seekers to danger in Mexico; three-year-old girl is the latest victim in Philippines "drug war"; the Afghan war’s terrible toll on children; Hungary renews its war on academic freedom; EU needs to up pressure on Nicaragua; reforms fall short in Malaysia; DR Congo's Bosco Ntaganda at the International Criminal Court; women fighting flooding crisis in US; and some good news for environmental activists in Kenya
By sending asylum seekers to wait in Mexico during their US immigration court proceedings, US border officials are stranding mothers with small children and other vulnerable migrants in Mexican border cities where their safety and security are at risk.
On Sunday, a 3-year-old girl became the latest casualty of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s “war on drugs,” which has killed thousands over the past three years. Myka Ulpina died after being shot during a police raid targeting her father, Renato Dolofrina, in Rizal province, near Manila.
Yesterday, a Taliban truck bomb apparently aimed at a Ministry of Defense facility in Kabul blew out the windows of a nearby school, injuring many civilians, including dozens of children. The attack is a grim reminder of the war in Afghanistan’s horrific toll on children.
Academic freedom in Hungary suffered a fresh blow today, when the parliament, where ruling party Fidesz has a two-thirds majority, adopted a controversial bill undermining the independence of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.
The European Union should increase pressure on the Nicaraguan government to curb human rights violations by police and other officials in the wake of anti-government protests.
Proposed revisions to Malaysia’s law on peaceful assembly fail to meet international human rights standards.
Next week, a panel of three judges of the International Criminal Court is due to deliver its verdict in the case against Bosco Ntaganda for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ituri, northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in 2002 and 2003.
News from the central United States is full of natural disaster, sodden houses, and suffering as a flooding crisis continues in the region. The Anthropocene Alliance, an organization with more than 30 local and regional community leaders - mostly women - from 16 US states, is demanding action.
And finally, there's some good news for environmental activists in Kenya...