Haitian cops in battles with gangs
Anadolu Agency, 6/12–Police in Haiti killed more than 100 gang members during a 48-hour operation using unmanned aerial vehicles, according to local media reports on Wednesday. The drone strikes targeted gang-controlled areas across different parts of the capital Port-au-Prince. At least 100 gang members died and many others sustained injuries as a result of the operations. Authorities have not issued an official statement regarding the operation. However, the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights confirmed that the police action took place. Haiti faces a severe security crisis with armed gangs controlling large portions of territory.
DR Congo looks to make a deal with the U.S.
Financial Times, 5/25–Officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo are optimistic they can reach a deal with Washington next month to secure US investment in critical minerals alongside support to end a Rwandan-backed rebellion in the country’s east. The scope of Kinshasa’s negotiations with Washington is hugely ambitious. It combines giving US companies access to lithium, cobalt and coltan deposits in return for investment in infrastructure and mines, with efforts to draw a line under 30 years of conflict in regions bordering Rwanda. Two people close to the negotiations said an investment deal with the US and a separate peace deal with Rwanda were possible “by the end of June”. But potential stumbling blocks remain substantial.
Peace Institute warns that the world’s bosses are nuking up
France24, 6/16–Most of the world's nuclear-armed states continued to modernise their arsenals last year, setting the stage for a new nuclear arms race, researchers warned Monday. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said nuclear powers, including the United States and Russia – which account for around 90 percent of the world's stockpile – had spent time last year "upgrading existing weapons and adding newer versions"..."What we see now, first of all, is that the number of operational nuclear warheads is beginning to increase," SIPRI Director Dan Smith told AFP…SIPRI counted a total of 12,241 warheads in January 2025, of which 9,614 were in stockpiles for potential use…
U.N. condemns Israeli atrocities in Gaza
Al Jazeera, 6/16–The United Nations rights chief has condemned Israel’s war conduct in the besieged Gaza Strip, where deadly Israeli attacks continue unabated with dozens more Palestinians killed trying to access aid, as the country exchanges missile attacks with regional foe Iran…Israel’s “means and methods of warfare are inflicting horrifying, unconscionable suffering on Palestinians in Gaza”, where more than 19 months of Israeli attacks have killed at least 55,362 people, including thousands of children, according to health officials…at least 48 Palestinians have been killed since dawn across Gaza on Monday, including 33 desperately seeking aid for their hungry families near distribution points, mostly in the Rafah area in the south.
Afghan workers attacked by Pakistani and Iranian bosses
AP, 6/12–Sher Khan, a 42-year-old Afghan, had returned home from his job in a brick factory. He stared at the plainclothes policeman on the doorstep, his mind reeling…Born in Pakistan to parents who fled the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the ensuing war, Khan is one of hundreds of thousands of Afghans who have now been expelled. The nationwide crackdown, launched in October 2023, on foreigners Pakistan says are living in the country illegally has led to the departures of almost 1 million Afghans already. Pakistan says millions more remain. It wants them gone…Iran, too, has been expelling Afghans…
Student workers in Washington strike for union rights
Cascadia Daily News, 5/28–More than a thousand student employees at Western Washington University went on strike early Wednesday, May 28. Operational student employees, who include program support staff, recreation assistants, resident advisors and lifeguards, are seeking union recognition from Western and a contract. Since the group voted to join Western Academic Workers United in December 2023, university officials have said they will not recognize the union until legislation is passed to extend collective bargaining rights to student workers.
