Global Pulse

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  • Macron once campaigned for Ramy Shaath’s freedom. Now he wants to deport him

    Macron once campaigned for Ramy Shaath’s freedom. Now he wants to deport him

    In January 2022, after 900 days of detention in an Egyptian correctional facility, Ramy Shaath stepped onto French soil at Paris’ Roissy Airport. To secure his release, the Palestinian academic and long-time political organizer was forced to renounce his Egyptian citizenship, and was greeted on arrival by his French wife Celine Lebrun-Shaath and crowds of cheering supporters. The release came after intensive diplomatic pressure from then-French President Emmanuel Macron, who personally lobbied Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to secure Shaath’s freedom. “I share the relief of his wife,” Macron wrote at the time. “Thank you to everyone who has played a positive role in this happy outcome.”

    Four years later, that warm welcome has curdled into a formal deportation order, framing Shaath as a “serious threat to public order” in France. On Thursday, he is scheduled to appear before an advisory deportation committee in Nanterre, the western Paris suburb where he has resided since 2022, to review the government’s attempt to remove him from the country. While the committee’s ruling is non-binding and French authorities retain the power to act regardless of its outcome, the proceedings mark the latest escalation in a months-long campaign of administrative harassment targeting the prominent activist.

    Born in the besieged Gaza Strip, Shaath argues that French and European law prohibit his deportation to any available destination. “They cannot send me back to Gaza; one, because it’s a war zone and because I am targeted by the Israelis,” he told Middle East Eye in an exclusive interview. “And in both cases, European law will not allow them to send me to Palestine. And of course, I know more Egyptians, but they cannot send me to Egypt.” While he acknowledges a remote possibility that authorities could resettle him in an unrelated third country – “so I could find myself in Liberia or Gambia” – he expects to instead be left in a permanent state of legal limbo, locked out from renewing his temporary residency, cut off from basic public services, and subjected to ongoing law enforcement surveillance.

    The foundation for the deportation push is Shaath’s decades-long open advocacy for Palestinian rights and statehood. Before his detention in Egypt, he rose to prominence as a key organizer during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings that ousted longtime authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak, and served as the national coordinator for the Egyptian chapter of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel over its occupation of Palestinian territory.

    After arriving in France in 2022, Shaath was granted an initial one-year residence visa. When he applied for renewal in September 2023, shortly after Israel launched its large-scale military campaign in Gaza following the October 7 attacks, he received no official response. He has since filed 10 urgent legal appeals for residency renewal, all of which have gone unanswered. On April 30, he received formal notice at his Nanterre home that deportation proceedings had officially been opened against him.

    Documents released by the Nanterre prefecture lay out the government’s justifications for the order, centered almost entirely on Shaath’s public comments and pro-Palestine organizing. The filing cites his long-standing connections to prominent Palestinian rights organizers in France, his public descriptions of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza as a “criminal occupation,” his open self-identification as an anti-Zionist, and his public support for a one-state solution that guarantees equal rights for all people living in historic Palestine.

    Reacting to the prefecture’s claims, Shaath expressed sarcastic disbelief. “Oh my god, are you fucking serious? The French services cracked the biggest secret of my life! For 40 years I have not had one speech that I didn’t attack Zionism, and today you cracked my heart that I’ve been lying about – that I am anti-Zionist? Unbelievable.”

    Other accusations in the filing, he says, are outright falsifications. Authorities cite one incident where he gave a “militaristic speech” while wearing military fatigues; Shaath notes that publicly available video of the event shows him sitting to deliver an academic lecture, wearing plain beige Uniqlo trousers. The filing also highlights a public comment where Shaath called on Iran to intervene to stop Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, which has killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, the vast majority of them women and children, and reduced most of the Gaza Strip to rubble. Shaath counters that he has also repeatedly called on France to deploy its military to intercept Israeli aircraft carrying out strikes on civilian targets in Gaza, a fact French officials have deliberately omitted from their filing.

    “This is a McCarthyist attack that is racist, that is criminal, that is beyond the law to harass everybody who talks about Palestine,” he said.

    Middle East Eye reached out to both the French Interior Ministry and the Nanterre prefecture for comment on the proceedings, but received no response ahead of publication.

    Shaath’s case is far from isolated. Since the start of Israel’s Gaza war in October 2023, France has joined most other Western European nations in rolling out a widespread crackdown on pro-Palestine advocacy and protest. The crackdown has been particularly acute on university campuses, where student organizers, faculty, and labor unions have repeatedly warned of growing punitive pressure on anyone expressing public support for Palestinian rights. Peaceful demonstrations, public lectures, and campus occupations have been reclassified as illegal public disorder, leading to disciplinary proceedings, administrative fines, criminal charges, and in dozens of cases, permanent criminal records for participants.

    Last month, the French parliament was scheduled to debate a controversial new bill that would introduce a range of new criminal penalties for public criticism of Israel, including criminalization of denials of Israel’s right to exist and criminal sanctions for public comparisons of Israeli policy to Nazi Germany. While the bill was ultimately pulled from the parliamentary calendar amid procedural disputes, the Macron administration has confirmed it intends to reintroduce identical legislation this summer. The proposed text would also expand the definition of terrorism-related offenses to include “implicit provocation,” a vague standard that legal experts warn would enable widespread crackdowns on anti-war and pro-Palestine speech.

    Unlike many grassroots Palestinian rights organizers, Shaath comes from a prominent Palestinian political background: he is the son of Nabil Shaath, a former Palestinian Authority prime minister and chief Palestinian negotiator, previously served as an advisor to iconic PLO leader Yasser Arafat, was a member of the Palestinian Authority’s official negotiation team with Israel, and has even been invited to deliver formal addresses to the French Senate and Foreign Ministry. Nanterre, his home city, named him an honorary citizen in 2021, before his release from Egyptian prison. None of these credentials have shielded him from the sweeping new crackdown on pro-Palestine speech.

    In response to the deportation order, Shaath’s family, friends, and supporters announced a new public campaign last Sunday to block his removal, under the hashtag #FreeRamyShaath2. The name references the first international campaign that secured Shaath’s release from Egyptian prison between 2019 and 2022, when he was charged with “aiding a terrorist group in achieving its goals.” Crucially, the first campaign enjoyed formal support from the French political establishment; the second is a direct challenge to that same establishment’s current crackdown on Palestinian advocacy.

    This is not the first time French authorities have targeted Shaath over his pro-Palestine speech. In November 2023, Laurent Nunez, then the prefect of Paris and now the French Interior Minister, referred Shaath to the French justice system on charges of “apology for terrorism,” based on a rally speech where he stated that “the Palestinian people, like all people under occupation, have the right to defend themselves and resist.” The case was ultimately dismissed by Paris prosecutors 11 months after it was opened.

    Shaath, who explicitly says he opposes all forms of violence and racism, including antisemitism, argues that even when the baseless charges are thrown out, the administrative process itself is a form of punishment designed to force him to end his activism or leave the country voluntarily. “Yes, of course, if they continue this draconian decision against me and put me under house arrest… I will fight it, but I’m not going to spend my life in that condition. Eventually, probably, that might lead me to leave,” he said.

    The deportation notice already includes a provision that would place Shaath under house arrest ahead of any final ruling, restrict his movement to his home municipality of Nanterre, and require him to check in “morning and evening” at the local police station. Shaath says he intends to exhaust every available legal avenue to fight the order, including taking his case to the European Court of Human Rights if necessary.

    “I will not live under intimidation. If they insisted on being a banana republic, I will insist on taking the legal route,” he said. “They want to keep me, to stop talking about Gaza and Palestine. I’m not going to do that.”

  • Man jailed for fatal Boxing Day hit-and-run

    Man jailed for fatal Boxing Day hit-and-run

    A tragic hit-and-run collision near Blanchardstown Shopping Centre in west Dublin, Republic of Ireland, has claimed the lives of a married couple, leading to a five-year prison sentence for the 46-year-old driver responsible. John Halpin, a resident of Whitestown Avenue in Blanchardstown, entered guilty pleas to three counts: dangerous driving resulting in the deaths of Anthony Hogg, 39, and Georgina Hogg Moore, 38, failing to stop after the crash, and fleeing the accident scene despite knowing he had caused serious injury to multiple people.

    Halpin’s partner, 35-year-old Nicole Fallon, who shares the same address, also pleaded guilty to the charge of impeding Halpin’s arrest by law enforcement. In handing down her sentence, Judge Martin Nolan issued a three-year suspended sentence, ruling that the court must take into account the severe impact that imprisoning Fallon would have on the four children she shares with Halpin, according to reporting from Irish national broadcaster RTÉ.

    The couple’s 17-year-old daughter, Becky Joy Hogg, who was walking alongside her parents at the time of the December 26, 2024 crash, delivered a harrowing victim impact statement to the court. She recalled that her parents had been heading out for a rare evening date, while she was planning to meet friends in the same general direction. The trio decided to walk together, with Becky walking ahead of her parents, who she described as looking visibly happy and content in that moment.

    Becky told the court she heard her mother’s scream before she fully processed what was happening, when the vehicle struck the crossing. She turned to see her father lying on the concrete, bleeding severely from his injuries. Initially, she thought the screaming she heard next came from her mother, but quickly realized both of her parents had been struck by the car. Georgina was dragged underneath the vehicle and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, while Anthony later passed away from his injuries while receiving treatment at hospital. Becky herself suffered non-fatal injuries to her hip and ankle in the collision.

    Detective Alan Murphy told the court that the three family members were crossing the road at a marked pedestrian crossing when the light for pedestrians was green, confirming they had the right of way. Witnesses who saw the crash recalled hearing the screech of car tyres, and observed the vehicle speeding away from the scene immediately, with no skid marks left on the road to indicate Halpin had attempted to emergency brake before impact.

    Forensic specialists who investigated the crash determined that Halpin had been driving at approximately 85 kilometers per hour (around 52 miles per hour) in an area with a posted speed limit of 60 kilometers per hour (37 miles per hour), meaning he was traveling well above the legal speed limit when the collision occurred.

    When Irish police (known locally as gardaí) first attended the address where Halpin’s car was registered, they were met by Fallon, who told officers she had no idea where Halpin was and claimed he had not returned home all day. Investigators later learned that Halpin had in fact fled back to the house immediately after the crash, and Fallon quickly moved his car to a different nearby housing estate, along with hiding Halpin’s jacket and two mobile phones to obstruct the investigation.

    Halpin eventually turned himself in to gardaí later that same night. During questioning, he told investigators he could not explain his actions or why he chose to leave the scene. The court heard that at the time of the crash, Halpin and Fallon’s eight-month-old infant was being treated in hospital, and the couple had been taking turns staying with the baby at the medical facility. Halpin told gardaí he was returning from the hospital that evening, and claimed he was exhausted from the stressful situation, and had not seen the green pedestrian crossing light. He told officers he might have been adjusting the radio or air conditioning controls when the crash happened.

    Tests confirmed Halpin was not intoxicated at the time of the crash, and no evidence was found to indicate he was using his mobile phone while driving. The court was also told that Halpin has a total of 33 previous criminal convictions, including charges for drug possession and multiple prior road traffic offenses, including previous convictions for drink driving and driving without valid insurance.

    In his sentencing remarks, Judge Nolan noted that all drivers recognize that accidental mistakes can happen behind the wheel, but courts are required to weigh aggravating factors when determining appropriate sentences for fatal collisions. The judge confirmed that Halpin did not intend to kill the couple, but emphasized that he should have seen the crossing pedestrians. The road was straight, the area was fully lit by streetlights, and the Hoggs had a clear green pedestrian signal to cross.

    Judge Nolan identified Halpin’s excessive speed and his decision to flee the scene, when he must have known he had hit people, as key aggravating factors in the case. For Fallon, the judge confirmed that her actions of lying to gardaí and moving Halpin’s vehicle to hide evidence clearly impeded the official investigation into the fatal crash.

  • Looting and destruction are Israeli army’s ‘primary mission’ in Lebanon, soldiers say

    Looting and destruction are Israeli army’s ‘primary mission’ in Lebanon, soldiers say

    Fresh firsthand accounts from serving Israeli military reservists have laid bare systemic widespread looting and deliberate destruction of civilian property by Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon, according to a new investigation published Wednesday by Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz. One reservist, who spoke to the outlet on condition of anonymity, laid out the consistent pattern of operations his unit followed: after opening fire on residential homes to clear any suspected Hezbollah fighters and confirm the area was secure, the unofficial, and in many cases primary, mission of stealing civilian property would begin. The reservist described that stolen goods ranging from fine rugs and upholstered armchairs to motorbikes and household heaters were pulled from private homes, while local shops were completely stripped of high-value merchandise. Even basic supplies used at Israeli military outposts in the region, including hand soap, were stolen from Lebanese properties, he added. Stolen spoils were stockpiled at forward outposts to be carried back to Israel when soldiers completed their tours of duty, and troops frequently argued over who would claim the most valuable items. This new account comes amid a growing tide of public reports of large-scale looting that have emerged since Israel-Hezbollah fighting escalated in March, following the joint Israeli-U.S. military strike on Iran. The issue of rampant theft by Israeli troops is not new: just one month prior, Haaretz first reported that soldiers had stolen sofas, televisions, and motorbikes from southern Lebanese households, with senior army commanders largely ignoring the practice. Earlier this month, Israeli outlet Ynet also reported that top military leaders have been unable to curb the scale of the looting across southern Lebanon. In comments made to senior commanders at a military conference last month, Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir publicly condemned the practice, stating, “the phenomenon of looting, if it exists, is disgraceful and could stain the entire military.” He added, “If such incidents occurred, we will investigate them. I am not willing for us to become an army of looters.” Following Zamir’s remarks, Israeli broadcaster Channel 14 reported that the chief of staff had asked frontline commanders operating in Lebanon to sign a public letter pledging to crack down on looting. However, at least one senior commander refused to sign, telling the outlet that discipline problems within the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) originate at the highest ranks of command. The reservist who spoke to Haaretz echoed this assessment, saying most senior commanders openly tolerated the looting. “The attitude was that there was no problem with looting as long as you didn’t get hurt. The higher command didn’t really try to stop us either,” he said. After initial reports of looting broke last month, the reservist said his own commanding officer ordered troops to halt theft – before entering local shops himself and smashing any remaining valuables so soldiers would have nothing left to steal. To date, no IDF soldiers have faced formal disciplinary action or punishment for participating in looting, the reservist confirmed. He added that some troops have even tried to justify the theft on religious grounds, while others argue that since most civilian properties were already slated for destruction, there was no reason to leave valuables intact. The reservist compared the IDF’s current approach to that of a historical Viking army, saying leadership allows widespread looting as a way to keep troops satisfied and willing to continue fighting. Israeli historian Adam Raz, who has extensively researched the looting of Palestinian property during the 1948 Nakba, noted last month that looting has been a consistent feature of every Israeli military campaign in the region. “What’s new is the total indifference,” Raz said. “The senior command turns a blind eye, the criminality continues, and the crime achieves its goals.” The findings from Haaretz’s latest investigation align with findings from international human rights groups. Last month, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said on-the-ground reports from southern Lebanon confirm a clear, organized pattern of theft during Israeli military operations. The group documented that Israeli forces regularly raid civilian homes, rummage through personal belongings, and steal cash and private property, adding that the practice has become an official, unstated policy of the Israeli state and military. Euro-Med has also documented identical patterns of looting by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. In a separate incident from January, Israeli forces were reported to have stolen roughly 250 goats from Syrian territory and transferred the animals to Israeli settlement outposts in the occupied West Bank. Even after the United States-brokered ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah was announced last month, cross-border clashes and military operations have continued uninterrupted. Data from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) shows that roughly 100,000 Lebanese civilians have fled their homes in recent weeks out of fear of incoming Israeli strikes. Official figures from the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health confirm that Israeli forces have killed at least 3,020 people since the latest military offensive began in March, including 824 civilian and combatant deaths that have occurred since the April 17 ceasefire was announced. For its part, Hezbollah has killed at least 21 Israeli soldiers since March, eight of whom have died since the ceasefire, the majority of them invading troops stationed inside Lebanese territory. The new Haaretz testimonies also reveal that targeting Hezbollah fighters was not always the primary mission for Israeli troops on the ground. A second reservist told the outlet that the IDF’s core objective in southern Lebanon is not countering militant activity, but the deliberate destruction of civilian homes. “There was no reason other than revenge,” the reservist stated. He described a pre-invasion speech delivered by a battalion commander as “a pagan ritual”, adding that he had heard identical inflammatory rhetoric during previous Israeli military campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon. “When we entered the village, there were no militants. The houses were empty,” he said. “There was no fighting there at all – only operations to flatten homes.” The reservist noted that this destructive mission has been the IDF’s core focus in the region for the past two years, joking that the Israel Defense Forces should be renamed the “Israel Defence Forces for house demolitions”. He confirmed that even in areas with no sign of militant activity, soldiers still entered empty civilian homes to search for valuables to steal. According to his account, residential homes, public schools, and local clinics are destroyed without any formal military justification. Much of the demolition work is carried out by private contractors, including extreme Israeli settlers, as well as Bedouin and Druze laborers. For religiously observant soldiers in his unit, the reservist added, destroying Lebanese civilian homes is viewed as a sacred, ultimate mission. He also recounted that whenever troops raised the prospect of returning to Israeli territory, the battalion commander would respond: “This is Israel too.”

  • Walmart warns US shoppers are cutting spending as higher gas prices bite

    Walmart warns US shoppers are cutting spending as higher gas prices bite

    The ripple effects of the ongoing Iran conflict are now creating tangible financial strain for American households, and one of the nation’s largest retail giants is sounding the alarm over shifting consumer spending habits. Walmart, the biggest private employer in the United States and a bellwether for national consumer trends, has confirmed that skyrocketing gasoline prices are prompting shoppers to pull back on discretionary purchases across other categories of its business.

    The Middle Eastern conflict has triggered a sharp jump in global wholesale oil prices, which has directly translated to higher pump costs for drivers across the U.S. Fresh data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) underscores just how dramatic the increase has been: since the war began, the national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline has surged from $3 per gallon to $4.56.

    In comments made to CNBC, Walmart Chief Financial Officer John David Rainey explained that earlier this year, the financial pressure of rising living costs was partially buffered by larger-than-usual tax refunds stemming from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), the tax cut legislation signed under former President Donald Trump. But that temporary relief is now fading, and Rainey warned that consumers will begin to feel the full weight of elevated fuel costs in the current April-to-July financial quarter.

    “ Higher tax returns muted some of the pressure related to higher fuel prices, and as we’re in a period of time right now where those tax refunds are largely not coming in, I think consumers are going to feel more of that pressure from higher fuel prices,” Rainey told CNBC. The CFO added that Walmart is monitoring pump prices closely, and current projections indicate that elevated costs will persist through the coming months.

    Beyond non-essential spending, Rainey also flagged a more serious risk to grocery prices during a call with investors. If the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz continues, key agricultural inputs including fertilizer, nitrogen and phosphates could face supply chain disruptions and shortages, which would force Walmart to raise prices on food staples for consumers.

    Despite the grim forward guidance, Walmart’s first quarter financial results (covering February through April) tell a different story. The retailer reported a net profit of $5.3 billion for the quarter, representing an 18.8% year-over-year increase, while total quarterly sales climbed 7.3% to hit $177.8 billion. That strong growth trajectory is not expected to hold, however: Walmart projects that sales growth will slow to a range of 4% to 5% between May and July, as broad inflation and rising fuel costs cut into household purchasing power.

    Investors reacted quickly to the downbeat forecast, pulling Walmart’s share price down by 7% in Thursday morning trading. As a key indicator of broader consumer health, the retailer’s warning has also raised new concerns across the U.S. retail sector about the impact of geopolitical conflict on domestic economic stability.

  • Charges dismissed against official at school where 6-year-old shot teacher

    Charges dismissed against official at school where 6-year-old shot teacher

    A high-profile legal case tied to one of the most shocking juvenile shooting incidents in recent U.S. history has come to a dramatic conclusion, as a Virginia circuit court judge has thrown out all criminal charges against a former school administrator. The case stems from a January 2023 shooting at Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, where a 6-year-old first-grade student opened fire on his teacher, Abigail Zwerner, during regular class hours.

    The defendant in the case, Ebony Parker, the former assistant principal of the school, had faced eight felony counts including child abuse and disregard for human life. Prosecutors had argued that Parker failed to act on multiple explicit warnings that the young student had brought a gun onto campus, a lapse they claimed directly enabled the shooting.

    Parker’s defense team pushed back aggressively against the allegations, arguing that the commonwealth of Virginia had failed to meet its burden of proof to secure a conviction. On Thursday, Circuit Court Judge Rebecca Robinson sided with the defense, ruling that the prosecution had not established a viable case against Parker and dismissing every count on the indictment.

    Court footage captured an emotional reaction from Parker, who rested her head on the defense table and broke down in tears as the ruling was read aloud. In her remarks from the bench, Judge Robinson acknowledged the gravity of the incident that sparked the case, saying, “What happened that day was awful.”

    The shooting itself left Zwerner with severe, life-altering injuries: the single bullet fired by the student passed through her hand before lodging in her chest, requiring emergency surgery and extensive long-term medical care. The child, who was too young to be charged with criminal offenses under Virginia law, has since been removed from the public school system and placed into ongoing intervention services.

    Separately, the child’s mother, 26-year-old Deja Taylor, has already served a jail sentence connected to the attack. She pleaded guilty to a federal firearm charge and a state drug charge, after authorities confirmed the gun used by her son was owned by Taylor and stored unsecured in her home.

  • Top UN court says right to strike protected in key labour treaty

    Top UN court says right to strike protected in key labour treaty

    In a landmark decision that will reshape global discourse around workers’ rights, the United Nations’ highest judicial body has delivered a groundbreaking ruling Thursday confirming that the right to strike falls under the protection of a foundational 1948 treaty from the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Labor rights advocates say the judgment carries far-reaching implications for labor relations across every region of the world.

    The International Court of Justice (ICJ) was tasked with issuing an advisory opinion to resolve a decades-long dispute: whether ILO Convention 87, a landmark agreement that guarantees workers’ organizations the right to manage their activities and administration with full autonomy, implicitly enshrines the right to strike as a core protected labor right.

    In a formal statement from the bench, ICJ President Yuji Iwasawa confirmed that the full court had reached a clear consensus: “the right to strike of workers and their organisations is protected” under the text of the 1948 convention. Despite the landmark finding, judges emphasized that the non-binding opinion does not establish additional procedural or substantive rules governing strike action. Iwasawa noted that the ruling “does not entail any determination on the precise content, scope or conditions for the exercise of that right,” leaving room for national regulatory frameworks to retain their existing structures.

    What began as a technical legal question of interpreting a 77-year-old international agreement erupted into a fierce public battle between global labor union coalitions and international employer associations, with oral arguments held before the ICJ in October 2024.

    On the union side, legal representatives for the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) argued that the autonomy guarantees written into Convention 87 inherently extend to cover the right to industrial action. Harold Koh, ITUC’s lead counsel, told the court that the outcome extended far beyond abstract legal debate, noting “It will affect the real rights of tens of millions of working people around the world.”

    Koh warned that a ruling against recognizing the right to strike would have triggered a global rollback of labor protections, saying companies and national employer groups would systematically challenge existing strike protections in countries with weak civil society, pliant judiciaries, and restricted press freedom, one jurisdiction at a time.

    Employer representatives pushed back forcefully against the union arguments, arguing that the 1948 convention never intended to cover the right to strike, either explicitly or implicitly. Roberto Suarez Santos, legal counsel for the International Organisation of Employers, pointed out that strike rules vary dramatically across national contexts, from differing exclusions for emergency services to varying notification requirements, and that these national variations cannot be erased by reading an abstract right to strike into the text of Convention 87.

    Rita Yip, another attorney representing employer groups, dismissed the union’s warnings of a global rollback of labor rights as “inflammatory and alarmist.” Yip argued that strike protections are already enshrined in national legislation around the world, and do not need to be codified as a top-down international norm imposed by global bodies. She urged the court to reject the union’s interpretation, warning that a ruling in favor of unions would threaten the credibility of the entire international labor system.

    Despite their deep disagreement on the core question, both sides acknowledged that the ruling will have an outsize impact on the future of global work. As Koh put it, “At first blush, this case may not seem momentous, but your decision here will affect every worker in the world.”

  • UN gravely concerned by an Afghan Taliban law that has provisions on child marriage

    UN gravely concerned by an Afghan Taliban law that has provisions on child marriage

    On Thursday, the United Nations raised sharp, grave alarm over a newly enacted family law from Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban government, warning that the legislation’s provisions on underage marriage further cement systemic discrimination against the country’s women and girls. The Taliban administration has rejected the international body’s criticism, framing the new regulatory decree as fully aligned with Islamic law and noting that it already enforces a nationwide ban on forced child marriage.

    Last week, Afghanistan’s Ministry of Justice formally published Decree No. 18, officially titled “on judicial separation of spouses”, which lays out new formal regulations for marital separation between married couples. In an official statement, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) flagged that one of the decree’s most contentious provisions explicitly allows a girl’s silence once she reaches puberty to be interpreted as legal consent to marriage. The mission added that the document’s framing of marital separation for girls who are married after reaching puberty implicitly codifies permission for child marriage, directly undermining the core principle of free, full and informed consent to marriage and failing to protect the best interests of minor children.

    The new law does outline narrow circumstances under which a child marriage arranged by a father or paternal grandfather can be ruled invalid: if the marriage was arranged without a dowry, with an insufficient dowry, or involved corrupt misappropriation of funds. It also grants a minor girl married off by her father or grandfather the right to petition a court to void her marriage contract after reaching puberty, if her husband has failed to treat her with kindness or is known for harmful conduct. However, the legislation introduces steep procedural inequalities for women seeking divorce: if a woman requests a divorce that her husband denies, and she has no witnesses to support her claim, her husband’s testimony will be treated as legally valid. The only exception to this rule is if the woman submits her divorce request directly before a judge.

    Long before this new decree was introduced, women and girls across Afghanistan already endured sweeping, systemic discrimination enforced by Taliban law. Taliban regulations impose strict mandatory dress codes, restrict acceptable public behavior, bar girls and women from secondary education, university attendance, most formal employment, and nearly all public leisure activities ranging from gyms and beauty salons to public city parks.

    Georgette Gagnon, UN Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of UNAMA, emphasized that Decree No. 18 is part of a broader deeply worrying trend of incremental erosion of women and girls’ rights across Afghanistan. While the decree does formally create pathways for women to pursue marital separation, it creates a drastically unequal playing field: men retain an automatic unilateral right to divorce, while women are forced to navigate a complex, restrictive judicial process to end a marriage. UNAMA’s statement noted that this unequal framework reinforces structural gender discrimination and severely limits women’s autonomy over matters that are fundamental to their dignity, personal safety, and overall well-being.

    When the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan in 2021 following the chaotic withdrawal of U.S.-backed NATO forces, the administration initially announced a small set of nominal limited rights for women, including a decree that acknowledged women’s right to inheritance and the right to refuse unwanted marriage. UNAMA pointed out that successive regulatory decrees from the Taliban have steadily undermined these limited protections over time. The cumulative effect of the dozens of restrictions imposed by the Taliban has left millions of Afghan women and girls stripped of their right to education, weakened women’s economic participation, and deepened widespread poverty across the country, impacts UNAMA says will carry long-term consequences for Afghanistan’s overall national development.

    Speaking in an interview with Afghanistan’s state-owned RTA broadcaster, Taliban government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed international criticism, arguing that objections to the decree from what he called “those who contradict the religion of Islam” are not a new development and do not deserve attention. Mujahid reaffirmed that Afghan Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada has already issued a separate standing decree banning forced child marriage, adding that Afghan courts and the Ministry of Vice and Virtue have investigated thousands of suspected forced marriage cases over the past year alone, which he claims demonstrates the Islamic Emirate’s commitment to protecting women’s rights.

  • Sinner, Djokovic kept apart in French Open draw

    Sinner, Djokovic kept apart in French Open draw

    The 2025 French Open draw was unveiled Thursday, delivering one of the most highly anticipated outcomes for men’s singles: in-form world No. 1 Jannik Sinner and 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic have been placed in opposite halves of the bracket, meaning the two title favorites will not face off before the tournament’s final match on Sunday, May 25. As the sport’s second Grand Slam of the year prepares to kick off this Sunday, the draw also set up tantalizing potential matchups in the women’s draw, including a potential semifinal clash between defending champion Coco Gauff and world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka, while a simmering pay dispute between players and Grand Slam organizers has cast a shadow over pre-tournament festivities.

    For Sinner, who enters Roland Garros as the odds-on favorite to claim his first French Open crown following the withdrawal of injured Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz, his title run will get underway against French wildcard entry Clement Tabur, the world-ranked 165th player who earned his spot through domestic qualifying. The Italian has been on a historic hot streak as of late: earlier this month, he claimed his sixth consecutive ATP Masters 1000 title at the Italian Open, becoming just the second men’s player in tennis history — after Djokovic himself — to win all nine active Masters 1000 events over his career. If Sinner advances as seeded, he is projected to face fifth-seeded American big hitter Ben Shelton in the quarterfinals, with a potential semifinal showdown against Russian star Daniil Medvedev, who pushed Sinner to three tight sets in the Italian Open semifinals earlier this month before ultimately falling.

    On the opposite side of the men’s bracket, third-seeded Djokovic will begin his bid for a record-breaking 25th Grand Slam singles title against French home player Giovanni Mpetshi Perricard. The 38-year-old Serb, who turns 39 the day after the tournament kicks off, is tied with Margaret Court for the most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history, and has not won a major since the 2023 US Open. Projected to meet Djokovic in the semis is second-seeded Alexander Zverev, who will open his campaign against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi. Zverev has fallen to Djokovic in French Open quarterfinals twice before — in 2019 and 2024 — and is still chasing his first career Grand Slam title after multiple deep runs in majors.

    The draw also featured emotional storylines for veteran players set to retire after the tournament. The standout opening-round men’s match pits in-form French No. 1 Arthur Fils against 41-year-old former champion Stan Wawrinka, who will play Roland Garros for the final time before hanging up his racket. Fan-favorite Frenchman Gael Monfils, a 2008 Roland Garros semifinalist, will also play his farewell tournament, opening against compatriot Hugo Gaston.

    In the women’s draw, defending champion and fourth-seeded Gauff will open her title defense against American compatriot Taylor Townsend, looking to repeat her 2024 final upset victory over Sabalenka. For Sabalenka, who has never claimed the French Open singles title, the draw handed her one of the toughest paths to the final in the field. A potential third-round matchup against four-time Grand Slam champion Naomi Osaka is on the cards, even though Osaka has never advanced past the second week of Roland Garros in her career. Fifth seed Jessica Pegula or rising Canadian prospect Victoria Mboko could await Sabalenka in the quarterfinals, with a projected semifinal against Gauff if both advance.

    Other key women’s projected matchups see third-seeded four-time champion Iga Swiatek of Poland potentially facing Italian Open winner Elina Svitolina in the quarterfinals, while second-seeded Elena Rybakina — the 2025 Australian Open champion — is projected to meet Swiatek in the semis. Swiatek opens against 17-year-old Australian wildcard Emerson Jones, while Rybakina starts her campaign against Slovenia’s Veronika Erjavec. A rare all-Southeast Asian second-round matchup is also on the cards, between Indonesia’s Janice Tjen and the Philippines’ Alexandra Eala, with the winner set to potentially face Osaka in the third round.

    Beyond the on-court draw projections, the pre-tournament period has been marred by unrest, as a group of players has threatened to boycott select media obligations over an ongoing pay dispute with Grand Slam organizers. Tournament director Amelie Mauresmo pushed back on the threats Thursday, saying organizers would not change their stance on the issue. “We are not going to budge,” Mauresmo told reporters at the draw ceremony in Paris, adding that she was “a little saddened” by the player unrest. She noted that Grand Slam prize money has doubled over the last 10 years and has seen significant increases in recent years, pushing back on player claims that compensation for media work and player support is inadequate.

  • US threatens to revoke Palestinian UN ambassador’s visa, report says

    US threatens to revoke Palestinian UN ambassador’s visa, report says

    In a stark escalation of diplomatic pressure on the Palestinian Authority, the United States has issued an ultimatum: revoke Riyad Mansour’s candidacy for vice-president of the UN General Assembly, or face the revocation of visas for the entire Palestinian delegation to the United Nations, National Public Radio reported Thursday.

    The threat is laid out in a confidential US State Department cable obtained by NPR, dated May 19, which instructed American diplomatic personnel based in Jerusalem to formally press Palestinian leadership to pull Mansour’s name from the race ahead of the June 2 election. Twenty-one candidates are vying for the vice-presidential posts in this vote.

    The cable frames Mansour as a problematic candidate, pointing to his long record of public accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. It argues that his elevation to the vice-presidential role would inflame regional tensions and directly undermine the Gaza peace plans advanced by former US President Donald Trump.

    “A bully pulpit for Mansour would not improve the lives of Palestinians and would significantly damage U.S. relations with the PA [Palestinian Authority]. Congress will take it extremely seriously,” the cable reads. It also reminds Palestinian officials of a 2025 decision by the State Department to waive existing visa sanctions and entry restrictions for Palestinian officials assigned to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s UN Observer Mission in New York, adding that “it would be unfortunate to have to revisit any available options.”

    This is not the first time US lobbying has derailed Mansour’s bid for a top UN leadership role. The cable confirms that Mansour was forced to withdraw his candidacy for UN General Assembly president back in February after intensive US pressure. The Trump administration has a long history of using visa restrictions to push back against Palestinian diplomatic efforts at the UN: last year, Washington refused to grant entry visas to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and more than 80 other senior Palestinian officials who planned to attend the annual UN General Assembly gathering in New York.

    That 2024 visa ban came on the heels of announcements from multiple Western nations that they planned to recognize Palestinian statehood during the high-level assembly meeting. US officials justified the move at the time by citing the Palestinian Authority’s support for ongoing war crimes and genocide investigations against Israel and its senior leaders at the International Court of Justice and International Criminal Court. The Abbas’ office pushed back against the ban, arguing it violated the UN Headquarters Agreement, which legally requires the US, as the host nation of the UN’s New York headquarters, to grant unimpeded entry visas for official UN business.

    The new ultimatum has drawn immediate criticism from foreign policy experts and former US diplomatic officials. Hady Amr, who served as a senior State Department official covering Palestinian affairs during both the Obama and Biden administrations, called the threat of visa revocation counterproductive to long-term diplomatic efforts.

    “It’s counterproductive because you need diplomats to work out problems between countries and by expelling diplomats, you’re undermining not only their ability to solve problems, but the abilities of the United States as well,” Amr said.

  • US-bound plane diverts to Canada after person from Ebola-hit region boards ‘in error’

    US-bound plane diverts to Canada after person from Ebola-hit region boards ‘in error’

    A transatlantic commercial flight traveling from Paris to Detroit was forced to make an unscheduled diversion to Montreal, Canada, after airline staff incorrectly allowed a passenger who had recently traveled from the Ebola-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to board the aircraft, according to official statements. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the agency that oversees U.S. border entry rules, confirmed to the BBC that the passenger should never have been allowed onto the Air France jet under current public health entry restrictions designed to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The ongoing Ebola outbreak across central Africa has already claimed nearly 140 lives, with health officials documenting more than 600 suspected infections across affected regions. As of the report’s release, authorities have not released key details about the passenger, including whether they were displaying visible Ebola symptoms, or the exact date of their most recent stay in the DRC. Air France later verified the diversion to U.S. media outlets, confirming that the plane was rerouted to Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport at the explicit request of U.S. public health and border authorities, after the Congolese passenger was formally denied entry to the United States. “Air France boarded a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo in error on a flight to the United States,” CBP said in an official statement. The agency added that it acted quickly to block the flight from landing at its intended destination, Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, prompting the 500-mile (800-kilometer) diversion north to Canadian soil. To reduce the risk of Ebola importation, the U.S. currently enforces strict entry rules: non-U.S. passport holders who have visited the DRC, South Sudan, or Uganda in the 21 days prior to travel are barred from entering the country. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who have traveled to these three countries are only allowed to enter through Washington-Dulles International Airport in Virginia, where they undergo mandatory enhanced public health screening. The World Health Organization (WHO) has already designated this current Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, the highest global alert level for infectious disease events. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has noted that the overall risk of Ebola spreading widely within the U.S. remains relatively low, but the agency has still moved to implement layered precautionary measures to stop the virus from crossing U.S. borders. To date, one American has tested positive for Ebola in this outbreak: a physician who was working with a medical missionary organization in the DRC. He is currently receiving treatment in a specialized isolation ward at a hospital in Germany. On Wednesday, WHO officials added another layer of context to the outbreak, confirming that the specific variant driving the current outbreak—the Bundibugyo strain—does not currently have a licensed vaccine available for widespread use. According to the agency’s timeline, it could take as long as nine months before a targeted vaccine for this strain is developed and cleared for deployment. The incident has drawn attention to the challenges of enforcing cross-border public health measures during a global infectious disease emergency, highlighting how even a single administrative error can trigger major disruptions to international air travel.