This past Monday morning, Chileans awoke to a new reality. Some 35 years after the return to civilian rule following the infamous Pinochet dictatorship, Chile will soon be governed by a rabid right-wing, pro-Pinochet apologist-President-elect José Antonio Kast. For the 58 percent of the Chilean public sold on Kast's Trumpian anti-immigration and pro-security populism, that was great news. But for the 42 percent of Chileans who voted for progressive candidate Jeannette Jara, Chile's swing to the far right is devastating, and a bitter political pill to swallow.
Last Tuesday afternoon, Dean Andrea Baccarelli at the Harvard School of Public Health sent out a brief message announcing that one of the country's most experienced and accomplished public health leaders, Dr Mary T Bassett, would step down as director of the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights. The email struck a polite, bureaucratic tone, thanking her for her service and offering an upbeat rationale for a new focus on children's health.
As we move beyond 2030, it is crucial to rethink how we measure progress and development. The current relevance of GDP [gross domestic product] as the dominant indicator of economic performance has been widely criticized for its inability to capture the full dimensions of human well-being, social equity, and environmental sustainability. Recent policy discussions and research, including the OECD's [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's] " Beyond GDP " initiatives, highlight the urgent need to develop alternative metrics.
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
Michael O'Flaherty, the Council of Europe's commissioner for human rights, said that middle-of the road politicians are playing into the hands of the populist right. Speaking exclusively to the Guardian, he pointed to the lazy correlation of migration and crime as an example. This doesn't correspond with reality, he said. For every inch yielded, there's going to be another inch demanded, he said.
Reimagining Philanthropy explores transformative and decolonialized approaches to philanthropy that can shift our sector from traditional top-down models toward more equitable, community-centered practices. In community, we explore how philanthropic organizations can share power authentically, center affected communities in decision-making, and build truly reciprocal relationships. "How can you think about creating civic spaces when those who fight for them are being threatened?" Funding, safety, democracy promotion, and community control in the Global South cannot be understood in isolation from one another.
Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
Irish citizens who were part of a flotilla that tried to bring aid to Gaza when they were detained by Israeli authorities have urged politicians to ensure they "hold Israel accountable"
The Australian government has imposed financial sanctions and travel bans on four officials in Afghanistan's Taliban government, citing the deteriorating human rights situation in the country, particularly for women and girls. Australia's Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a statement on Saturday that Canberra had established a world-first autonomous sanctions framework for Afghanistan, which would allow it to directly impose its own sanctions and travel bans to increase pressure on the Taliban.
Five years on, the Board has made important strides for Meta's global users, bringing transparency, reasoning and a human rights perspective to decisions that were long made behind closed doors, and with little or no public-facing rationale. The model we have built brings experts from around the globe to independently review sensitive content decisions on Meta platforms with input from the public and civil society.
The family of a Colombian man believed to be killed by a strike on a boat in September has filed a human rights complaint against the United States, saying that the attack was "murder" and that he was denied the right to due process. The family believes that Colombian citizen Alejandro Carranza Medina, who was 42 years old, was killed on September 15, 2025, in the second of the publicly announced boat strikes.
The UK government has withdrawn its backing for a $1.15bn (£870m) loan to a major gas development in Mozambique, citing escalating concerns over climate impact, human rights violations and the deadly insurgency that engulfed the region. Business secretary Peter Kyle confirmed on Monday that the UK Export Finance (UKEF) agency would pull its support for the long-delayed Mozambique liquified natural gas project, led by French energy giant TotalEnergies.
Siddiq denies all the allegations and has said she has not been given knowledge of the charges against her or access to legal representation. The prosecution is seeking a maximum life sentence. The verdict came on Monday, after Sheikh Hasina, Siddiq's aunt, was last month given a death sentence over charges of crimes against humanity relating to last year's crackdown on student-led protests.
In late September, the United Kingdom's Prime Minister Keir Starmer his government's plans to introduce a new digital ID scheme in the country to take effect before the end of the Parliament (no later than August 2029). The scheme will, " in proving people's identities by creating a virtual ID on personal devices with information like people's name, date of birth, nationality or residency status, and photo to verify their right to live and work in the country.
Built in just eight days in the Everglades wetlands, the facility was intended to hold up to 5,000 federal immigration detainees. In July, around 1,800 people were confined there in groups of thirty-two inside disaster-relief tents, where conditions reportedly swung between extreme cold and heat, with sewage hauled out and drinking water brought in. Speaking to the Associated Press, migrant detainees and their lawyers described worm-infested food, swarms of mosquitoes, windowless cells, flooded floors with fecal waste, and insufficient showers and toilets.
The recent airstrike on a FARC dissident camp led by Ivan Mordisco, in which seven minors were killed in the Guaviare department of the Amazon, has placed Colombian President Petro at the center of an intense political debate. He has been particularly criticized for his shift from zero tolerance for airstrikes killing minors when he was in the opposition, to justifying them now that he is in office. However, he is not the only politician in a difficult position over this humanitarian tragedy.
