Headlines- The declaration of the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon was applauded by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), which described it as "a critical and long-overdue reprieve for civilians who have endured weeks of unrelenting violence."
- The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon has been welcomed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who expressed optimism that it will lay the groundwork for long-term stability in the Middle East.
- As part of an earlier two-week ceasefire agreement between Tehran and the United States to pause the conflict in the Middle East, Iran's Foreign Ministry praised the ceasefire reached by Israel and Lebanon.
- At midnight local time on Friday, gunfire broke out in the southern suburbs of Beirut as a ceasefire with Israel came into effect.
- The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health estimates that since March 2, Israeli forces have killed at least 2,196 civilians and injured another 7,185.
- The Lebanese government urges people not return back to their homes in southern Lebanon, despite Israel and Lebanon have reached a 10-day ceasefire.
- The United States is "very close" to a deal with Iran, President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House.
Tag: News and Views
China Expels 1,000 Monks and Nuns...
Chinese authorities have expelled over 1,000 Tibetan monks and nuns from the Larung Gar Buddhist Academy in the latest blow to the major center of Tibetan Buddhist learning, sources inside Tibet with knowledge of the situation said.
UN Bangladesh Report: Hasina Directed Use...
Bangladesh’s top leaders, including then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, directed large-scale operations where law enforcers fatally shot anti-government protesters despite concerns from senior security officials about excessive use of force, according to a new report by the United Nations.
Myanmar Military Torches Nearly 200 Homes...
Myanmar junta forces torched nearly 200 homes in the northwestern region of Sagaing, the latest incident in a campaign to punish communities that support insurgents that has seen more than 100,000 homes burned since a 2021 coup, residents and a monitoring group said on Wednesday.
Malaysian Gay Couples Dream of Saying...
Malaysia remains one of the most difficult places in Southeast Asia for LGBTQ+ individuals, where homosexuality is criminalized under colonial-era laws and further penalized by Sharia courts for Muslims.
Harsh Siberian Winter Cripples North Korea
Bitter cold in North Korea has forced schools to close, hospitals go into emergency mode and water supplies to be disrupted as pumps freeze over, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.
Awami League, Opposition Activists Among Hundreds...
At least 1,600 people, including scores belonging to Bangladesh’s deposed former ruling party, were swept up in a crackdown launched by authorities over the weekend, court documents show, days after protesters destroyed a museum memorializing the country’s founding father.
The Secret Jungle Hospital Where Myanmar’s...
The hospital is funded almost entirely by donations. After four years of war, fundraising is becoming more difficult, Yori said. That raises the stakes for the Interim Executive Council, or IEC, the rebel-formed state government trying to simultaneously meet the needs of Kayah citizens.
North Korea to Punish People for...
North Korean authorities have threatened to punish citizens who spread “rumors” about the country’s soldiers dying in Russia’s war with Ukraine — and ordered people to snitch on each other about this, residents in the country told Radio Free Asia.
Accusations Fly, Damage Control Follows After...
Bangladesh’s interim administration first blamed “provocative remarks” made from hiding by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for protesters demolishing a museum to her father – only to later say it was concerned about vandalism and would “strongly resist” it.
Bangladeshis Demolish Museum Honoring Ousted PM...
Angry protesters in Dhaka razed a museum memorializing Bangladesh’s founding leader, a building they called the country’s “symbol of fascism” – a reference to his daughter, ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.