Protests in Ukraine as Zelenskyy signs bill curbing anticorruption agenciesNABU and SAPO are two key institutions that have long symbolised Ukraine’s post-Euromaidan commitment to rooting out high-level corruption. Critics say the move strips these agencies of their independence and risks turning them into political tools. Protests erupted in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro, and Odesa, with demonstrators holding signs reading “Veto the law” and “We chose Europe, not autocracy.”
https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2025/7/23/protests-in-ukraine-as-zelenskyy-signs-bill-curbing-anticorruption-agencieshttps://archive.ph/YnvcZGermany moves to fast-track weapons purchases Germany's cabinet has approved a draft law to accelerate arms procurement for the military, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said Wednesday, calling it a "quantum leap" for national security. The bill is designed to cut red tape and allow the Bundeswehr to buy weapons and equipment faster and with fewer bureaucratic hurdles.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-moves-to-fast-track-weapons-purchases/a-73386445https://archive.ph/7f1pl== Putin names desired minimum fertility rate for Russia
To reverse the trend, the government has introduced a range of support measures, including lump-sum payments for childbirth, expanded maternity benefits, and ongoing financial assistance for families. The Soviet-era “Mother Heroine” award that offers cash rewards to women who have more than ten children has also been revived. Officials have proposed other policies as well, such as discouraging the promotion of “child-free” lifestyles and offering extra tax breaks for larger families. Putin has repeatedly stressed the importance of improving economic and social conditions to promote larger families and make parenthood a widely supported choice.
https://www.rt.com/russia/621816-putin-minimum-fertility-rate/https://archive.ph/k82ykPro-Zionist Board of Deputies of British Jews calls for workplace “antisemitism” training“Antisemitism training” would be based on the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of antisemitism that falsely equates anti-Zionism with antisemitism. The IHRA cites as an example of antisemitism: “Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavour.” The BoD was a key player in getting the IHRA definition adopted by Britain’s then Conservative government and public authorities in 2016.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/07/22/uqtx-j22.htmlLandslide Knesset vote approves non-binding proposal to annex West BankBesides receiving broad support across the Likud coalition, the conseravtive Yisrael Beiteinu party also voted in favour of the motion, along with independent MK Idan Roll and far-right Noam party leader Avi Maoz. The motion was initiated by Likud member Dan Illouz and three other MKs, including Minister for Settlements Orit Strook.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/knesset-set-vote-symbolic-motion-calling-israeli-annexation-west-bankDoctors and health officials report wave of hunger deaths in GazaGaza’s health ministry on Wednesday recorded 10 deaths due to starvation in the previous 24 hours, which it said brought the number of hunger-related fatalities in July to 46. That brings the total number of deaths from malnutrition reported by the ministry to 111, at least 80 of them children, since Israel’s offensive in Gaza started following Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack.
https://www.ft.com/content/acb6116e-18cb-4af4-9eee-1c005869ef70https://archive.ph/kCa3dTurkey: Six Revolutionary Prisoners Still on Hunger Strike Against “Well” PrisonsFor many weeks, six revolutionary prisoners have been on hunger strike in Turkey to denounce “well” type prisons. They are based on a very strict solitary confinement regime and harsh prison conditions for prisoners. They owe their name to the fact that the windows, tightly grilled, look out onto a walled space, and the short daily walk is in a narrow space surrounded by high walls. On July 14, many initiatives of solidarity with these prisoners were organized in Greece, Holland, France and Belgium.
https://abolitionmedia.noblogs.org/20500/Modi Govt ‘Surrendering’ to US on FTAs, Will Open Agri, Dairy Sector, Fears SKMIn an online general body meeting held on July 20, SKM said such a step would not only hurt the interests of the country but also impact the people adversely. In a press statement issued after the meeting, SKM announced a series of mass protest actions across the country against “the BJP-led NDA Govt.’s moves to accept USA pressures and increase imports of food and dairy items, including GM foods and penetration of MNCs in food markets. … Peasants will raise the slogan ‘Corporations Quit India’ on 13th August 2025 by organizing tractor/ motor vehicle parades and protest demonstrations and burn effigies of the U S President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
https://www.newsclick.in/modi-govt-surrendering-us-ftas-will-open-agri-dairy-sector-fears-skmSudan’s competing authorities are beholden to militia leaders, say analystsThe Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, which is battling the army, has formed an alliance with smaller armed factions and declared its intention to form a parallel government that will ostensibly represent all of Sudan. The RSF-backed coalition has already unveiled its leadership council, on which the leaders of armed groups feature in prominent positions. Analysts told Al Jazeera that SAF and the RSF are trying to meet the demands of powerful militias in a bid to keep their respective battlefield alliances intact.
https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2025/7/23/sudans-competing-authorities-are-beholden-to-militia-leadershttps://archive.ph/g5wVqEswatini opposition attacks US deal as ‘human trafficking disguised as deportation’Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is landlocked by South Africa and Mozambique and has a population of about 1.2 million. It is Africa’s last absolute monarchy and has been ruled by King Mswati III since 1986. The government estimated the five men would be held for about 12 months, a spokesperson, Thabile Mdluli, said, adding: “It could be slightly less or slightly more.” She said Eswatini was ready to receive more deportees, depending on the availability of facilities and negotiations with the US, which has also deported eight people to South Sudan after holding them for weeks in a shipping container in Djibouti, and more than 200 Venezuelans to El Salvador.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/23/eswatini-petition-us-deportees