Credit cards cancelled, Google accounts closed: ICC judges on life under Trump sanctionsSimple tasks, from booking an Uber to reserving a flight or hotel room, became impossible. Bank transfers now included uncertainty over whether they would sail through the system or be rejected. Following the cancellation of her Amazon and Google accounts, Prost lived with the constant worry that her other accounts would also vanish. “Everything becomes such a challenge,” she said.
https://www.theguardian.com/law/2026/feb/18/international-criminal-court-icc-judges-trump-sanctionsFrench left targeted by smear campaign following death of far-right activistAntifascist groups and the left party France Unbowed (La France Insoumise, LFI) are being targeted by right-wing and conservative forces after a far-right activist died from injuries sustained during a clash on February 12 in Lyon. The incident occurred not far from a venue where LFI MEP Rima Hassan was due to appear. This information is now being manipulated by the party’s political opponents and the mainstream media to suggest that LFI and groups which form its base promote violence.
https://peoplesdispatch.org/2026/02/18/french-left-targeted-by-smear-campaign-following-death-of-far-right-activist/Aggravated burglary charges against 18 Palestine Action activists droppedAt a case management hearing at Woolwich crown court, south London. for all 24 defendants charged in relation to the break-in, Deanna Heer KC said: “The prosecution has reconsidered the sufficiency of the evidence … In light of those verdicts and in respect of all the remaining defendants the prosecution offers no evidence on count one, aggravated burglary.”
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/feb/18/aggravated-burglary-charges-against-18-palestine-action-activists-droppedGreece working with another 4 European countries to set up migrant deportation hubs outside EUThe use of return hubs would be for people whose asylum applications are rejected and whose countries of origin will not take them back, the minister explained. He said their existence would act as a deterrent to prospective migrants who are unlikely to be granted asylum. The minister said the aim was for an initial plan to be in place in the next few months, although it wasn’t clear when any such return centers could be up and running.
https://apnews.com/article/greece-europe-migrants-deportation-centers-africa-b4d064e8e782f0868fc15022bd17eed7Niger agrees to help with Nigeria-Algeria pipeline as diplomatic row endsAlgeria has also sent a delegation to Burkina Faso, whose leader Captain Ibrahim Traore has the highest international profile of the Sahel leaders, to discuss co-operation in the mining and energy sectors. Mali remains wary of the Algeria connection, accusing Algiers of support for jihadist forces active in all three Sahel countries.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/niger-agrees-help-nigeria-algeria-pipeline-diplomatic-row-endsKenyan authorities used Israeli tech to crack activist’s phone, report claimsAuthorities’ use of the technology, made by Cellebrite, “could have enabled the full extraction of all materials from Mwangi’s device, including messages, private materials, personal files, financial information, passwords, and other sensitive information”, Citizen Lab said.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/feb/17/trim-slugs-to-kenya-authorities-israel-tech-crack-activists-phone-reportBusiness executives and politicians exposed in Abu Dhabi data leak: ReportAbu Dhabi's flagship investment conference exposed hundreds of passports and other ID documents belonging to high-profile individuals, including former UK Prime Minister David Cameron and podcaster and former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, The Financial Times reported on Tuesday. The FT reported that scans of more than 700 passports and state identity cards were found on an unprotected cloud storage server associated with the UAE's Abu Dhabi Finance Week (ADFW), which was held in December.
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/business-executives-and-politicians-exposed-abu-dhabi-data-leak-reportIranian families mark protest killings as schools observe strikesMany attended ceremonies at Behesht-e Zahra, Tehran’s grand cemetery, on Tuesday and Wednesday, which marked 40 days – a traditional period of mourning – since the nights of January 8 and 9, when thousands were killed amid an unprecedented state-imposed internet and phone-service shutdown.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/18/iranian-families-mark-protest-killings-as-schools-observe-strikeshttps://archive.ph/22wP8Australia to ban citizen from returning to country under rarely-used terror lawsThey were briefly freed on Monday before being turned back by Damascus for holding inadequate paperwork.
Australia has already said it would not provide any assistance to those held in the camp, and is investigating whether any individuals posed a threat to national security.
"I can confirm that one individual in this cohort has been issued a temporary exclusion order, which was made on advice from security agencies," Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Wednesday.
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-ban-citizen-returning-country-under-rarely-used-terror-laws-2026-02-18/Japanese communists call for people’s struggles against Takaichi after she is reappointed PMThe JCP called for “people’s struggles in every field to refuse to tolerate the authoritarian politics of the Takaichi administration, and to defend and advance peace, human rights, livelihoods and democracy.” The reference to her “authoritarian politics” concerns a planned espionage law that would restrict media reportage on national security issues.
https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/japanese-communists-call-peoples-struggles-against-takaichi-after-she-reappointed-pm