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Oct 25, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump's administration is plotting one of the "most serious attempts to undermine international law" in modern history, according to one expert. Stephen Zunes, a politics professor at the University of San Francisco, detailed a resolution that the Trump administration plans to submit to the United Nations Security Council regarding Morocco's annexation of the Western Sahara territory. Zunes noted that the resolution includes some significant policy proposals that, taken together, amount to "a gift to Netanyahu, Putin, and any other leader seeking to expand territory by force." "This is one of the most serious attempts to undermine international law since the founding of the United Nations," Zunes posted on X. Morocco has been attempting to annex Western Sahara since the late 1970s. The country currently controls about 80% of the territory, although international bodies don't recognize Morocco's annexation. The Trump administration's proposal would remove longstanding requirements for U.N. peacekeeping forces to oversee a referendum about Morocco's annexation, which Zunes said would negate the "right of self-determination that has long been the basis of decolonization under international law."The resolution also falsely claims that there is a growing consensus about Morocco's annexation, when Zunes noted that only two far-right governments — Israel and Colombia — have recognized the move. Zunes described the argument as a "legal fiction.""There will certainly be objections from Pakistan, China, Russia, and perhaps some other countries which could result in changes in the language before it is put to a formal vote," Zunes added. "However, with Washington’s history of running roughshod over international legal precedent and the failure of even democratic nations to consistently stand up to Trump’s bullying (particularly on what are considered less-consequential issues), it is hard to predict." "Even if the full text isn’t accepted, the Trump administration may succeed in its primary goal: to make Morocco’s autonomy proposal, which falls way short of the international definition of autonomy and would rule out the option of independence, which is required for real decolonization, recognized by the United Nations as the only basis of future negotiations," he continued.

Oct 25, 2026 - World

Making innocent protesters liable for damage would be bad for rule of law and play into far-right hands, say opponentsEmmanuel Macron has been accused by trade unions of trying to curb the fundamental French right to protest as the government fast-tracks a bill to make protesters pay for damage caused by vandalism at street demonstrations even if they did not directly cause it themselves.The French president, who leaves office next spring, has faced more than a month of protests in which high-school students have blockaded schools demanding a response to teacher absences, repairs to decrepit buildings and changes to the university applications platform. Continue reading...

Oct 25, 2026 - World

PM’s plea supported by Angela Rayner, Ed Miliband and business leaders, while some ‘red wall’ MPs voice concernAndy Burnham’s call for the UK to consider a return to free movement with Europe has been backed by senior cabinet ministers but risked a rift with “red wall” Labour MPs, who say it could jeopardise Brexit-voting seats.The prime minister made his plea for an “honest discussion” about freedom of movement in an interview with the Sunday Times, making clear that staying out of it would no longer be a red line in talks with the EU. Continue reading...

Oct 25, 2026 - World

Nobel peace prize winner’s return after almost a year in exile is unlikely to please interim president Delcy RodríguezThe Venezuelan opposition leader, María Corina Machado, has announced she has returned to Venezuela almost a year after she left the country to receive the Nobel peace prize.“I’m here. With you,” she wrote on X on Sunday lunchtime. Continue reading...

Oct 25, 2026 - World

The recovery process was intense, as he said that the pain reached a nine out of ten, marking it as the most painful experience of his life.