Afghanistan's Taliban government has announced that images of people and animals will be banned.The country's theocratic regime says images of living creatures are against Islamic law.
– The law applies to all Afghanistan... and it will be implemented gradually, the spokesman for the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV) Saiful Islam Khyber told AFP.
He states that “coercion has no place in the implementation of the law”, and that the country's officials will instead focus on convincing the public that images of living beings are against Islamic law.
– It's only advice, and convincing people these things are really contrary to sharia (law) and must be avoided.
The new law also contains several detailed rules for news media. In addition to not publishing films or photos of living beings, they have also been told not to mock or demean Islam or "violate Islamic law".
"Applies to everyone"
In Ghazni province, officials urged assembled journalists to prepare for the changes by taking pictures from a longer distance than before and filming fewer big events "to get in the habit". A similar meeting has also been organized in Maidan Wardak province.
Similar bans were in place when the Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996-2001, and according to AFP, various forms of censorship rules have been re-imposed since the group regained control of the country.
Business owners and shopkeepers are reported to have been ordered to cross out the faces of men and women in advertisements, cover the heads of mannequins with plastic bags, and blur the eyes of fish depicted on restaurant menus, among other things.
Although images of living creatures are now banned, it appears that they are still being published, including by Afghan officials and government staff. According to Mr. Khyber, this is because “work has started” to implement the law across the country - but in practice it has not yet been applied in all provinces. However, he stresses that compliance with the law is expected and that it "now it applies to everyone".
We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.
Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…
Argentina's anarcho-capitalist-oriented President Javier Milei and his party La Libertad Avanza (LLA) won a surprisingly large victory in Sunday's midterm elections and now promises to push through further reforms to shrink the state and deregulate the economy.
Milei's party received 40.7 percent of the votes for Congress, a significant increase compared to previous mandates. According to preliminary figures, LLA won 101 seats in the lower house, up from 37, and 20 seats in the Senate, up from six. Final vote tallies are expected later this week.
At the election night event in Buenos Aires, Argentina's capital, hundreds of supporters celebrated with cheers, hugs and tears.
— Today we reached a turning point. Today begins the construction of a great Argentina, said the 55-year-old Milei to his supporters. He promised continued reform work and predicted that Congress would now become "the most reform-oriented in Argentina's history".
US President Donald Trump, who has a good relationship with Milei, congratulated him and called the support "very strong".
— That was a big win in Argentina. I gave him an endorsement, a very strong endorsement, said Trump about Milei's victory.
Opposition reacts
The traditional Peronist Party, which has governed large parts of Argentina's post-war history, came in second place with 31.7 percent. Axel Kicillof, governor of Buenos Aires Province and Milei's political opponent, argued that extra efforts are needed to protect citizens.
"Milei is wrong if he celebrates this election result where six out of 10 Argentines have said that they don't agree with the model he's proposing", wrote Kicillof on X.
Voter turnout was 67.9 percent, the lowest in forty years, reflecting voters' widespread dissatisfaction with the entire political class.
Reform agenda and economic concerns
Since taking office in December 2023, Milei has implemented extensive reforms: tens of thousands of public sector jobs have been eliminated, public construction projects have been frozen, and spending on health, education and pensions has been reduced. In addition to cuts in public spending, he has pushed through comprehensive deregulation.
The reforms have initially led to increased poverty, but have simultaneously reduced inflation by two-thirds, although growth and consumption have declined.
The Argentine peso has been under pressure and the US has intervened several times to stabilize the currency market. Before the election, there was speculation about a possible currency depreciation, but Economy Minister Luis Caputo dismissed this on election day.
Many voters supported Milei despite criticism of his leadership and corruption scandals in his inner circle. Retiree Adriana Cotoneo, 69, explained:
— I voted for Milei’s party not because I believe it’s the best option, but because I’m clear about who I want to be gone.
The Swedish government has, through a secret decision, paid out approximately 500,000 euros to Somalia to facilitate forced deportations.
The money, which formally went through the UN migration agency IOM, allegedly financed high salaries for individuals with connections to the country's prime minister.
On April 3 this year, the government decided that the Ministry of Justice would pay out approximately 500,000 euros to the Somali government through IOM Somalia. The decision, signed by Swedish Migration Minister Johan Forssell of the Moderate Party, was stated to aim at strengthening Somalia's capacity to handle migration and returns.
In practice, the support has financed three positions at the prime minister's office. According to sources with insight, this involves salaries of over 10,000 euros per month – far above normal levels in the country – and the recipients allegedly have connections to the prime minister's family.
When the Bonnier-owned newspaper Dagens Nyheter requested the decision documents, it turned out that the file was initially empty. Three days later, the Ministry of Justice changed its position and released heavily redacted documents, where most of the content was classified with reference to foreign relations secrecy.
Government: "Prioritized to increase returns"
The government has previously denied that Swedish aid went directly to Somalia's prime minister or his office. In a written statement, however, Johan Forssell confirms that funds from the Ministry of Justice were paid out with the purpose of increasing returns to Somalia.
"For the Moderate-led government, it is a priority to increase returns, and we use all relevant tools to achieve that", Forssell writes.
He further states that it is IOM that plans and implements the project according to its internal guidelines, and that there are no indications of improper handling.
Criticism of lack of transparency
IOM Somalia states that the recruitment of the Swedish-financed positions has followed the organization's rules, but refers to Sweden and Somalia for questions about salaries and appointments.
Ulrik Åshuvud, secretary general of Transparency International Sweden, questions the government's decision to classify large parts of the material.
— The risk of corruption is very high in Somalia, only South Sudan is worse according to our measurements. When the conditions look like this, the requirements for transparency and follow-up need to be set high, he says, and continues:
— For example, one should not pay out the entire amount at once and should have special follow-up requirements.
According to Åshuvud, channeling the funds through an international organization is also no guarantee against corruption.
— The organizations operate in complex environments and must build relationships. Then there is always a risk that corrupt structures creep into the processes.
Long-standing resistance to deportations
After several years of resistance, Somalia agreed last year to receive 28 forcibly deported citizens from Sweden. The Swedish government described the agreement as an "expanded cooperation", but according to information to the tax-funded public radio Ekot, Swedish aid funds have been redirected to enable projects close to the prime minister's office – in exchange for Somalia accepting deportees.
Somalia is one of the world's most corrupt and unstable countries. Transparency International ranks the country as the second most corrupt in the world, and large parts are controlled by the Islamist group al-Shabaab.
The Somali government has not responded to questions about how the Swedish-financed positions were appointed.
The extensive support for Israel that was backed by Joe Biden at the beginning of the Gaza war has continued with undiminished strength under Donald Trump, who is strongly pro-Israeli and has contributed a large number of arms deliveries during the ongoing genocide.
UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese identifies the United States and several European countries as complicit in the ongoing genocide in Gaza in a new report. Through military support, diplomatic protection, and economic relations, they have enabled Israel's actions, according to the report published on Tuesday.
The ongoing genocide in Gaza is a collective crime made possible through the complicity of powerful third states. This is the conclusion of UN Special Rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese, in her report "Gaza Genocide: a collective crime".
"Without the direct participation, aid and assistance of other States, the prolonged unlawful Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory, which has now escalated into a fullfledged genocide, could not have been sustained", Albanese writes in the report.
US primary supplier of weapons
The United States is identified as the primary enabler. Since October 2023, the country has sent 742 shipments of weapons and ammunition to Israel, and used its veto in the UN Security Council seven times to block ceasefire resolutions.
Germany is the second-largest arms supplier, with export licenses worth 489 million euros approved between October 2023 and July 2025. The United Kingdom has flown over 600 surveillance missions over Gaza from its bases in Cyprus and shared intelligence information with Israel.
In total, 26 states have sent weapons to Israel since October 2023, including China, India, Italy, Austria, Spain, the Czech Republic, Romania, and France.
Influential Jewish far-right figures in the Israeli government have been driving forces during the genocide and threatened countries considering sanctions with countermeasures. Montage. Photo: Yoav Keren/CC BY-SA 4.0, שי קנדלר
Diplomatic protection and economic ties
In addition to military support, Western countries have provided Israel with diplomatic protection by reproducing Israeli narratives and by avoiding demands for a permanent ceasefire. Economic relations have continued as usual – the EU is Israel's largest trading partner and accounts for nearly one-third of the country's total trade.
"With their actions and omissions, third states have enabled the oppression of the Palestinian people and their genocide. Those states have an obligation to stop their complicity and deliver justice. And We The People, have to make it happen", Albanese wrote in a statement on X when the report was published.
Only a few countries have severed or downgraded diplomatic relations with Israel since October 2023, including Colombia, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Turkey, and South Africa.
In Sweden, the Christian Democrats and Sweden Democrats have expressed their unconditional support for the Jewish state during the ongoing genocide and opposed all sanctions initiatives. Montage. Photo: Magnus Liljegren/Regeringskansliet, IDF/CC BY-SA 3.0
Nordic countries linked to Israel's warfare
The Nordic countries also have direct or indirect connections to Israel's military operations in Gaza. Sweden appears to be the country with the most extensive direct ties according to Svenska freds (Swedish Peace and Arbitration Society).
Sweden exported military equipment to Israel worth €1.6 million in 2023 and €2 million in 2024, despite the ongoing genocide in Gaza. At the same time, Sweden has imported Israeli weapons worth tens of millions between 2015-2024. In late October 2023, in the midst of the war, the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration signed a ten-year contract worth €150 million with Israel's largest arms company Elbit Systems.
Denmark, Norway, and Finland are also mentioned in the UN report as suppliers of components for the F-35 aircraft that have been central to Israel's bombing campaign. Norwegian companies manufacture critical engine parts, while Danish companies supply electronics and composite parts. In total, 19 states, of which 17 have signed the UN Arms Trade Treaty, contribute to the F-35 program.
Denmark also increased its trade with Israel by 99 million dollars during the genocide. Norway, however, has been more critical and sanctioned Israeli ministers in June 2025.
Israel's war in Gaza has killed at least 68,234 people and injured 170,373 since October 2023. A total of 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the attacks on October 7, 2023, and approximately 200 were taken captive.
Photo: Ulf Kristersson/X, Russian Ministry of Defense
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy together with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson during a visit to Saab in Linköping, Sweden, where a letter of intent regarding the export of around a hundred Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine was promised. Simultaneously, Russia conducted a large-scale nuclear weapons exercise, including the launch of a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the Arkhangelsk region.
Russia carried out a large-scale nuclear missile exercise on Wednesday, while Sweden signed a letter of intent to export Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. The announcement comes one day after the United States announced that a planned summit between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has been postponed.
The Kremlin released video footage showing Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov reporting to President Putin about the exercises. Russia launched missiles from ground-based platforms, submarines and aircraft, including intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States. However, the missiles did not contain live nuclear warheads.
During critical phases of the Ukraine war, Putin has repeatedly reminded the world of Russia's nuclear capabilities as a warning to Kyiv and its Western allies. NATO also conducted nuclear deterrence exercises in October.
1️⃣ Russia successfully tests 'Yars' intercontinental ballistic missile during strategic nuclear forces training pic.twitter.com/HevLZDB5uu
Sweden announced that the country has signed a letter of intent to export Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. The announcement comes as European governments intensify their efforts in the Ukraine war, which has now lasted three years and eight months.
Ukrainian pilots have been in Sweden to test the Gripen, a robust and cost-effective alternative to the American F-35.
— We have begun work to acquire Gripen and expect that the future contract will provide us with at least 100 such aircraft, said President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a visit to Swedish defense company Saab.
Kyiv aims to receive and begin using the aircraft as early as next year.
I am proud to have welcomed President Zelenskyy to Sweden and Linköping.
Today we have signed an important Letter of Intent, marking a step towards a massive possible export deal regarding Gripen - likely between 100 and 150 fighter jets, to build a new and very strong… pic.twitter.com/ObUPKxdxfJ
After months of stalled diplomacy, Putin and Trump spoke last week and unexpectedly announced that they would hold a summit in Hungary within a couple of weeks. But after a phone call between the countries' foreign ministers, the White House announced that Trump has no plans to meet Putin "in the foreseeable future".
Trump explained that he did not want a "wasted meeting" – something the Kremlin said Putin also wants to avoid.
— The dates have not been set yet, but thorough preparation is needed, and that takes time, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
The delay came after Russia reiterated to the United States its conditions for peace, including that Ukraine should hand over control of the entire Donbas region, according to three sources to Reuters. This represented a rejection of Trump's statement that both sides should stop at the current front lines.
Shares in European defense companies rose on news of the postponed summit. Most European governments strongly support Kyiv and have pledged to increase their military spending for the war.
