Media reported that about 50 relatives gathered outside the hospital to protest the arrests. They reportedly believed that death had been the "least severe punishment" Maryam Yarmohammadi deserved. What the young woman's relatives considered her guilty of has not been publicly reported. Yet both the circumstances of the case and the extreme violence involved follow a familiar pattern seen in so-called honor killings.
torsdag 22. oktober 2026
Femicide in Iran: When 'honor' becomes a death sentence
The life of Maryam Yarmohammadi came to a violent end in the early hours of October 5, when the 28-year-old mother of two was attacked with knives by her brother and husband on Qeshm Island in southern Iran. Her genitalia were mutilated. She died shortly afterward in hospital. Both her husband and brother were arrested.
Media reported that about 50 relatives gathered outside the hospital to protest the arrests. They reportedly believed that death had been the "least severe punishment" Maryam Yarmohammadi deserved. What the young woman's relatives considered her guilty of has not been publicly reported. Yet both the circumstances of the case and the extreme violence involved follow a familiar pattern seen in so-called honor killings.
Media reported that about 50 relatives gathered outside the hospital to protest the arrests. They reportedly believed that death had been the "least severe punishment" Maryam Yarmohammadi deserved. What the young woman's relatives considered her guilty of has not been publicly reported. Yet both the circumstances of the case and the extreme violence involved follow a familiar pattern seen in so-called honor killings.
Are Europeans putting profits over human rights in Vietnam?
Vietnam's Communist Party chief and president, To Lam, arrived in Brussels on Wednesday for an official visit to the European Union (EU) and Belgium in another sign of a relationship that continues to grow.
The visit comes just days after Vietnam signed a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), comprising Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Trade ties between Vietnam and Europe have deepened in recent years. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which took effect in August 2020, substantially expanded Vietnam's commercial ties with most European states.
Amid global tariff wars, the EU-Vietnam relationship "is a welcome advertisement for keeping markets open," Khac Giang Nguyen, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, told DW.
The visit comes just days after Vietnam signed a free trade agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), comprising Norway, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Trade ties between Vietnam and Europe have deepened in recent years. The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), which took effect in August 2020, substantially expanded Vietnam's commercial ties with most European states.
Amid global tariff wars, the EU-Vietnam relationship "is a welcome advertisement for keeping markets open," Khac Giang Nguyen, a visiting fellow at the ISEAS–Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, told DW.
A Trump-Putin-Xi summit would put Xi at the apex
In July 1971, Henry Kissinger developed a convenient stomachache in Pakistan, vanished from public view and turned up in Beijing. The secret trip that led to Nixon’s opening to China rested on a simple piece of geometry: in a world of three great powers, the smart move is to stand closer to each of your rivals than they stand to one another.
The Sino-Soviet split gave Washington the hinge of the triangle, and Kissinger made sure America sat on it. Half a century later, Donald Trump is being invited to draw a triangle of his own. According to the Wall Street Journal, Vladimir Putin used an October 9 phone call with Trump, the same call in which the two men agreed that Washington would buy Russian diesel, to propose a three-way summit with Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Shenzhen on November 18–19.
The Sino-Soviet split gave Washington the hinge of the triangle, and Kissinger made sure America sat on it. Half a century later, Donald Trump is being invited to draw a triangle of his own. According to the Wall Street Journal, Vladimir Putin used an October 9 phone call with Trump, the same call in which the two men agreed that Washington would buy Russian diesel, to propose a three-way summit with Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC meeting in Shenzhen on November 18–19.
China’s new drone mothership targets US undersea edge
China’s development of specialized naval auxiliaries designed to transport, launch and recover submarine-sized uncrewed vessels signals an assertive push to project autonomous undersea power beyond the First Island Chain and systematically challenge US submarine dominance in the Western Pacific.
This month, multiple media outlets reported visual evidence showing that China has constructed a second dedicated mothership to deploy and service submarine-sized uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), signaling an expanding bid to project autonomous undersea power beyond its coastal waters.
This month, multiple media outlets reported visual evidence showing that China has constructed a second dedicated mothership to deploy and service submarine-sized uncrewed underwater vehicles (UUVs), signaling an expanding bid to project autonomous undersea power beyond its coastal waters.
APEC finance ministers warn persistent global imbalances risk growth and stability
Senior Pacific Rim finance officials say global economic imbalances are bringing persistent risks and have pledged to improve cooperation and communication. In a joint statement after two days of meetings in Hong Kong, the finance leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum emphasized Wednesday that rebalancing of trade is their common interest. However, they did not elaborate on specific measures to be taken.
The meetings, in preparation for an APEC summit next month in the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen, come at a time when global policymakers are highlighting the need to rebalance trade with China. Its trade surplus this year is expected to exceed 2025’s record $1.2 trillion.
The officials also pointed to risks from geopolitical tensions and vulnerable supply chains. “We note that global imbalances have persisted, creating risks to growth and stability,” the statement said.
The meetings, in preparation for an APEC summit next month in the nearby Chinese city of Shenzhen, come at a time when global policymakers are highlighting the need to rebalance trade with China. Its trade surplus this year is expected to exceed 2025’s record $1.2 trillion.
The officials also pointed to risks from geopolitical tensions and vulnerable supply chains. “We note that global imbalances have persisted, creating risks to growth and stability,” the statement said.
The Global Cost of Ignoring Xinjiang
In the years following 2017, when evidence of mass arbitrary detention in China’s Uyghur region began reaching the outside world, a broad coalition responded. Civil society mobilized, governments passed genocide resolutions, the UN launched an investigation, and corporations faced legal exposure over tainted supply chains.
In 2026, that energy has largely dissipated. Governments that once spoke plainly about conditions in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang, known to Uyghurs as East Turkistan) now say little, or nothing at all. The UN’s human rights office has seemingly made little progress. Western companies continue to expand, largely unchecked, into the Uyghur region. These developments reflect a choice governments and other institutions have made, quietly setting aside Uyghur rights in favor of economic and strategic priorities.
In 2026, that energy has largely dissipated. Governments that once spoke plainly about conditions in the Uyghur region (Xinjiang, known to Uyghurs as East Turkistan) now say little, or nothing at all. The UN’s human rights office has seemingly made little progress. Western companies continue to expand, largely unchecked, into the Uyghur region. These developments reflect a choice governments and other institutions have made, quietly setting aside Uyghur rights in favor of economic and strategic priorities.
North Korea to resume propaganda broadcasts, South Korea urges dialogue
North Korea says it plans to resume broadcasting anti-South Korea propaganda along the armed border between the countries, as Seoul has urged Pyongyang to discuss easing tensions.
Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Wednesday that North Korea will place loudspeakers along the entire border, following a visit with top military officials to fortifications along the contested frontier. Kim warned Seoul of “the most horrible and distressing situation” if it continues what Pyongyang calls interference in North Korea’s internal affairs.
She said North Korean tactical units had taken up new positions, and accused South Korean troops of conducting warning broadcasts and firing warning shots at multiple locations near the border.
Kim Yo Jong, a senior North Korean official and the sister of leader Kim Jong Un, said on Wednesday that North Korea will place loudspeakers along the entire border, following a visit with top military officials to fortifications along the contested frontier. Kim warned Seoul of “the most horrible and distressing situation” if it continues what Pyongyang calls interference in North Korea’s internal affairs.
She said North Korean tactical units had taken up new positions, and accused South Korean troops of conducting warning broadcasts and firing warning shots at multiple locations near the border.
Southeast Asia’s toxic haze spurs calls for legal action against polluters
As toxic haze from Indonesia’s worst wildfires in a decade clouded skies across Malaysia and Singapore over the past two months, a growing clamour of voices has demanded legal accountability.
In theory, a patchwork of domestic and international laws makes it possible for Southeast Asian governments to hold polluters responsible for cross-border haze, most of which has been blamed on land clearing by Indonesian palm oil plantation owners. In practice, sensitivities around national sovereignty, a lack of enforcement mechanisms, and the practical challenges of evidence collection make legal action difficult, if not infeasible.
On paper, Southeast Asian countries are committed to working together to prevent cross-border air pollution under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, signed in 2002.
In theory, a patchwork of domestic and international laws makes it possible for Southeast Asian governments to hold polluters responsible for cross-border haze, most of which has been blamed on land clearing by Indonesian palm oil plantation owners. In practice, sensitivities around national sovereignty, a lack of enforcement mechanisms, and the practical challenges of evidence collection make legal action difficult, if not infeasible.
On paper, Southeast Asian countries are committed to working together to prevent cross-border air pollution under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, signed in 2002.
North Korea tells border troops to take ‘resolute action’ if South threatens their safety
North Korea has told its border troops to take “prompt and resolute action” if South Korean forces threaten their safety, state media said on Wednesday, raising the risk of a clash along the heavily armed frontier. The report came a day after Seoul pledged to punish “resolutely” any further provocation by Pyongyang if North Korea acted on threats to strengthen its military posture along the border.
North Korean Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon inspected fortifications on the border with South Korea on Tuesday, accompanied by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, KCNA reported.
North Korean Army Marshal Pak Jong Chon inspected fortifications on the border with South Korea on Tuesday, accompanied by Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of leader Kim Jong Un, KCNA reported.
China shutters three more Golog Tibetan-run schools in Sinicization imperative
Chinese authorities in one prefecture in Qinghai province have ordered the closure of at least three more privately-run Tibetan schools in the past three months under Beijing’s recently passed language laws, said Dharamshala-based Tibetan Centre for Human Rights and Democracy (tchrd.org) as well as the Central Tibetan Administration (Tibet.net) Oct 19. The schools – an orphanage, a charity-run nomadic grassland school for girls, and a community-funded village primary school – were forcibly shuttered after they refused to heed orders to switch to Chinese language and Sinicization-focused curricula.
The closure of the Golog Tadrag Orphans School, the Ragya Jigme Gyaltsen Grassland Girls School, and a community-funded village school in Jasag village – all in Golog (Chinese: Guoluo) prefecture – took place over Aug-Sept, 2026, depriving Tibetan children of education in their own mother tongue, culture, and community settings.
The closure of the Golog Tadrag Orphans School, the Ragya Jigme Gyaltsen Grassland Girls School, and a community-funded village school in Jasag village – all in Golog (Chinese: Guoluo) prefecture – took place over Aug-Sept, 2026, depriving Tibetan children of education in their own mother tongue, culture, and community settings.
onsdag 21. oktober 2026
China defends DeepSeek after US ban of its AI from government systems
China hit back Tuesday at a U.S. ban on the use of Chinese artificial intelligence startup DeepSeek’s products by federal civilian agencies and warned of retaliatory measures as the two AI powers race to develop the technology.
The Department of Homeland Security said the agencies should remove DeepSeek products as well as third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek from their IT systems, according to a notice made public on Monday.
The latest warnings reflect “the depth of strategic distrust between Beijing and Washington” even as U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping work hard to keep their personal relationship “warm and constructive,” said George Chen, partner and chair of digital practice at Washington-based The Asia Group consultancy.
The Department of Homeland Security said the agencies should remove DeepSeek products as well as third-party products and services developed using DeepSeek from their IT systems, according to a notice made public on Monday.
The latest warnings reflect “the depth of strategic distrust between Beijing and Washington” even as U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping work hard to keep their personal relationship “warm and constructive,” said George Chen, partner and chair of digital practice at Washington-based The Asia Group consultancy.
Trump Open to ‘Denuclearization’ Summit with Putin and Xi
President Donald Trump said on Monday he wants to hold a trilateral summit with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in China to discuss “denuclearization.” Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said such a meeting, which would be the first time the three leaders met outside of a larger multi-leader gathering, would be a “very positive thing for the world.” The U.S. President added: “If they’d like to have it, I think it would be held in China.”
The three leaders are expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese tech hub.
Trump was responding to Putin’s reported proposal for a three-way meeting with Trump and Xi. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with discussions, that Putin suggested the idea to Trump in an Oct. 9 call, seeking the summit to potentially broker an end to the war Russia started in Ukraine more than four years ago, without having a Ukrainian representative at the table.
The three leaders are expected to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit next month in Shenzhen, the southern Chinese tech hub.
Trump was responding to Putin’s reported proposal for a three-way meeting with Trump and Xi. The Wall Street Journal reported, citing unnamed sources familiar with discussions, that Putin suggested the idea to Trump in an Oct. 9 call, seeking the summit to potentially broker an end to the war Russia started in Ukraine more than four years ago, without having a Ukrainian representative at the table.
China Wants to Sell The World on Xinjiang-Farmed Fish
When Chinese state television hailed inland salmon as a miracle in 2018, many viewers saw something more familiar: not a wonder, but a sales pitch.
The segment, aired by China Central Television that May, celebrated salmon farmingin western China. Over images of sleek fish cutting through clear water, the narrator marveled that “a precious fish like salmon, which typically lives in the open ocean,” could now be raised inland, in the country’s barren western hinterland. The message was unmistakable. Technology had made the improbable possible. “The land is the same land, and the people are the same people,” the program declared, “but when technology is brought in, miracles are born.”
The segment, aired by China Central Television that May, celebrated salmon farmingin western China. Over images of sleek fish cutting through clear water, the narrator marveled that “a precious fish like salmon, which typically lives in the open ocean,” could now be raised inland, in the country’s barren western hinterland. The message was unmistakable. Technology had made the improbable possible. “The land is the same land, and the people are the same people,” the program declared, “but when technology is brought in, miracles are born.”
Brutal, revolutionary empire builder: Genghis Khan's legacy
Genghis Khan is one of history's most radical figures. A blood-thirsty invader whose conquests caused the deaths of an estimated 40 million people, he was also a visionary political thinker who established the largest contiguous land empire in history.
The founder of the Mongolian Empire died in 1227. Ahead of the 800th anniversary of his death, Berlin's James-Simon-Galerie explores his legacy and the "Mongol Century" (1250–1350) in the exhibition "Genghis Khan and the World of the Mongol".
The ruler remains "incredibly relevant" to this day, says Matthias Wemhoff, the director of the exhibition project. "What the era of Genghis Khan — the 'Mongol century,' if you will — vividly demonstrates is how quickly established structures can collapse, how rapidly vast empires can vanish from the map and how swiftly the entire landscape can be utterly transformed," the archaeologist tells DW.
The founder of the Mongolian Empire died in 1227. Ahead of the 800th anniversary of his death, Berlin's James-Simon-Galerie explores his legacy and the "Mongol Century" (1250–1350) in the exhibition "Genghis Khan and the World of the Mongol".
The ruler remains "incredibly relevant" to this day, says Matthias Wemhoff, the director of the exhibition project. "What the era of Genghis Khan — the 'Mongol century,' if you will — vividly demonstrates is how quickly established structures can collapse, how rapidly vast empires can vanish from the map and how swiftly the entire landscape can be utterly transformed," the archaeologist tells DW.
Who are the women powering India's youth-led 'Cockroach' protests?
On July 20, Navkiran Natt and her partner set out for the magistrate's office in New Delhi to get married. They arrived to find a tense situation, with police gathering to break up a youth-led march on Parliament. Office staff — and the couple's wedding witnesses — were running late due to barricades.
The protest movement known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had announced the march to demand the resignation of India's then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protesters were met with heavy resistance from security forces, who had deployed batons, tear gas and pellet-firing shotguns, leading to injuries and mass detentions.
Less than three months later, on October 10, Natt left home early in the morning and spent the day crisscrossing the locked-down Indian capital looking for a protest she could join.
The protest movement known as the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) had announced the march to demand the resignation of India's then-Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan. The protesters were met with heavy resistance from security forces, who had deployed batons, tear gas and pellet-firing shotguns, leading to injuries and mass detentions.
Less than three months later, on October 10, Natt left home early in the morning and spent the day crisscrossing the locked-down Indian capital looking for a protest she could join.
North Korean workers treated as 'slaves' at Russian drone factory
As many as 12,000 North Koreans working at a Russian drone factory are victims of "gross human rights abuses and human trafficking," according to a new report.
The figures were part of a joint report published on October 14 by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Dallas-based George W. Bush Institute. It analyzes how Russia, North Korea, China and Iran are involved in expanding unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production at the Yelabuga plant in Tatarstan, and what each country stands to gain.
While Moscow gets access to more than 5,500 drones a month for its war against Ukraine, China benefits from being the main supplier of dual-use components, including batteries, internal electronics, engines and navigation systems.
The figures were part of a joint report published on October 14 by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and the Dallas-based George W. Bush Institute. It analyzes how Russia, North Korea, China and Iran are involved in expanding unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production at the Yelabuga plant in Tatarstan, and what each country stands to gain.
While Moscow gets access to more than 5,500 drones a month for its war against Ukraine, China benefits from being the main supplier of dual-use components, including batteries, internal electronics, engines and navigation systems.
‘Hybrid warfare’: Taiwan drives away 16 Chinese ships
Taiwan has confronted and driven away 16 Chinese coastguard, research and fishing vessels that it said were involved in simultaneous “maritime harassment” operations.
An “unusually large” number of Chinese vessels took part in coordinated operations around Taiwan’s main island and Pratas (also known as Dongsha), a disputed island to the southwest, the Taiwanese coastguard said in a statement on Sunday. The Chinese vessels included four fishing boats, which engaged in “simultaneous operations’ that the coastguard described as “hybrid warfare”.
Taiwan’s coastguard said its vessels took “forceful action immediately to effectively neutralise the threats” and accused Beijing of “attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo” in the Taiwan Strait and give the “false impression of jurisdiction”. Some of the vessels reportedly entered Taiwan’s restricted waters.
An “unusually large” number of Chinese vessels took part in coordinated operations around Taiwan’s main island and Pratas (also known as Dongsha), a disputed island to the southwest, the Taiwanese coastguard said in a statement on Sunday. The Chinese vessels included four fishing boats, which engaged in “simultaneous operations’ that the coastguard described as “hybrid warfare”.
Taiwan’s coastguard said its vessels took “forceful action immediately to effectively neutralise the threats” and accused Beijing of “attempting to unilaterally alter the status quo” in the Taiwan Strait and give the “false impression of jurisdiction”. Some of the vessels reportedly entered Taiwan’s restricted waters.
South Korea to pull more embassy staff from Ukraine after POW row
South Korea’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs says it will withdraw additional embassy personnel from Ukraine following Kyiv’s lack of “constructive response” in a dispute about North Korean prisoners of war (POWs).
Seoul had told Kyiv of its position via multiple channels but had not received a sufficient response from Ukraine, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said on Tuesday. Earlier this month, South Korea recalled its ambassador from Kyiv after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the South.
The disclosure angered Seoul, which said the operation should have remained confidential to protect the soldiers’ families in North Korea.
Seoul had told Kyiv of its position via multiple channels but had not received a sufficient response from Ukraine, ministry spokesperson Park Doo-soon said on Tuesday. Earlier this month, South Korea recalled its ambassador from Kyiv after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that Ukraine had transferred two captured North Korean soldiers to the South.
The disclosure angered Seoul, which said the operation should have remained confidential to protect the soldiers’ families in North Korea.
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