“South Korean governments committed numerous human rights violations over decades in a controversial programme that sent at least 170,000 children and babies abroad for adoption, a landmark inquiry has found. It said the government’s lack of oversight enabled the ‘mass exportation of children’ by private agencies that were driven by profit, and found examples of fraud, falsified records and coercion. Since the 1950s, South Korea has sent more children abroad for adoption than any other country, with most sent to Western countries. South Korea has since moved to tighten its adoption processes, but some adoptees and their biological parents say they are still haunted by what they went through. The BBC spoke to one woman who claimed her adoptive parents ‘took better care of the dog than they ever did of me’. ‘This is a shameful part of our history,’ said Park Sun-young, the chairperson of the commission, at a press briefing.” (03/26/25)
“Democrat James Malone is projected to win a special election for the state Senate in Pennsylvania in a district that President Donald Trump won by 15 points in November. The race was too early to call late Tuesday. With 99 percent of the estimated vote counted, Malone, the mayor of East Petersburg, was leading his Republican opponent, Lancaster County Commissioner Josh Parsons, by less than 500 votes, according to returns posted by the Pennsylvania Secretary of State. However, Democrats declared victory …. Meanwhile, Parsons wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that he was ‘disappointed in the numbers’ and that ‘it appears we will come up a little short.’ The candidates were running to fill a vacancy in northern Lancaster County after state Senator Ryan Aument, a Republican, quit to take a job working for U.S. Senator Dave McCormick.” (03/25/25)
“The Trump administration on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to allow it to cut hundreds of millions of dollars for teacher training. A federal judge in Boston temporarily blocked the cuts, finding they were already affecting training programs aimed at addressing a nationwide teacher shortage. An appeals court turned away a plea from the administration to allow them to resume. The government asked the high court to step in, arguing that the order is one of several issued by federal judges around the country wrongly forcing it to keep paying out millions in grant money. The Supreme Court called for a response to the appeal by Friday. It comes after U.S. District Judge Myong Joun issued a temporary restraining order sought by eight Democratic-led states that argued the cuts were likely driven by efforts from President Donald Trump’s administration to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion programs.” (03/26/25)
“Sudan’s army has recaptured Khartoum airport from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), ‘fully securing it,’ according to military sources. Soldiers also encircled areas surrounding the airport in the Sudanese capital on Wednesday, a key development in a two-year-old conflict between the armed forces and rival RSF. … The military, at war with the RSF since April 2023, launched a campaign this week to push the paramilitary forces out of central Khartoum, after recapturing the presidential palace in a key victory on Friday. RSF fighters had been stationed inside the airport, just east of central Khartoum’s government and business district, since the war began.” (03/26/25)
“Hundreds of people have taken part in the largest anti-Hamas protest in Gaza since the war with Israel began, taking to the streets to demand the group step down from power. Masked Hamas militants, some armed with guns and others carrying batons, intervened and forcibly dispersed the protesters, assaulting several of them. Videos shared widely on social media by activists typically critical of Hamas showed young men marching through the streets of Beit Lahia, northern Gaza on Tuesday, chanting ‘out, out, out, Hamas out.’ Pro-Hamas supporters defended the group, downplayed the significance of the demonstrations and accused the participants of being traitors. Hamas is yet to comment.” [editor’s note: The Palestinian protests against Hamas misrule were growing — despite violent suppression and execution of dissidents as “Israeli spies” — prior to the October 7 attacks, which were probably a last-gasp attempt by Hamas to survive by bringing Israel in as “worse cop” – TLK] (03/25/25)
“The White House announced Tuesday that it had reached separate agreements with Russia and Ukraine to allow for ‘safe navigation’ in the Black Sea, eliminating a major roadblock for peace talks between the two countries. The Trump administration, in two statements, said that technical-level talks between U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, resulted in agreements to ‘ensure safe navigation, eliminate the use of force, and prevent the use of commercial vessels for military purposes in the Black Sea.’ The U.S. also said it would help restore Russia’s ‘access to the world market for agricultural and fertilizer exports’ and take steps to improve Moscow’s access to global shipping.” (03/25/25)
“The Unification Church in Japan was ordered dissolved by a court Tuesday after a government request spurred by the investigation into the 2022 assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The church said it was considering an immediate appeal of the Tokyo District Court’s revocation of its legal status, which would take away its tax-exempt privilege and require liquidation of its assets. The order followed a request by Japan’s Education Ministry in 2023 to dissolve the influential South Korea-based sect, citing manipulative fundraising and recruitment tactics that sowed fear among followers and harmed their families. The Japanese branch of the church had criticized the request as a serious threat to religious freedom and the human rights of its followers.” (03/25/25)
“U.S. grocery chain Kroger countersued Albertsons on Tuesday, escalating a legal battle between the companies following the collapse of their proposed $25 billion merger in December. Albertsons terminated the merger immediately after courts blocked it and sued Kroger, alleging a breach of contract that led to the deal falling apart. The formal termination ended a two-year effort by the grocery chains to combine that regulators — who moved to stop the deal — said would eliminate competition and cause higher prices and reduce leverage for unionized workers. In December, Albertsons asked for billions of dollars in damages along with a $600 million termination fee. Kroger had called the claims baseless.” [editor’s note: Sounds like they should both be suing those regulators instead – TLK] (03/25/25)
“President Trump signed Tuesday an executive order to make sweeping changes to federal elections that includes a proof of citizenship requirement and aims to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day. Trump said on Truth Social his administration believes this is ‘the farthest-reaching executive action taken in the history’ of the U.S. to ‘Secure our Elections’ — and it’s likely to face legal challenges, with Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold’s (D) among those already calling the order ‘unlawful.'” (03/25/25)
“A Columbia University student and American resident has filed a lawsuit against President Donald Trump and his administration for its alleged efforts to remove her from the United States. The suit, filed Monday by 21-year-old Yunseo Chung, alleges that ‘the federal government began a series of unlawful efforts to arrest, detain, and remove’ her from the country, despite the fact she has lived in the U.S. since she was 7 years old. The suit states that Chung is now ‘at active risk of being put in immigration detention and deported from the only country she has ever known.’ … A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN Chung ‘is being sought for removal proceedings under the immigration laws,’ and ‘has engaged in concerning conduct, including when she was arrested by NYPD during a pro-Hamas protest at Barnard College.'” (03/25/25)
