The court convicted Bashar al-Assad of crimes including premeditated murder , torture, arbitrary detention and crimes against humanity. Six other former officials were also sentenced to death in absentia.

But one member of the Assad family was actually in the Damascus courtroom.

Atef Najib, Assad's cousin and former head of political security in Daraa, stood inside a cage wearing a prison uniform as he received his own death sentence.

Najib's case takes Syria back to where its uprising began. In 2011, 15 young people were detained and tortured after anti-government graffiti appeared in Daraa. Their treatment helped trigger protests that spread across the country, followed by a government crackdown and a civil war lasting almost 14 years.

For Syria's new authorities, the verdicts are part of a wider effort to hold former Assad-era officials accountable and establish a system of transitional justice .

But the process is already facing scrutiny.

Human rights and legal observers have raised concerns about the speed and fairness of the proceedings. Monitors of Najib's trial reported inadequate legal representation and weaknesses in witness testimony, while questions remain about applying crimes against humanity under Syria's existing legal framework.

Rights advocates who welcomed the move towards accountability have also stressed that future proceedings need to respect fair-trial standards, defence rights and judicial independence.

The challenge is particularly important in a country still dealing with violence after Assad's fall, including killings involving Alawite and Druze communities.

Questions also remain about whether Bashar and Maher Assad will ever face Syrian justice in person. Both remain in Russia, making their sentences largely symbolic unless they are eventually returned to Syria.

“The list goes on and on. All as we, as Americans, pay for the bombs that do the killing,” he added.

The statement followed a legal review by Mamdani's administration into whether New York City could detain Netanyahu if he travelled to the city.

“It is clear that we do not have the independent legal authority to enforce this warrant. The federal government, however, does. And I call on them to join the ICC and execute this warrant. And I want to be equally clear: Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City, nor is any other war criminal at large,” he said.

The ICC issued the arrest warrant on November 21, 2024. It alleges that Netanyahu bears responsibility for the war crimes of using starvation as a method of warfare and intentionally directing attacks against civilians, as well as the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.

Israel rejects the allegations and the court's jurisdiction, saying its military targets Hamas and other armed groups and accusing the ICC of political bias.

Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, accused Mamdani of repeating "blood libels" and said his position would not prevent Netanyahu from travelling to New York.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz dismissed the proposed arrest as "pure political theatre."

US President Donald Trump also rejected the prospect of Netanyahu's arrest, saying the Israeli leader "will not be arrested, in any way, shape, or form, while in the United States of America."

The United States is not a member of the ICC and does not recognise the court's jurisdiction over American and Israeli nationals.

Uruguay has the highest share of urban residents in Latin America, with 95.9% of its population living in urban areas in 2024, according to the United Nations Population Division's World Urbanisation Prospects .

The UN estimates that nearly all Uruguayans now live in cities and towns, reflecting one of the world's most urbanised societies. The country's population is heavily concentrated around Montevideo, which, together with its surrounding metropolitan area, accounts for more than half of the national population.

Puerto Rico ranks second with 93.7%, followed by Argentina at 92.6%. Venezuela places fourth with 88.5%, narrowly ahead of Chile at 88.1% and Brazil at 88.0%.

Among Latin America's largest economies, urban populations now dominate national demographics.

Brazil, the region's most populous country, has almost nine in ten people living in urban areas. São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte and Salvador remain among the country's largest metropolitan centres.

Mexico ranks tenth with 81.9%, driven by continued growth around Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey. Colombia follows closely with 82.7%, where Bogotá, Medellín, Cali and Barranquilla account for a significant share of the country's population.

The Dominican Republic records 85.0%, while Costa Rica reaches 83.2%, with urban growth concentrated around Santo Domingo and the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José, respectively.

According to the United Nations, Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the world's most urbanised regions, with urbanisation accelerating rapidly throughout the second half of the 20th century as millions of people moved from rural areas to cities in search of employment, education and healthcare.

The UN projects that urbanisation will continue increasing across much of the region over the coming decades, although growth is expected to slow as many countries approach saturation levels where the overwhelming majority of their populations already live in urban areas.

The index, published by the Global Tax Expenditures Lab (GTEL), evaluates how governments disclose tax expenditures, including tax exemptions, deductions, credits and reduced tax rates. These measures represent government revenue forgone through the tax system and are widely used to support economic sectors, investment and social policy .

Indonesia climbed one place from the previous edition to lead the global rankings with 79.9 points, narrowly ahead of the Republic of Korea, which scored 78.3 after slipping from first place.

Australia recorded one of the greatest improvements, rising eight places to third with 76.3, while the Netherlands also climbed eight positions to fourth on 75.5. Canada completed the top five with 72.9, despite dropping two places.

Germany ranked sixth with 72.2, followed by the Russian Federation on 71.3. Benin emerged as Africa's highest-ranked country, placing eighth globally with 71.0, while France and Brazil rounded out the top ten with 68.9 and 68.8, respectively.

Unlike broader tax competitiveness rankings, the GTETI focuses exclusively on transparency. It assesses whether governments publish comprehensive information about tax expenditures, including their legal basis, estimated fiscal cost, policy objectives, beneficiaries and regular evaluations.

The index examines five key dimensions: institutional frameworks, the quality and scope of reporting, accessibility of information, oversight and accountability, and the use of evaluations to determine whether tax incentives achieve their intended goals.

According to the Global Tax Expenditures Lab, transparent reporting allows governments, legislators and the public to better understand the true cost of tax incentives and whether they deliver value for money.

Tax expenditures can amount to several percentage points of a country's gross domestic product and often rival direct government spending in size. Yet many governments still provide limited public information on these measures.

The GTETI argues that stronger reporting improves fiscal accountability, supports evidence-based policymaking and helps governments assess whether tax incentives remain justified over time.

The European Union has introduced sweeping changes to the way low-value imports are handled, ending a long-standing system that allowed millions of inexpensive parcels to enter the bloc with minimal customs scrutiny.

Since 1 July 2026, new customs rules have been designed to tighten oversight of cross-border e-commerce, improve product safety and create fairer competition for European retailers.

The reform, proposed by the European Commission as part of its Customs Union overhaul, comes after a surge in small parcels shipped directly to EU consumers. According to the Commission, around 5.8 billion low-value consignments entered the EU in 2025, equivalent to roughly 12 million parcels every day. Approximately 90% of those shipments originated from China , with platforms such as Shein, Temu and AliExpress accounting for a significant share of the volume.

Under the new framework, every imported parcel will require a customs declaration, including consignments valued below €150, which previously benefited from simplified procedures.

Online marketplaces also face a handling fee on direct-to-consumer shipments. The European Commission has proposed a €2 fee for parcels handled through the Import One Stop Shop (IOSS) system and €3 for consignments processed outside that scheme.

The measure still requires approval by EU member states and the European Parliament, but customs reforms introducing stricter controls have begun taking effect from July. Reuters has reported that the proposed fee is intended to help national customs authorities manage the rapidly growing volume of imports.

Consumers may therefore face higher final prices as retailers pass on some of the additional administrative and customs costs.

EU officials argue that the existing system has struggled to cope with the explosive growth of ultra-low-cost online shopping.

The Council of the European Union and the European Commission say the reforms aim to reduce unfair competition for European businesses, strengthen customs enforcement and improve checks on products entering the single market. Authorities have repeatedly raised concerns about unsafe products, undervalued shipments and counterfeit goods entering through high-volume e-commerce channels.

The Commission estimates that the previous customs framework was designed for a far smaller volume of imports and no longer reflects today's digital retail market.

“All persons who do not take a direct part or who have ceased to take part in hostilities, whether or not their liberty has been restricted, are entitled to respect for their person, honour, convictions, and religious practices. They shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction. It is prohibited to order that there shall be no survivors.” 

So why, then, are civilians in Sudan continuing to endure dehumanising conditions? These range from severe hunger and displacement to sexual violence and summary executions.

As a result of the war – recently described by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights as an “unfolding catastrophe” – suffering is being normalised, necessitating urgent international action.

“Civilians have been subjected to siege-like conditions for 18 months, battered by relentless drone strikes, as the Sudanese armed forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) battle for control,” says Volker Turk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

He highlights the series of grave atrocities reported in al-Obeid, the North Kordofan state capital, where about 15 drone strikes killed 45 civilians and injured 41 in the month of June alone, noting that the actual number of casualties is likely higher.

The conflict, which began in 2023, is a vicious power struggle between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary RSF. It broke out after the fall of the country’s former leader, Omar al-Bashir. It has displaced over 9 million people from their homes, setting up the world’s worst humanitarian crisis – driven by two extreme sides, both unwilling to heed calls for accountability.

In 2025, nearly 250,000 civilians, half of them children, were subjected to prolonged starvation in Sudan’s North Darfur city of al-Fashir during an RSF siege. Thousands of grave human rights violations were documented.

“RSF and allied Arab militia carried out widespread attacks, including mass killings and summary executions, sexual violence, abductions for ransom, torture and ill-treatment, detention, disappearances, pillage and the use of children in hostilities. In many cases, attacks were directed against civilians and persons hors de combat based on their ethnicity or perceived affiliation,” a UN report concluded.

These events reveal a deeply saddening pattern of profound human suffering, but what’s more concerning is its reckless continuity, with no end in sight.

In a world where the law is becoming increasingly sidelined by the interests and egos of individuals, there is a need for deeper reflection. The international community must unite to defend the principles of justice for the victims, relentlessly seek accountability and advocate for peaceful resolution to the Sudan conflict.

The African Union and other continental players should be supported to lead mediation and humanitarian efforts. African solutions must be prioritised because they best understand the conflict’s many dimensions.

“External actors often simplify complex crises by supporting one side without fully acknowledging the diversity of political forces at play. This approach tends to overlook the nuanced, multifaceted nature of the situation, which involves various stakeholders with different interests, ideologies and goals. As a result, the complexity of the conflict is ignored, and a one-dimensional perspective can lead to ineffective or misguided interventions,” analysts argue.

In the same vein, and to counter the simplification, the Sudan situation must receive the media attention it deserves. This could help draw more global support. All conflicts deserve equal urgency, regardless of where they occur or whose interests they serve.

The article solely represents the views of Simpson Muhwezi, a Ugandan freelance writer and development practitioner.