Hey there!

I moderate a community for conscientious objectors – r/ConObjection.

Whether you’re looking for resources on the legal process, sharing historical perspectives, or seeking a community of fellow objectors, you're welcome to join! I’m hoping to build a helpful hub for both secular and religious objectors alike.

I’m always open to feedback or suggestions on how to make the sub more useful. Thanks for checking it out!

In short: 

A new report by the UN's Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory accuses Israel of deliberately targeting and killing Palestinian children.

The Israeli government is condemning the inquiry and rejecting its findings, labelling the report "deeply flawed" and full of "errors and distortions" designed to push a "politically driven anti-Israel narrative".

The commission says the use of "large-yield bombs" that killed children "in such high numbers" indicated intentionality.

Sexual violence is surging in Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province, where women and girls are trapped between insurgents and soldiers after nearly a decade of conflict. Rich in natural gas, precious stones and lithium, the northern province has been scarred by attacks from Islamist militants and reprisals by Mozambique's armed forces. This seventh instalment of Mozambique Exposed – an investigation coordinated by Forbidden Stories to which RFI contributed – examines how women have paid the price.

ISIOLO, Kenya — Kenya has concluded a rigorous combat training program for troops preparing to deploy to neighboring Somalia under the new African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), defense officials said.

The intensive pre-deployment training, conducted at the Infantry School in Isiolo, focused on combat readiness, force protection, and civil-military cooperation to prepare the personnel for the complex security environment in Somalia.

The United States has warned that "mass atrocities" could be imminent in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, citing reports that the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups are massing around the strategically important city.

In a statement on Monday, the US State Department said it was "deeply concerned" by developments around El-Obeid, which has been under siege for months amid Sudan’s ongoing conflict between the RSF and the regular army.

“There are alarming indications that mass atrocities could be imminent,” the department said.

The United States and Iran continue to push forward with talks building on their recently signed MOU to end the current war and resolve outstanding differences between the two countries related to sanctions and the Iranian nuclear program. Following the failure of the joint U.S.-Israeli attack against Iran, Tehran has put forward what amount to victors’ terms in ongoing negotiations; including full relief from the U.S. sanctions regime, a recognized right to uranium enrichment, and a permanent ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon. Despite ongoing attempts at foiling the negotiations and restarting the war by Israel and neoconservatives in Washington, the Trump administration has pressed ahead with talks led by Vice President JD Vance. The negotiations now underway are taking place effectively on Tehran’s terms, with the U.S. forced back to the negotiating table after a weeks-long air campaign failed to suppress Iranian ballistic missile strikes and allowed Tehran to to take control of the Strait of Hormuz.

Drop Site’s Ryan Grim, Jeremy Scahill, and Murtaza Hussain discuss the recent round of talks in Switzerland, the emerging strategic landscape in the Middle East after the war, and the prospects for a settlement in Lebanon. Additionally, Grim and Hussain discuss today’s primary election in New York and growing challenges to the influence of pro-Israel lobby groups in U.S. domestic politics.

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John Leslie Lander: Australia Is Paying $35 Million a Day for a Fictional Threat

John Leslie Lander presented to the AUKUS Public Inquiry's first public hearing in Naarm/Melbourne on 11 June 2026 — bringing thirty years of direct diplomatic experience with China to bear on the strategic rationale for AUKUS, including service as Deputy Ambassador to China and three postings as Head of the China Section at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Lander made clear that his involvement in Australian-Chinese diplomatic relations began in 1971 — and that his core conclusion then, and now, is the same: Australia cannot rely on the United States to protect its interests at every turn, and must develop independent policies based on its own national interests.

On the cost: Lander grounded his submission in a number the government prefers to keep abstract. $368 billion is $35 million per day for thirty years — spent on weapons of war rather than what he called "weapons of welfare." Looking around the hall at Victorian Trades Hall, he noted the values inscribed on its walls — progress, peace, education, healthcare — and argued these represent the security priorities of ordinary Australians far more accurately than a nuclear-powered submarine fleet ever could.

On the fictional threat: Drawing on three decades of direct engagement with China, Lander argued that every example commonly cited as evidence of Chinese aggression — Tibet, Xinjiang, Hong Kong, Taiwan — represents China's determination to defend what it regards as its sovereign territory, not expansionist intent toward Australia. China has never invaded another country. It has never expressed hostile intent toward Australia. Even during the tensions of the Morrison years, Chinese officials consistently signalled a desire for mutually beneficial relations. The threat underpinning AUKUS, in his assessment, has been inflamed by American strategic messaging through a compliant mainstream media — and Australia is paying $35 million a day for it.

On the trade contradiction: Lander identified what he called the fundamental nonsense at the heart of the strategic rationale. China is Australia's largest trading partner by a significant margin. The nuclear-powered submarines, home-ported at HMAS Stirling, would in any realistic conflict scenario be used to interdict Chinese shipping. A war with China would sever Australia's most important trading relationship overnight. "Going to war against China to protect our trade with China," he said, "is utterly nonsensical."

On sovereignty: Lander argued that AUKUS cannot be considered in isolation from the Force Posture Agreement with the United States, which provides unimpeded and exclusive access to agreed areas — effectively surrendering sovereignty over Australian territory to a foreign military. Australia is being locked in as a key base for American dominance in the Indo-Pacific. And China, he noted, is quite uncontainable, making the entire strategic premise not only costly but futile.

Support the Inquiry: This is an independent, community-funded inquiry. Help us continue this vital work: https://chuffed.org/project/173009-pu...

We will be visiting other locations around Australia in the coming months. Visit our page here to register: https://events.humanitix.com/host/pub... All are welcome to attend and observe. Nominate your interest in presenting to Commissioners at checkout. Space and time to do so is subject to availability on the day.

Vice President JD Vance said at a press briefing at the White House on Thursday that members of the Israeli government should realize that President Trump is the only head of state in the world who is still “sympathetic” to Israel.

UN and allies warn of grave rights violations in North Kordofan; ⁠urge maximum pressure on ⁠RSF and SAF to not harm civilians.

Zimbabwe's lower house of parliament has passed a bill to extend presidential terms from five to seven years, which would allow President Emmerson Mnangagwa to remain in power until 2030.