Supreme Court ruling undermines trans rights in the UK
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled that trans women are not legally women. The majority’s reasoning depended on their interpretation of specific language from the 2010 Equality Act, ruling that the definition of sex as a protected class is based on biological sex at birth.
The case stems from a 2018 diversity quota law passed by the Scottish Parliament, under which trans women could count towards a target of 50 percent women on government boards. For Women Scotland, an organization which describes themselves as campaigning for women’s rights and against gender identity, sued the Scottish government that same year. Although the litigation specifically addressed trans women, Wednesday’s judgment applies to trans men as well.
The Court’s deputy president noted that trans people will still be protected from discrimination under the Equality Act, but with the protected characteristic of gender reassignment instead of sex. The immediate implications of the ruling are unclear.
Sudanese civil war enters third year
The Sudanese paramilitary group Rapid Support Forces declared on Wednesday that they had established a parallel government. The nation is currently led by a military dictatorship; both sides have been accused of war crimes by the UN since the Sudanese civil war broke out just over two years ago.
The RSF’s announcement came just three weeks after the military retook Khartoum, the nation’s capital, an event that was followed by reports of mass civilian executions conducted by the military. Two weeks later, on Friday, April 11, the RSF laid waste to the Zamzam refugee camp in the western region of Darfur, killing hundreds of civilians and nine hospital employees, including the head doctor. The Zamzam camp lies just outside the last major city in Sudan’s western region not controlled by the RSF, and held half a million refugees at the time of the attack. Casualty estimates range from 28,000–150,000 since the war began, with millions more displaced.
Gabon election
On Saturday, April 12, voters in Gabon elected General Brice Oligui Nguema as their next president. Nguema received more than 90 percent of around 920,000 votes, easily outperforming six other candidates. There were no immediate signs of election disturbance, but many analysts claim that the race was rigged in Nguema’s favor.
This was the first presidential election since General Nguema led a successful coup in 2023, ending a 54-year period of autocratic family rule. In the immediate aftermath of the coup, Nguema pledged to “return power to civilians” through “credible elections.” In January, his administration adopted a new electoral code that allowed for military officials to be candidates in all elections, including President. Nguema has also been accused of crafting new election laws to his advantage, and of misusing state resources to fund his campaign. Despite having been part of the previous administration himself, Nguema maintains that his primary goal is to end the corruption which has long plagued Gabon and to modernize the nation’s infrastructure.
Former president of Peru sentenced to 15 years
On Tuesday, a Peruvian court sentenced former president Ollanta Humala and his wife, former first lady Nadine Heredia, to 15 years in prison. The sentencing came after the two were convicted of laundering millions of dollars in illegal contributions during Humala’s 2006 and 2011 presidential campaigns; both Humala and Heredia deny wrongdoing and plan to appeal the judgment. While the judge ordered their sentences to begin immediately, Heredia and her son sought asylum at the Brazilian Embassy in Lima immediately after the hearing. Their request was granted under the 1954 Convention on Diplomatic Asylum, and the two arrived in Brazil’s capital Wednesday.
Humala only served one term as president, from 2011–2016. Tuesday marked the third time in 20 years that a former president has been jailed for charges of corruption; at least two others have faced similar charges since 2019.
Commercial whaling in Iceland on hold
In April 2025, Iceland’s largest commercial whaling company, Hvalur HF, announced it would not operate during the summer hunting season for the second year in a row. A spokesman for Hvalur HF cited decreased demand for whale meat alongside rising inflation as the reasoning behind their decision, noting that whaling was not economically viable at the moment. Iceland’s second largest commercial whaling company went out of business in 2020.
Iceland is one of just three countries worldwide that permits commercial whaling, along with Norway and Japan. The practice is governed by the International Whaling Commission, which counts 88 member nations; the IWC issued a moratorium on commercial whaling back in 1986 that is still in effect today. While Japan withdrew from the IWC in 2019, Norway and Iceland are still members. Both countries utilize a loophole in the Convention that allows them to circumvent the moratorium.
