January 23, 2026
Local
Local
KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 23 — Two foreign nationals have become the first individuals in Malaysia to be charged in court for littering under the newly enforced anti-littering law, according to a report by The Star.
SAN JOSE, March 1 — Nicaragua announced its withdrawal from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labour Organization (ILO), further distancing itself from multilateral bodies amid ongoing criticism of its human rights record.
Rosario Murillo, who co-governs with her husband, President Daniel Ortega, stated that these organizations “do not fulfill the mission for which they were created.” She condemned what she called “insults, falsehoods, and colonialist double standards” from international bodies.
The move follows Nicaragua’s recent exit from the UN Human Rights Council after experts accused the government of widespread repression. It also previously left the UN Food and Agriculture Organization following a report highlighting rising hunger in the country.
Murillo accused the ILO of political bias and attempting to destabilize the country by addressing labor rights complaints, while the government claimed the IOM spread “false and malicious” migration data.
Ortega, who first led Nicaragua in the 1980s and returned to power in 2007, has tightened state control with Murillo’s support. His government has jailed hundreds of critics and shut down over 5,000 NGOs since the 2018 protests, in which the UN estimates more than 300 people were killed. — AFP
