Egypt
The U.N. hit out at Egypt today for an escalating crackdown on the media. "We are witnessing widening assaults on press freedom by Egyptian authorities, including the targeting, persecution and harassment of independent journalists," U.N. rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters in Geneva. All six staff members of fact-checking site Matsadaash were arrested in September and remain in detention, where their lawyer says they have been tortured. Last month, Lina Attalah, editor-in-chief of the acclaimed Mada Masr news site, was fined 3 million Egyptian pounds by a judge in Cairo who ordered the outlet to shut down. Attalah will again appear in court on November 11 accused of “spreading false information,” a charge that carries a prison sentence.
More from the U.N. here.
DR Congo
Sixty-six soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have been sentenced to death for cowardice, mutiny and disobeying orders, local media reported. The troops were arrested last month, accused of abandoning their posts during a battle with fighters from the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, a coalition of armed groups that includes the powerful M23 militia. Congolese authorities accuse neighboring Rwanda of supporting the M23, which Kigali denies despite several authoritative reports and investigations. The army said it was necessary to prosecute the soldiers in order to improve discipline in its ranks.
More from BBC here.
Gaza
The U.N. children’s agency has accused Israel of blocking the importation of equipment needed to repair a water basin in Gaza, warning that residents are in danger of flooding and disease. "Toxic sewage could flow into the streets and tents of Gaza City, forcing children and families from their makeshift homes once more, and grossly increasing the threat of disease. So we're a bit baffled," UNICEF’s James Elder told a press briefing in Geneva, referring to the rejection of the equipment. It comes as the Palestinian enclave struggles with a winter storm, which has caused severe flooding in tent-filled displacement camps.
More from Reuters here.