UN forecasters warn of worsening conditions in 45 countries currently experiencing severe food insecurityAbout 50 million people are likely to be pushed into acute hunger before the end of next year by the rapidly developing El Niño weather system, according to forecasting.This is in addition to the hundreds of millions of people already facing dangerous levels of hunger, owing to years of drought in parts of Africa and pressure on food prices from the war in Iran. Continue reading...
Exclusive: court records reviewed by the Guardian show medical procedures included force-feeding, intravenous forced hydration and involuntary blood drawsHomeland security officials under the Trump administration have quietly attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in US immigrant detention to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, a Guardian investigation has found.In 2025 and 2026, officials had definitely performed the procedures on at least three detained immigrants and likely subjected two more to the forced treatment – widely considered torture by human rights groups. The other five people gave in and broke their hunger strike at the last minute as force-feeding procedures loomed.One Kurdish asylum seeker and hunger striker detained at the privately-run Port Isabel service processing center in Los Fresnos, south Texas, was subjected to force-feeding for nearly eight months, according to a series of filings in the southern district of Texas federal court, beginning in May 2025 and ending only when he was deported.Another hunger striker at the same facility was subjected to involuntary medical procedures, including force-feeding, for nearly six months between September 2025 and March 2026, filings in the same court show.Someone detained at the Krome service processing center in Miami, a privately-run ICE jail, was subjected to forced medical procedures for nearly three months, filings in the southern district of Florida federal court show. DHS seemingly began the forced practices three days before Trump’s 2025 inauguration for a second term, then continued.Two other hunger strikers, one at the Northwest ICE processing center in Washington state and another inside the Montgomery processing center on the outskirts of Houston, Texas, were likely subjected to forced medical procedures, according to filings in the western district of Washington and in the southern district of Texas federal courts.In at least five cases, hunger strikers detained in Texas, Arizona and Florida, ended their hunger strike right before officials began with the forced medical procedures, filings in the southern district of Texas, district of Arizona and southern district of Florida federal courts show.The forced procedures were performed inside the detention centers.In six cases reviewed by the Guardian, detained immigrants did not have any legal representation during the court proceedings granting the involuntary medical procedures.DHS and ICE have conducted these procedures throughout the years, regardless of which presidential administration is in power. In 2024, under Joe Biden, the Guardian found that DHS attempted to subject at least 10 hunger strikers in ICE detention to forced medical treatment. It definitely proceeded with at least two people, and likely subjected at least four more people to them. However, since the return of Trump to the White House and the dramatic increase in immigration arrests and detention , medical experts and advocates worry more hunger strikes will occur and strikers will be subjected to the practices.Look out for Force-fed by ICE parts two and three in the coming days Continue reading...
ICE report reviewed by the Guardian discloses a patient was ‘subject to force feeding, hydration or urinary catheterization’, which experts have described as tortureThe Trump administration subjected at least one person undertaking a hunger strike in immigrant detention to forcible medical treatment – engaging in medical practice that healthcare associations and international human rights groups have described as torture.A document from the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) health service agency, reviewed by the Guardian, confirms for the first time that the administration has used forced treatment on a hunger striker since Donald Trump began his second term. The document, published online in February by the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC), discloses that an unnamed patient who began hunger strikes between October and December of last year and “was subject to force feeding, hydration, or forced urinary catheterization, or involuntary blood draws”. Continue reading...
At least 1,500 protest after six men on drug-related charges put in solitary confinement before possible executionPrisoners at Iran’s largest jail have sewn their lips shut as hundreds of prisoners joined a mass hunger strike amid a surge in executions over drug offences and charges linked to anti-government protests.The hunger strike, involving at least 1,500 death row prisoners at Ghezel Hesar prison near Tehran, began two weeks ago after six men convicted on drug-related charges were transferred to solitary confinement before their possible execution, according to Iranian rights groups. Continue reading...
Government move follows months of drought and crop failures in Karamoja, with 1.5m people facing malnutritionUganda has launched emergency food relief distribution after at least 19 deaths from hunger were reported in an area of prolonged drought in the east of the country.A crisis has been building in the Karamoja region of Uganda as crops have failed without the season’s expected rains, leaving the region’s 1.5 million people facing acute food shortages and rising malnutrition. Continue reading...
• Activist Sonam Wangchuk has ended a 26-day hunger strike following appeals from lawmakers.
• The strike served as a catalyst for the "Cockroach" protests, which have spread across India and grown into a significant challenge for the government.
• These demonstrations highlight growing public unrest and a demand for systemic change or specific policy grievances led by Wangchuk.
Sonam Wangchuk halted strike amid concerns about ‘possible violence’ in India as protest movement urges demonstrations across country on Friday over police brutalityIndian “cockroach” activist Sonam Wangchuk ended a 26-day hunger strike on Friday over an exam paper scandal that has spiralled into a wideranging youth-led protest against Narendra Modi’s government, with protesters continuing to call for the education minister to resign.Wangchuk said on social media that he ended the hunger strike in Delhi in the presence of two federal ministers at the urging of scores of members of parliament, and after “a long negotiation on various conditions and in view of possible violence in the country”. He did not elaborate on the talks but promised to lay out details in a video soon. Continue reading...
• The head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) warned that ongoing conflicts and energy market disruptions are threatening global progress in the fight against hunger.
• These instabilities are driving up the costs of essential commodities, including fuel, fertilizer, and food, which could push millions more people into food insecurity.
• A new United Nations report highlights that current gains in reducing global hunger remain fragile and susceptible to these external economic shocks.
State department’s 100-page report is latest push in Trump administration campaign to bring down governmentThe US government’s latest allegations that Cuba is behind “many of the most significant upheavals in recent American political history” and that its leaders pose “a unique threat to American homeland security” have come as startling revelations to those living under the six-month-long US oil blockade in Havana, where desperate people search through piles of uncollected rubbish for food, or else swelter at home in 24-hour-plus blackouts.The unsigned 100-page report Cuba: Capital of 21st-Century Communism, published by the US state department on Monday, blames Havana for everything from “the George Floyd riots to the rise of antifa to the explosion of pro-terrorist activism on American college campuses”. Continue reading...
• The article examines the historical impact of landmark hunger strikes in India, ranging from the revolutionary actions of Bhagat Singh to the contemporary protests of Sonam Wangchuk.
• It analyzes how these acts of self-sacrifice have been used as political tools to drive social reforms and influence national public movements.
• These events are highlighted as pivotal moments that changed the course of Indian history by challenging authority and demanding systemic change.
• Indian activist Sonam Wangchuk has been hospitalized after completing a 20-day hunger strike.
• Wangchuk initiated the fast to demand the resignation of India’s education minister, citing alleged irregularities in medical examinations.
• The protest highlights growing concerns over transparency and fairness within the national medical testing system.
• Engineer-turned-activist Sonam Wangchuk has led a hunger strike for 21 days to protest in Ladakh, supported by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
• The movement has gained significant traction among Gen-Z protesters, evolving into a massive social media trend on Instagram despite lacking a traditional political structure.
• While some political commentators dismiss the protesters as naive rookies, the movement represents a shift in how grassroots activism is organized and amplified.
• Activist Sonam Wangchuk has announced he will end his indefinite hunger strike on July 20.
• The decision comes as his fast entered its 20th day, with the conclusion tied to his participation in a planned march to Parliament.
• This action underscores Wangchuk's commitment to his cause, though he lightheartedly remarked he would "come back as a ghost" if the march lacked sufficient participation.
• Former Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa joined protests at Freedom Park in central Bengaluru on Friday to oppose the Bidadi Township Project.
• The event marks a significant political shift, as Yediyurappa has not publicly participated in an agitation of this scale since retiring from electoral politics in 2022.
• The growing opposition highlights intensifying local resistance against the project's implementation and land use.
• Indian environmental activist Sonam Wangchuk has lost 9.1kg after conducting a hunger strike for 19 days.
• A recipient of the 2018 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Wangchuk is a prominent public figure in Ladakh advocating for regional environmental and political concerns.
• The strike has left the activist visibly weakened, leading to urgent calls from supporters and observers for him to end the fast for his health.
• Activist Sonam Wangchuk entered his 21st consecutive day of an indefinite hunger strike on Thursday, July 16, 2026.
• The protest is driven by allegations of irregularities and paper leaks surrounding the NEET examinations.
• A court has intervened, directing government doctors to provide continuous medical monitoring of Wangchuk to ensure his safety.
• Environmentalist Sonam Wangchuk is conducting a hunger strike to demand constitutional safeguards for Ladakh and the implementation of the Sixth Schedule.
• The Delhi High Court is currently hearing proceedings related to the protest, focusing on the legalities of the demonstration and the government's response.
• The situation is critical as updates are being monitored regarding Wangchuk's deteriorating health and the potential for political escalation.
• The Supreme Court of India has reaffirmed that the state has a legal and moral duty to protect the lives of individuals on hunger strikes, specifically in the context of activist Sonam Wangchuk's protests.
• The court's judgments emphasize a delicate balance between respecting a citizen's fundamental right to dissent and the government's obligation to prevent loss of life.
• This legal stance is critical as it mandates that authorities must proactively reach out to protesters to resolve grievances rather than remaining passive during life-threatening strikes.
• The Ladakh administration announced that all seven districts of the Union Territory will now have their own Autonomous Hill Development Councils (AHDCs).
• This expansion extends the existing council system beyond Leh and Kargil to include the five newly created districts of Drass, Sham, Nubra, Changthang, and Zanskar.
• Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra stated the move aims to achieve democratic decentralization and stronger grassroots governance by fulfilling long-standing demands for elected local bodies.
• China is working toward Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2) to eliminate hunger, though persistent challenges in rural areas continue to negatively impact the country's overall rating.
• In the sparsely populated Qinghai province, officials are leveraging natural resources and tourism to generate revenue and improve local living standards.
• The region has seen a significant boost in the honey industry, with exports increasing by over 20% during the first four months of 2026.
Nearly 40 women detained at Delaney Hall join striking men and outline demands ‘rooted in basic human rights’ Dozens of women detained inside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in New Jersey announced their participation in a hunger and labor strike, advocates announced on Thursday.The women, detained in unit 1 of the contentious privately run facility, also released a new list of demands. They are calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to release women under 21, women with medical conditions and mothers. They are also demanding improved conditions inside the facility and for their immigration cases to proceed more quickly. Continue reading...
A day after ICE officials pepper-spray senator, tensions ramp up outside facility on fifth day of hunger and labor strikeChaos breaks out at New Jersey immigration detention center – in picturesProtests against immigration enforcement at a facility where detainees are on a hunger and labor strike erupted in fresh violence on Tuesday night as federal officers sprayed chemicals and charged demonstrators outside the jail in New Jersey.Following hours of relative quiet, a day after masked and armored Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel pepper-sprayed US senator Andy Kim, tension ramped up again outside the Delaney Hall facility on the fifth day of the strike. Continue reading...
More than 20,000 attacks on markets, farmland and food distribution systems have been recorded since 2018Hunger is being increasingly exploited as a weapon of war with more than 20,000 documented incidents of “food-related violence” in the past eight years, new analysis reveals.Attacks include 1,261 strikes on markets used by families for daily groceries and 863 incidents in which food distribution systems were targeted and workers killed. Continue reading...
