The Dominican Republic deported dozens of pregnant women, mothers who had just given birth, and children, back to crisis-ridden Haiti as it cracks down on illegal immigration.

In a statement, Dominican authorities said the 135 women and children were taken to a detention center for undocumented migrants on Monday before being sent back to neighboring Haiti.

The sweeping deportations come as one of Dominican President Luis Abinader’s controversial immigration measures took effect, requiring staff at National Health Service (SNS) hospitals to ask patients for identification, a letter of employment and proof of residence, for immigration agents at the hospitals to verify.

On Monday, 33 public hospitals braced for the new policy. SNS Director Mario Lama said those hospitals are where up to 80% of public hospital births involving foreign mothers take place.

Dominican authorities say the women and children were detained because of the new protocol. They claimed in a press release that the deportees were treated humanely and with dignity, sent back on comfortable, safe buses only after they were discharged from the hospital and had a medical examination to make sure they were “free of health risks.”

Rights and health groups have criticized the move.

The Dominican Medical Association said on Instagram such rigid deportation rules for people with medical needs could put their lives at risk.

The Dominican government has stressed that noone would be denied medical care under the new protocol – but rights groups say patients in need of care may steer clear of hospitals in fear of deportation.

“These individuals face immediate deportation after receiving care. This puts people’s right to health, privacy, and physical safety at risk—and discourages vulnerable groups, such as pregnant women, children, and survivors of violence, from seeking essential medical treatment,” Amnesty International said on Monday.

‘Approaching the point of no return’

Over the past six months Dominican authorities have deported more than 180,000 people back to Haiti, a country plagued by gang violence that has seeped into every aspect of life.

The Dominican Republic, which shares the Island of Hispaniola with its neighbor, has seen an influx of migrants fleeing violence in Haiti – where essential supplies are not keeping up with the population’s needs and hundreds of schools have shut down.

Dozens of health facilities have shut down in Haiti because of the insecurity, one of the latest being the University Hospital of Mirebalais. Late last month, gangs stormed the town, setting fire to buildings and posing a risk to the hospital, forcing it to evacuate its staff and patients, according to Partners in Health, the group supporting the hospital.

The United Nations’ top Haiti envoy María Isabel Salvador warned this week that Haiti is “approaching the point of no return.” She added: “Without timely and decisive international support, the violence will continue to escalate, and Haiti could face total collapse.”

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum says her government plans to ban advertisements from the US Department of Homeland Security, which have broadcast across the country in recent weeks and show Secretary Kristi Noem warning migrants not to enter the United States illegally.

In one 30-second ad, Noem is seen in a light purple suit saying: “If you are a criminal alien considering entering America illegally, don’t even think about it.”

She goes on to warn that if migrants break US laws, “We will hunt you down.”

Mexico’s president has denounced the adverts, which have aired in the middle of soccer matches and on primetime programming, as “discriminatory.”

On Tuesday, her government sent lawmakers reform proposals that would prohibit foreign governments from spreading what it considers political and ideological propaganda in the country.

“We do not agree with the discriminatory propaganda against the migrant population that has been broadcast on television, radio, and social media by the United States government,” Sheinbaum said.

“The data shows the world is hearing our message. Border crossings have reached the lowest ever recorded,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in an email. “Thanks to President Trump and Secretary Noem, we have the most secure border in history.”

The US advertisements are part of a multimillion-dollar messaging campaign meant to deter illegal entry into the United States. The DHS says the videos are “hyper-targeted” at undocumented immigrants and would be distributed domestically and internationally on TV, radio, social media and through text messages.

In another series of adverts announced on Monday, Noem is seen telling undocumented immigrants to self-deport or face hefty fines, imprisonment and deportation.

Drawing the line at political ‘propaganda’

Sheinbaum argued this week that there’s precedent for such a ban, saying Mexico’s telecommunications law previously had an article barring domestic media from disseminating foreign political propaganda, but that the article was removed during a previous administration.

“I have requested an investigation into how that article was removed,” she said during her morning news conference on Monday. “But we think our sovereignty and respect for Mexico deserve reinserting that article into the law.”

The president of the Senate Gerardo Fernández Noroña said Tuesday that the upper house would fast-track Sheinbaum’s measure and send it to the Chamber of Deputies as soon as possible.

“I don’t think there is a single parliamentary group that opposes this reinstatement,” Fernández Noroña told reporters.

Sheinbaum insisted that Mexico would still allow countries to run ads that promote tourism and culture, but that it would draw the line at political “propaganda.”

“If any country in the world wants to promote itself in our country or we in another country, then there would be no problem. The problem is this propaganda from the government itself, in addition to acts that we consider discriminatory,” she said Tuesday.

Mexico’s anti-discrimination agency said it sent a letter to broadcasters last week, asking them to stop airing the TV spot.

“From our analysis, we have found that the spot contains a discriminatory message that violates human dignity and may encourage acts of rejection or violence against people on the move,” the letter from the National Council to Prevent Discrimination read.

Russia launched a wave of deadly attacks against Kyiv early Thursday, hours after US President Donald Trump accused his Ukrainian counterpart of harming peace talks in a fresh tirade against Volodymyr Zelensky.

Drone and missile attacks hit 13 locations across the Ukrainian capital, killing at least nine people and wounding more than 70 others, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.

Engineers, rescue workers and recovery dogs are searching for people believed to be trapped under the rubble of a home destroyed by the strikes in the Sviatoshyn district, said Ukraine’s interior minister, Ihor Klymenko.

“There is information about two children who still cannot be found at the scene,” said Klymenko, adding the situation was “tragic.”

The city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko earlier urged people to take shelter. The Kyiv city military administration has since broadcast an all-clear message.

At least 42 people were taken to hospital, including six children, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.

Klymenko said eight regions of the country were targeted in what he called “a massive combined Russian attack” that hit Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Poltava, Khmelnytsky, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia.

The attacks hit after Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky became involved in a new public spat, specifically over the future of Crimea, a Ukrainian peninsula illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Any move to recognize Russia’s control of Crimea would reverse a decade of US policy and could upset the widely held post-World War Two consensus that international borders should not be changed by force.

Zelensky has repeatedly said Ukraine would not accept that, saying it would go against the country’s constitution.

On Wednesday, Trump said Zelensky’s position was “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia.”

“It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about!” he posted on Truth Social.

Trump made the comments hours after Vice President JD Vance threatened to abandon negotiations, telling reporters during a visit to India that a “very explicit proposal” had been put to both Russia and Ukraine and that it was “time for them to either say yes or for the US to walk away.”

Earlier, talks between Ukraine, the US, Britain, France and Germany aimed at furthering work towards a ceasefire were downgraded to take place among officials, after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio withdrew.

“Emotions have run high today,” Zelensky said on X Wednesday as the day’s developments threw fresh uncertainty over the diplomatic efforts to end the war.

The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to visit Moscow on Friday for discussions with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Relations between India and Pakistan are cratering following a deadly attack in the disputed Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir that left more than two dozen tourists dead, raising fears of another military escalation between the nuclear-armed rivals.

New Delhi downgraded ties with Islamabad, summoned its top diplomat, suspended for the first time its involvement in a crucial water-sharing treaty and shut a key border crossing, among other punitive measures in the wake of what was the region’s worst assault on civilians in years.

All but one of the 26 people massacred were Indian citizens, prompting a new wave of unrest in a region claimed by both Pakistan and India and that has been the epicenter of often violent territorial struggle between the two countries.

For decades, several domestic militant groups, demanding either independence for Kashmir or for the area to become part of Pakistan, have fought Indian security forces, leaving tens of thousands killed in the violence.

On Wednesday, India accused Pakistan of supporting terrorist groups in the region, after a little-known militant group called The Resistance Front claimed responsibility. Pakistan has denied any involvement.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday vowed to pursue the attackers “to the ends of the earth,” during a speech in the northeastern state of Bihar.

“From the soil of Bihar I say to the whole world, India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers,” he said, using English rather than his usual Hindi.

“India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done. The entire nation is firm in this resolve.”

Here’s what you need to know.

What happened in Pahalgam?

Gunmen on Tuesday opened fire on sightseers in a popular travel destination in the mountainous destination of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, a rare assault on tourists.

At least 25 Indian citizens and one Nepali national were killed in the massacre, which unfolded in a meadow in the Baisaran Valley – which is only accessible by foot or on horseback.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of horror as the gunmen approached, opening fire on tourists from close range. Some recalled how the men were singled out and shot at. Other survivors speaking to local media said the gunmen accused the families of supporting Prime Minister Modi before shooting.

Photos and videos of the aftermath – showing lifeless bodies strewn on the ground and grieving loved ones wailing in fear – have reverberated across social media, a vivid portrayal of the pain and suffering endured by families whose holidays ended in horror.

Indian authorities have heightened police and military deployment to the region and personnel are on the hunt for the perpetrators.

Modi in his Thursday speech vowed punishment for the perpetrators of the attack.

“I want to say in clear words that whoever has carried out this attack, those terrorists, and the people who devised this attack, will be punished in a manner worse than anything they can imagine,” he said.

Who are The Resistance Front?

Kashmir Resistance, also known as The Resistance Front (TRF), is a relatively new militant outfit that has claimed killings of civilians from minority communities residing in Kashmir in recent years. Not a huge amount is known about them.

TRF declared its existence in 2019 through the encrypted messaging app Telegram, after claiming responsibility for a grenade attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s largest city of Srinagar, according to research by the New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

The arrival of TRF is portrayed as the “inception of a new indigenous resistance in Kashmir,” ORF said in 2021.

India has classified TRF as a “terrorist organization” and linked it to the outlawed Islamist group Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, which was behind the deadly Mumbai attacks in 2008 and has a much higher profile.

“TRF positions itself as a political resistance force, born in Kashmir and one for Kashmir, against illegal occupational forces, having no centralised jihadi figure or leadership,” according to ORF.

Kashmir police on Thursday published notices naming three suspects allegedly involved in the attack. Two of the three are Pakistani nationals, according to the notices. They did not say how the men were identified.

Why is Kashmir important to India and Pakistan?

Kashmir is one of the world’s most dangerous flashpoints. Claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan, the mountainous region has been the epicenter for more than 70 years of an often-violent territorial struggle between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

The festering issue has spurred three wars between the countries and a de facto border called the Line of Control divides it between New Delhi and Islamabad.

Tensions between Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan over the disputed region have surged in recent years, after the Modi-led government revoked its constitutional autonomy in 2019, bringing it under the direct control of New Delhi.

While the Indian government has said that militancy has since declined amid a heavy military presence, attacks have continued to plague the region, sparking unrest and protests. Meanwhile, there has been heavy media censorship and communication blackouts.

Analysts say Tuesday’s massacre shattered the illusion of calm that Modi has projected of the region and raises questions of how such a security lapse could have occurred in one of the most militarized zones in the world.

How have India and Pakistan responded?

India has not publicly blamed any group for the attack but has justified its retaliatory moves as a response to Pakistan’s alleged “support for cross-border terrorism.”

Pakistan has denied any involvement and will convene a national security meeting on Thursday to discuss next steps.

New Delhi announced several punitive measures against Islamabad a day after the attack, including shutting a key border crossing and further restricting already limited visas for Pakistani citizens. It also expelled military, naval and air advisors from the Pakistani High Commission in New Delhi.

But perhaps among the most significant acts of retaliation thus far is New Delhi suspending its role in the Indus Water Treaty, an important water-sharing pact between India and Pakistan that has been in force since 1960 and is regarded as a rare diplomatic success story between the two fractious neighbors.

The enormous Indus River system, which supports livelihoods across Pakistan and northern India, originates in Tibet, flowing through China and Indian-controlled Kashmir before reaching Pakistan. The vast volume of water is a vital resource for both countries, and the treaty governs how it is shared.

“Downgrading diplomatic ties and holding the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance does not bode well for stability in the region,” said Fahd Humayun, assistant professor of political science at Tufts University.

“Not only does the suspension amount to a violation of international treaty obligations, but the right to water as a lower riparian country is seen as a national security issue by Pakistan and suspending (it) will be read as a belligerent action.”

Pakistan’s Minister of Power Awais Leghari on Wednesday called the move “an act of warfare.”

“Every drop is ours by right, and we will defend it with full force — legally, politically, and globally,” said Leghari.

What is the situation like in Kashmir?

Thousands have flocked to the streets to condemn the deadly attacks as business owners express concerns over the impact it has already had on the popular tourist destination during peak season.

“There has been 80-90% cancellation of all our tours and travels in the coming days and weeks,” said Mohsin, who goes by one name, and manages a tour company in the region. “We are in complete monetary loss. I might have to shift to another business if this continues.”

Schools and businesses have resumed after being shut on Wednesday in many parts of Kashmir, while demonstrations of solidarity erupted in Srinagar’s Lal Chowk, the city square.

“We all could not just sit by and watch. We came out to show emotion, solidarity, and condemn the killings,” said local resident Umar Nazir Tibetbaqan. “Our protests (on Wednesday) were a signal to everyone that all Kashmiris stand with the country in this hour of grief.”

Meanwhile, anti-Pakistan protests have erupted in India’s capital Delhi and several other cities, raising fears of fueling anti-Kashmiri and anti-Muslim sentiment.

What happens next?

All eyes are now on how New Delhi and Islamabad will respond. And the question, analysts say, is not if there will be military retaliation but when.

“Modi will have a very strong, if not irresistible, political compulsion to retaliate with force,” said Arzan Tarapore, a research scholar from Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation.

“We don’t know what that would look like, and it’s somewhat meaningless to speculate at this point, but I think the 2019 Balakot crisis provides some cues on what to watch for in India’s response,” Tarapore said, referring to New Delhi’s response to a militant attack on Indian troops which killed at least 40 paramilitary personnel in Indian-administered Kashmir.

New Delhi retaliated by launching airstrikes on Pakistan, the first such incursion into its territory since the 1971 war.

“The key question will be will they seek to impose more meaningful, tangible costs on terrorist groups, including by targeting their leadership or headquarters facilities? Or will India go even further, crossing the threshold to attack the Pakistan army?” said Tarapore.

“India’s military capabilities have grown since 2019, so it may feel emboldened to take on such bigger targets.”

And while India’s military prowess has grown in the years since, Pakistan has been rocked by political instability and economic disarray.

Yet Humayun, the professor from Tufts, said should the Indian government choose to resort to military action, there is “every reason to believe that Pakistan will respond in kind.”

“Absent strategic restraint or third-party intervention, the chances of uncontrolled escalation in the coming days is thus not insignificant,” he said.

The family of a jailed Egyptian dissident has expressed renewed fears for his life as his health worsens more than 50 days after he went on hunger strike.

Prominent government critic Alaa Abd El-Fattah, a 42-year-old dual Egyptian British citizen, has remained in prison despite completing his sentence last September, according to his family, which has appealed to the UK prime minister to help secure his release.

The activist’s health has deteriorated since he began his third full-scale hunger strike in less than two years on March 1 in solidarity with his mother’s own partial hunger strike to call for his release, his family said in a statement on Facebook Tuesday.

Abd El-Fattah has suffered from vomiting, stomach flu and severe fatigue. He has been diagnosed with chronic inflammation of the esophagus and his body is rejecting previously prescribed medication because of his prolonged hunger strike, according to the statement.

His mother, Laila Soueif, “expressed her deep concern for her son and his health, saying he could not bear the strike. She renewed her demand for his release,” the statement said.

Abd El-Fattah’s more than decade-long imprisonment has long drawn international condemnation.

Arrested repeatedly since the height of the Egyptian uprising in 2011, he was sentenced in 2021 to an additional five years in prison for spreading false news and assaulting a police officer – charges that human rights organizations say were politically motivated.

Amnesty International says Abd El-Fattah is a political prisoner who remains imprisoned in “arbitrary” detention, according to a statement from the rights group in February.

Abd El-Fattah was granted British citizenship in 2022, through his British-born mother, in what his family said was part of the campaign for his release and to shed light on the struggle of his fellow inmates.

On Tuesday, his sister Sanaa Seif issued an urgent plea to UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to raise his case with Egyptian authorities.

“I’m always afraid that we are on the verge of a tragedy. We need Keir Starmer to do all he can to bring Alaa home to us,” she said.

Starmer, who met with the jailed activist’s mother in February, previously vowed to “do all that I can to secure (Alaa’s) release.”

In 2022, then-UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak raised the activist’s case during a meeting with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on the sidelines of the COP27 climate summit, a Downing Street spokesperson said at the time.

Sisi, a former military general, has long faced criticism for cracking down on dissent, imprisoning activists, journalists, and opposition figures since he came to power in 2014.

Abd El-Fattah’s mother launched her own hunger strike last September to demand her son’s release.

She was hospitalized in February on her 149th day of protest after her blood sugar, blood pressure, and sodium levels plummeted to critical lows. Abd El-Fattah escalated his protest following her hospitalization, according to relatives.