Welcome back to World Brief, where we’re looking at U.N. efforts to address the Rohingya crisis, an internet blackout in Afghanistan, and the collapse of one of Indonesia’s oldest Islamic schools.
Rohingya Lack Representation at U.N. Conference
World leaders and activists convened at the United Nations on Tuesday for a high-level meeting on the Rohingya crisis in Southeast Asia. The conference, arranged at the urging of interim Bangladeshi leader Muhammad Yunus, focused on reviewing Myanmar’s security situation and outlining a road map to allow members of the Muslim minority group to safely and voluntarily return to their homeland.
The Rohingya are the world’s largest stateless population. More than 5 million Rohingya have been displaced, many from Myanmar’s Rakhine state, since ethnic cleansing began in 2017, according to U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. Of this group, more than a million have been expelled to neighboring countries, largely Bangladesh.
Yet not a single Rohingya refugee residing in Bangladesh was present at Tuesday’s U.N. conference. In the past, Dhaka and U.N. authorities have sponsored trips for Rohingya to represent themselves on the world stage. But this year, Bangladesh decided not to push for their attendance, citing difficulties with obtaining U.S. visas or travel permits and concerns about their safety.
“We looked at all of this, and then we didn’t try,” said Khalilur Rahman, Bangladesh’s high representative for the Rohingya issue. “Nobody could be sure if we would be able to go through all these hoops.”
Myanmar’s ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslim minority group began in 2017, when state forces launched a brutal military campaign against the Rohingya in Rakhine. In February 2021, the military seized power in a coup, deepening instability. The next year, the United States formally recognized the Rohingya crisis as a genocide, and since late 2023, fighting in Rakhine has pushed 150,000 more refugees into Bangladesh.
By late 2024, a rebel group known as the Arakan Army had taken control of much of Rakhine. Discrimination and ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya have continued at the hands of the group: The Arakan Army has been accused of airstrikes, mass arson attacks, and sexual violence against the minority population.
A damning report, published Monday, detailed the level of destruction waiting for the Rohingya if and when they return. “Myanmar authorities systematically destroyed Rohingya villages, mosques, cemeteries and farmland,” the report details. In their place, the military built Border Guard Police bases that directly benefited the government, including Myanmar’s Home Ministry.
“For their return to be dignified and sustainable, efforts must be made to ensure sufficient restitution or assistance is given to allow Rohingya to rebuild their communities,” said Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, which released the report.
Myanmar is slated to hold elections in limited areas beginning on Dec. 28. Even that long-postponed development will likely do little to improve the lives of the Rohingya. December’s elections will be “neither free nor fair,” U.N. human rights chief Volker Türk said on Tuesday, as the Rohingya—stripped of their citizenship—will not be allowed to vote.
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What We’re Following
Mass communications blackout. The Taliban ordered an internet blackout and a total shutdown of all mobile phone data across Afghanistan on Tuesday. The cuts, which began in waves on Monday, disrupted financial services and flights throughout the country—prompting the United Nations to demand immediate restoration of connectivity.
“The cut in access has left Afghanistan almost completely cut off from the outside world, and risks inflicting significant harm on the Afghan people,” the U.N. said. Those grappling with the aftermath of Afghanistan’s Aug. 31 earthquake in the east, people facing ongoing drought in the north, Afghan women already isolated from society, and refugees are particularly vulnerable.
The Taliban cited “immoral activities,” particularly online pornography, as the reason for the crackdown. They have used similar arguments to ban television, satellites, and other mass communication tools in the past. However, this week’s cuts appear to be the most extensive and coordinated shutdown since the Taliban seized power in August 2021.
An “alternative system will be established within the country for essential needs,” Balkh province Gov. Haji Zaid said. It is unclear what this system may be or when it might be implemented.
Devastating school collapse. One of Indonesia’s oldest Islamic boarding schools, located in East Java province, collapsed on Tuesday while students were performing their afternoon prayers. At least three students were killed, more than 100 others were injured, and dozens of individuals remain missing. The death toll is expected to rise.
Search-and-rescue efforts are ongoing at al-Khoziny boarding school, though operations were suspended for several hours when the collapsed concrete became unstable. Although heavy excavator equipment remains on standby, it has not been used out of fear that it could cause further structural collapse.
The exact cause of the incident remains unclear. However, Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency said that the school’s foundations may not have been able to support the weight of construction on the building’s fourth floor. Workers were pouring concrete on the school’s top level at the time of the collapse.
Dissolving government. Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina dissolved his government on Monday following days of Gen Z-led protests over the country’s failure to provide reliable water and electricity. “I understand the anger, the sadness, and the difficulties caused by power cuts and water supply problems,” Rajoelina said on Monday, adding that he plans to cast a wide net to find new officials to lead the country.
Among those needing to be replaced will be Prime Minister Christian Ntsay and the president’s cabinet ministers. Rajoelina was elected to his third term in 2023 after many of his opponents boycotted the election over allegations of voter intimidation and of stacking the country’s electoral commission with his allies.
This week’s clashes have drawn heavy scrutiny from the United Nations, which has accused state security forces of responding to the demonstrations with violence. According to Türk, at least 22 people have been killed and more than 100 others injured since the protests began last week. Madagascar’s officials have pushed back on the high casualty count.
Odds and Ends
Gym weights are no match for Egypt’s iconic strongman. Instead, popular wrestler Ashraf Mahrous sought a new challenge on Saturday to flex his muscles: pulling a 700-ton ship across the water with nothing but his teeth.
The 44-year-old has completed similar feats before, having pulled a train last year and a truck four years ago. But this was the first time that Mahrous relied only on his iron jaw to heave a maritime vessel of that size. (The previous Guinness World Record for such an accomplishment was with a 614-ton ship—set in 2018.)
Correction, Sept. 30, 2025: A previous version of this newsletter misstated the number of Rohingya refugees who are externally displaced.