Rohingya sue Facebook for $150B, alleging role in violence
LONDON—Rohingya refugees sued social network powerhouse Facebook for more than $150 billion, accusing it of failing to stop hate speech that incited violence against the Muslim ethnic group by military rulers and their supporters in Myanmar. Years after coming under scrutiny for contributing to ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar, recently revealed internal Facebook documents show the company still has problems defining...
Court freezes planned Amazon headquarters in Cape Town on historically significant site
A massive new complex, housing Amazon’s proposed South African headquarters along with a hotel and other businesses continues to face stiff opposition from indigenous Khoisan, environmental and community groups despite city officials already approving of construction of the nine-story construction. Opponents say the project will ruin a historically significant riverside site in Cape Town and harm the environment. The Khoisan...
Thousands evacuate in worst Australian floods in a decade
BRISBANE, Australia—Tens of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes by March 1 and hundreds of thousands more were told to prepare to flee as parts of Australia’s southeast coast were inundated by the worst flooding in more than a decade. At least 10 people have died. New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet said there had been 1,000...
Israeli settlers storm al-Aqsa Mosque
More than 1,000 Israeli settlers have stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque for a fourth consecutive day, infuriating Palestinians, as the top preacher of the mosque warns the Tel Aviv regime that such repeated storming of the holy site is “playing with fire.” On April 20, 1,100 Israeli settlers stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound in the occupied Old City of East al-Quds under...
UN report finds ‘limited progress’ on human rights protections for Iraqis
A UN report issued recently, describes “limited progress” towards justice for human rights violations and abuses committed against dissenters exercising their right to free speech in Iraq. “The Government of Iraq admittedly operates in a complex environment, including within the context of stalled government formation,” said the “Update on Accountability in Iraq,” jointly published by the UN Assistance Mission there (UNAMI)...
Concerns mount as UN extends mission in Haiti
Truth and justice advocates and anti-imperialist organizations, along with concerned Haitians, vehemently rejected a United Nations Security Council vote renewing the presence of a controversial peacekeeping force in Haiti. The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution to extend the mandate of the United Nations Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) for another year. The resolution was adopted July 15. According to...
Tension rises as Turkey, Greece voice festering grievances
ISTANBUL—Troubled relations between regional rivals Turkey and Greece worsened on Sept. 6, with Turkey’s president doubling down on a thinly veiled invasion threat and Athens responding that it’s ready to defend its sovereignty. Turkey and Greece have decades-old disputes over an array of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disagreements over the airspace there. The friction between...
Qatari UN ambassador demands end to Israeli occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories
Qatar’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani has called on the international community to put pressure on Israel to bring to an end its occupation of the Palestinian territories, the Syrian Golan Heights and Lebanon’s Shebaa Farms, and creation of a sovereign Palestinian state. Al Thani made the remarks during a United Nations Security Council briefing on...
More than 11,000 children killed or injured in Yemen conflict: UNICEF
More than 11,000 boys and girls have been killed or injured in the war in Yemen—an average of four a day since fighting escalated in 2015, though the number is likely to be far higher, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has reported. Agency chief Catherine Russell, who has completed a visit to the country, called for urgent renewal of the truce between...
India lost 26 of 65 patrolling points amid border dispute with China: Report
A new report has revealed that Indian security forces lost 26 out of 65 patrolling points in Eastern Ladakh amid an ongoing standoff with arch-foe China along the 3,500 km (2,174 mi) disputed Himalayan border. The revelation was made in a research paper submitted at the annual Director General of Police (DGP) Conference of the country’s top police officers in the...