Global chaos, confusion and uncertainty
When Bob Marley sang the prophetic “So Much Trouble in the World” in 1979, the lyrics are just as prophetic for 2020. As the year concludes, the United States has a new regime, and lingering trouble on the world stage. Although incoming President Joseph Biden is espousing an “America must lead again” position, contrasting his predecessor Donald J. Trump’s “America...
Khalifa Haftar threatens to target Turkish forces in Libya
Libya’s strongman Khalifa Haftar has threatened to target Turkish forces, who have been deployed to Libya to support the UN-recognized government in the face of foreign actors like France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Mr. Haftar described Turkey as “the colonizing enemy” who has to “leave peacefully or to be driven out by force.” The Turkish parliament recently ratified a motion to extend troop...
UK and EU reach post-Brexit trade agreement
BRUSSELS—Just a week before the deadline, Britain and the European Union struck a free-trade deal Dec. 24 that should avert economic chaos on New Year’s and bring a measure of certainty for businesses after years of Brexit turmoil. Once ratified by both sides, the agreement will ensure Britain and the 27-nation bloc can continue to trade in goods without tariffs...
Dozens detained in Armenia during anti-government protests
YEREVAN, Armenia—Police in the Armenian capital detained dozens of people on Dec. 25 during protests against the country’s prime minister, who is being pressured to resign over his handling of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Azerbaijan. Opposition politicians and their supporters have been demanding for weeks that Nikol Pashinyan step down over the Nov. 10 peace deal that saw Azerbaijan reclaim...
Activists call for end to recruitment of Canadian citizens by Israeli army
Human rights activists have called for an end to the recruitment of Canadian citizens by the Israeli military, which is against the laws of Canada. These activists maintain that this measure by the Israeli army is in violation of the Foreign Enlistment Act, which prohibits the recruitment of Canadian citizens by foreigners. According to the reports by the Israeli army, hundreds of Canadian citizens have joined the Israeli military...
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Thousands of migrants lose shelter, after camp destroyed in fire
The closure and subsequent fire, on Dec. 23, at a migrant camp in Bosnia and Herzegovina has left thousands of migrants without shelter and protection, amid plummeting winter temperatures, the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) has reported. Nearly all infrastructure at the Lipa Emergency Tent Camp, which housed about 1,400 migrants, has been destroyed or badly damaged. This number...
Kashmir parties opposed to Modi win seats in local polls
SRINAGAR, India—An alliance of political parties opposed to India’s policies in Kashmir has won a majority of seats in local elections, the first since New Delhi revoked the disputed region’s semiautonomous status and took direct control last year. The alliance, which is pro-India but favors self-governance in Kashmir, won 112 out of a total of 280 seats in District Development...
Growing movement demands return of cultural art, artifacts
Two-years-ago, a study, “The Restitution of African Cultural Heritage,” found at least 90 percent of Sub-Saharan Africa’s cultural legacy remains preserved outside of the African continent. “Whereas many other regions of the world represented in Western Museum collections are still about to hold on to a significant portion of their own cultural and artistic heritage, this is not the case...
Indonesia rebuffs Israeli media allegations about imminent norma-lization with Tel Aviv
Indonesia has dismissed Israeli media allegations that the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country is seeking to establish diplomatic ties with the Tel Aviv regime, after Israel and Morocco agreed recently to normalize relations in a deal brokered by the United States. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said in a statement on Dec. 15 that there was not any such possibility, and that...
Syria: Millions displaced, impoverished and traumatized, Security Council hears
As the end of another year of war looms, “families in Syria remain without respite after almost a decade of conflict,” the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator told the Security Council on Dec. 16. Speaking via videoconference, Humanitarian Affairs chief Mark Lowcock said that millions have been left displaced, impoverished, traumatized and suffering “deep personal loss.” Moreover, a declining economy, Covid-19, rising food insecurity and malnutrition,...