The islands that the sea separates, solidarity unites them
by Elson Concepción Pérez Among the most important dates that the Caribbean celebrates is December 8. Just 51 years ago, four independent states of the region: Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago sovereignly decided to establish diplomatic relations with Cuba. This was a break with the diplomatic isolation imposed on our country by the U.S. Government, with the complicity of...
Mandela’s legacy is much more than the ‘non-racial’ society attributed to him
What are South Africa’s first Black president and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela’s achievements? December 5 marked 10 years since the freedom fighter died at age 95. A decade after his death, what is the legacy left by the icon who ushered in an era of hope and inspiration to an apartheid-divided country? In this current geopolitical world of growing global...
In the Amazon, Indigenous women bring a tiny tribe back from the brink of extinction
JUMA INDIGENOUS TERRITORY, Brazil—At night, in this village near the Assua River in Brazil, the rainforest reverberates. The sound of generators at times competes with the forest, a sign that there are people here. Until recently, the Juma people seemed destined to disappear like countless other Amazon tribes decimated by the European invasion. In the late 1990s, the last remaining...
UNICEF: 1 in 5 children in world’s richest countries living in poverty
A sharp rise in child poverty was registered across 40 of the world’s richest countries between 2014 and 2021, according to a new report published on December 6 by the UN Children’s Fund’s global research center, Innocenti. The new findings from the UNICEF research wing focus on Member States of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU). Analyzing child support policies...
Homicide a bigger killer than armed conflict and terrorism combined
The Global Study on Homicide analyzes the complex dynamics behind these violent deaths and includes a special section on how organized crime is driving death rates up in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report examines homicides related to criminal activities and interpersonal conflict, as well as “socio-politically motivated homicides” such as the deliberate killing of human rights activists, humanitarian workers...
Thousands protest Indigenous policies of New Zealand government as lawmakers are sworn in
WELLINGTON, New Zealand—Thousands of protesters rallied against the New Zealand government’s Indigenous policies on Dec. 5 as the Parliament convened for the first time since October elections. Demonstrations in the capital, Wellington, and in about a dozen other New Zealand cities and towns were organized by the minor Maori Party, which advocates for the rights of Indigenous New Zealanders who...
Chaos at a government jobs fair in economically troubled Zimbabwe underscores desperation for work
HARARE, Zimbabwe—A stampede at a government-organized job fair involving hundreds of young people in Zimbabwe desperate for work left some limping and others screaming in pain after being stomped on or beaten by security guards on Dec. 6. The chaos came as job seekers rushed to register for potential vacancies, but no serious injuries were reported. The crush of people illustrated the growing...
Is the West pushing a birth control agenda on the continent?
In its history of promoting a “Godless ideology,” lacking in the moral fiber inherent in the rich culture that is Africa’s historical identity, Western donor nations and their organizations have, in the name of the “sexual revolution,” inflicted much pain and suffering on the continent’s rich legacy. According to Obianuju Ekeocha, president of Culture of Life Africa, the continent in...
UK health crisis: NHS care delays caused 112 deaths, harmed 8K last year
Long and deadly delays facing patients in the UK’s public healthcare system have left a heavy toll on Britons, raising deaths more than fivefold between 2019 and 2022, a British daily paper revealed. The report published on Nov. 27 in the Guardian showed that about 8,000 people have been harmed and 112 died as a direct result of deadly delays in the...
China warns Australia to act prudently in naval operations in the South China Sea
CANBERRA, Australia—A visiting Chinese official on Nov. 28 warned Australia to act with “great prudence” in deploying warships in the South China Sea after a recent confrontation between the two navies. Liu Jianchao, the Chinese Communist Party’s international minister, gave the warning while speaking at a Sydney university during a trip that paves the way for President Xi Jinping’s Australian...