The Saharawi people resist and Cuba stands by them
by Nuria Barbosa León | Granma “Cuba has always supported our people, the historical ties we share are inalterable and will be maintained as long as the Saharawi people exist,” insisted Omar Bulsan, registered under the name Mohamed Salec, who serves as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Arab Democratic Republic in Cuba. In an interview with Granma, he recalled that...
Extremism surging among Canadian military ranks, says report
The number of White supremacists and other violent extremists within Canada’s military is growing at an “alarming rate” and the officials have failed to address the problem, a report has revealed. The report by a four-member government advisory panel, published on April 25, found widespread anti-Indigenous and Black racism, Islamophobia, and anti-Semitism within Canadian military ranks. “Membership in extremist groups is growing,...
Dutch police leaders vow to tackle racism in their ranks
THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The most senior Dutch police officers vowed June 8 to crack down on racism in their ranks after a documentary last month exposed a deep-rooted culture of bullying and discrimination. “The police top is clear: the organization has to set an example in tackling discrimination and racism,” a statement on the police website said. “If a police employee crosses...
Pope apologizes to Canadian Indigenous for church abuse
Pope Francis offered a sweeping apology to Indigenous people on their native land in Canada over church-run residential schools that became gruesome centers of abuse, forced assimilation, cultural devastation and death for over a century. Addressing a large crowd of Indigenous people, some wearing traditional clothing and headdresses, in Maskwacis, Alberta, the site of a former residential school, the pope...
A ‘lost decade’ for developing countries?
by Daniela Leyva Fernánde, Granma An unsustainable debt erodes the capacity of developing countries to progress towards sustainability and poverty reduction. The high increase in fuel and food prices, the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the current conflict in Ukraine have undeniably worsened the economic scenario and, with it, the generalized risk that indebtedness implies for the most vulnerable countries. The recent “United...
Malaysia’s forced return of Myanmar’s most vulnerable must stop: UNHCR
Malaysia’s forced return of asylum-seekers to Myanmar has meant that hundreds of Myanmar nationals have been “sent back against their will” to the troubled country in the last two months, the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, said on Nov. 1. There have been “multiple reports” of deportations since April which run contrary to international humanitarian law, UNHCR spokesperson, Shabia Mantoo, told journalists in Geneva. “According to information received by UNHCR, an asylum-seeker from Myanmar...
Brotherhood has a home in the Caribbean
The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Party and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez invoked more solidarity, more understanding, more cooperation and more unity among the Caribbean nations while speaking at the Eighth Caricom-Cuba Summit, held in mid-December on the island of Barbados. The event commemorated the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between...
Australia is removing British monarchy from its bank notes
CANBERRA, Australia—Australia is removing the British monarchy from its bank notes. The nation’s central bank said Feb. 2 that its new $5 bill would feature an Indigenous design rather than an image of King Charles III. But the king is still expected to appear on coins that currently bear the image of the late Queen Elizabeth II. The $5 bill was...
Syria, Tunisia to reopen embassies, resume diplomatic ties after a decade
Syria and Tunisia have agreed to resume diplomatic relations after a decade, with the Syrian government planning to reopen its embassy in Tunis after the North African country announced the appointment of a new ambassador to Damascus. The announcement was made in a joint statement by Syria and Tunisia on April 12, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported. Damascus government, the statement...
CARICOM holds fast against foreign intervention in Haiti
In the face of acute turmoil in troubled Haiti, Haitian stakeholders, including its acting prime minister Ariel Henry, met in Kingston, Jamaica, at the invitation of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to address the ongoing problems in the country. The dialogue was facilitated by the Eminent Persons Group, recently established by CARICOM as a focus group for Haiti. The June 11-13...