British forces killed 54 Afghan civilians ‘in cold blood’, damning report reveals
Commandos in Britain’s elite Special Air Service (SAS) corps killed at least 54 Afghan civilians in controversial circumstances, but the senior military officials refused to act despite being aware of it, a BBC investigation has revealed. The four-year probe results, published on July 12, found that during their deployment in the war-torn country, unarmed Afghan men were routinely shot dead “in cold blood”...
Venezuela, Colombia restore full diplomatic ties after three years
Venezuela and Colombia have restored full diplomatic relations after a three-year logjam with the two South American neighbors exchanging ambassadors for the first time since 2019. The new Colombian ambassador, Armando Benedetti, was received in Caracas by Venezuela’s deputy foreign minister Rander Pena Ramirez on Aug. 28. “Relations with Venezuela should never have been severed. We are brothers and an imaginary...
Libya: ‘Political deadlock persists with no clear end in sight’: UN envoy
The political stalemate continues in Libya and prospects for elections are dim, the head of the UN Mission there, UNSMIL, said on October 24 in his first in October and has been prioritizing consultations with political, institutional, security and civil society representatives, in a bid to address these challenges. “The situation in Libya calls for a consensus State re-legitimation process....
Iran says U.S., allies liable for Israel crimes as UN urges probe into teenager’s killing
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has condemned the Israeli killing of a female Palestinian teenager, saying the Tel Aviv regime’s Western backers are responsible for the unchecked Israeli atrocities that target Palestinians every day. “Not a day goes by without the world people hearing some news about martyrdom, injury, or detention of Palestinian children, teenagers, and youths at the hands of the apartheid...
Global nations express ‘deep concern’ on new ultra-right-wing Israeli gov’t
Carte blanche support for the Zionist State of Israel on the global landscape has dwindled. International condemnation is rising over unprecedented repression by the occupier state in the occupied Palestinian territories. In recent weeks, rare disapproval of Israel was expressed by the United States, its main ally and benefactor. A diverse group of nations endorsed a letter on Jan. 16...
Vatican rejects doctrine that fueled centuries of colonialism
VATICAN CITY—The Vatican on March 30 responded to Indigenous demands and formally repudiated the “Doctrine of Discovery,” the theories backed by 15th-century “papal bulls” that legitimized the colonial-era seizure of Native lands and form the basis of some property laws today. A Vatican statement said the papal bulls, or decrees, “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of...
Economic woes dash job prospects in low-income countries: ILO
Soaring debt levels compounded by high inflation and rising interest rates have dashed job-seekers’ hopes in developing countries, the International Labor Organization (ILO) warned on May 31. In its new Monitor on the World of Work report, ILO shows that while in high-income countries, only 8.2 percent of people willing to work are jobless, that number rises to over 21 percent in low-income countries or one...
Save lives, UN agencies appeal, after yet another tragedy in the Mediterranean
Three UN agencies on August 10 appealed for greater access to safe and regular pathways for migration and asylum in the European Union after another deadly shipwreck claimed dozens of lives in the Mediterranean. The International Organization for Migration (IOM); the UN refugee agency, UNCHR; and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also called for coordinated search and rescue mechanisms. The tragedy occurred between...
UN reports says West Bank settler violence has displaced over 1,100 Palestinians since 2022
JERUSALEM—Violence from Israeli settlers has displaced over 1,100 Palestinians in the occupied West Bank since 2022, according to a UN report released in September, with officials describing the exodus as unparalleled in recent years. The report documented about three settler-related incidents each day in the West Bank—the highest daily average since the UN began documenting the trend in 2006. The...
UN votes overwhelmingly to condemn U.S. economic embargo on Cuba for 31st year and urges its lifting
UNITED NATIONS—The UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Nov. 2 to condemn the American economic embargo of Cuba for a 31st year after its foreign minister urged, “Let Cuba live without the blockade!” The vote on the resolution in the 193-member General Assembly tied the record for support for the Caribbean island nation: The vote was 187 in favor, with the United...