At least 128 killed, dozens injured in Nepal’s deadly earthquake
At least 128 have been killed and dozens injured in northwestern Nepal, in the country’s deadliest earthquake since 2015, as houses in the area collapsed and buildings as far as New Delhi in neighboring India shook. The quake occurred at 11:47 p.m. (1802 GMT) on Nov. 3 with a magnitude of 6.4, Nepal’s National Seismological Centre said. Officials fear the death toll...
Rwanda announces visa-free travel for all Africans as continent opens up to free movement of people
NAIROBI, Kenya—Rwanda announced in early November that it will allow Africans to travel visa-free to the country, becoming the latest nation on the continent to announce such a measure aimed at boosting free movement of people and trade to rival Europe’s Schengen zone. President Paul Kagame made the announcement in the Rwandan capital, Kigali, where he pitched the potential of Africa as “a unified...
Forced displacement of Palestinians concerns Arab and African countries
South Africa and Chad have recalled their ambassadors to Israel for consultations, joining a growing list of nations that have withdrawn diplomatic personnel in protest of Israel’s brutal military assault on the Gaza Strip and its 2.3 million civilian population. According to South Africa Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor, South Africa is extremely concerned about the continued killing of children...
‘Pervasive and relentless’ anti-Black racism is rising in EU countries, led by Germany: Study finds
Racism towards Black people has been on a rising trend in the European Union countries, with Germany in the lead, a recent poll has found. The survey titled “Being Black in the EU” was conducted in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and published...
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...
No-go for Kenyan troops to Haiti—at least for now
One thousand Kenyan soldiers will not be going to Haiti anytime soon. That’s the word from the High Court in Kenya freezing a UN Security Council-approved mission to the Caribbean nation to combat gang violence there. The mission was put on hold after a former presidential candidate, Ekuru Aukot, argued that the nation’s articles of the constitution denied President William Ruto...
U.S. Virgin Islands declares state of emergency after lead and copper found in tap water in St. Croix
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico—The governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands announced Nov. 1 that he declared a state of emergency after officials revealed recently that tap water in St. Croix contains lead and copper and warned people not to consume it. The declaration, signed Oct. 30 by Gov. Albert Bryan, frees up urgently needed resources, streamlines emergency response and allows the U.S....
Türkiye: Rebuilding lives in quake-affected communities
The resumption of such public services would not be possible without prefabricated containers, aside from giving temporary homes to hundreds. As of October 2023, IOM has delivered over 830 containers to authorities, which are distributed across the four most earthquake-affected provinces—Adiyaman, Hatay, Kahramanmaras and Malatya. “We work closely with authorities to ensure that the containers reach where they are needed most,”...
China’s forces shadow a Philippine navy ship near a disputed shoal, sparking new exchange of warnings
MANILA, Philippines—A Philippine navy patrol ship was shadowed by Chinese forces near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, sparking a fresh exchange of accusations and warnings between the Asian neighbors on Oct. 31. Chinese and Philippine security officials gave conflicting accounts of the encounter near Scarborough Shoal. China has surrounded the shoal with its navy and coast guard ships...
Devastation in Gaza continues amid one-sided coverage
“O you who believe, If an unrighteous man brings you news, look carefully into it, lest you harm a people in ignorance, then be sorry for what you did.”—Holy Qur’an 49:6 The chambers of the United Nations Security Council were lit recently when controversy erupted between the Zionist State of Israel and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over remarks he made...