Infectious diseases kill 324 in flood-ravaged Pakistan, alarm bells ringing
Authorities in Pakistan say skin infections, diarrhea and malaria in the flood-ravaged regions have claimed the lives of 324 people. They said on September 21 that the situation may get out of control if the required aid does not arrive in time. Hundreds of thousands of Pakistani people displaced by the torrential rains and flooding are living in the open and...
New blow: Algeria ends two-decade friendship treaty with Spain
ALGIERS, Algeria—The Algerian president’s office announced June 8 that the North African nation was “immediately” suspending a two-decades-old friendship treaty with Spain. It was the latest blow to increasingly wobbly relations between Algiers and Madrid—which depends on Algeria for its natural gas supply. Tensions have soared in a complex three-way dispute after Spain apparently gave its backing to Morocco’s position over...
India, China begin troop withdrawal from contested border
SRINAGAR, India—China and India are pulling back front-line troops from disputed portions of their mountain border where they have been in a standoff for months, both countries said. The troops began the disengagement on Feb. 10 at the southern and northern banks of Pangong Lake in the Ladakh region, they said. India and China will remove forward deployments in a “phased,...
Myanmar: Shocking toll on children must be spur to action, says UN rights expert
Myanmar’s military junta is responsible for shocking violence against children caught up in the bloody aftermath of last February’s coup, a top independent Human Rights Council-appointed investigator said recently. Three months since his last update to the UN rights forum in Geneva, special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Thomas Andrews, said that he’d met youngsters who’d fled...
Libya and Syria: A tale of two policies
Libya turns the nuclear spotlight on Israel (FCN, 01/26/204) UNITED NATIONS (FinalCall.com) - The United States government lifted the 23-year-old travel ban against Libya on February 26, telling U.S. corporations to begin their return to the North African nation. Officials in the Bush administration said they were satisfied with Libyan President Muammar Gadhafi's affirmation it was responsible for the bombing...
Serious questions about politics in Sudan and North Africa
Seccession or Destabilization? President Obama's recently released Sudan strategy that tries to be all things to all people gives America and her interest groups needed instant gratification, but fails in addressing instability that a divided Sudan would engender and the possible destabilization of an entire region. Is this the process towards peace that Obama is trying to use to justify...
Pandemic shaping economic, social climate of East and Southern Africa
In many East and Southern African countries, local, regional and national lockdowns due to the Covid-19 pandemic have been extended, reported Equinet. “Their impacts raise questions on their sustainability. The conversation inevitably turns to when and how countries will exit them. South Africa’s President Ramaphosa said recently in introducing their risk adjusted strategy: ‘We cannot sustain a nationwide lockdown...
Exclusive: IAEA chief hails ‘very constructive’ talks with Iran officials
The United Nations nuclear watchdog’s chief says he has held “very constructive” talks with Iranian officials as part of an ongoing visit to the Islamic Republic. “We’ve been having a long day of discussions, talks, and negotiations” with Iranian officials, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi told Press TV in an exclusive interview on Nov....
‘Whitening’ creams undergo a makeover, but colorism persists
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—The world’s biggest cosmetics companies have been selling a fairy tale that often goes something like this: If your husband’s lost interest in you, if your colleagues dismiss you at work, if your talents are ignored, whiten your skin to turn your love life around, boost your career and command center stage. No company has had greater...
Nervous Pakistanis asking ‘Are we next?’
ISLAMABAD (IPS)–Worries are growing here about the long-term implications of the war on Iraq for Pakistan, its ties with the United States as well as with rival neighbor India. At worst, many fear that what they call the policy of U.S. expansionism may soon be knocking at Pakistan’s doors. "What does war in Iraq mean for Pakistan?...