Khalifa Haftar threatens to target Turkish forces in Libya
Libya’s strongman Khalifa Haftar has threatened to target Turkish forces, who have been deployed to Libya to support the UN-recognized government in the face of foreign actors like France, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Mr. Haftar described Turkey as “the colonizing enemy” who has to “leave peacefully or to be driven out by force.” The Turkish parliament recently ratified a motion to extend troop...
Hawkish Israeli government opposes Palestinian reconciliation
(FinalCall.com) - A recently announced reconciliation deal brokered in Egypt could mean the end of a bitter and bloody divide between the two main rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah. Details are not yet finalized, however the agreement reportedly calls for the establishment of an interim unity government and legislative elections within one year. Currently, the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority...
Iran’s FM Zarif discusses latest regional developments with Turkmenistan officials, wraps up Central Asian tour
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has met with top Turkmen officials in Ashgabat, where they discussed the latest regional and bilateral developments. Mr. Zarif, concluding his Central Asian tour, met on April 8 with his Turkmen counterpart, Rasit Meredow, during which he praised Tehran-Ashgabat political, economic and cultural relations as positive. The Iranian foreign minister underlined the necessity of boosting the...
Dutch court upholds $15M payout to Nigerian communities damaged by spills
(GIN)—A Dutch court has upheld a payout to residents of the Niger Delta of $15.9 million for oil spills that contaminated land and waterways in three communities. In the case brought by Friends of the Earth, Shell’s Nigerian subsidiary was found to be responsible for the spills that occurred between 2004 and 2007. The payout will benefit the communities of...
Staff from U.S. agencies, Congress join ‘Day of Mourning’ for Gaza
by Jessica Corbett Employees at over two dozen U.S. departments and federal agencies as well as congressional staffers participated in a “Day of Mourning” on January 16, declining to work in the wake of the 100th day of Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip. U.S. President Joe Biden and other leaders in his administration have faced mounting outrage from government employees,...
Freeing trade between South Africa and Nigeria
JOHANNESBURG (IPS) - If a Free Trade Area were to be negotiated between Africa's two largest economies, South Africa and Nigeria, it would have a powerful effect on trade across the sub-continent and would challenge other countries to respond. “In my view it would bring substantial economic benefits to both sides in terms of exports, investment, competition enhancement...
How months of tensions led to Sudan’s coup
CAIRO—The military coup in Sudan threatens to wreck the country’s fragile transition to democracy, more than two years after a popular uprising forced the removal of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir. The move comes after months of mounting tensions between the military and civilian authorities. Protesters are in the streets denouncing the takeover, and troops have opened fire, killing some of...
Bachelet describes ‘disastrous’ human rights situation across Occupied Palestinian Territory
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said that the human rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory has become “disastrous,” with severe infringements occurring affecting some four million people. “This clearly also has damaging impact on prospects for peace and sustainable development for Israel, as well as the surrounding region,” she argued. Ms. Bachelet was briefing the UN Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of...
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”...
English cricket racism exposed by former player at parliament
LONDON—English cricket was forced to confront its racist culture when former player Azeem Rafiq testified through tears at a parliamentary hearing but with a determination to expose the Islamophobia and bullying he suffered for more than a decade. “Do I believe I lost my career to racism? Yes, I do,” said Mr. Rafiq, who played for Yorkshire—England’s most successful cricket...