Wikileaks exposes more torture, abuse in Iraq
NEW YORK (IPS) - The publication of a motherlode of secret field reports from the Iraq War are shining a bright light on heretofore unknown or underreported suspicions about the power of private security contractors and the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by their fellow Iraqis, often with their U.S. military counterparts “turning a blind eye.” The release of the...
Rebellion, riots, and racism marked 2011 for Black Brits
(FinalCall.com) - For Black Britons, 2012 began with news many waited 18 years to receive, a semblance of justice for the murder of Stephen Lawrence. White defendants Gary Dobson and David Norris were sentenced Jan. 3 to 15 and 14 years in prison respectively for the brutal racially-motivated 1993 fatal stabbing of Mr. Lawrence, 18. What remains to be...
Afro-Mexican activists vow to continue protest, hunger strike over murder of Malcolm X grandson
(FinalCall.com) - In the early morning hours of July 14 The Final Call received a “communicado” from Mexico City-based Citizens for the Defense of Naturalized Afro-Mexicans saying protests demanding justice after the killing of the grandson of Malcolm X would go on despite a police raid that ended a hunger strike. Dr. Wilner Metelus, president of the group, called for...
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of SVG addresses reparations and Caribbean unity
By Saeed Shabazz -Staff Writer- NEW YORK (FinalCall.com) - Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines headlined an evening of dialogue with a gathering of ambassadors, politicians and activists at The Bedford Hall restaurant in Brooklyn, New York on November 22, which was sponsored by the Institute of The Black World. Dr. Gonsalves began the dinner-time dialogue by...
Covid-19: Slow road to jobs recovery for Latin America and the Caribbean
The labor market in Latin America and the Caribbean faces a slow recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for “active macro policies” and other measures to promote sustainable development alongside getting people back into the workforce. That is the main finding of a joint report published on Nov. 10 by the UN’s Economic Commission for the region, ECLAC, and...
UK and EU reach post-Brexit trade agreement
BRUSSELS—Just a week before the deadline, Britain and the European Union struck a free-trade deal Dec. 24 that should avert economic chaos on New Year’s and bring a measure of certainty for businesses after years of Brexit turmoil. Once ratified by both sides, the agreement will ensure Britain and the 27-nation bloc can continue to trade in goods without tariffs...
Racial profiling by French police challenged in class action
PARIS—Three leading rights organizations joined with grassroots groups to launch France’s first class action suit targeting the country’s massive police machine, contending that it lawfully propagates a culture leading to systemic discrimination in identity checks. The NGOs, including Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and Open Society Justice Initiative, allege that police target Black people and people of Arab descent in...
Three Venezuelans plead guilty for aiding anti-Maduro plot
MIAMI—Three Venezuelan men pleaded guilty to helping organize an ill-conceived invasion last year to remove President Nicolas Maduro. In a hearing before a Colombian court, the men acknowledged March 5 their role alongside Jordan Goudreau, a former American Green Beret and Iraq war veteran, in organizing a rag tag army of a few dozen Venezuelan military deserters intent on overthrowing...
Seoul court rejects sexual slavery claim against Tokyo
SEOUL, South Korea—A South Korean court on April 21 rejected a claim by victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery and their relatives who sought compensation from Japan’s government. The Seoul Central District Court based its decision on diplomatic considerations and principles of international law that grant countries immunity from the jurisdiction of foreign courts. This appeared to align with the...
Low-paid UK workers ‘most at risk of losing jobs when furlough ends’
Low-paid workers in the United Kingdom already hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic face the highest risk of losing their jobs later this year, a thinktank says. They will be most at risk from expected rises in unemployment and job insecurity when the government’s furlough scheme ends in September, the Resolution Foundation said, recently. Millions of job losses have been prevented...