Nicaragua bars EU envoy over ‘interventionist’ remarks
Nicaragua has barred the European Union’s designated ambassador from entering the country over the bloc’s meddlesome remarks concerning the Central American nation. The envoy Fernando Ponz was banned from entering Nicaragua on April 18 after an earlier EU communiqué accused Managua of, what it called, “systemic repression” of dissent over the past five years since anti-government protests hit the country’s...
UK unemployment rate increases as pay growth rises faster than expected
The UK unemployment rate has edged up unexpectedly, the official figures showed, highlighting a faster-than-expected spike in wage rises in the face of skyrocketing inflation across the country. According to the figures presented by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on April 18, UK job vacancies have fallen for the ninth straight month in a sign that the uncertain economic...
South Africa’s foreign minister on Russia, China and upcoming BRICS summit
In an opinion piece written by Oupa Ngwenya published April 9 in the South African Sunday World, the headline framed the country’s foreign minister as presenting “(the) clearest voice with a good aim to U.S. madness.” According to Ngwenya, a corporate strategist, writer, and freelance journalist, “no one should be surprised when Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor exhibits the same state...
Central Mediterranean: Deadliest quarter for migrant deaths in six years
Over 400 migrants died while attempting to cross the Central Mediterranean between January and March of this year, making it the deadliest quarter on record since 2017, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on April 10. IOM’s Missing Migrants Project documented 441 deaths during this period, though the true toll is likely to be higher. Investigations continue into several reports of so-called...
Airstrikes on Myanmar village feared to have killed 100
BANGKOK—Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on April 11 killed as many as 100 people, including many children, who were attending a ceremony held by opponents of army rule, said a witness, a member of a local pro-democracy group and independent media. The military is increasingly using airstrikes to counter a widespread armed struggle against its rule, which began in February 2021...
Syria, Tunisia to reopen embassies, resume diplomatic ties after a decade
Syria and Tunisia have agreed to resume diplomatic relations after a decade, with the Syrian government planning to reopen its embassy in Tunis after the North African country announced the appointment of a new ambassador to Damascus. The announcement was made in a joint statement by Syria and Tunisia on April 12, Syria’s official news agency SANA reported. Damascus government, the statement...
Colombian convicted for racism directed at nation’s Black VP
BOGOTA, Colombia—A 62-year-old woman was convicted of discrimination and harassment on April 10 for making racist comments about Colombia’s first Black vice president during an antigovernment protest last year. Luz Fabiola Rubiano pleaded guilty to the charges and will be sentenced by the judge on May 30. In Colombia, acts of discrimination are punishable with up to three years in...
Arab League holds emergency meeting, condemns Israeli aggression on al-Aqsa
The Arab League has vehemently condemned the latest Israeli aggression against the al-Aqsa Mosque in the occupied Old City of al-Quds and the brutal assault on Palestinian worshipers observing the holy fasting month of Ramadan. The 22-member organization held an emergency meeting on April 5 to discuss circumstances surrounding the latest storming of the Muslim holy site by the Israeli...
Racist rhetoric in Tunisia must stop, independent UN experts warn
Tunisia must take swift action to curb racist rhetoric and halt ongoing rights violations of Black Africans, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) said on April 2. “Tunisia must immediately stop hate speech and violence against migrants from South of the Sahara,” the independent UN-appointed experts said in a statement issued under the Committee’s early warning...
The similarities between two apartheid regimes
Israeli officers beat worshipers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, with batons and butts of riot guns, wounding many before arresting them, handcuffing over 400, and carting them off to jail. Their crime, reported Portside. org, was simply making Taraweeh prayers (night prayers) made during the holy month of Ramadan. Na'eem Jeenah is a senior researcher at the...