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...
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...
New military alliance emerging among West African countries
Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger recently declared a new defense pact, the coalition called the “Alliance of Sahel States.” The pact guarantees each country comes to the aid of each other in defense of their territorial integrity from internal and external aggression. The author of the article, “A New West African Security Pact Is Bound to Fail,” posted on...
Dutch king and queen are confronted by angry protesters on visit to a slavery museum in South Africa
CAPE TOWN, South Africa—Angry protesters in Cape Town confronted the king and queen of the Netherlands on October 20 as they visited a museum that traces part of their country’s 150-year involvement in slavery in South Africa. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima were leaving the Slave Lodge building in central Cape Town when a small group of protesters representing South...
Lula vetoes Brazil’s controversial bill to limit Indigenous land claims
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vetoed key parts of a bill which would have dramatically limited the ability of the country’s Indigenous people to gain formal recognition of their ancestral territories. Lula’s Institutional Relations Minister Alexandre Padilha announced that the president vetoed everything that was “unconstitutional and not consistent” with their Indigenous peoples policy. Padilha said the government was...
Anger boils in Morocco’s earthquake zone as protesters demand promised emergency aid
AMIZMIZ, Morocco—Hundreds of protesters on October 24 took to the streets of a city near the epicenter of a devastating earthquake that hit Morocco in September to express anger and frustration after weeks of waiting for emergency assistance. Flanked by honking cars and motorcycles, demonstrators in the High Atlas town of Amizmiz chanted against the government as law enforcement tried to contain...
Over one million UK children lived in destitution last year: Study
More than one million children have experienced destitution in the UK over the last year as their families could not afford to adequately feed, clothe or clean them, or keep them warm, a major study has revealed. The study published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) shows that severe material hardship was “no longer a rare occurrence.” In 2022, the study said,...