ExxonMobil to explore for oil and gas in offshore area under dispute by Guyana and Venezuela
GEORGETOWN, Guyana—ExxonMobil said it plans to explore for oil and gas in a disputed area off South America’s coast where the Venezuelan military had previously expelled two U.S. oil companies. The move could escalate tensions between Venezuela and neighboring Guyana, which awarded the exploration license. Guyana considers the area part of its Essequibo region, but Venezuela has long claimed it as its...
UNICEF condemns air strike on schools in Myanmar
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has strongly condemned the Feb. 5 deadly airstrike on two schools in eastern Myanmar resulting in the deaths of at least four children and two teachers, with many more left injured. The children killed were boys between 12 and 14 years of age. “UNICEF strongly condemns any strikes against schools and places of learning, which must always...
Chile inferno: National mourning after 123 killed in wildfire; hundreds missing
Chile observed two days of national mourning as at least 123 people have been killed in a raging wildfire, the world’s third deadliest this century. Chile’s Legal Medical Service, the state coroner, said the fires that began on February 2 killed 123 people as of the evening of Feb. 5, with only 33 of the victims identified. The death toll could...
World Court says atrocities committed by Israeli military in Gaza are undeniable ‘facts’
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) took umbrage recently with the Zionist State of Israel and its repeated claim—concerning its war on Gaza—of exercising its right of “self-defense,” no matter how many people its military had to massacre, maim, starve and dehumanize in the process. The ICJ rendered its ruling on Jan. 26. According to Al Jazeera, “at least 27,019...
Rate of maternal deaths among Black women in UK glaring: Study
In a case of racial disparity, the maternal mortality rate among Black women and those from other deprived backgrounds in Britain has increased, suggesting bias within the UK healthcare system. On January 11, a report by Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across the UK (MBRRACE-UK) showed Black women and those from deprived areas are far...
Brazil, facing calls for reparations, wrangles with its painful legacy of slavery
RIO DE JANEIRO—The executive manager for institutional relations at a Brazilian state bank took the microphone before roughly 150 people at a forum on slavery’s legacy in his country, which kidnapped more Africans for forced labor than any other nation. “Today’s Bank of Brazil asks Black people for forgiveness,” André Machado said to the mostly Black audience at the Portela...
Myanmar demands greater focus urges UN rights chief, three years after coup
Three years after the military deposed the elected government in Myanmar, the ever-deteriorating human rights crisis in the country is now in freefall, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on January 30, appealing for greater attention from the international community. “Amid all of the crises around the world, it is important no one is forgotten. The people of Myanmar...
The 120-member state Non-Aligned Movement calls for a ceasefire in Gaza
The 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit kicked off recently in Kampala, Uganda, amid global challenges, including climate and environmental challenges and atrocities occurring in Sudan and occupied Palestine. The five-day summit is the largest grouping of states worldwide after the United Nations, with 120 member states, 18 observer nations, and 10 organizations. The 19th NAM Summit was held in Kampala...
French police found guilty of racist brutality, but sentence is light
Three officers who received suspended jail sentences over their violent assault of a French Black man are symbols of out-of-control racist police violence tolerated by the government in France. The officers were convicted on Jan. 19 of “voluntary violence” towards the youth worker in Aulnay-sous-Bois, a working-class suburb with a large immigrant population. The victim, Theodore Luhaka, was left disabled with...
Over 450,000 children institutionalized across Europe, Central Asia
More than 450,000 children are living in residential care homes across Europe and Central Asia, highlighting that a “painful legacy” of neglect, abuse, exploitation and psychological trauma is far from over, according to a UNICEF report released on January 18. The UN Children’s Fund’s investigation, Pathways to Better Protection, reveals that children with disabilities account for up to 87 percent of...