Report of forced sterilization of children sparks anger in Japan
Human rights activists in Japan have furiously reacted to a shocking government report revealing the sterilization of children as young as nine under a eugenics law that was in place until 1996. According to the report that was submitted to the parliament, about 16,500 people were forcibly sterilized from 1948 to 1996. As per the controversial “eugenic protection law,” this was...
Ecuadorians reject oil drilling in the Amazon, ending operations in a protected area
RIO DE JANEIRO—Ecuadorians voted against drilling for oil in a protected area of the Amazon, an important decision that will require the state oil company to end its operations in a region that’s home to isolated tribes and is a hotspot of biodiversity. With over 90 percent of the ballots counted by early on August 21, around six in 10...
India expels 41 Canadian diplomats amid ongoing Ottawa-Delhi row
India has ordered Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats from the country, ramping up a confrontation over accusations of New Delhi’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in suburban Vancouver. Media reports on Oct. 3 cited an official, who was familiar with the matter but spoke on condition of anonymity, as confirming the expulsion of...
Indigenous communities face eviction by environmental profiteers
Kenya’s government is illegally evicting members of the Ogiek community from their ancestral lands in the Mau Forest, to profit from carbon offsetting schemes, human rights lawyers say. Members of the Ogiek community say they’re living in “absolute fear” over the evictions by the government of Kenyan President William Ruto. “We are calling for an immediate cessation of ongoing demolitions and...
Tunisian group accuses authorities of mass expulsions of migrants from sub-Saharan Africa
TUNIS, Tunisia—Migration activists are sounding the alarm about mass expulsions and arbitrary arrests in Tunisia, where authorities are seeing more migrants arrive for attempted Mediterranean crossings from the North African nation to Europe. The Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights on Jan. 8 accused the government of waging a campaign of repression against migrants at the expense of humanitarian...
World News in Brief: Syria violence intensifying, heavy weapons threat in Myanmar, justice call for Thai lawyer
The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry, which reports to the Human Rights Council, warned that fighting escalated on October 5 last year, when consecutive explosions at a military academy graduation ceremony in government-controlled Homs killed at least 63 people, including 37 civilians. The Syrian Government and Russian forces “responded with bombardments” that struck at least 2,300 sites in opposition-controlled areas in...
Namibia eyes White farms for land redistribution
GINNEWS WINDHOEK (GIN)–frustrated over the slow pace of land transfers from Whites to landless Blacks, a Namibian government minister warned that the country may move to expropriate White-owned farms if White farmers continue to resist land reform. “There is a (provision) in our constitution that private assets can be expropriated in the public interest. Fair and just compensation must be provided...
Congo Brazzaville president elected African Union Chairman
President Denis Sassou Nguesso succeeds Obasanjo as AU chairman African Union opens with plea for peace, economic development (FCN, 01-23-2006) Khartoum, Sudan (PANA) - African leaders Tuesday elected President Denis Sassou Nguesso of Congo Brazzaville as the next African Union (AU) chairman, to succeed Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who led the Union for 18 months. Nguesso's election on the second day of...
The Unholy Alliance Between Israel and South Africa’s Apartheid Regime
(FinalCall.com) - You'd think with all the recent ink, with both Foreign Affairs and the UK-based Guardian articles “Bringing Israel's Bomb Out of the Basement” and “Revealed: how Israel offered to sell South Africa (SA) nuclear weapons,” that Israel's nuclear arsenal would be big on the WikiLeaks list of revelations. And if that's not enough you'd think the...
Congo atrocities just the cost of doing business?
(FinalCall.com) - President Obama's upcoming trip to Tanzania may have more to do with Rwanda than meets the eye. During the recent 21st African Union/Organization of African Unity summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho remarked that Rwanda should “negotiate” with the FDLR (Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda), a rebel movement operating in the...