Nauru switches diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China
TAIPEI, Taiwan—The Pacific Island nation of Nauru said January 16 that it is switching diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, a move that reduces the dwindling number of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to 12 around the world. China claims self-governing Taiwan as its territory and has been peeling off the island’s diplomatic allies, often with promises of development aid. It’s a long-running...
Sheikh Hasina sworn in as Bangladesh prime minister for fifth term
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was sworn in for a fifth term after her party, Awami League won a landslide victory in the general election boycotted by the opposition. Hasina, 76, who will serve her fourth consecutive term as the 12th prime minister, got her oath ceremony administered by President Mohammad Shahabuddin, which was attended by politicians, foreign diplomats, civil...
Colombia extends cease-fire with FARC splinter group in bid to reduce rural violence
BOGOTA, Colombia—Colombia’s government has extended a cease-fire with the FARC-EMC rebel group that was set in mid-January, as both sides held peace talks in Bogota in an effort to reduce violence in rural parts of the country. The cease-fire will now last until July 15, according to a decree signed Jan. 14 by President Gustavo Petro, and it requires that the rebels cease...
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...
‘No end in sight’ to Ukraine war, UN political chief warns
The new year has brought no respite to Ukraine, with recent weeks seeing some of the worst attacks of the nearly three-year war, the UN political affairs chief told the Security Council on January 10. Rosemary DiCarlo underscored the UN’s steadfast commitment to support all meaningful efforts towards a just, sustainable, and comprehensive peace. The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began on February...
Guatemala arrests ex-minister who resigned rather than use force against protesters
GUATEMALA CITY—Guatemalan police on January 11 arrested the country’s former interior minister for allegedly not carrying out his duties when he opted for dialogue with protesters rather than using force to remove them as a court had ordered. Police arrested Napoléon Barrientos at his home, leading him out in handcuffs and a bulletproof vest. Barrientos told reporters he didn’t know...
‘Shocking political failure’: Health inequalities led to one million early deaths in UK in last decade
More than one million premature deaths occurred in England in the last decade, due to a combination of poverty, austerity, and Covid, according to new research by one of the UK’s leading public health experts. The study, titled Health Inequalities, Lives Cut Short, found that between 2011 and 2019, 1,062,334 people died earlier than they would have done if they lived...
Mediation toward cessation of Sudan war is a long way off
“If this war (in Sudan) lasts for several years … the country that we knew as Sudan, a sort of regional linchpin, between the Red Sea, the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and Central Africa will no longer exist,” said Sudan policy and political analyst Kholood Khair, the founder and director of the UK-based Confluence Advisory think tank. As Israel’s...
Argentina’s annual inflation soars to 211.4 percent, the highest in 32 years
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina—Argentina’s annual inflation soared to 211.4 percent in 2023, the highest rate in 32 years, according to figures released January 11 by the government’s INDEC statistics agency. The data reflects the strong impact of a series of shock measures, including a 50 percent devaluation of the nation’s currency, implemented by right-wing President Javier Milei in hopes of eventually bringing...
Children in Palestine living in constant fear as pressure mounts to charge Israel with genocide
Children in volatile distress zones like the Gaza Strip, the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem can easily relate to the message in Michael Jackson’s song: “They Don’t Really Care About Us,” a protest anthem describing the plight of marginalized people and their oppressive relationship with their oppressor. The slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza by the settler occupier power...