U.S. Navy fires warning shots in new tense encounter with Iran
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates—An American warship fired warning shots when vessels of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard came too close to a patrol in the Persian Gulf, the U.S. Navy said April 28. It was the first such shooting in nearly four years. The Navy released black-and-white footage of the encounter in international waters of the northern reaches of the Persian...
Rights experts condemn UK racism report attempting to ‘normalize White supremacy’
UN independent human rights experts on April 19 denounced a government-backed report into racism in the United Kingdom, saying that it further distorted and falsified historical facts, and could even fuel racism and racial discrimination. “In 2021, it is stunning to read a report on race and ethnicity that repackages racist tropes and stereotypes into fact, twisting data and misapplying...
AFRICA WATCH Death of President Idriss Deby signals uncertain future for the Sahel, Chad
What are the chances in 2021 of a world leader dying on the battlefield? asked France24 news commentator Francois Picard. Chad’s longtime president and military leader for 31 years recently died from wounds sustained after going to a military front. President Idriss Deby, who received military training as a pilot in France and last year took on the title of...
Seoul court rejects sexual slavery claim against Tokyo
SEOUL, South Korea—A South Korean court on April 21 rejected a claim by victims of Japanese wartime sexual slavery and their relatives who sought compensation from Japan’s government. The Seoul Central District Court based its decision on diplomatic considerations and principles of international law that grant countries immunity from the jurisdiction of foreign courts. This appeared to align with the...
World Food Program reaches deal to supply food to 185,000 children in Venezuela
The UN World Food Program (WFP) has signed an agreement with the government of Venezuela to begin operations to provide the most vulnerable children in the South American country with nutritious school meals, it announced on April 20. The agency’s goal is to reach 185,000 students by year’s end and 1.5 million by the end of the 2022-2023 school year. It...
UN chief to Indigenous forum: ‘Prioritize inclusion and sustainable development’
Although they represent the greater part of the world’s cultural diversity and speak the major share of its languages, indigenous people are three times more likely to live in extreme poverty, the UN chief told the opening session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on April 19. And as their languages and cultures remain under constant threat, indigenous peoples have...
Hungary’s poor Roma children struggle with digital education
BODVASZILAS, Hungary—Mihaly Horvath, a 12 year old in a village in northeastern Hungary, can’t wait for his school to reopen. As a devastating Covid-19 surge swept Hungary in the spring, classes were suspended and students were ordered to study online. But Mihaly’s family, part of Hungary’s large Roma minority, doesn’t have a computer or internet access at their home in...
Israel will soon realize it must never threaten Iranians: Envoy suggests
Iran’s ambassador to the international organizations in Vienna says the Israeli regime will soon find out about the wrongfulness of its decision to target Iran’s nuclear program. “Even most insane criminals will finally—and soon—realize that they must never threaten Iranians,” Kazem Gharibabadi wrote in a letter addressed to International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi on April 14. He was...
Justice for Uyghurs demands changes in China
The Peoples Republic of China continues to be blasted by the international community, human rights defenders and a plethora of voices accusing the regime of genocidal practices, ethnic cleansing and crackdowns of Uyghur Muslims and other minority ethnic groups in its northwest Xinjiang province. Nearly 11 million Uyghurs live in Xinjiang with a distinct culture, language and are a predominantly...
Defrocked U.S. priest revered in East Timor accused of abuse
It was the same every night. A list of names was posted on the Rev. Richard Daschbach’s bedroom door. The child at the top of the roster knew it was her turn to share the lower bunk with the elderly priest and another elementary school-aged girl. Daschbach was idolized in the remote enclave of East Timor where he lived, largely...