Junior doctors in England launch fresh strike over pay dispute
Junior doctors in England staged a strike in the run-up to Christmas in an attempt to force the government to make a fresh effort to improve their pay and working conditions. The two-phase nine-day strike, which started on Dec. 20 at 0700 GMT (1:00 a.m. CST), is the longest industrial action by the junior doctors yet. UK health bosses say the...
Ethiopia and Egypt say no agreement in latest talks over a contentious dam on the Nile
NAIROBI, Kenya—Ethiopia and Egypt said the latest round of talks over a huge, highly contentious hydroelectric dam Ethiopia has built on the Nile’s main tributary again ended with no deal. The countries blamed each other after three days of discussions in Addis Ababa concluded on Dec. 19. Egypt’s Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation said the talks were unsuccessful due to Ethiopia’s “persistent...
UN envoy to Libyan leaders: Resolve impasse, do not fail the people
Despite recent legislative progress, Libya’s political landscape remains fraught with power struggles, as key figures attach conditions to taking part in crucial talks, the UN envoy to the north African nation said on December 18. Abdoulaye Bathily, UN Special Representative for Libya, told ambassadors on the Security Council that the mood in the country “is ripe for a new political deal, a...
Cuba and Angola strengthen inter-party relations
by Leticia Martínez, Granma The First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, called to continue strengthening inter-party relations, “which are the main support for political, diplomatic and economic-commercial relations,” when he received, at the Palace of the Revolution, the Secretary of the Political Bureau for International Relations...
Mining company agrees with court decision ordering Guatemala to grant property rights to community
MEXICO CITY—Solway Investment Group, a Switzerland-based mining company with interests in Guatemala, said Dec. 18 it agreed with a regional court’s decision requiring the Guatemalan government to recognize the property rights of an Indigenous community. The company, which was not a party to the case, stressed that the Inter-American Court of Human Rights decision handed down Dec. 15 “does not...
African nations growing more sympathetic to crisis in Gaza
African countries began walking a diplomatic line after the October 7 Hamas attack in Israel that included strongly held principles, diplomatic expediency, and empathy in the wake of unfolding carnage in the region. Ghana’s foreign affairs minister stated that it “unequivocally condemns” attacks by Hamas and called for the group to withdraw its fighters from Israel. Rwanda issued a similar...
For Africa, 2023 was a year of conflating issues and events
Conflating numerous events that appear dissimilar is how Africa in 2023 must be viewed. South Africa’s BRICS economic summit, the country’s stance on Israel’s incessant bombing of Gaza as “genocide,” the coup d’états in seven African countries, which have been described as a sign of failed democracies, are just a few of the major events that impacted the Motherland...
Uyghur Genocide Recognition Day observed by activists, lawmakers
WASHINGTON, D.C.—Accusations that the Chinese government is committing atrocities against the Uyghur Muslims have persisted for years. The ethnic Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities reside in China’s Xinjiang region and according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and various groups such as Human Rights Watch, the population has been subjected to “crimes against humanity.” Nearly 11 million...
Iranian FM says U.S. to blame for influx of refugees to West Asia, Europe
Iran’s foreign minister has blamed irresponsible actions and coercive economic measures of the U.S. for the recent influx of refugees to the West Asia region and also Europe and elsewhere. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian made the remarks in an address to the Global Refugee Forum 2023, which is underway in Geneva, Switzerland. The minister said the Iranian government, which is itself hit by...
Kenya marks 60 years of independence, and the president defends painful economic measures
NAIROBI, Kenya—Kenya’s president on December 12 defended the high taxes the government recently imposed, calling them a “necessary sacrifice” in helping the country deal with ballooning foreign debt which now stands at $70 billion. Speaking at celebrations marking 60 years since Kenya’s independence from Britain, President William Ruto said East Africa’s largest economy was no longer at risk of defaulting on...