Leading human rights group calls Israel an ‘apartheid’ state
JERUSALEM—A leading Israeli human rights group has begun describing both Israel and its control of the Palestinian territories as a single “apartheid” regime, using an explosive term that the country’s leaders and their supporters vehemently reject. In a report released January 12, B’Tselem says that while Palestinians live under different forms of Israeli control in the occupied West Bank, blockaded...
Second prayer app caught harvesting user location data may have snitched on Muslims to ICE and FBI—media
A popular Muslim prayer app has been secretly collecting its users’ location data, according to Vice. A network of data brokers links the app to U.S. government law enforcement agencies such as ICE and the FBI. The app called Salaat First (Prayer Times) was created to help Muslims perform their daily prayers, reminding when the time for the ritual has...
Rouhani: Foreign companies not allowed to test Covid-19 vaccines on Iranians
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani says foreign companies will not be allowed to test their Covid-19 vaccines on the Iranian people, voicing his support for the Health Ministry, which prevented the move. He was speaking during a meeting of the national task force for fighting the coronavirus in Tehran on Jan. 9, a day after Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah...
Peru: UN rights office decries excessive use of force in November protests
Police in Peru used unnecessary and excessive force during protests in the capital last November challenging the legitimacy of the interim president, a report published on Jan. 12 by the UN Human Rights Office, OHCHR has found. Officers did not distinguish between the mainly peaceful protestors and a minority who allegedly acted violently, according to the study. The report is the result of an OHCHR mission...
UN refugee agency calls for ‘new chapter for refugee protection’ across Europe
As Portugal assumes the presidency of the European Union (EU), to be followed by Slovenia later this year, the UN refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Jan. 12 called on them to lead the effort to forge a better protection system for those seeking refuge across the continent and beyond. Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR’s representative for EU Affairs, also called for reform to...
Irish PM sorry for ‘profound wrong’ of unwed mothers’ homes
LONDON—Ireland’s prime minster issued a formal state apology Jan. 13 to the thousands of unmarried women and their children who endured pain, shame and stigma at church-run institutions, saying his government was determined to start righting the country’s wrongs. Prime Minister Micheal Martin’s apology came a day after the final report of an inquiry said 9,000 children died in 18...
U.S. military flexes on Iran in waning days of Trump administration
American geopolitical friction against the Islamic Republic of Iran worsens, even as the U.S. has come under heavy domestic strain with open insurrection at the U.S. Capitol around election disputes from outgoing President Donald J. Trump. The U.S. Capitol was breached by supporters of Mr. Trump as lawmakers were deliberating on the certification of election results to confirm President-elect Joseph...
‘Who’s a sh-thole now?’ Africa responds to Trump and violent American insurrec-tion at U.S. Capitol
Africa has faced the problem of political leaders being unwilling to step down and concede elections and suffered from President Trump’s racist tirades against the continent. So there was strong reaction to his unwillingness to accept losing the 2020 election to Joe Biden. It was reflected in headlines like “Africa to Trump: Who’s a sh**thole now?” Many Africans were “unable to...
New Venezuela parliament sworn in, U.S.-backed Guaido out
A new Venezuelan parliament has been sworn in, with President Nicolas Maduro’s Socialist Party consolidating control and U.S.-backed opposition figure Juan Guaido left without a job. A total of 256 of the National Assembly’s 277 seats are now in the hands of Maduro’s United Socialist Party and its allies following the December 6, 2020 elections, which were boycotted by the...
Joint cooperation with Cuba in coronavirus vaccine production ‘among priorities’: Iran official
An Iranian Health Ministry official says the production of coronavirus vaccine in cooperation with Cuba is one of Tehran’s priorities after such other alternatives as purchasing from a foreign country and participation in the World Health Organization’s COVAX program. Kianoush Jahanpour, spokesman of the Iran Food and Drug Administration (IFDA), made the comment Jan. 8 as he explained the country’s...