Month: January 2019

To defeat the intertwined pandemics of obesity, hunger and climate change, governments must curb the political influence of major corporations, said a major report Monday calling for a ‘global treaty’ similar to one for tobacco control. But this will not happen unless ordinary citizens demand a “radical rethink” of the relationship between policymakers and business, …

Read more “Report: ‘Radical Rethink’ Needed to Tackle Obesity, Hunger, Climate”

Iran’s soccer squad will face Japan on January 28 in the semifinals of the Asian Cup tournament in the United Arab Emirates. …

French police are investigating how a prominent yellow vest protester suffered a dramatic eye injury in Paris, as well as other protest-related injuries. Violence by protesters and the sometimes-aggressive police response have prompted a national debate since the anti-government movement kicked off two months ago.   A counter-demonstration is planned Sunday in Paris by groups …

Read more “Violence at French Yellow Vest Protests Prompts New Rallies”

The Russian city of St. Petersburg marked the 75th anniversary of the end of the World War II siege by Nazi forces with a large military parade Sunday in the city’s sprawling Palace Square. The siege of the city, then called Leningrad, lasted nearly two years until the Soviet Army drove the Nazis away on …

Read more “Russian Parade Marks 75 Years Since WWII Siege of Leningrad”

January 27 is the day the international community observes Holocaust Remembrance Day by recalling the horrors committed during World War II by Nazi Germany.   The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jews by the Nazi regime and its collaborators. Holocaust is a word of Greek origin meaning “sacrifice …

Read more “International Community Observes Holocaust Remembrance Day”

Thousands of Serbs joined antigovernment rallies in Belgrade on January 26. Protesters marched to the headquarters of the daily Politika and the public radio and television broadcaster RTS and affixed the word “Censored” on their entrance doors. The protest organizers believe that both media outlets provide unbalanced reporting in favor of President Aleksandar Vucic. It …

Read more “Serbian Opposition Stages Eighth Antigovernment March”

Cricket’s global governing body has banned Pakistan cricket captain Sarfraz Ahmed for four games for breaching the sport’s anti-racism code. …

A Tajik who says he wants to shake up the political system and run for president is told he should undergo a psychiatric assessment. …

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged the international community to support the Venezuelan people and recognize the interim government of opposition leader Juan Guaido as he stands up to disputed President Nicolas Maduro. “Now it is time for every other nation to pick a side,” Pompeo told the U.N. Security Council during a rare …

Read more “Pompeo Urges International Support for Venezuelan Opposition Leader”

The U.S. special envoy for peace in Afghanistan says progress had been made in six days of discussions with the Taliban in Qatar aimed at bringing an end to Afghanistan’s 17-year conflict. …

Thousands of so-called “yellow vest” protesters marched in France Saturday, in the 11th week of demonstrations against French President Emmanuel Macron’s economic reforms. Reuters news service estimated the total number of protesters at 22,000 by mid-afternoon. Most protests were peaceful, but in Paris there were a few violent incidents at Bastille Square, at the endpoint …

Read more “French ‘Yellow Vest’ Protests Mark 11th Week of Anti-Macron Marches”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has condemned a five-year prison sentence recently imposed on Iranian journalist Yashar Soltani and called on Iran to stop persecuting journalists for doing their job. …

The United States and European Union expressed concern Saturday about Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari’s suspension of the country’s top judge ahead of national elections. The European Union’s Election Observation Mission in Nigeria said the decision to suspend the chief justice has lead Nigerians to question “whether due process was followed”. “The timing, just before the …

Read more “US, EU Concerned About Suspension of Nigerian Judge Ahead of Elections”

Kazakhstan just launched the biggest solar power plant in Central Asia. It’s part of the country’s plan to generate half the electricity it needs through renewable resources by 2050. …

Five people were killed Friday when a helicopter and a small tourist airplane collided near the border between France and Italy.      Italy’s mountain rescue service said rescue workers found two people injured at the crash site and evacuated them.    Officials said the helicopter was carrying skiers to a glacier in the northwestern Italian …

Read more “5 Killed in Collision of Helicopter, Plane Over Italy”

A mining dam has collapsed in Brazil, sending a torrent of mud on a nearby community and leaving an estimated 200 people missing.  Officials say scores of people are trapped in areas flooded by the river of sludge released by the dam near the town of Brumadinho in the southeastern state of Minas Gerais. Fire …

Read more “200 Missing After Mining Dam Collapses in Brazil “

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has appointed foreign policy veteran Elliott Abrams to be U.S. envoy to Venezuela, tasked with helping “restore democracy” to the South American nation.    Pompeo made the announcement Friday afternoon in Washington, ahead of a special session of the U.N. Security Council on Saturday. Pompeo said Abrams would travel …

Read more “US Appoints New Venezuela Envoy to Help ‘Restore Democracy’”