Bob Rae, Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations, does not shy away from tough questions. Though many in a position such as his might shy away from argument, Rae seems to relish the opportunity to engage in some intellectual sparring. It was in this context that I requested an interview as Canada grapples with multiple [...]
Search Results for: Cuba
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) on Monday accused the US of orchestrating a covert campaign to interfere with the upcoming Russian presidential election, set to take place on Mar. 15-17. The spy agency claims the administration of US President Joe Biden has ordered a group of American NGOs to stifle voter turnout in a bid [...]
A US federal judge upheld on Friday the Biden administration’s program to grant temporary legal immigration status to up to 30,000 asylum-seekers from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela. This initiative, also known as humanitarian parole, provides an avenue for people from these nations to avoid illegal entry into the US. It has been a key [...]
Colombia initiates peace talks with Second Marquetalia armed group
Colombia’s Office of the High Commissioner for Peace issued a joint statement on Friday with the Second Marquetalia, formally initiating a dialogue aimed at achieving a peace agreement with the armed group. This initiative is in line with the peace policy established by the Total Peace Law promoted by Colombian President Gustavo Petro. The law [...]
Colombia and National Liberation Army extend bilateral ceasefire for six months
The Colombian government and the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) Tuesday agreed to extend their landmark truce for 180 days. The truce, called the Bilateral, National and Temporary Ceasefire, was previously extended by one week on January 30 2024, while each side continued ongoing peace talks. In addition to the extension, the peace process is [...]
Pakistan rejects US State Department inclusion in religious freedom concern list
Pakistan rejected Monday its designation as a “Country of Particular Concern” (CPC) by the United States State Department over religious freedom concerns in the South Asian country. The US State Department designated Pakistan as a CPC on January 4 following a recommendation from the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). The Pakistan Ministry of [...]
Special EU envoy says US sanctions are worsening Cuba's human rights crisis
EU Special Representative for Human Rights, Eamon Gilmore, co-chaired the EU-Cuba human rights dialogue in Cuba, on Thursday. Gilmore stated that the agenda “recognised the impact of the embargo, and called for the release of July ’21 detainees.” He also told reporters that the US sanctions are “hurting the human rights situation” as it is [...]
US military judge at Guantanamo Bay rules that 9/11 defendant 'lacks capacity to stand trial'
A US military judge ruled on Thursday that Ramzi bin al-Shibh, a 9/11 defendant detained in US custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is unfit to stand trial. Military Judge Colonel Matthew N. McCall’s ruling comes after a medical panel found that al-Shibh has PTSD with “Secondary Psychotic Features” resulting from his abuse in Central Intelligence [...]
INTERPOL and Europol announced Monday that the organizations broke up a migrant smuggling ring that brought migrants from Cuba to the European Union (EU). 62 arrests were made in cooperation with the governments of Germany, Greece, Northern Macedonia, Spain and Serbia. The investigation into the smuggling ring began in October 2021 after several EU countries [...]
Number of people forcibly displaced reaches 110 million: UN report
The United Nations released the Global Trend Report 2022 on Wednesday which covers refugees, asylum seekers, internally displaced and stateless people worldwide. 112.6 million people fall under the protection of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The number of forcibly displaced people is 108.4 million. Both figures are at their historic high since [...]