Author: Steven Sahiounie

The death toll from the weeklong unrest triggered by the jailing of South Africa’s former President Jacob Zuma has seen a sharp rise across the country, with the government having increased the number of security forces to quell the violence. Government officials in Pretoria announced on Thursday that the number of fatalities in South Africa’s unrest had risen to 117 as the country called up its army reserves to contain the chaotic situation across the country. The figure showed a sizable increase from the toll of 72 announced the previous day. The acting minister in the presidency, Khumbudzo Ntshavheni, told…

Human rights groups have called on Japan to stop its participation in a real estate project on lands in Myanmar leased from the country’s junta, whose dark record of human rights violations has worsened since seizing power in a February coup d’état. A number of rights groups, including Human Rights Now, Human Rights Watch, Japan International Volunteer Center, Justice For Myanmar, and Mekong Watch, on Thursday condemned Japan’s involvement in construction projects on lands belonging to Myanmar’s notorious military, known as the Tatmadaw. “Even before the coup, we were raising concerns to the Japanese government and businesses about the dangers of…

China has warned the US to “stop conducting political manipulation” after the American Senate passed a bill to ban the import of all products from Xinjiang region, which is home to the ethnic group of Uighurs. The mostly Muslim-Turkic ethnic group of Uighurs, which makes up about 45 percent of the population in Xinjiang, has long accused China of cultural, religious, and economic discrimination. The US, in particular, spearheads such allegations in the West. China has repeatedly denied claims of human rights abuses in Xinjiang. It believes exiled separatist groups are planning “attacks” in the resource-rich Xinjiang, which is strategically…

A US military chopper made an emergency landing in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, on Thursday, while training for an upcoming Aviation Day parade. No one was hurt, but fire crews were immediately dispatched to the scene. The US Black Hawk helicopter tore down two sets of street lights and blocked traffic. Videos posted on social media shows the moment when it landed on a busy street. The Romania Journal reported that the Black Hawk was flying with five other helicopters, when it suddenly lost altitude and landed at the Charles de Gaulle Square Roundabout in Aviatorilor Boulevard. The US Embassy in Romania released…

The Lebanese prime minister-designate has said he is stepping down from the post after failing for several months to put together a government from the country’s many opposing factions amid a worsening economic crisis. On Thursday, Saad al-Hariri told reporters that he would relinquish his position following a 20-minute meeting with President Michel Aoun. “It is clear we will not be able to agree [a cabinet] with his excellency the president,” Hariri stated, adding “that is why I excuse myself from government formation.” He had been attempting to form a government for eight months amid crippling economic conditions, public distrust in political…

A decision by the EU’s top court, which says that companies can ban their employees from wearing headscarves under certain conditions, has been condemned by many who claim the move is racist and hypocritical. On Thursday morning, the European Union’s Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that companies within the 27-nation bloc can prohibit their workers from wearing headscarves, notably the Islamic face covering called the hijab, if “employers need to present a neutral image towards customers or [wish] to prevent social disputes.” The verdict was reached after two cases were brought to the ECJ. Both hailed from Germany, where two women,…

US Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation, Zalmay Khalilzad, admitted that the US withdrawal came “after the authorities realized that there was no military solution in the country.” In a webinar, Zadeh said that “Afghanistan has been at war for 43 years, and the narrative of the country becoming a battlefield only after the US withdrawal is incorrect.” The Special Representative’s words came after the US Central Command announced, on Tuesday, that the US has completed the withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan by more than 95%. This was preceded by a statement by the representative of the Afghan “Taliban” movement in Qatar,…

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Moscow regards Washington’s stance on the situation in Cuba as “unacceptable”. Zakharova added that the US should refrain from interfering in Cuba’s internal affairs, and offer instead genuine support for Cuba. In a statement published on its website, Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman noted that “We were dazed by the US officials’ statements on the situation in Cuba in light of recent events”, adding that “The US continues to grossly violate human rights both inside and outside the country, through illegal, unilateral measures like sanctions.” Zakharova also pointed out…

The Biden administration calls on UN experts on racism to investigate their record of racism against African Americans, adopting a stance contrasting with that of former President Donald Trump. United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the United Nations Human Rights Council forming a group of racism experts to address systemic racism against “Africans and people of African descent.” “Responsible nations must not shrink from the scrutiny of their human rights record; rather, they should acknowledge it with the intent to improve. I urge all UN member states to join the United States in this effort, and confront the…

The leader of the Sadrist Movement in Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr, announces that he will be boycotting the upcoming October 10 elections. “In order to preserve what is left of the homeland that was burned and is still being burnt by the corrupt, and to save it, we inform you that I will not be participating in these elections, for the homeland is more important than all of that,” al-Sadr said in a speech on Thursday. He added, “I announce that I withdraw from all the parties of the current and subsequent government, and if they claim that they are affiliated…