Horizons
Lebanon looks to China in hopes to secure investments, bring relief
The Associated Press, Beirut - Facing a worsening economic crisis and with little chance of Western or oil-rich Arab countries providing assistance without substantial reforms, Lebanon’s cash-strapped government is looking east, hoping to secure investments from China that could bring re
Egypt seeks clarification on word of Ethiopia filling dam
Egypt has asked Ethiopia for urgent clarification on whether it had started filling its Grand Renaissance dam on the Blue Nile, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.It was Cairo's first official reaction after Ethiopia's water minister said earlier in the day that Addis Ababa had begun the f
UK to raise £5m for coronavirus refugees from Syria, Yemen
The UK government will channel £5 million ($6.3 million) of donations to charities that help fight coronavirus in refugee camps and developing countries.The donation made by the British public will go to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Coronavirus Appeal.The British internation
Tunisian families battle to repatriate children of militants
Over WhatsApp from Tunisia, Taheyya has watched her grandchildren grow up in Syria, where her son joined a militant group.She hopes one day to be able to hold the three surviving siblings in her arms, but for now they are stuck in a displacement camp in the war-torn country.“These are our gran
South Asian marriage websites under fire for color bias
An online backlash has forced the matrimonial website Shaadi.com to take down an ‘skin color’ filter which asked users to specify their skin color using descriptors such as fair, wheatish or dark. The filter on the popular site, which caters to the South Asian diaspora, was one of the pa
Religion, no bar: Muslim group cremates Hindus as virus fear grips Mumbai
Pratamesh Walavalker was always proud of living in a well-connected area with neighbors and relatives who look out for each other. However, the resident of Dombivali East, nearly 70 kilometers from India’s financial capital Mumbai, experienced a harsh reality check on Thursday. None of
Defying U.S., China and Iran Near Trade and Military Partnership
Iran and China have quietly drafted a sweeping economic and security partnership that would clear the way for billions of dollars of Chinese investments in energy and other sectors, undercutting the Trump administration’s efforts to isolate the Iranian government because of its nuclear and mil
Pandemic, racism compound worries about Black suicide rate
Jasmin Pierre was 18 when she tried to end her life, overdosing on whatever pills she could find. Diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she survived two more attempts at suicide, which felt like the only way to stop her pain. Years of therapy brought progress, but the 31-year-old Black woman&rsquo
White Supremacists Killed More Americans Than Muslim Extremists in Recent Years, Terrorism Report Shows
White supremacists have killed about nine times as many Americans as Muslim extremists have during terrorist attacks carried out in the U.S. in recent years, according to a report released Thursday by the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism's Global Terrorism Da
How Cameras Helped—and Sometimes Harmed—Black People
In the 19th century, the most photographed man in the world wasn’t Walt Whitman or Ulysses S. Grant or even Abraham Lincoln. It was Frederick Douglass. The famous orator and abolitionist was known for using his eloquent voice to impart the horrors of slavery, which he had experienced firstha
Officer's lawyer seeks dismissal of George Floyd murder charges
A lawyer for one of four Minneapolis police officers charged in the death of George Floyd is asking to have his client's case dismissed, saying there is not probable cause to charge him based on all of the evidence in the United States case and the law. In court filings (PDF) made public on Wednesd
UN Chief Condemns 'Unprecedented' Foreign Interference in Libya
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday 7-8-2020 that foreign interference in the Libya conflict has reached "unprecedented levels," with sophisticated equipment and mercenaries involved in the fighting.Guterres denounced the situation during a ministers-level UN Security Council video
Killing of Iraq expert revives fear of entering dark phase
Experts say Hisham al-Hashemi’s assassination signals dramatic turn for political violence brewing since mass protests erupted in October. Hashemi's killing appears to be a new challengeHashemi's killing appears to be a new challengeBAGHDAD - The killing of jihadism expert Hisham al-Hashemi h
Pope compares Libya's detention centres with concentration camps
Pope Francis has compared detention centres for migrants and refugees in Libya with concentration camps, saying the world was being given only a diluted version of how hellish life really is for the people living there. Thousands of refugees and migrants are reported to be held in 11 "official" det
Western powers seek condemnation of Syria over sarin attacks
THE HAGUE - Western countries pushed members of the global chemical weapons watchdog Tuesday to formally condemn Syria after a probe explicitly blamed Damascus for nerve gas attacks for the first time. A report in April by a new investigations team at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemica
Syrian and Russian Airstrikes in Idlib, Militant Attacks Amount to War Crimes - UN
Syrian and Russian planes have carried out deadly aerial strikes amounting to war crimes on schools, hospitals, and markets in Idlib province, UN investigators said on Tuesday in a report that also condemned attacks by militant fighters. They said that "indiscriminate bombardment" by pro-government
North Carolina Race Suggests Trump’s Washington Has Become the ‘Swamp’
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP took to Twitter last month to tout the power of his endorsements in recent elections. "82-1 Record in Congressional Specials and Primary Elections Since the 2018 Midterms," read a siren-red and white graphic he shared. Analysts have taken issue with both figures, but one pivo
Tensions between Turkey, France pose threat to NATO alliance, warn experts
Increasing tensions between France and Turkey were posing a threat to the cohesion of the NATO alliance, experts have warned. Paris’ recent decision to suspend its involvement in the NATO Sea Guardian maritime security operation in the eastern Mediterranean following an incident between a Fre
