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Pope Leo XIV to pray at Armenian cathedral in Istanbul during Turkish-Armenian reconciliation
Pope Leo XIV plans to pray at an Armenian Apostolic cathedral in Istanbul in a gesture supporting Christian unity and Christian minorities in Turkey
Hondurans to elect new president in close race under the shadow of Trump's surprise intervention
Hondurans are set to elect a new president following U.S. Donald Trump’s unexpected involvement in the race
Pope wraps up Turkey visit and heads to Beirut to try to give Lebanese hope after years of crises
Pope Leo XIV is wrapping up his visit to Turkey before heading to Lebanon
China's factory activity contracts for 8th month in November despite trade war truce
China’s factory activity contracted for the eighth straight month in November, according to an official survey on Sunday, underscoring challenges for the country’s economy despite the U.S.-China trade truce
Trump's push for war with Venezuela is indeed about addiction — but not to drugs
President Donald Trump’s saber-rattling about potential military action in Venezuela is indeed about drugs, but not cocaine. It is about a far more dangerous drug that former President George W. Bush admitted (in his 2006 State of the Union address) the US is addicted to.Oil.Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves in the world — 300 billion barrels — even larger than reserves in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Trump and his oil industry friends may imagine that by deposing President Nicolás Maduro and installing a friendly government there, the US would have unlimited access to this huge oil reserve, which is five times larger than the proven reserves in the US. Never mind the fact that for any hope of future climate stability, most of this oil needs to stay right where it is: in the ground.We’ve seen this tragic play before. The Bush administration justified its disastrous 2003 invasion of Iraq with the pretext that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction which, as it turned out, it didn’t. As US Central Command commander General John Abizaid admitted about the Iraq War at the time: “Of course it’s about oil, it’s very much about oil, and we can’t really deny that.” The invasion killed tens of thousands of people, mostly civilians, and destabilized the broader Middle East region for years.And now here we go again. A similar pretext — this time “drug interdiction” — is being used to justify a potential US invasion and regime change in Venezuela. But this is not about stopping the flow of dangerous drugs, it is about actually increasing the flow of the dangerous drug some pushers want to keep us all hooked on.Oil. As Colombian President Gustavo Petro recently stated on the US-Venezuela threat: “Oil is at the heart of the matter.”Instead of admitting their addiction, the damage it causes, and committing to recovery, hardcore junkies are always desperate for more supply. It seems Mr. Trump and his oil industry friends are the most dangerous narco-traffickers we need to worry about.Richard Steiner was a marine professor with the University of Alaska from 1980 to 2010, stationed in the Arctic and Prince William Sound. He advises on oil and environment through Oasis Earth.
Dictatorship-era army officers and supporters rally in Argentina in latest sign of political shift
Ex-military officers who served in Argentina’s brutal dictatorship and their families have staged a rare rally to push for the release of fellow officers imprisoned for human rights abuses committed during the junta’s 1976-1983 rule
Israel has ‘de facto state policy’ of organised torture, says UN report
Committee highlights allegations including dog attacks and sexual violence, raising concern about impunity for war crimesIsrael has “a de facto state policy of organised and widespread torture”, according to a UN report covering the past two years, which also raised concerns about the impunity of Israeli security forces for war crimes.The UN committee on torture expressed “deep concern over allegations of repeated severe beatings, dog attacks, electrocution, waterboarding, use of prolonged stress positions [and] sexual violence”. Continue reading...
Convincing evidence Israel backed aid convoy looters in Gaza, historian says
Account of visit to Gaza by French professor describes Israeli military attacks on security personnel protecting convoysA historian who spent more than a month in Gaza at the turn of the year says he saw “utterly convincing” evidence that Israel supported looters who attacked aid convoys during the conflict.Jean-Pierre Filiu, a professor of Middle East studies at France’s prestigious Sciences Po university, entered Gaza in December where he was hosted by an international humanitarian organisation in the southern coastal zone of al-Mawasi. Continue reading...
UK MPs push for extra aid and visas as Jamaica reels from Hurricane Melissa
Dawn Butler leads calls for humanitarian visas and fee waivers for vulnerable relatives of UK nationals affected by stormBritish MPs have joined campaigners calling for more aid and humanitarian visas for Jamaicans to enter the UK after Hurricane Melissa demolished parts of the country, plunging hundreds of thousands of people into a humanitarian crisis.The UK has pledged £7.5m emergency funds to Jamaica and other islands affected by the hurricane, but many argue that the country has a moral obligation to do more for former Caribbean colonies. Continue reading...
Australia's Albanese becomes country's first prime minister to marry in office
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has married his partner Jodie Haydon in a secretive ceremony
Authorities probe corruption and negligence in Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades
Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades is raising questions about corruption and negligence in the renovations of the apartment complex where at least 128 people died
This African nation built its development on diamonds. Now it's crashing down
Diamonds helped transform Botswana from one of the world’s poorest nations into one of Africa’s success stories



