Early this year, the Pentagon’s strategic review signaled a shift in priorities for U.S. foreign policy, suggesting that more attention would be paid to the Asia-Pacific region. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke of this as a “pivot” toward Asia, signaling what for many analysts and ordinary Americans has been a long-overdue transition away from Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East in general.
Read the full story »Early this year, the Pentagon’s strategic review signaled a shift in priorities for U.S. foreign policy, suggesting that more attention would be paid to the Asia-Pacific region. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton spoke of this as a “pivot” toward Asia, signaling what for many analysts and ordinary Americans has been a long-overdue transition away from Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East in general.
Read the full story »
Canadian companies in the oil industry in other parts of the world are accused of violations of Human Rights – destroying crops of land and indigenous economies. Amnesty International’s (AI’s) business is to make sure these companies respect these human rights.
Libyans in Halifax rallied and carried out a dozen protests during the Libyan crisis. Some of us also went to the demonstrations in Ottawa and protested in front of the Libyan embassy. Libyan-Canadians even flew back to fight for their freedom, says Fathi Ghanai, a Libyan who came to Canada to study in 1982.
Halifax Bahá’is celebrated the first day of Ridvan and the 70th anniversary of the formation of the first local Spiritual Assembly in Halifax at the Saint Mary’s Boat Club on 21 April.
The Chief Constable of the Vancouver Police was in Halifax on April 20. He was the guest speaker at the tenth annual Breakfast with a Fascinating Canadian fundraiser organized by the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21. Chief Constable Jim Chu shared his perspective on the role of immigration in creating strong communities.
Survivors of sexual violence in Indonesia face an uphill battle in recovery as a result of an inadequate legal system, police inaction, and prevailing societal attitudes that tend to be suspicious of victims, say activists.
Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir arrived in the southern oilfield town of Heglig, April 23, recently occupied by South Sudanese troops amid fears of all-out war between the two countries. His arrival in Heglig marks a victory for Sudan, after South Sudan’s President Salva Kiir earlier had ordered his troops to withdraw from the area.
India on 19 April successfully tested its first nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile, joining a select group of countries that possess such technology. The Agni-V with a range of more than 5,000 kilometres was launched from a military base off the eastern state of Orissa and hit a target in the southern Indian Ocean, said the state-run Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), which built the missile.
US President Barack Obama left the summit in Latin America with Washington more isolated than ever before. The reason: The stubborn positions the US takes on the drug war and on Cuba. When Obama first met with regional leaders in 2009, he recognized the mistakes Washington had made in the past. “We have at times been disengaged, and at times we sought to dictate our terms,” he said. “But I pledge to you that we seek an equal partnership.”
A United Nations human rights body has ruled that Denmark failed to investigate the racist nature of a 2004 attack on an Iraqi family, and called on the Government to review its policy and procedures on the prosecution of alleged racial discrimination or racially-motivated violence.
The United Nations special envoy to Syria has told the Security Council that the country is still experiencing unacceptable levels of violence, despite an April 12 ceasefire. According to a BBC report, Kofi Annan, who was briefing the council via videolink from Sweden on March 24, said he was “particularly alarmed by reports that government troops entered Hama yesterday after observers departed, firing automatic weapons and killing a significant number of people”.
