International

The Pentagon reaches an agreement with LGTBIQ veterans discharged for their sexual orientation

The Pentagon announced on Monday that it reached an agreement with a group of five plaintiffs, representing more than 30,000 LGTBIQ veterans who unsubscribed because of their sexual orientation, according to US media reports.

Veterans who sued the Department of Defense were fired when a controversial measure was in force – known as ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ or ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ in English – that forced LGBTQ people to hide their sexuality in order to be military.

The agreement streamlines the process so that these veterans can eliminate references to their sexual orientation in the discharge documents and the Department of Defense records.

“When I was discharged because of my sexual orientation, I felt that my country was telling me that my service was worthless, that I was ‘less than’ for the person I loved,” Sherrill Farrell, a veteran of the US Navy and one of the five people who filed the lawsuit, said in a press release.

“Today, once again I feel proud to have served my country by defending veterans like me and ensuring that our honor is recognized,” she added.

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In the lawsuit, the veterans alleged that the Pentagon violated their rights by not granting them “honorable” casualties or removing references to their sexual orientation from their record after the discriminatory policy was removed in 2011.

The government tried to dismiss the lawsuit and a federal judge in California allowed the class action to take course in June, concluding that the army’s decision to leave the discharge documents of LGTBQ veterans unchanged “was motivated by a discriminatory intention.”

The ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy came into effect in 1993 and allowed sexual orientation to be indicated as the main reason for the dismissal of the military.

Some of the veterans discharged under this restriction lost access to benefits such as military discounts, college tuition assistance, loan programs, and more.

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International

Security Council to Hold Emergency Meeting on Middle East Crisis

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Saturday condemned the “military escalation in the Middle East” following attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran and Tehran’s retaliatory strikes, just hours before an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council.

“I call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and de-escalation,” Guterres said in a statement.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Saturday at 21:00 GMT (4:00 p.m. in New York) to address “the situation in the Middle East,” the United Nations announced.

The meeting, during which Guterres will deliver remarks, was convened at the request of France, Bahrain, Colombia, Russia and China, according to a diplomatic source.

International

Trump Floats “Friendly Takeover” of Cuba Amid Rising Tensions

U.S. President Donald Trump said Friday that his administration is considering what he described as a “friendly takeover” of Cuba, as Washington continues to increase pressure on the island’s communist government.

“The Cuban government is talking to us and they have very serious problems, as you know. They have no money, they have nothing at this moment, but they are talking to us and maybe we will see a friendly takeover of Cuba,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House for a trip to Texas.

Earlier in the week, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Cuba needed a “radical change,” shortly after Washington eased restrictions on oil exports to the island for what officials described as “humanitarian reasons,” amid a deep economic crisis.

The United States has imposed an energy blockade on Cuba since January, citing what it calls an “extraordinary threat” posed by the communist-run island, located roughly 150 kilometers (90 miles) off the coast of Florida, to U.S. national security.

International

Argentina’s Senate Reviews Milei-Backed Labor Overhaul

Argentina’s Senate on Friday began reviewing the Labor Modernization Law promoted by the administration of President Javier Milei, a proposal that would significantly reshape labor rules across the country.

The upper chamber opened its final discussion of the contentious initiative, which revises the method used to calculate severance payments — lowering the amounts owed in dismissal cases — and introduces an “hour bank” mechanism that allows overtime to be offset with paid leave rather than extra wages.

The legislation also broadens the classification of essential services, a change that would place new limits on the right to strike in designated sectors.

The bill was initially approved by the Senate on February 11 and then moved to the Chamber of Deputies, where lawmakers passed it with amendments. It has now returned to the Senate for definitive approval.

Outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires, workers, trade unions and left-wing organizations staged demonstrations beginning at midday. The gathering later thinned out amid reports of disturbances and a strong police presence. Security forces had secured the area surrounding the legislature since early morning hours.

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Union leaders contend that the reform weakens labor protections, while many business representatives back the measure but stress that sustainable formal employment will require economic expansion, improved credit conditions, greater investment and a more dynamic domestic market.