International
First albino joins Malawi’s parliament
AFP
An albino activist was sworn in to Malawi’s parliament on Thursday, a first in a country where people with albinism have suffered discrimination and killings.
Overstone Kondowe won a by-election last month in central Malawi, a milestone after years of victimisation.
“Being the first person with albinism elected in this kind of office, there is high expectation, not only in Malawi, but the whole world is looking forward to what I would do,” he told AFP soon after his swearing-in.
“My last word to persons with disability, and in particular persons with albinism, they need not to underrate themselves,” he said.
“And they need to work hard towards their goal. I remain a model to them and I will inspire them more so that they aim higher,” he added.
Malawi suffered a wave of assaults against albinos from late 2014.
At the height of the attacks in 2016, Kondowe founded the Association of People with Albinism in Malawi to push the government to take action.
Amnesty International says more than 20 albinos have been killed in Malawi since 2014.
In the last four months, Amnesty said seven attacks against albinos have been recorded, ranging from killings, tampering of graves, attempted abductions, and physical violence.
As in other countries in the region, albinos’ body parts are used in rituals to bring wealth and luck.
Some albinos are also accused of being “vampires” who seek human blood for rituals, sometimes triggering vigilante violence in retaliation.
President Lazarus Chakwera has named Kondowe as his special adviser on people with disability. Kondowe is also the current chairperson of the African Union for Persons with Albinism.
Former UN independent expert on albinism Ikponwosa Ero told AFP she was elated by Kondowe’s election.
“Overstone’s election is a giant step forward in the protection of human rights of people with albinism in Malawi and the Africa region as a whole,” she said.
“It shows that the context of discrimination is changing for the better for people with albinism in Malawi.”
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International4 days agoICE reverses course and moves forward with New Jersey migrant detention facility project
-
International1 day agoU.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
-
International4 days agoMarco Rubio launches U.S. campaign to “dismantle” the International Criminal Court
-
International4 days agoJudge rules Trump’s IRS lawsuit was a “bad faith” attempt to manipulate the judicial process
-
International3 days agoFrance Holds Largest Bastille Day Military Parade as Europe Highlights Strategic Defense
-
International3 days agoPresident Noboa Declares New Security Strategy as Ecuador Faces Record Violence Levels
-
International3 days agoForeign Medical Teams Race to Prevent Health Crisis in Venezuela Earthquake Camps
-
International1 day agoU.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
-
International2 days agoLatin Music Stars Unite in Miami to Raise Aid for Victims of Venezuela’s Devastating Earthquake
-
International1 day agoEl Salvador Sends Eighth Humanitarian Flight to Earthquake-Hit Venezuela
-
Central America1 day agoNicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
-
International2 days agoTrump Administration Seeks Global Action Against “Resurgent” Left-Wing Terrorism