55º
wsls logo
    • News
    • Watch Live
    • Local News
    • Virginia
    • National
    • World
    • Education
    • Money
    • Trust Index
    • Politics
    • Coronavirus
    • 30 Days of Hope
    • Health
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • 1st and 10
    • High School Sports
    • Virginia Tech
    • Virginia Tech Stats
    • Take on 10
    • Around the Way with EJ
    • NFL
    • Features
    • WSLS Insider
    • Contests & Rules
    • Community Calendar
    • Connecting Communities
    • Dining for Charities
    • Find Your Money
    • Top 10 Deals
    • Ask 10
    • Taxes
    • Tasty Tuesday
    • In Your Town
    • Get Fit with Britt
    • John Carlin's Outdoors
    • The Deep Blue Ridge
    • Feel Good VA
    • Local Business Spotlight
    • Clear the Shelters
    • Travel
    • MeTV
    • Watch Live
    • Recent Newscasts
    • Meet the Team
    • Solutionaries
    • Something Good
    • TV Listings
    • Weather
    • School Closings
    • Pin It
    • Picture of the Day
    • 3 Degree Guarantee
    • Skycams
    • Forecasting Change
    • Know Your Zone - Lynchburg Area
    • Know Your Zone - Roanoke
    • Know Your Zone - New River Valley
    • Know Your Zone - Southside
    • Know Your Zone - Highlands
    • Traffic
    • Newsletters
    • Contact Us
    • Careers at WSLS
    • Digital Transparency Guide
    • Advertise with us
  • News
  • Sports
  • Features
  • Watch Live
  • Weather
  • Traffic
  • Newsletters
  • Contact Us
WSLS.com
  • News
  • Sports
  • Features
  • Watch Live
  • Weather
  • Traffic
  • Newsletters
  • Contact Us
  • BREAKING NEWS

Pedestrian crash closes portion of Hershberger Rd. NW, police say

We are told one person is hospitalized following car vs. pedestrian crash in Roanoke.

BREAKING NEWS

Pedestrian crash closes portion of Hershberger Rd. NW, police say

MICHELLE BACHELET


West, China showdown looms in vote at UN human rights body

The U.N.’s top human rights body is poised to vote on a proposal from Britain, Turkey, the United States and mostly Western countries to hold a debate next year on alleged rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region

washingtonpost.com

UN rights body rejects Western bid to debate Xinjiang abuses

In a close diplomatic victory for China, the U.N.’s top human rights body has voted down a proposal from Britain, Turkey, the United States and other mostly Western countries to hold a debate on alleged rights abuses against Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities in China’s western Xinjiang region.

China envoy vows 'fight' over alleged Xinjiang rights abuses

An envoy from China’s Xinjiang province says Chinese authorities are ready for a “fight” with “anti-China” critics in the West and elsewhere over allegations of rights abuses in the anti-extremism campaign against Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic groups in the region.

On sidelines of UN, a push for China's abuses to be punished

Diplomats and human rights advocates speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly are calling for forceful action on China's alleged persecution of ethnic minorities.

China values UN relationship despite human rights criticism

As world leaders gather in New York next week for the annual U.N. General Assembly, China is also focusing on another U.N.-related meeting in Geneva.

Despite setbacks, Venezuelan opposition leader touts record

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has offered a broad accounting of millions of dollars under his control and took credit for social programs benefiting people across the troubled South American country.

UN to EU: Don't backtrack on climate goals amid energy pinch

The acting U.N. human rights chief has urged European Union member states to avoid “backtracking” on their efforts to develop renewables and energy-efficiency projects at a time when soaring energy prices have prompted some to ramp up use of and searches for fossil fuels

washingtonpost.com

China shuns cooperation with UN rights office over report

A top Chinese diplomat says China can’t work with the U.N. human rights office after it released a report criticizing Beijing’s policies against Uyghurs and other ethnic groups in western Xinjiang.

UN approves Austria's Volker Türk as new human rights chief

The U.N. General Assembly has approved veteran Austrian diplomat Volker Türk to be the global body’s human rights chief and the world’s advocate for adherence to the universal rights at a time when the office is facing harsh criticism from China for accusing Beijing of abuses against Muslim minorities.

UN chief says North Korea has increased repression of rights

The U.N. chief says in a new report that North Korea has increased its repression of the rights and freedoms of its people and the U.N. Security Council should consider referring the country to the International Criminal Court for possible crimes against humanity

washingtonpost.com

For exiled Uyghurs, UN report is long-awaited vindication

The U.N.’s long-delayed report on mass detentions and other rights abuses against Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in China's far-western Xinjiang region has been welcomed by survivors as an acknowledgement of abuses they say they faced at the hands of the Chinese state.

EXPLAINER: Why is China so angry over UN report on Xinjiang?

China is responding furiously to a United Nations report on alleged human rights abuses in its northwestern Xinjiang region targeting Uyghurs and other mainly Muslim ethnic minorities.

To China’s fury, UN accuses Beijing of Uyghur rights abuses

The U.N. accused China of serious human rights violations that may amount to “crimes against humanity” in a long-delayed report examining a crackdown on Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups.

The United Nations says crimes against humanity may have happened in China's Xinjiang

The United Nations human rights chief has released a long-delayed report, concluding that "serious" human rights violations have been committed against Uyghurs and other minorities in the region.

npr.org

U.N. report: China may have committed crimes against humanity in Xinjiang

The closely watched review faced criticism from both human rights advocates, who worried it would whitewash state-sponsored abuses, and Chinese officials, who called the investigation politically motivated and unfair.

washingtonpost.com

UN cites possible crimes vs. humanity in China's Xinjiang

A long-awaited report from the U.N. human rights office says China’s discriminatory detention of Uyghurs and other mostly Muslim ethnic groups in the western region of Xinjiang may constitute crimes against humanity.

UN rights chief hints report on Xinjiang may miss deadline

The outgoing U.N. human rights chief has suggested her office won’t make good on her promise to release its long-awaited report on China’s Xinjiang region by the end of her term next week

washingtonpost.com

Myanmar executes ex-lawmaker, 3 other political prisoners

Myanmar has carried out its first executions in nearly 50 years, hanging a former lawmaker, a democracy activist and two other political prisoners who had been accused of a targeted killing after the country’s military takeover last year.

UN: More than 300,000 civilians killed in Syria's conflict

The United Nations says the first 10 years of Syria’s conflict, which began in 2011, killed more than 300,000 civilians

washingtonpost.com

'Total bloodbath': Witnesses describe Ethiopia ethnic attack

Hundreds of people, mostly ethnic Amhara, were slaughtered in a village and its surroundings this month in the latest explosion of ethnic violence in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous nation.

Bachelet won't seek 2nd term as UN human rights chief

The U.N. human rights chief, Michelle Bachelet, says she will not seek a new four-year term after the current one that has been overshadowed by criticism of her response to China’s treatment of Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in western Xinjiang

washingtonpost.com

33 years after Tiananmen, China crushes movements before they can start

China’s security state is increasingly devoting vast resources to policing the private lives of socially active people with views it deems problematic.

washingtonpost.com

U.N. human rights chief disappoints Uyghur advocates on visit to China

Michelle Bachelet, the first U.N. human rights chief to visit China since 2005, was criticized for not speaking out more forcefully against the crackdown in Xinjiang.

washingtonpost.com

UN human rights chief asks China to rethink Uyghur policies

The top U.N. human rights official said Saturday that she raised concerns with Chinese officials about the impact of measures on the rights of Uyghurs in China's Xinjiang region.

npr.org

UN human rights chief asks China to rethink Uyghur policies

The top U.N. human rights official says she raised concerns with Chinese officials about the impact of counterterrorism and deradicalization measures on the rights of Uyghurs and other predominantly Muslim groups in China’s Xinjiang region.

Algerian dissidents: Victims of crackdown, or outlaws?

An Algerian military officer-turned-democracy activist has been deported from Spain and charged in Algeria in a case that human rights groups see as another sign of an ever-expanding crackdown on dissent.

Avalanche of hacked Xinjiang Police documents, images expose Chinese government abuse of Uyghurs

A leaked cache of thousands of photos and official documents, titled “The Xinjiang Police Files,” reveal new information surrounding China’s detainment of its Uyghur population. An anonymous hacker allegedly downloaded and decrypted the secret files from a number of police computer servers in Xinjiang before handing them to Dr. Adrian Zenz, a U.S.-based scholar who has previously published research on Xinjiang. Zenz published the details in a paper for the Journal of the European Association for Chinese Studies on Tuesday.

news.yahoo.com

Chinese leader Xi defends record to UN human rights chief

Chinese leader Xi Jinping has defended China’s record to the top U.N. human rights official, criticizing countries that he said lecture others on human rights and politicize the issue.

China claims sabotage as UN rights official visits Xinjiang

China says the U.S.

China claims sabotage as UN rights official visits Xinjiang

China on Tuesday said the U.S., Britain and other foreign powers are seeking to sabotage its foreign relations by orchestrating criticism surrounding a trip by the top United Nations official for human rights. China has long held back the fact-finding mission led by Michelle Bachelet, focused on allegations of mass confinement, forced labor and compulsory birth control measures imposed on members of the Uyghur, Kazakh and other Muslim minorities. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin went on the offensive over such criticisms Tuesday, saying “the U.S., Britain and other Western countries have been repeatedly staging political farces around the U.N. high commissioner for human rights’ visit to China."

news.yahoo.com

US policy toward Taiwan 'has not changed': defense secretary

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says that Washington's "one-China policy" toward Taiwan "has not changed," after President Joe Biden said the US was willing to defend the island militarily from a Chinese invasion.

news.yahoo.com

Gangs strangle Haiti's capital as deaths, kidnappings soar

Gangs are fighting each other and seizing territory in Haiti's capital with a new intensity and brutality.

UN rights chief to visit China next week, travel to Xinjiang

The United Nations’ top human rights official will visit China next week on a trip that will take her to the Xinjiang region, where rights groups and some Western governments allege the Chinese government is committing genocide and serious abuses against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities

washingtonpost.com

UN chief urges end to senseless and ruthless war in Ukraine

U_N_ Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is urging the world to unite and end the war in Ukraine, calling it senseless, ruthless and “limitless in its potential for global harm.”

washingtonpost.com

Key players urge accountability for atrocities in Ukraine

For the first time, key players seeking accountability for atrocities during the Ukraine war have come together at an informal meeting of the U.N. Security Council to spur investigations into abuses that many Western countries blame on Russia.

UN rights chief sees 'horror story' of violations in Ukraine

The United Nations’ human rights office has pointed to what it says is growing evidence of war crimes since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, declaring that humanitarian law appears to have been “tossed aside.”

washingtonpost.com

UN human rights council asked to act against Myanmar army

The main opposition organization in military-ruled Myanmar has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council to act strongly to restore democracy in the Southeast Asian nation, saying that the international community should put sanctions and other pressures on the country’s generals

washingtonpost.com

UK's Johnson in UAE, Saudi Arabia to press for more oil

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has met with the de facto rulers of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia in efforts to ease gasoline prices as the West grapples with economic headwinds from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

U.N. says military violence in Myanmar may be 'crimes against humanity'

More than 12,500 people in Myanmar have been detained, at least 440,000 have been displaced and about 14 million people are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance, the report says.

npr.org

EXPLAINER: Weapons used in the Russia-Ukraine war

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is the largest conflict that Europe has seen since World War II, with Russia conducting a multi-pronged offensive across the country.

Germany urges UN rights office to publish Uyghur report

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called Thursday for the U.N. human rights office to release a report it has compiled on the situation of the Uyghur Muslim minority in China. Baerbock said in a video speech to the 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva that the global body needs “more transparency.”

news.yahoo.com

Russia-Ukraine War: Russia steps up attack on Ukraine cities

Russian forces have stepped up their attacks on several Ukrainian cities, with a huge convoy of Russian tanks and armored vehicles on a road to the capital, Kyiv, and fighting intensifying there and in other population centers.

ICC prosecutor to open probe into war crimes in Ukraine

The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he plans to open an investigation “as rapidly as possible” into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Ukraine

washingtonpost.com

Fearing setback, Chile’s women may decide presidential race

Most eligible Chilean voters stayed home for the first round of presidential voting.

UN rights chief: Burkina Faso is facing a security crisis

The U_N_ human rights chief says if insecurity in Burkina Faso keeps up, the West African country could spiral into a humanitarian and human rights “catastrophe.”.

UN rights body holds urgent session in wake of Sudan coup

The United Nations' top human rights official has condemned actions by military leaders in Sudan following a coup almost two weeks ago and called on them to let civilian rule return.

U.N. sees possible war crimes in "reckless" Ethiopia war as U.S. warns citizens to prepare to flee

U.N. says atrocities in "reckless" war between Ethiopian government and Tigrayan rebels "may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity," as the U.S. urges citizens to pack their bags.

cbsnews.com

UN report says Ethiopia's war marked by 'extreme brutality'

The U.N. human rights chief says Ethiopia’s yearlong war has been marked by “extreme brutality" as a joint investigation into alleged atrocities faults all sides for committing abuses.

U.N., U.S. Officials Urge Action To Avert Climate Disaster

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Glasgow "is not the end of the road" and countries must keep raising their targets over the coming years.

newsy.com

U.N., U.S. Officials Urge Action To Avert Climate Disaster

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Glasgow "is not the end of the road" and countries must keep raising their targets over the coming years.

www3.newsy.com

U.N., U.S. Officials Urge Action To Avert Climate Disaster

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry said Glasgow "is not the end of the road" and countries must keep raising their targets over the coming years.

www1.newsy.com

U.S., U.N. Officials Urge Action Ahead Of Climate Summit

Countries participating in an upcoming climate summit in Scotland are being called on to fulfill their Paris Accord pledges.

newsy.com

U.S., U.N. Officials Urge Action Ahead Of Climate Summit

Countries participating in an upcoming climate summit in Scotland are being called on to fulfill their Paris Accord pledges.

www3.newsy.com

U.S., U.N. Officials Urge Action Ahead Of Climate Summit

Countries participating in an upcoming climate summit in Scotland are being called on to fulfill their Paris Accord pledges.

www1.newsy.com

UN, US officials urge action to avert climate disaster

The U.N.‘s top human rights official and U.S. President Joe Biden’s envoy to this year’s climate summit called Thursday for countries to step up the fight against global warming.

Airstrike kills, wounds Turkey-backed gunmen in north Syria

Warplanes attacked Turkey-backed opposition fighters in northern Syria on Sunday, killing and wounding about 20, an opposition war monitor and pro-government media said. The airstrike struck a position in an area near the town of Afrin. It came amid increasing tensions between government forces and insurgent groups who still have a stronghold in northwestern Syria, mainly in the province of Idlib.

news.yahoo.com

Concerned United Nations can only sidestep Myanmar crisis

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has bracketed Myanmar with Afghanistan and Ethiopia as nations where peace and stability remain a distant dream.

EXPLAINER: Why World Bank is under fire over set of rankings

The World Bank has dropped a popular report that ranked countries by how welcoming they are to businesses after allegations that it bowed to pressure from China and other governments.

The U.N. Warns That AI Can Pose A Threat To Human Rights

A new report by the U.N. human rights office warns that artificial intelligence has the potential to facilitate "unprecedented level of surveillance across the globe by state and private actors."

npr.org

UN: Probe in Ethiopia's Tigray didn't reach Axum massacre

The United Nations human rights chief on Monday said a highly awaited joint investigation into abuses in Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict was unable to deploy to the site of one of its deadliest attacks, the alleged massacre of several hundred people in the holy city of Axum. Michelle Bachelet told the U.N. Human Rights Council that deployments to eastern and central Tigray, where witnesses have accused Ethiopian and allied forces from neighboring Eritrea of some of the worst abuses of the 10-month war, “could not proceed.” The war saw a dramatic shift in late June when the Tigray forces retook much of Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region and Ethiopian and allied forces withdrew.

news.yahoo.com

The Latest: UN says $1.2B pledged to help Afghans in need

The U.N. humanitarian chief says $1.2 billion has been promised to help Afghans facing a growing humanitarian crisis in the country and millions in the region, calling the pledges “an important step” toward helping the needy.

Afghanistan: Taliban tell working women to stay at home

Women are not to go to work until procedures are in place to ensure their safety, a spokesman says.

news.yahoo.com

Biden holds to Kabul Aug. 31 deadline despite criticism

U.S. President Joe Biden says he will stick with his Aug. 31 deadline for finishing a U.S.-led evacuation of Americans, at-risk Afghans and others.

Fleeing fighting in north, Afghans crowd into Kabul's parks

Tens of thousands have fled their homes in northern Afghanistan in recent days to escape fighting.

EXPLAINER: Target list of Israeli hack-for-hire firm widens

Human rights and press freedom activists are up in arms about a new report on NSO Group, the notorious Israeli hacker-for-hire company.

Cuba government rallies backers following big protests

Cuban officials have rallied tens of thousands of supporters in the streets nearly a week after they were stunned by the most widespread protests in decades.

US urges ASEAN to press for return to democracy in Myanmar

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has asked his Southeast Asian counterparts to press for an end to violence in Myanmar, its return to a democratic path and the release of all political prisoners.

UN rights boss urges ‘wide range’ of reparations over racism

The U.N. human rights chief is urging countries to “fully fund comprehensive processes” and take “a wide range of reparations measures” to address the legacies of slavery, colonial rule and racial discrimination.

UN rights boss urges 'wide range' of reparations over racism

The U.N. human rights chief on Monday urged countries to “fully fund comprehensive processes" and take “a wide range of reparations measures” to address the legacies of slavery, colonial rule and racial discrimination. Michelle Bachelet presented to the U.N. Human Rights Council a landmark report launched after the killing of George Floyd in the United States and released last month. Bachelet told the council in Geneva that research “could not find a single example of a state that has comprehensively reckoned with its past or accounted for its impacts on the lives of people of African descent today," despite some attempts at seeking out the truth through apologies, litigation and memorialization.

news.yahoo.com

UN rights chief asks world to keep pressure on Myanmar junta

The U.N. human rights chief on Tuesday praised the “incredible resilience” of Myanmar’s people in helping each other in the wake of a military takeover and violent crackdown, while calling on the international community to keep up pressure on the junta to halt violence and restore democracy. Michelle Bachelet said the rights situation in Myanmar has changed from a political crisis to a “multi-dimensional human rights catastrophe,” noting that nearly 900 people have been killed and 200,000 forced to flee their homes because of military raids.

news.yahoo.com

UN official urges Palestinian security to allow protests

The U.N. human rights chief on Thursday urged the Palestinian Authority to ensure the safety of protesters after security forces and supporters of President Mahmoud Abbas attacked demonstrators over the weekend. The protests erupted after an outspoken critic of the PA died shortly after his family says he was severely beaten by security forces who arrested him. The PA, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, has grown increasingly autocratic and unpopular in recent years.

news.yahoo.com

U.N. human rights chief calls for reparations to address systemic racism around the world

Two days after the sentencing of Derek Chauvin for the killing of George Floyd, the U.N. Human Rights Council released a report, ordered last year in the wake of Floyd’s death, calling on countries to adopt a “transformative agenda” to fight systemic racism.

washingtonpost.com

U.N. Says World Must Confront Legacy Of Racism

In a landmark report, the U.N.'s human rights chief said structural racism blocks access to jobs, healthcare, housing, education, and justice.

newsy.com

The U.N. Rights Chief Says Reparations Are Needed For People Facing Racism

"There is today a momentous opportunity to achieve a turning point for racial equality and justice," the report from the U.N. human rights chief said.

npr.org

UN rights chief: Reparations needed for people facing racism

The U.N. human rights chief is urging countries worldwide to do more to help end discrimination, violence and systemic racism against people of African descent and “make amends” to them — including through reparations.

Victims in Miami condo collapse came from around the world

The seaside condominium that collapsed in Florida this week was a true reflection of Miami’s international mix _ South American immigrants, Orthodox Jews, foreign retirees.

International pressure mounts against Nicaragua’s crackdown on government critics

Nicaragua's arrests of opponents ahead of its November elections have spurred international condemnation and sanctions and may lead to tougher consequences.

latimes.com

China lashes out at western countries like the US and UK for 'violations of the rights of refugees and migrants' at the UN Human Rights Council

A Beijing representative said that China was "seriously concerned by the violations of the rights of refugees and migrants" in countries like the US.

news.yahoo.com

Nicaragua under growing pressure to end crackdown on political opponents

In recent weeks, authorities in Nicaragua have stepped up the persecution of President Daniel Ortega’s political rivals in particular.

washingtonpost.com

Watch Live: Women Political Leaders Summit

Notable speakers include Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, and President of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde.

cbsnews.com

How to watch the Women Political Leaders Summit

Notable speakers include Christine Lagarde, the president of the European Central Bank, and President of Ethiopia Sahle-Work Zewde.

cbsnews.com

UN rights chief warns of escalating violence in Myanmar

The U.N. human rights chief is warning of a military buildup in parts of Myanmar and rising violence, with the army using heavy weapons against armed groups as well as civilian targets, including Christian churches. Michelle Bachelet said more than 108,000 people have fled their homes in eastern Kayah state in the last three weeks, and her office cited “credible reports” that security forces have shelled civilian homes and churches and blocked access for humanitarian aid. “Myanmar’s military, the Tatmadaw, have a duty to protect civilians,” said Bachelet, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights.

news.yahoo.com

Colombia protests: UN calls for investigation into Cali deaths

Troops are patrolling the city of Cali after weeks of violent anti-government demonstrations.

news.yahoo.com

UN rights chief: Israeli strikes in Gaza may be war crimes

The top U.N. human rights body has passed a resolution aimed to intensify scrutiny of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

UN body asked to up scrutiny of Israel's human rights record

Member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation are calling on the U.N. Human Rights Council to set up a permanent commission to report on human rights violations in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank. If passed, it would mark an unprecedented level of scrutiny authorized by the U.N.’s top human rights body. The proposal, formally presented late Tuesday, comes ahead of a special session of the Geneva-based council on Thursday to address “the grave human rights situation” in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

news.yahoo.com

West and rights groups accuse China of massive Uyghur crimes

Human rights groups and Western nations led by the United States, Britain and Germany are accusing China of massive crimes against the Uyghur minority and demanding unimpeded access for U.N. experts.

100 days in power, Myanmar junta holds pretense of control

One hundred days since their takeover, Myanmar’s ruling generals maintain just the pretense of control over the country.

Floyd verdict sparks hope, inspiration for activists abroad

The guilty verdict in the trial over George Floyd's death was not just celebrated in America.

UN rights chief: Justice at stake in trial over Floyd death

(Court TV, via AP, Pool)GENEVA – The U.N. human rights chief said Friday that the U.S. trial over the killing of George Floyd presents a “crucial, defining opportunity for justice” that has been denied to countless other families, urging efforts to address the root causes of racial discrimination. Michelle Bachelet highlighted the case during a Human Rights Council session focusing on systematic discrimination against people of African descent, saying she met last week with family members of such people killed by law enforcement officials. “Ten months after the killing of George Floyd set off new waves of outrage and demands for change across the world, a key trial related to his killing is now beginning,” Bachelet said. Ad“So many cases involving deaths of people of African descent never make it to court, and the pain of so many families goes unacknowledged or even denied,” she said. Bachelet said police brutality and racial discrimination continue against people of African descent, despite heightened visibility about the issues.

EXPLAINER: Why Ethiopia's deadly Tigray crisis is growing

AdEthiopia continues to deny the Eritreans’ presence, even as senior officials with the interim Tigray government that Ethiopia appointed are increasingly outspoken about them. The Telegraph, citing witnesses, has reported one in Debre Abay. CNN, citing witnesses, has reported one in Dengelat. Even as it announced the limited media access, Ethiopia warned journalists to essentially behave themselves. An access map published this week by the U.N. humanitarian agency showed much of Tigray inaccessible beyond major roads and cities.

UN registers steep rise in murders of Colombian activists

According to the U.N. report, at least 133 human rights defenders were murdered in Colombia in 2020, a 23% increase from 2019. The United Nations also registered 76 massacres across the country last year, which are defined as events in which three or more civilians are executed at once. AdThe report will be presented to the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday by U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet. The United Nations urged Colombia’s government to increase its presence in these areas to protect civilians and bring down violence. Critics of his government have said that it has been slow at implementing some aspects of the peace deal, including the coca substitution projects.

Death threat against 11-year-old activist outrages Colombia

Francisco Vera, 11, who is well-known in Colombia for his environmental campaigns and defense of children's rights, gives an interview in Villeta, Colombia, Saturday, Jan. 30, 2021. The 11-year old activist who received a death threat over Twitter, says that he will continue to lead campaigns and urged other young people to use social media to support causes they believe in. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)VILLETA – A social media death threat aimed at an 11-year-old environmental activist has roused outrage in Colombia, a nation where attacks on social leaders are common and threats are taken seriously. Colombian officials said they are investigating the death threat against Francisco Vera and President Ivan Duque recently promised in a television appearance that his government would find “the bandits” behind the Twitter message. She said a town official suggested shutting down her son’s social media account, but she prefers to let him decide whether to stop campaigning.

Colombia struggles to keep social leaders safe

Santana, who runs an organization that helps community leaders fleeing violence to settle in Bogota, is one of the thousands of activists assigned some sort of government protection. The Afro-Colombian community leader sometimes she uses a hat or a turban for disguise. Last year 120 community leaders were murdered in Colombia according to the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, up from 107 a year earlier. Now 46, he's spent half of his life promoting human rights and fighting against illegal mining and corruption in his province. The U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, recently urged the government to increase protection for activists in rural areas.

'I would never go back': Horrors grow in Ethiopia's conflict

In this fragile refugee community on the edge of Ethiopia’s Tigray conflict, those who have fled nearly two months of deadly fighting continue to bring new accounts of horror. “So if I go to Tigray, they would pick up that I’m Amhara because Amhara is not a part of them. For Tewodros, the conflict has been one civilian casualty after another since shelling began in early November as he worked at a hospital in Humera. Ethiopia's prime minister often speaks of “medemer,” or national unity, Tewodros said, in a country with more than 80 ethnic groups. In this conflict that remains so much in the shadows, he now relies on strangers to know their fate.

Shadowy Ethiopian massacre could be 'tip of the iceberg'

Others say it was Tigrayan forces and their allies who were responsible. In Sudan, where nearly 50,000 people have fled, one ethnic Amhara refugee gave The Associated Press a similar account. “Anyone they found, they would kill,” Tesfaalem Germay, an ethnic Tigrayan who fled to Sudan with his family, said of Ethiopian and Amhara forces. But another refugee, Abebete Refe, told the AP that many ethnic Amhara like him who stayed behind were massacred by Tigrayan forces. In Mai-Kadra, witnesses told the visiting Ethiopian rights commission they saw police, militia and members of a Tigray youth group attack Amhara.

Over 300 detained in Belarus during protests against leader

Protests in Belarus have continued for almost four months after President Alexander Lukashenko won his sixth term in office in an election the opposition says was rigged. Police in Minsk said they detained more than 300 people. The Viasna human rights group released the names of 215 people detained in Minsk and other cities, where rallies also took place. At least four journalists have been detained in Minsk and the western city of Grodno, according the Belarusian Association of Journalists. On Friday, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said in a statement that the situation with human rights in Belarus is getting worse.

U.N. commissioner warns that violence in Bolivia could spin out of control

Postelection violence causing turmoil in the South American nation of Bolivia could spin out of control if officials resort to the use of disproportionate force, the United Nations human rights chief said Saturday. Surviving protesters and family members of the victims blamed security services, but government officials said some demonstrators were also armed during clashes. I am really concerned that the situation in Bolivia could spin out of control, said Bachelet, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a statement. Morales stepped down under military pressure last Sunday and fled to Mexico, where he was granted political asylum. Morales has labeled her government illegitimate and called for national dialogue brokered by the United Nations or the Vatican.

latimes.com

U.N.'s Bachelet 'appalled' at U.S. treatment of migrants and refugees

GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet is appalled at the conditions in which the United States is keeping detained migrants and refugees, including children, her office said in a statement on Monday. U.S. President Donald Trump has made a hardline immigration stance a key issue of his presidency and 2020 re-election bid. In most of these cases, the migrants and refugees have embarked on perilous journeys with their children in search of protection and dignity and away from violence and hunger, Bachelet said. Detaining a child for even short periods under good conditions could have a serious impact on their health and development, she added. Border management... should not be based on narrow policies aimed only at detecting, detaining and expeditiously deporting irregular migrants, she said.

feeds.reuters.com

Venezuela's Maduro says authorities foiled opposition coup plot

UnitedHealth and one other Dow stock could be on the cusp of a...As the Dow closes in on records, just four stocks have been shut out of the rally. Some could be on the verge of a major breakout. Trading Nationread more

cnbc.com

Obama sympathizes with Chile over “tough” World Cup loss

Obama sympathizes with Chile over “tough” World Cup loss Ahead of a meeting with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, President Obama lauded the “incredible skill and talent” of the country’s men’s soccer team against a "very tough Brazilian team on their home turf.”

cbsnews.com
  • TV Listings
  • Contests and Rules
  • Email Newsletters
  • RSS Feeds
  • Closed Captioning / Audio Description
  • Contact Us
  • Careers at WSLS 10
  • Internships at WSLS 10
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Public File
  • FCC Applications
  • Do Not Sell My Info
Follow Us
facebook
twitter
instagram
rss
Get Results with Omne
Omne Results Logo

If you need help with the Public File, call 540-512-1558.


Graham Media Group LogoGraham Digital Logo

Copyright © 2023 WSLS.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group, a division of Graham Holdings.