Following is a summary of current world news briefs.
UNHCR chief says ‘space for discussion’ with Taliban over human rights
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi said on Friday he found that the Taliban have space for discussion and engagement on human rights issues, including women and minorities rights. “There is space for discussion and engagement about these matters,” Grandi told reporters in a news conference in Islamabad after he concluded his visit to Afghanistan, saying he took up the issues with various Taliban authorities.
WHO’s Tedros seen running unopposed for top job despite Ethiopia snub – sources
The World Health Organization’s chief looks set to run unopposed for a second term at the helm as tries to guide the world through its biggest health crisis in a century, sources said. However, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus lacks the support of his native Ethiopia due to friction over the Tigray conflict, the sources told Reuters.
Biden to convene virtual virus summit on fringe of UN
U.S. President Joe Biden will convene a virtual COVID-19 summit on Wednesday on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly aimed at boosting vaccinations worldwide with the goal of ending the pandemic by the end of 2022. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the United States will be asking participants to commit to “a higher level of ambition” on making vaccines available on a more equitable basis and getting shots in arms, among other steps recommended to address the pandemic.
Defiant junta rejects pressure to let Conde leave Guinea
Guinea’s military junta said on Friday it would not bow to regional pressure and allow President Alpha Conde, detained since his overthrow on Sept. 5, to leave the country. On Friday Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara and Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo paid a one-day visit to Conakry to ask coup leader Mamady Doumbouya, a special forces commander and former French Legionnaire, for Conde’s release.
WhatsApp instructions, Mexican struggles: How Haitians ended up in Texas camp
Haitians camped out under a Texas bridge followed instructions circulated on WhatsApp to get there, according to a dozen migrants who said the tips delivered to their phones helped them evade checks by Mexican authorities. Over 10,000 migrants, most of them Haitians, were as of Friday sleeping on the ground in a squalid camp under the Del Rio International Bridge connecting Ciudad Acuña, Mexico to Del Rio, Texas, hoping to apply for U.S. asylum.
Canada’s Trudeau, rival look to fire up supporters ahead of tight vote
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday acknowledged the unpopularity of his pandemic election and intensified his calls on progressive voters to back his campaign, with his bid for re-election at risk of being doomed by low turnout. Opinion polls show Trudeau’s Liberals neck and neck https://graphics.reuters.com/CANADA-ELECTION/zjvqkjkomvx/index.html with the opposition Conservatives led by Erin O’Toole ahead of Monday’s vote, suggesting that getting out the vote will be crucial. Low turnout has historically favored the Conservatives.
Algeria’s former President Bouteflika dies at 84
Former Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has died at 84, the presidency said on Friday, more than two years after he stepped down under pressure from mass protests and the army. Bouteflika, a veteran of Algeria’s war for independence, had ruled the North African country for two decades before his resignation in April 2019 after street demonstrations rejecting his plan to seek a fifth term.
UN faces $100 trln shortfall in fight against climate change, inequality – report
Global goals tackling poverty, inequality, injustice and climate change face a $100 trillion funding shortfall and are likely to be missed unless 10% of global economic output is directed to the U.N. targets every year to 2030, a report on Friday said. The U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals set targets on everything from the environment to health and equality and have the support of all member states, yet the supply of finance from governments, investors, banks and companies to help meet them has consistently fallen short.
In escalation over submarine deal, France recalls envoys from U.S. and Australia
France plunged into an unprecedented diplomatic crisis with the United States and Australia on Friday after it recalled its ambassadors from both countries over a trilateral security deal which sank a $40 billion French-designed submarine contract. The rare decision taken by French President Emmanuel Macron was made due to the seriousness of the matter, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in a statement.
U.S. says Kabul drone strike killed 10 civilians, including children, in ‘tragic mistake’
A drone strike in Kabul last month killed as many as 10 civilians, including seven children, the U.S. military said on Friday, apologizing for what it called a “tragic mistake”. The Pentagon had said the Aug. 29 strike targeted an Islamic State suicide bomber who posed an imminent threat to U.S.-led troops at the airport as they completed the last stages of their withdrawal from Afghanistan.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
