Syria's interim president promises to protect Druze citizens following Israeli strikes
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Irwin Cotler joins thousands of prominent Jews calling on Israel to end war in Gaza
In the summer heat, Palestinian children carry jerry cans after collecting water from a distribution point in Gaza City, Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi) OTTAWA — Former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler has joined thousands of Jews calling on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end the war and starvation in Gaza. The longtime human rights activist, a strong supporter of Israel, has signed an open letter saying Netanyahu's policies on Palestinians 'are doing lasting damage to Israel' and the prospects for peace. The letter, organized by a group called the London Initiative, says Israel's policies and its failure to suppress settler violence in the West Bank are having 'severe consequences' for Jewish communities around the world. It calls Israel's aid restrictions on Gaza 'a moral and strategic disaster' that hands a 'propaganda victory to Hamas' and undermines the important work of countering Hamas and Iran. The letter is also signed by Canadian philanthropist Charles Bronfman, one of the founders of the Birthright program, which sends Jewish youth on trips to Israel. Netanyahu does not appear to have directly responded to the letter since it was made public a week ago, though he defended the war on Sunday, saying Israel's only choice is to completely defeat Hamas. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 13, 2025. Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
The Taliban registers 1,800 unemployed Afghan refugees for jobs in Qatar
Men wait in line to register for a Qatar work visa for unemployed Afghans expelled from neighbouring countries, outside a registration center in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday Aug. 13, 2025. (AP Photo/Siddiqullah Alizai) ISLAMABAD — The Taliban on Wednesday registered 1,800 unemployed Afghans expelled from neighboring countries for the chance to work in Qatar in the latest round of a labor agreement with the Gulf nation, a Labor Ministry spokesman said. The program is aimed at easing unemployment in Afghanistan, and the Taliban has said talks are also underway to send labor to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey, and Russia. Last month, 3,100 Afghans were registered for jobs in Qatar, including in the food and hospitality industries. Wednesday's one-day registration period was open only to Afghans expelled from Iran and Pakistan, and took place in four major cities. At least two million Afghans have left Iran and Pakistan this year after both governments launched separate campaigns to expel foreigners they said were living there illegally. They deny targeting Afghans, but most of those forcibly returned are Afghan. People with refugee certificates were able to visit registration centers in Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, and Nangarhar for the chance to work in Qatar, Labor Ministry spokesman Samiullah Ibrahimi said. 'These work visas cover 22 different job categories, and the 1,800 visas available are for these jobless Afghan returnees,' he said. Dozens of men waited in long lines outside a registration center in Kabul. Poyan Ahmadi, who left Iran, said he wanted the Taliban government to talk to other countries. 'Here in Afghanistan, there is no work, and there is a shortage of job opportunities.' The Associated Press
Winnipeg Free Press
4 hours ago
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South Africa dismisses U.S. human rights report as ‘deeply flawed'
JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The South African government on Wednesday dismissed the U.S. State Department's latest assessment of the country's human rights conditions as 'inaccurate and deeply flawed.' The Trump administration this week released human rights reports for countries worldwide, including South Africa, asserting that the state of human rights in South Africa had 'significantly worsened' in 2024. It cited the unjust treatment of white Afrikaners after the signing of significant land reforms, which the Trump administration has claimed discriminate against the group that ruled the nation during the apartheid era. South Africa's Foreign Ministry expressed 'profound disappointment' with the report, saying its reliance on out of context information and discredited accounts was highly concerning.f The ministry highlighted that the United Nations had hailed the country's Land Expropriation Act as an important step in resolving racially unequal land ownership, underscoring the integrity of constitutional and human rights-based legislative processes. It added that the report was 'ironic' given the U.S exit from the U.N. Human Rights Council. 'This is particularly striking given the significant and documented concerns about human rights within the United States, including the treatment of refugees and breaches in due process by its own agencies, such as ICE,' the ministry said. South Africa's government also dismissed as inaccurate the report's claims that it 'did not take credible steps to investigate, prosecute and punish officials who committed human rights abuses, including inflammatory racial rhetoric against Afrikaners and other racial minorities, or violence against racial minorities.' The U.S. criticism of South Africa's domestic affairs is the latest in a series of tense diplomatic exchanges between the two countries since President Donald Trump was elected to a second term. During a state visit to the White House in May, Trump confronted President Cyril Ramaphosa with false claims that South Africa had been illegally occupying the farms of white Afrikaner farmers. The administration even speeded up the visa application processes for Afrikaners who wanted to relocate to the U.S as refugees. Along with suspending financial aid and imposing 30% tariffs on South Africa's exports to the U.S., Trump has denounced the country's stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. South African Ambassador Ebrahim Rasool was expelled by the U.S. for his criticism of Trump, who has hinted that he may not attend the G20 summit of world leaders scheduled to take place in Johannesburg in November. The Afrikaans trade union Solidarieit, which was criticized by Ramaphosa over a recent visit to Washington, has announced new plans to visit the U.S. in September to meet with the Department of State and other parties to discuss abolishing racial-redress laws, reestablishing diplomatic ties, and creating a fair trade agreement between the two countries.
