U.S. withdraws from ‘self-serving’ UN Human Rights Council

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley

 

The United States on June 19 said it withdrew from the UN Human Rights Council after an unsuccessful effort to reform the council.

“When a so-called Human Rights Council cannot bring itself to address the massive abuses in Venezuela and Iran, and it welcomes the Democratic Republic of Congo as a new member, the council ceases to be worthy of its name,” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said.

Haley said the “self-serving” council “in fact, damages the cause of human rights.”

An Important Trend to Watch as Assad’s Rule Weakens in Syria

Syria’s dictator is under siege and could fall. Who stands most to benefit?

Since inheriting his father’s 30-year old rule of Syria in 2000, President Bashar Assad has maintained a strong grip on power. But things have changed since the Arab Spring and the consequent civil war in his country.

Syria’s civil war has raged for over four years now, and the country is engulfed in suffering. More than 200,000 people have been killed, according to the United Nations. Tallying up the dead got so bad that in 2013, an exasperated UN momentarily gave up counting. Nearly 8 million people have been displaced from their homes. Four million have fled to other countries.

Risk of war as new Nile treaty delays

Countries that share the Nile waters on Monday warned that the region could go to war unless a new treaty on the use of the Nile waters is drawn up.

Nile Basin countries have increased pressure on Egypt to get back to the negotiating table for discussions on how the waters of the world’s longest river can be used.

On Monday, participants gathered at Nairobi’s InterContinental Hotel for the Fourth Nile Basin Development Forum warned the region might face conflicts over water in future if a new agreement is not reached.

Chinese company completes massive Angolan railway

China Railway Construction, one of China’s largest construction companies, finished building a massive railway line in Angola on Wednesday and plans to put into operation this year.

The 1,344-km Benguela railway is the second-longest railroad built by Chinese overseas, shorter only than the 1,860-km Tanzania-Zambia Railway built in the 1970s.

It will be the longest and fastest track in the southwestern African country of Angola, said Liu Feng, head of China Railway Construction’s Angola railway project.

NATO: West may lose access to crucial military materials

WASHINGTON — Western militaries may lose access to critical materials needed for weapons and other systems, because of the growing demand for new technologies, questionable supply lines and production in unfriendly or dangerous countries, NATO documents show.

“Key strategic materials are those that are crucial in the manufacture of sophisticated military hardware or components such as airframes, gas turbines, rocket motors, munitions, armor and electronics,” according to a newly released NATO request for information. “These materials are becoming increasingly scarce.”

Resource-hungry Chinese lead railroad drive in Africa

MOMBASA, Kenya, Dec. 4 (UPI) — The Chinese, investing heavily in Africa to secure its oil and other raw materials for their expanding economy, are spearheading a new era of railroad building to unlock the continent’s interior.This is an echo of the long-gone colonial empires when a century ago British and French engineers first opened up Africa to plunder its riches.

The railroad frenzy is being accompanied by a massive push to build several major ports along the coast of East Africa to accelerate exports across the Indian Ocean, mostly to China, India and Japan, as well as lay down a network of oil and gas pipelines to these ports.