April 9th, 2012

The United Nations humanitarian affairs chief yesterday pledged support for Brazil’s humanitarian work around the world, highlighting the country’s contributions in the areas of disaster-risk prevention and food security.

“I am particularly interested in how best to share Brazil’s experience in disaster preparedness and food security with other countries in the region and around the world,” said the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, reiterating the UN’s commitment to collaborate with Brazil in preparing for and responding to humanitarian emergencies.

Ms. Amos’ comments came at the end of a three-day visit, her first official visit to the Latin American country. During her stay, she met several…

WASHINGTON, April 08 (Saba) – The United States has welcomed President Abdo Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s announcement of civilian and military personnel transfers.

The transfers are “part of the ongoing political transition in Yemen,” US State Department acting spokesman Mark Toner said late on Saturday.

The changes signify the National Reconciliation Government’s commitment to fulfilling the Yemeni people’s aspirations and restoring stability to the country, he added.

“In spite of those who seek to derail the transition, President Hadi has demonstrated strong leadership by steadfastly implementing the agreed-upon political settlement,” Toner added.

The US called on all Yemeni sides to cooperate fully with the presidential decrees for guaranteeing continual implementation of the peaceful transition…

The Embassy of the United States of America to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean is pleased to announce that on March 30, the U.S. Senate confirmed Larry Palmer to be the new Ambassador to Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Speaking on February 7th to the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Ambassador Palmer said, “I am honored to have been nominated to represent the United States in this important region. These nations play an important role both bilaterally and in multilateral organizations like the Organization of American…

A deal that will see US forces handing over Bagram detainees to the Afghan government fails to respect the rights of captives, leaving them at risk of torture and other mistreatment, Amnesty International has warned.

The agreement is padded by diplomatic assurances over detainee welfare, with some reference to access for monitoring by unspecified humanitarian bodies, but such assurances are inherently deficient and unacceptable when it comes to dealing effectively with risks of torture and other deliberate abuse of detainees.

In reality torture and ill-treatment of detainees remains endemic, as evidenced by a March 2012 report by the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission updating findings reported by the…