Author: Alfred Davenport

LUBBOCK — Three county commissioners approved an ordinance Monday that would bar pregnant Texas women from traveling through the unincorporated area of Lubbock County for an abortion in another state. But the effort pushed by anti-abortion activists hit a road block in Amarillo Tuesday, after the city council said they would not immediately vote on a similar rule. The Lubbock commissioners – Jason Corley, Terence Kovar and Jordan Rackler – voted for the ordinance, which can only be enforced by private citizens who file lawsuits against people assisting pregnant Texans seeking an abortion. Commissioner Gilbert Flores, and County Judge Curtis…

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced that Wisconsin has secured funding to strengthen crime prevention efforts, invest in community resources to reduce recidivism, and assist victims. South Central Wisconsin will receive over $5 million from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs and the Office on Violence Against Women, funded by the Senator Baldwin-supported Fiscal Year 2023 government funding bill. “To keep our communities safe, we need to both invest in our officers, technology, and tactics that will stop crime today, but also invest in the community resources that will address the root causes of crime and curb dangerous…

Frankfurt, Brussels (6/10 – 27) While Tajik authorities have not been able to lay their hands on their activist opponents living in Europe, they are able to turn the screws on their families and relatives, back in the old country. The recent case of arrest of family members took place shortly after President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany, to attend a summit of Central Asian leaders, at the end of last month. Throughout Rahmon’s visit, he was trailed by demonstrators holding up placards bearing pictures of political prisoners and calling him a dictator. When Rahmon headed to the Bundestag on…

This year’s wildfire season has broken records across the Northern Hemisphere. In August, dry weather and strong winds from Hurricane Dora fueled the deadliest U.S. fire in over a century, devastating the historic town of Lahaina on the Hawaiian island of Maui. Extreme heat fueled intense fires in northern and central Greece, resulting in evacuations, loss of life, and the country’s third-smokiest July-August period on record. Canada’s wildfire season has been relentless and record-shattering, leaving a total burned area roughly equivalent to the size of Oklahoma. That’s about 6.5 times Canada’s 10-year average burned area. Climate change more than doubled the likelihood of extreme fire weather conditions in…

On behalf of the United States of America, I congratulate the Nicaraguan people as they celebrate their Independence Day. Historical ties of friendship bind our people and nations together. For this reason, we embraced the opportunity earlier this year to welcome 222 Nicaraguan prisoners of conscience to the United States. We share the Nicaraguan people’s profound concerns about restrictions to their freedom of expression, association, and religious practice. The United States looks forward to the day when they may fully enjoy their rights to liberty, respect for the dignity of the human person, and political freedom. The United States fully…

Anyone looking for firm direction from the world’s most powerful central banker in his much-anticipated speech on Friday in Jackson Hole, Wyo., will inevitably be disappointed. Investors may be glad that U.S. Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell did not use his 15 minutes in the global spotlight to crash the markets the way he did last year. But taken literally, the Fed chair’s colourful statement that he is “navigating by the stars under cloudy skies” is a frightening reminder that as we head into the autumn, one of the world’s key economic leaders seems a little bit lost. For more than 40 years, the people who ultimately decide…

The United States, United Kingdom and Canada have placed sanctions on the former longtime governor of Lebanon’s central bank, Riad Salameh, who has been charged with corruption. The countries announced the sanctions on Thursday, accusing Salameh of contributing to the breakdown of the rule of law in Lebanon through corrupt actions that enriched himself and his associates. “Salameh abused his position of power, likely in violation of Lebanese law, to enrich himself and his associates by funneling hundreds of millions of dollars through layered shell companies to invest in European real estate,” the US Department of the Treasury said in a statement.…

U.S. Special Envoy for Yemen Tim Lenderking is traveling to the Gulf on August 14 to advance ongoing UN-led efforts to expand the truce and launch a comprehensive peace process. The United States is committed to supporting a resolution to the Yemen conflict as soon as possible. We are working closely with the UN, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and other partners to build on the UN-mediated truce, which has delivered the longest period of calm since the war began, and to enable Yemenis to shape a brighter future for their country. Special Envoy Lenderking will meet with Yemeni, Saudi, Emirati,…

Unlike in previous elections, India has stepped back from a proactive role in shaping the electoral outcome. While China is backing Prime Minister Hasina, the U.S. is pushing back. In December 2013, Bangladesh’s Awami League (AL) government faced a crisis of legitimacy ahead of the general election. The largest opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and its ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JIB), announced a boycott of the election, following the government’s rejection of their demand to hold elections under a neutral caretaker government. Meanwhile, JIB leaders and activists took to the streets in violent protest against the trial of…

According to Kurt Campbell, the White House National Security Council (NSC) India-Pacific Coordinator, the United States will continue its diplomatic approach to restoring direct ties with China to prevent incidents. Or future accidents. Discussing the strategic and military implications of the AUKUS alliance between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) earlier this week, Campbell said it was important for China and the United States to work together. Taking concrete steps to allow for effective communication to deal with unintentional or accidental or catastrophic circumstances. “We will continue to emphasize…