Flash floods after cloudburst devastate Indian Himalayan state
Flash floods unleashed by a sudden cloudburst in India’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on Tuesday (September 16) swept away villages and marketplac...
Grenadian PM Dickon Mitchell urged former colonial powers to apologize and pay reparations for slavery in a direct address to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen at the CARICOM summit. Calls for reparations are growing, with CARICOM and the AU advancing their own plans.
Former colonial powers must apologise and pay compensation for their historic role in the enslavement of Africans, Grenadian Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Mitchell addressed von der Leyen late on Wednesday at the 48th heads of government meeting of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) in Barbados, which the European leader attended for the first time.
"I don't mean to be impolite," Mitchell said, looking at von der Leyen. "But I will say it to you: the issue of reparations... is an issue we will take up with you."
Mitchell added: "We owe it to ourselves and future generations of humanity to ensure (slavery) is accepted as a crime against humanity, and that appropriate apology and compensation is paid, and that the international community accepts this should never happen again."
Von der Leyen replied to Mitchell without referring to reparations, saying "slavery is a crime against humanity... and the dignity and universal rights of every single human being is untouchable and must be defended by all means".
From the 15th to the 19th century, at least 12.5 million Africans were kidnapped, forcibly transported by mostly European merchants and sold into slavery.
Calls for reparations for slavery and colonialism are long-standing but have been gaining momentum worldwide, particularly among CARICOM and the African Union (AU).
CARICOM has its own reparation plan, which, among other demands, calls for technology transfers and investments to tackle health crises and illiteracy. The AU is developing its own plan.
In 2023, the EU and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) agreed to include in their summit's final statement a paragraph that acknowledged the "untold suffering" slavery inflicted on millions.
In the statement, adopted by leaders of both sides, the CELAC referred to CARICOM's reparations plan.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
A Polish Air Force pilot was killed on Thursday when an F-16 fighter jet crashed during a training flight ahead of the 2025 Radom International Air Show.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
Flash floods unleashed by a sudden cloudburst in India’s Himalayan state of Uttarakhand on Tuesday (September 16) swept away villages and marketplaces, leaving a trail of destruction.
Spain’s Foreign Ministry announced it will summon Israel’s charge d’affaires on Tuesday to protest remarks made by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar about Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Russian Tu-160 bombers practised launching cruise missiles over the Barents Sea on Tuesday during joint military drills with Belarus, as part of the Zapad 2025 exercises.
Large plumes of smoke were rising in Gaza on Tuesday (September 16) morning, amid reports from Axios citing Israeli officials said that the Israeli military had launched a ground offensive a day earlier to seize Gaza City, the Strip's largest urban centre.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 16th of September, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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