Author: Alan Lorenz

Qatar, the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, is still not implementing enough reforms to improve the conditions of foreign guest workers, Amnesty International said.   The human rights organization said in a report Wednesday, two years before the kick-off of the World Cup, that thousands of workers are still at the mercy of unscrupulous employers, whose abuse remains unpunished. Conditions for labour migrants in the oil state have improved in recent years. Amnesty says it welcomes the reforms of the labour market but points out that implementation can be improved. "Then many problematic aspects would be removed," said Regina Spöttl, Amnesty's Gulf state expert. After a sustained deluge of international criticism, Qatar decided to implement reforms to improve the situation of migrant...

Russia has sent troops to the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region to monitor compliance with a new truce. The Russian Ministry of Defense reports that the first soldiers have already taken off in Il-76 transport aircraft.   Russia, which has close links with Armenia, says some 1,960 men and 90 armoured vehicles are deployed in the region. There has been heavy fighting there for weeks. The belligerents have confirmed they have approved a deal to end hostilities. Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan for the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave flared up in late September. The area is ruled by Armenian separatists but is part of Azerbaijan according to the international community. There were at least 1,300 deaths in recent weeks, and possibly many more. Azerbaijan achieved several military succe...