WASHINGTON (Dispatches) – The family of Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was chased by three white men and gunned down in South Georgia in 2020, demands justice for the killing. All three white men who were convicted for Arbery murder have been sentenced to life in prison. “That’s not enough,” said Arbery’s father, Marcus Arbery, who believes issues of race raised in the new trial may have an impact beyond the courtroom. “My son isn’t coming back,” but “maybe it’ll save another Black son,” he said. Civil rights activists say the new trial, which will begin on Feb. 7, is a key moment in the country’s reckoning with racial injustice. Arbery’s murder was another example of deadly violence being used against a Black man, they say. Last November, a court in a Brunswick, Georgia convicted Gregory McMichael, 66, a former police officer, his son Travis McMichael, 36, and William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, for the 2020 murder of Arbery. The court announced the verdict after more than 10 hours of deliberations following a highly-charged trial that was closely followed by the global media. Travis McMichael, who fatally shot Arbery, was convicted on all nine charges, including malice, murder and four counts of felony murder. McMichael’s father, Gregory McMichael, was found not guilty of malice murder but was convicted on the remaining charges, including the felony murder counts.

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OTTAWA (Anadolu) – Canada has announced its intention to appoint a special representative on combating Islamophobia as part of the country’s anti-racism strategy, five years after a deadly mosque shooting in Quebec. “This year, on the eve of the five-year anniversary of this act of terror (mosque attack in Quebec City), the Government of Canada stands with and supports Muslim communities across Canada and reaffirms its commitment to take action to denounce and tackle Islamophobia and hate-fueled violence,” the government said in a statement. Underlining that Islamophobia is a reality for Muslims across Canada and around the world, it noted that building a more inclusive country and combating discrimination is a must. “The special representative appointment ... will be an additional step in the government’s ongoing work through Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy to tackle Islamophobia in all its forms,” said the statement, noting that this had been recommended during a National Summit on Islamophobia held in July 2021. Sharing the statement on social media, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pointed out the need to end Islamophobia in the country. Canada last year declared Jan. 29 a National Day of Remembrance for six people who were killed and 19 wounded in the 2017 Quebec City mosque shooting rampage.

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KHARTOUM (Reuters) – Sudanese security forces killed a protester Sunday as they cracked down on thousands marching for civilian rule, medics said, taking the number killed since last year’s military coup to a least 79. “Blood is the path to freedom,” protesters waving the Sudanese flag chanted, as they marched through the streets of Omdurman, which lies across the Nile river from the capital Khartoum. “Go back to the barracks,” protesters in eastern state of Gedaref shouted at soldiers, witnesses said. Pro-democracy activists have upped calls for protests to restore a transition to civilian rule, following the October 25 military takeover led by general Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The coup, one of several in Sudan’s post-independence history, derailed a power-sharing arrangement between the army and civilians that had been painstakingly negotiated after the 2019 ouster of longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir. Sunday’s demonstrations took place in the capital Khartoum, as well as in Omdurman, Gedaref, and the northern cities of Atbara and Dongola, according to witnesses.

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ROME (Reuters) – Italian President Sergio Mattarella has been reelected to serve a second term in office, ending a political impasse that exposed deep rifts within the ruling coalition and risked toppling the government. Mattarella, 80, had ruled out a second mandate and had even signed a lease on a new apartment in Rome to prepare for his move from the presidential palace atop Quirinal Hill. However, he unexpectedly succumbed to pressure and agreed to stay on as Italy’s head of state after leaders of the ruling parties failed to find a compromise candidate in a week of fraught voting in Parliament. Mattarella won in the eighth round of voting on Saturday night when he secured the minimum of 505 votes needed from the eligible 1,009 Grand Electors in Parliament. The reading aloud of the ballots was interrupted by applause from parliamentarians. When the count resumed, Mattarella continued on to win 759 votes. Mattarella’s second mandate as president is expected to be tricky from the start, amid fears that infighting within the coalition government will only deteriorate ahead of next year’s general election.

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LISBON (AFP) – Portugal voted Sunday in a tight election, with no party expected to garner a majority in parliament in a fragmented political landscape that could see the far right make huge gains. A late surge by the opposition centre-right PSD party has clawed away the ruling Socialists’ once comfortable poll lead, with the two sides in a statistical tie according to final surveys. With one in 10 voters still undecided according to recent polls, analysts said the outcome of the election in the nation of around 10 million people is wide open. Ballot stations opened at 8 am (0800 GMT) and close at 8 pm, with official results expected a few hours later. The prospect of another weak minority government comes as Portugal is trying to boost its tourism-dependent economy which has been badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic. A stable government is needed for Portugal to make the most of a 16.6-billion-euro ($18.7 billion) package of EU recovery funds it is due to receive by 2026. “Portugal needs stability after these two difficult years of fighting against the pandemic,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa, in office since 2015, told a final rally in second-city Porto on Friday.