By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | NAIROBI. 15 July 2023 (IDN) — Kenyans are preparing for tough times after lawmakers approved tax increases that are unpopular even with supporters of the president who once vowed to reduce the cost of living. Referring to Kenyan President William Ruto, hairdresser Evelyne Adhiambo told a […]
Middle East: Israeli Occupation and Jewish Values
By Alon Ben-Meir* This article is the first in a series of three that examines the mistakes that both Israelis and Palestinians have made, creating a vicious cycle, and how to find a way out. It focuses on the occupation which defies Jewish values and intensifies the gravity of the humanitarian crisis of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. NEW […]
Tinubu Vows to Address Insecurity in Nigeria and End Coups
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 11 July 2023 (IDN) — Nigeria is making news again. At the recent summit of West African heads of state, Nigeria’s newly elected president, Bola Tinubu, was the surprise pick to lead the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)—a key regional body that promotes economic cooperation among […]
Observers Fault Sierra Leone Elections For ‘Irregularities’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | FREETOWN 10 July 2023 (IDN) — National elections in Sierra Leone on 24 June were swiftly rejected by the main opposition party, citing “glaring irregularities” and “violations of established electoral procedures.” “We can no longer tolerate injustice, tyranny or usurpation of power,” the opposition All People’s […]
Myanmar: As ASEAN Crumbles, Western Sanctions Are Starting to Bite
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS 10 July 2023 (IDN) — According to a World Bank report released at the end of June, Myanmar’s economy stabilized in the first half of 2023. But this isn’t exactly good news, as the report points out that the economy is still lagging far behind that of the region. GDP growth of 3 […]
Fukushima Is Not Merely a Nuclear Issue for The Pacific
By Sera Sefeti SUVA, Fiji 9 July 2023 (IDN) — The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) submitted its final report to Japan on July 4 on the safety of dumping treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, saying the discharge proposal is consistent with relevant international safety standards. But the small island nations of the […]
Botswana Negotiates With De Beers a Higher Share of Diamonds
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | GABORONE 3 July 2023 (IDN) — Diamonds may be forever but the question of who has the rights to the sparkly stones is anything but set in stone. This was made clear when the government of Botswana won a new “agreement in principle” with De Beers, […]
Sri Lanka: Double Trouble
By Neville de Silva* LONDON 2 July 2023 (IDN) — Politics, say those not averse to giving Shakespeare’s words a little twist, make strange bed fellows. Last July two of Sri Lanka’s leading political parties and arch enemies decided to bed together, not because of a newfound intimacy but rather for their political survival.
Will Israeli-Saudi Rapprochement be Linked to an Eventual Nuclear Deal?
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 29 June 2023 (IDN) — As geopolitics in the militarily-volatile Middle East are undergoing radical changes, including a rapprochement between two former bitter enemies, Iran and Saudi Arabia, the United States is trying to broker a deal described as ground-breaking: diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Israel. But how realistic […]
Thailand’s ‘Sufficiency Economy’ Philosophy Bears Fruits in Laos
By Pattama Vilailert VIENTIANE, Laos. 28 June 2023 (IDN) — It was at the height of the Thai Economic Crisis in 1997 that the term “sufficiency economics” came into prominence when the late King of Thailand Bhumibol Adulyadej told his people that rather than building factories to become another Asian Tiger, the important thing for […]