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 […]
Senegalese President Slapped with A Criminal Complaint
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | DAKAR, 26 June 2023 (IDN) — A 170-page complaint has been filed against Senegalese president Macky Sall for “crimes against humanity.” The charge filed in France comes from Ousmane Sonko, Sall’s main political opponent. The crimes were allegedly committed between March 2021 and June 2023.
Tonga: A ‘Paradise’ in the South Pacific Ocean Turns to a Plastic Landfill
By Fresh Polutele* NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga, 23 June 2023 (IDN | Wansolwara) — The kingdom of Tonga in the middle of the South Pacific Ocean was known as a “paradise” island. But not anymore. Plastic and glass waste is an ongoing problem in Tonga’s environment and it has created a dilemma for the government. How will […]
South Pacific Is Not in Good Shape Because of Other Peoples’ Wars
By Kalinga Seneviratne SUVA, Fiji, 20 June 2023 (IDN) — In a keynote speech at the annual Pacific Update conference at the University of the South Pacific (USP), the university’s former Dean of the Business and Economic Faculty, and now the Deputy Prime Minister and Economics Minister of the island country, Professor Biman Prasad told […]
Ugandan Children Targeted in Attack by Known Terror Group
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK, 19 June 2023 (IDN) — Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is struggling to defend his security forces that failed to block an attack on a secondary school where some 39 students were brutally murdered and others were abducted. Museveni, who is also the commander in chief of armed […]