World
African nations continue push for self-determination
Three African nations officially announced they are through with the pro-West regional Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The leaders of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger met in Niamey, Niger, for a daylong summit under the auspices of the L’Alliance des Etats du Sahel (AES) or Alliance of Sahel States. President Assimi Goïta of Mali, interim President Ibrahim Traoré...
The struggle to achieve sustainable development goals amid rising debt levels
The inability of Global South countries—which include the continent of Africa—to achieve sustainable development goals in the face of rising debt levels, requires financial resources which the current Global Financial Architecture (GFA) doesn’t allow many to meet. This was the assessment made by economists Dr. Abel Gwaindepi and Dr. Amin Karimu who also wrote about the “reforms” needed to address...
Kenya’s repressive tax policies, derived from IMF austerity programs, spark protests
Thousands poured into the streets in Kenya for a second time in less than a week as the country’s majority youth population engaged in peaceful demonstrations to protest a government bill to hike taxes. Media outlets reported that live gunfire and tear gas was being used by police in the capital city Nairobi and Kisumu—the country’s third largest city—as...
Israel escalating abduction of Palestinian children: Rights group
The Palestinian Prisoners Society says Israeli forces have been expanding the abduction of Palestinian children in the occupied West Bank. In a statement released on June 24, the Society said at least seven children, including two brothers, had been kidnapped in the previous 24 hours. It also noted that Israel’s military court extended the detention of three children from the town...
‘Julian Assange is free’: WikiLeaks founder strikes plea deal with U.S.
by CommonDreams.org WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on June 24 reached a deal with the U.S. government, agreeing to plead guilty to one felony related to the disclosure of national security information in exchange for his release from Belmarsh Prison in the United Kingdom. A related document was filed in federal court in the Northern Mariana Islands, a U.S. commonwealth. Under the plea agreement, which must...
Millions spent on war, but there is more inequality and poverty
by Raúl Antonio Capote A dangerous escalation of expenses that seems to have no end, endangers the existence of humanity. The U.S. military cost reached $916 billion in 2023, 68 percent of the total used by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), recently stressed the member of the Political Bureau and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla. The...
How will Blacks fare under South Africa’s new coalition government?
In the aftermath of the recent elections in South Africa and the newly formed Government of National Unity (GNU), some political tensions remain and there are concerns about the country’s direction and how Blacks will fare. Cyril Ramaphosa was sworn in for a second term as president. He touted his coalition government as the “beginning of a new era,”...
Canada’s blacklisting of IRGC ‘bitter irony’: Iran’s rights chief
The secretary of Iran’s High Council for Human Rights has strongly condemned an earlier hostile move by Canada to designate the country’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) as a “terrorist organization.” “We vehemently condemn the hostile measure by Canada,” Kazem Gharibabadi wrote in a post on X, former Twitter, on June 19, saying the move “opposes the principles of the...
British weapons used to kill thousands of Palestinian children in Gaza: Oxfam
The chief executive of London-based charity organization Oxfam has censured the UK as “intellectually and morally incoherent” over supplying arms to Israel while attempting to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza. “Whether you say they are components or whole weapons is a moot point, because individual components collectively constitute these devices that are killing so many innocent people,” Halima Begum said in...
Putin, Kim sign ‘comprehensive partnership pact’ for assistance in case of war
Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un have signed a comprehensive strategic partnership pact during Putin’s landmark visit to Pyongyang. A new treaty signed between North Korea and Russia provides for “mutual assistance” in case either country faces aggression, Putin said June 19 following talks in Pyongyang. “The comprehensive partnership treaty signed today provides, among other things,...