South Africa’s ruling party must regain support, says leader
JOHANNESBURG—South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said the ruling party, the African National Congress, must work to regain popular support after being embroiled in corruption scandals and divided by bitter factional rivalries. Marking the ANC’s 110th anniversary, Mr. Ramaphosa struck a somber note Jan. 7, emphasizing that the party of Nelson Mandela which helped South Africa to achieve democracy, has lost...
Myanmar: UN expert says current international efforts failing, urges ‘change of course
The UN independent rights expert on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, told the UN Human Rights Council on Sept. 22 that conditions inside the country following the Feb. 1 military coup have worsened, urging a “change of course” to prevent further human rights abuses and deaths. According to Special Rapporteur Tom Andrews, since its power grab and overthrow of the...
UN rights chief says Myanmar’s junta committing crimes against humanity
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has accused Myanmar’s military junta of committing crimes against humanity, warning that the situation in the country seems to be heading toward a “fullblown” conflict in the wake of a February coup. Ms. Bachelet raised the alarm in a statement on April 13 and said expressing condemnations and imposing punitive measures...
Myanmar: Middle class ‘disappearing’ amid uptick in brutal fighting
The UN Development Program (UNDP) has warned that poverty is surging and the middle class in Myanmar is “disappearing” amidst worsening insecurity and conflict. In a new report published on April 11 UNDP said that the middle class has shrunk by half, compared with before the 2021 military coup, and that three-quarters of the country’s population is either living in poverty or “perilously...
Tension rises as Turkey, Greece voice festering grievances
ISTANBUL—Troubled relations between regional rivals Turkey and Greece worsened on Sept. 6, with Turkey’s president doubling down on a thinly veiled invasion threat and Athens responding that it’s ready to defend its sovereignty. Turkey and Greece have decades-old disputes over an array of issues, including territorial claims in the Aegean Sea and disagreements over the airspace there. The friction between...
The contradictions in trying to reform African debt with outdated post-neoliberal era mechanisms
While viewing OXFAM America’s recent forum on “Remaking Global Economic Governance For A Post-Neoliberal Era,” the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan’s words about the standard by which doing “good” is measured came to mind. Discussing the doing of good or retooling the neoliberal policies of the past to somehow benefit the recipients of capitalism’s history of exploitation, sounds more like an...
Activists urge Nigeria to delay Shell’s $2.4 B sale of assets in deeply polluted Niger Delta
ABUJA, Nigeria—Local activists and international environmental groups want Nigeria’s government to delay approving the sale of oil company Shell’s onshore assets, claiming Shell is trying to shirk its environmental and social responsibilities in the highly polluted Niger Delta. The London-based company is trying to sell its subsidiary Shell Petroleum Development Company—which operates its onshore assets in the delta—to Renaissance Africa Energy Company,...
Garbage tarnishes Paris luster as pension strike continues
PARIS—The City of Light is losing its luster with tons of garbage piling up on Paris sidewalks as sanitation workers were on strike for a ninth day on March 14. The creeping squalor is the most visible sign of widespread anger over a bill to raise the French retirement age by two years. The stench of rotting food has begun escaping from...
Spain: Rights experts call for probe into claim Catalan leaders were spied on
Three independent UN-appointed human rights experts on Feb. 2 demanded that the Spanish government thoroughly investigate an alleged spying operation against leaders and activists from the Catalonia region, in the wake of a failed bid for independence six years ago. “Spanish authorities must conduct a full, fair, and effective investigation into these allegations, publish the findings and stop any unlawful...
Mandela’s legacy is much more than the ‘non-racial’ society attributed to him
What are South Africa’s first Black president and anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela’s achievements? December 5 marked 10 years since the freedom fighter died at age 95. A decade after his death, what is the legacy left by the icon who ushered in an era of hope and inspiration to an apartheid-divided country? In this current geopolitical world of growing global...