In The News

Reuters: UN Brands Myanmar Violence a “Textbook” Example of Ethnic Cleansing

Stephanie Nebehay and Simon Lewis September 11, 2017
At least 300, 000 Rohingya people have fled to Bangladesh away from Myanmar and the military’s brutal crackdown since August 25, and “The United Nations’ top human rights official on Monday slammed Myanmar for conducting a ‘cruel military operation’ against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state, branding it ‘a textbook example of ethnic cleansing,’” reports Reuters. Zeid Ra‘ad al-Hussein “said...

The Telegraph: North Korea Attempted to Ship Material to Syria’s Chemical Weapons Agency, UN Experts Say

Harriet Alexander August 26, 2017
North Korea has twice attempted to ship chemical weapons to front companies for the Syrian government’s Scientific Studies and Research Center this year, according to a classified UN report. Two unnamed countries intercepted the shipments. “The shipments were sent by KOMID, the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation – an organisation blacklisted by the UN security council in 2009, and...

Foreign Affairs: Race in the Modern World: The Problem of the Colorline

Kwame Anthony Appiah August 22, 2017
At the first Pan-African Congress in London in 1900, black American intellectual and activist W.E.B. Du Bois affirmed that the “problem of the twentieth century” was “the color-line, the question as to how far differences of race … will hereafter be made the basis of denying to over half the world the right of sharing to their utmost ability the opportunities and privileges of modern civilization...

NewAfrican: Youth Exodus – Is Africa being Turned Into a Giant Farm?

Kalundi Serumaga July 25, 2017
About 34 million people left Africa and became international migrants in 2015, more than 2 percent of the continent’s population and a slightly higher percentage than those migrating from Asia. Kalundi Serumaga, writing for NewAfrican, describes the many young Africans fleeing conflict and poverty, trying to enter Europe or arrange low-paying menial jobs in the Middle East. “Most of these youths...

Forbes: Without "Neutral" Internet, US Workers Could Lose

Janet Burns July 12, 2017
If the US Federal Communications Commission drops protections on net neutrality, the country's innovation and global competitiveness will decline. Companies and internet users are speaking out to block a proposal by FCC Chairman Ajit Pai to roll back the protections: “these so-called "net neutrality rules" establish that internet service providers (ISPs) must comply with Title II...

The Guardian: Qatar Given 10 Days to Meet 13 Sweeping Demands by Saudi Arabia

Patrick Wintour June 24, 2017
Saudi Arabia is demonstrating insecurity and intolerance for other points of view by leading a trade and diplomatic embargo against tiny neighbor Qatar and then issuing a 13-part ultimatum. Saudi Arabia’s population is 15 times larger than Qatar’s 2.2 million. Qatar denies that it funds or harbors terrorists, and certainly not more than Saudi citizenss have been reported to do. The demands...

IRIN News: The Real Crisis in North Korea

Gianluca Spezza May 31, 2017
The international community focuses on North Korea’s expanding nuclear capability. The narrow focus, largely due to the dictatorship’s secrecy and closed economy, overlooks North Korean citizens, explains Gianluca Spezza for IRIN News Agency. Spezza points out that Kim Jong Un, while brutal, does not wield the influence of his father or grandfather, adding that “Security apparatuses are no longer...