Новости за 08.05.2024

Are Sabah and Sarawak colonies of Malaya?

The small secession movement in Sabah and Sarawak has been getting louder over the past 9 months. This is the case, even with an East Malaysian deputy prime minister in the federal government, and the recent constitutional amendments proclaiming Sabah and Sarawak as regions and not states. The perception of peninsula politics under the leadership of Anwar Ibrahim is giving Sabahans and Sarawakians cause to think about the divisive identity politics... Читать дальше...

The cause of the phenomenon is being debated.

The seven-phase Indian parliamentary elections, which began on April 19, finished its third phase on May 7. There are four more phases to go before polling ends on June 1. 

283 of the 543 constituencies have been covered thus far. Results are to be announced on June 4.  

In the third phase, elections were held in 93 seats across 11 States and Union Territories. Five States, Assam, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Karnataka and Gujarat have completed voting thus far. Читать дальше...

Getting to a close. The third phase  (seven in total) with Gujarat and Maharashtra in the west and Karnataka in the south accounting for 50 seats, 283 of 543 seats for the Lok Sabha, as the lower house of Indian parliament is called.

A banner and a name remind student protesters for whom they are fighting.

“Politics,” as the harsh, albeit successful German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck claimed, “is the art of the possible, the attainable – the art of the next best.”  To that should be added the stark awareness of being prudent, gingerly wise, appropriately cautious.  Mind how you go in avoiding any foolishness on the way.

The Korean Peninsula remains a highly precarious area marked by tensions unresolved. The schism emerged that in the World following  War II continues to persist and the heavily Demilitarised fortified Zone (DMZ) as serves a poignant reminder of this conflict. Despite the presence of a fragile armistice since 1953 North Korea's active pursuit of nuclear weapons South and North Korea's deep-rooted security concerns cast sombre a veil over the region. The attainment of peace on the Korean Peninsula... Читать дальше...

TotalEnergies announced Wednesday the successful first oil production on the Eldfisk North Project, located in the Greater Ekofisk Area in the North Sea.

Amidst the geopolitical dynamics and diverse maneuvers to ensure stability at home, Russia has to show certainty, firmness and consistency in its relations with Africa. Understandably Africa has been at the bottom of its priority agenda, most official statements on pledges take years to achieve concrete results. There are also explicit indications that Russia is broadening and not deepening its influence in various areas. In terms of education and training, scholarships for potential African students... Читать дальше...

The PLA will continue to pursue the establishment of overseas military installations and access agreements in an attempt to project power and protect China’s interests abroad. Beyond developing its military base in Djibouti and its military facility at Ream Naval Base in Cambodia, Beijing reportedly is considering pursuing military facilities in multiple locations, including—but not limited to—Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Pakistan, the Seychelles, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, and the UAE... Читать дальше...

Juan M. Merchan, the judge in Donald J. Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan, has again held Trump in contempt for violating a gag order banning attacks on witnesses and jurors, and is threatening to jail the former president if he persists. “It appears that the $1,000 fines are not serving as a deterrent,” Merchan said. “Going forward, this court will have to consider a jail sanction.”

Various studies including NASA’s conclude that humanity’s dependence on oceans and seas affects almost every aspect of life on earth, ranging from trade to tourism, from energy to environment and from health to wealth. It is generally reported that earth’s blue economy drives development of coastal cities and villages and its diminishing value as a habitat affects more the poorer countries than the developed richer ones.

Allal El Fassi: theologian, thinker, politician, poet, and leader, embodied the essence of Moroccan nationalism in the 20th century. His multifaceted contributions and unwavering commitment to Moroccan sovereignty make him an unparalleled figure in our nation's history.

On May 6, 2024, Bangladesh's Minister for Power, Energy, and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid highlighted Bangladesh's significant potential for investment in the power and energy sector. He emphasized the increasing utilization of technology and the ongoing shift towards automation, which, in turn, creates investment opportunities. He estimated that approximately $50-$60 billion would be required in the technology sector over the next five years.

Every year, the United States publishes various reports on countries other than its own, including the 'Annual Human Rights Report.' Such reports cover human rights issues and sensitive topics such as 'democracy' and 'freedom of expression.' This year, the report documents human rights concerns in nearly 200 countries and territories. But among them, the U.S. was not one of them. Why not? Because it aspires to serve as the world's "human rights judge."

The second edition of the groundbreaking Feminist Finance Forum, organized by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), closed Wednesday in Bangkok with participants spotlighting the action needed to bridge the region’s gender finance gap.  

Landlocked Ethiopia seeks access to the Red Sea, but Somaliland needs to gain global recognition for the leasing of its idle ports. Ethiopia, in talks with Somaliland, has angered Somalia. The President of Somalia argues that Somalia's sovereignty is sacrosanct. The world in genral has opposed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Somaliland and Ethiopia. The diversity of its ethnic makeup rules out Addis’s desire to balkanize another nation no matter how hostile, but it’s not a worthy fight. Читать дальше...

By Patrick Carroll

In a recent viral tweet, conservative pundit Matt Walsh proffered an “unpopular opinion” about AI that deserves some serious scrutiny. Reacting to a video showcasing an AI-powered Wendy’s drive thru, Walsh commented that this kind of technology should probably be illegal.

“Unpopular opinion (among conservatives anyway) but there probably needs to be laws against this,” the Daily Wire pundit observed. “AI is going to wipe out 80 percent of the jobs on the... Читать дальше...

Since its beginning, the Iranian Resistance recognized the need for a democratic alternative to the regime that is not beholden to the will of foreign powers. Therefore, while advancing a revolutionary and comprehensive struggle against the regime, it also established a revolutionary diplomacy that only serves the interests of the Iranian people. The Iranian resistance, by adopting a revolutionary diplomacy based on preserving principles and complete independence, has been one of the main obstacles... Читать дальше...

Since 1962, the people of Myanmar have endured brutal military oppression, human rights abuses, and the denial of self-determination. In their decades-long struggle against military oppression and for self-determination, numerous uprisings have been met with extreme brutality from the military, yet the spirit of resistance has endured. By 2012, this perseverance bore fruit in the form of a fragile pseudo-democracy, where a civilian government operates under the shadow of military control, which... Читать дальше...

In Cairo, representatives from Hamas held indirect negotiations with Israel for a ceasefire. The sticking point for several of the rounds was the order of events. Israel wanted the hostages to be released before it would stop the bombing, while Hamas said that the bombing must stop first. Israel has called for the disarming and dismantling of Hamas, which is a maximalist demand unlikely to be met. Hamas meanwhile would like not only a ceasefire but an end to the war. Both sides blamed each other... Читать дальше...

By Mohammed A. Salih

(FPRI) -- Amid escalating regional tensions since October 7 last year and reports of American contemplations of troop withdrawal from Syria, the US administration should reassess its Syria policy, and consider a long-term, minimalist presence coupled with robust political and diplomatic efforts in the interest of regional security and peace.

The ongoing Middle East tensions underscore the US role in regional stability and the importance of US allies in countering threats. Читать дальше...

By Clayton Thomas and Abigail G. Martin

The Islamic State (IS) is a transnational Sunni Islamist insurgent and terrorist group. At its 2015 height, the group controlled large areas of Iraq and Syria from which it launched attacks in the region and beyond. While the group no longer controls territory outright in Syria and Iraq, U.S. military officials warn that it continues to operate and has worked to expand its global presence through affiliates in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. Читать дальше...

By Jane L. Johnson

One hears little today of the US “twin deficits,” a phrase familiar during the 1980s when the US had consistently run both federal budget deficits and international trade deficits. Economists hypothesized at that time that there was a theoretical and/or empirical relationship assuring the two deficits’ increasing or decreasing together.

How Do Federal Budget Deficits Arise?

Annual federal budget deficits exist whenever federal spending exceeds annual tax revenue. Читать дальше...

Most members of the United Sates Congress repeatedly and, it seems, without a second thought vote for legislation that violates the restraints imposed by the US Constitution. It has been this way for many years. That situation has helped a government of limited, enumerated powers become a behemoth.

It’s not been a good week for the Censorship Industrial Complex. 

The machine has been built and put into action over nearly a decade but largely in secret. Its way of doing business has been via surreptitious contacts with media and tech companies, intelligence carve-outs in “fact-checking” organizations, payoffs, and various other clever strategies, all directed toward boosting some sources of information and suppressing others. The goal has always been to advance regime narratives and curate the public mind. Читать дальше...