PBS: Escaping Eritrea … [Read More...] about ካብ ውሽጢ ቤት ማእሰርታት ኤርትራ
Archives for February 2016
Inside the UK Asylum System: From Eritrea to Northern England
Sally Hayden | February 19, 2016 | VICE NEWS VICE News is traveling around the UK to catch up with some of the migrants we met in 2015 in Calais, France, who ultimately made it across the Channel. It was twilight in the port town of Calais, France, when I last saw Birhan. As we spoke, his eyes darted from side to side. His brown hoodie smelled of tear gas. He had just eaten … [Read more...] about Inside the UK Asylum System: From Eritrea to Northern England
If You’re an Unhappy Iraqi Asylum-Seeker, Finland Will Fly You Home
Siobhan O'Grady | February 18, 2016 | FOREIGN POLICY At least 70,000 Iraqis were among the more than one million migrants and refugees who sought shelter in Europe last year. Now — disenchanted with the difficulties of life there — many are choosing to return home. On Thursday, Finland helped by flying 103 Iraqis direct from Helsinki to Baghdad. Upon arrival, some members … [Read more...] about If You’re an Unhappy Iraqi Asylum-Seeker, Finland Will Fly You Home
Putin’s Patriotism Playbook
Gregory Feifer | February 18, 2016 | FOREIGN AFFAIRS What’s Russian Nationalism Got to Do With It? It may not seem remarkable for an authoritarian such as Russian President Vladimir Putin to identify patriotism as his country’s “national idea,” as he did to a group of Russian entrepreneurs earlier this month. “There can be no other,” he said of the … [Read more...] about Putin’s Patriotism Playbook
Playing With Fire
Mitch Ginsburg | February 18, 2016 | FOREIGN AFFAIRS The Rise of Jewish Terrorism On the night of July 30 last year, Amiram Ben-Oliel, the 21-year-old son of a rabbi, waited for a friend in a cave in the heart of the West Bank. They had planned to rendezvous there, between Ramallah and Nablus, before heading to the Palestinian villages of Duma and Majdal … [Read more...] about Playing With Fire
Preparing for the Collapse of the Saudi Kingdom
Sarah Chayes and Alex de Waal | Feb 18, 2016 | THE ATLANTIC It can’t last. The U.S. better get ready. For half a century, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been the linchpin of U.S. Mideast policy. A guaranteed supply of oil has bought a guaranteed supply of security. Ignoring autocratic practices and the export of Wahhabi extremism, Washington stubbornly dubs its … [Read more...] about Preparing for the Collapse of the Saudi Kingdom
Long-sitting leaders out of touch with citizens
Lindiwe Mazibuko | 18 February 2016 | BUSINESS DAY A DEAR friend and storied South African entrepreneur recently advised me always to do my own dirty work. A long line of successes and failures in business have taught him never to be out of touch with even the smallest detail of his operations. No good, he says, can come from leadership that is comfortably removed from the … [Read more...] about Long-sitting leaders out of touch with citizens
Instead of Democracy, Uganda Moves Toward Dictatorship Light
Jeffrey Gettleman | FEB. 17, 2016 | THE NEW YORK TIMES KALUNGU, Uganda — For eight hours, under a beating sun, thousands of people stood in an open field, waiting patiently. Their flagging spirits were instantly revived when a column of huge, freshly washed Toyota Land Cruisers rolled up, the shiniest things for miles. Soldiers fanned out as Uganda’s president, Yoweri … [Read more...] about Instead of Democracy, Uganda Moves Toward Dictatorship Light
So who is not ‘dying’ in African mining? The answer may surprise you
Lee Mwiti | 15 Feb 2016 | MAIL & GUARDIAN It would be easy to say minerals have taken a hammering, but some are proving to be bulletproof. Consider these numbers: Mineral export revenue for Zimbabwe, which forms the biggest source of foreign exchange, fell 7.2% in 2015, from $1.95-billion to $1.81-billion. Zimasco, the country’s biggest miner of ferrochrome, sacked most … [Read more...] about So who is not ‘dying’ in African mining? The answer may surprise you
Pre-summit tension
Doaa El-Bey | 18 February, 2016 | AL-AHRAM Egyptian-Ethiopian differences regarding the Renaissance Dam are as wide as ever ahead of a planned meeting between President Abdel-Fattah Al-Sisi, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn and Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir, reports Doaa El-Bey The 12th technical meeting of the tripartite committee on the Renaissance Dam was … [Read more...] about Pre-summit tension
Zimbabwe police fire water cannon to break-up war veteran protest
HARARE | Thu Feb 18, 2016 | REUTERS Zimbabwean police on Thursday fired teargas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of war veterans planning a march on the ruling party's headquarters, witnesses said, as factions tussle over who should succeed President Robert Mugabe. War veterans have previously mobilized election support for Mugabe, a fellow veteran who turns 92 on … [Read more...] about Zimbabwe police fire water cannon to break-up war veteran protest