THE WORLD

Photo: US President Joe Biden. Source: The White House.

President Biden Wants to Prevent a Strong Primary Challenge

But He Shouldn’t Get Away with It

Viewpoint by Norman Solomon*

SAN FRANCISCO (IDN) — Joe Biden has directed the Democratic National Committee to reduce the danger that progressives might effectively challenge him in the 2024 presidential primaries. That’s a key goal of his instructions to the DNC on December 2, when Biden insisted on dislodging New Hampshire—the longtime first-in-the-nation primary state where he received just 8 per cent of the vote and finished fifth in the 2020 Democratic primary.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 07 December 2022

Photo: A woman passing by a painting on a wall of the former US embassy in Tehran in 2004 showing the US as a Satan. Credit: Behrouz Mehri/Agence France-Presse

Washington Should Offer Iran a Nuclear Deal It Cannot Decline

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The policies of Iran’s government are not set in stone, as critics interminably suggest. Only three days ago (on December 4), Iran’s prosecutor-general was reported as saying that the morality police were being disbanded. Clearly, two months of demonstrations, led mainly by women, and now with open support from Iran’s football World Cup team competing in Qatar, have made the government have a big think about its long-term policies.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 06 December 2022

Concern Over Export of Ancient Baobab Tree from Kenya

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | NAIROBI (IDN) — Stories abound of the majestic baobab tree landmarks across Africa where they stand tall, adapted to arid landscapes, the basis of myths, the home of vultures and bees, and the giver of fruits that can feed families during drought.

Baobab, or ‘mbuyu’ in Kiswahili, is a gigantic fibrous leafy tree, common in the open semi-arid areas of eastern and coastal counties of Kenya and in 32 African countries. It is not uncommon to find a 5,000-year-old tree, 100 feet tall, 40 feet in diameter—a prehistoric species which predates both mankind and the splitting of the continents over 200 million years ago.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 06 December 2022

Photo: President Joe Biden and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa shake hands in the Oval Office on September 16, 2022. Source: The White House.

ANC Worried About Possible Ouster of South African President

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | JOHANNESBURG (IDN) — A convoluted tale of monies hidden in a sofa in the home of the South African President Cyril Ramaphosa threatens to unseat a popular leader while it creates more headaches for the African National Congress.

According to the charges, a fortune in U.S. dollars was stolen from President Ramaphosa’s farm but he never reported the theft to the police or disclosed it publicly, but apparently started an off-the-books investigation and paid the suspects to keep quiet.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 06 December 2022

Photo: Russian imports have dropped sharply, reflecting the decision of multinational companies to sever ties with Russia. Courtesy: The New York Times.

Sanctions Hit Russia as Moscow Attempts to Overcome Them

Viewpoint by John P. Ruehl

This article was produced by Globetrotter. John P. Ruehl is an Australian-American journalist living in Washington, D.C. He is a contributing editor to Strategic Policy and a contributor to several other foreign affairs publications. He is currently finishing a book on Russia to be published in 2022.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — Immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S., the UK, and the EU placed major sanctions on Russia to constrict its economy and restrain its war effort. Having been updated several times since, these sanctions have compounded the effects of the previous sanctions placed on Russia in 2014 after it annexed Crimea.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 06 December 2022

Recalling the Massacre in Namibia on Genocide Prevention Day

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Genocide Prevention Day falls on December 9 and marks the anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (also known as the UN Genocide Convention. On this day, the victims of genocide worldwide are remembered. People around the world are encouraged to learn from the past and take action to prevent future atrocities.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 05 December 2022

Photo: From ‘Democrat’ to Autocrat: Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe Credit: Asian Affairs London.

Sri Lanka’s Economic Recovery? False Positive

By Neville de Silva*

This article was issued by Asian Affairs (London).

LONDON (IDN) — The sense of economic optimism expressed by Sri Lanka’s increasingly despotic president is not shared by the country’s long-suffering people.

Presenting his first budget since assuming office as president after his predecessor fled the country, Ranil Wickremesinghe seemed to see a new dawn on the horizon. Speaking in parliament in mid-November, he saw ‘a glimmer of hope on emerging from the economic abyss’, adding that it was ‘currently visible’.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 04 December 2022

Planned Biden-Museveni Meeting at U.S.-Africa Summit Draws Protests

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni on the sidelines of the US-Africa Leaders’ Summit this on December 13-15 in Washington, DC.

The meeting will take place at the White House with the two leaders expected to discuss, among other things, the security situation in Africa.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 04 December 2022

Image: José Eduardo dos Santos, the former president of Angola, died in Spain in July 2022, triggering a family feud over repatriating his body. Source: The New York Times.

Long Sentences in Corruption Trial for Angolan Ex-President's Soldiers and Bankers

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Dozens of former soldiers who performed illegal services for Angola’s ex-president Jose Eduardo dos Santos received jail terms for up to 14 years for fraud and embezzlement in a closely-watched high profile mass corruption trial.

In addition to the soldiers who went on trial in June were bankers and hundreds of “ghost” employees who remained on the government payroll between 2008 and 2018.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 03 December 2022

Photo: South Africa's Abdurrazack “Zackie” Achmat stepped up to become one of the iconic AIDS crusaders. Source: University of Cape Town.

World Aids Day Addresses Inequalities Between Global South and North

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Every year, on December 1, World AIDS Day is commemorated. People worldwide unite to show support for those living with HIV and remember those who have passed on from AIDS-related illnesses.

Ten years ago, HIV had infected at least 10 per cent of the population in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Some 50,000 infections were reported in the U.S. per year over the same period.