Cross-strait tensions, the One-China policy and regional security around Taiwan and China.
Each year, people from across the world gather in a grove sacred to the Yoruba goddess Osun to be healed, conceive or realise their deepest wishes. But toxic lead, mercury and cyanide is leaching into the river 7Devotees in white clothing...
Pedro Sánchez continues to defend Rabat after police report claiming border forces helped 70,000 cross border - Europe live – latest updates Spain has seen no evidence “whatsoever” that Morocco planned or facilitated a mass border breach into its north African territory...
Several Chinese tech companies, including Alibaba, ByteDance and Tencent, have reportedly accessed compute power from GB300 chips remotely through data centers in Asian countries including Thailand, Malaysia and Japan. Less than a week after another Chinese company, Moonshot AI, released...
Since fighting began in late February, Iranian retaliation has reached U.S. bases and Gulf infrastructure while disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has repeatedly threatened energy exports and maritime trade. Roughly a fifth of global oil flows normally passes through...
OPEC’s second-largest producer, Iraq, more than doubled its crude oil exports via the Strait of Hormuz in August as it offered month-watering discounts for loadings at Basrah in the Persian Gulf and Iran allowed Iraqi oil cargoes to transit the...
Washington is changing some of its most reliable military partnerships in the Middle East because it believes states, markets, and diplomacy can deliver what American troops and Kurdish proxies increasingly cannot. The End of the Post-ISIS* Bargain The juxtaposition could...
Damaged refineries in the Middle East and Russia and insufficient capacity elsewhere to offset the supply disruptions will likely keep global fuel prices elevated into the next year, analysts say. The Middle East conflict and the Iranian and Houthi strikes...
Russian President Vladimir Putin said there is still a possibility of reaching a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine, while arguing that recent Ukrainian attacks on shipping and warnings over Russian airspace have made the resumption of negotiations...
U.S. technology giants are increasingly turning to European bond markets to finance their massive AI and data centre investments. The shift is raising concerns that their growing demand for euro denominated debt could compete with European companies and governments for...
Claim relating to infamous apartheid-era shooting of protesters part of wave of litigation for apartheid-era crimes The day dawned brightly on 21 March 1960, as residents of the South African township of Sharpeville gathered to protest against pass laws, which forced...
A few days ago, the Chinese government had the opportunity to reverse the current downturn in China-Japan relations, the worst in years. A delegation of Japanese lawmakers representing the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition parties Komeito and Centrist...
TODAY’S NUMBERS $4,334 (gold, per ounce, near record) · $200bn (Russian reserves frozen at Euroclear) · Sept. 15 (deadline for the EU’s Russia sanctions list to lapse). Gold near records prices geopolitical risk broadly; the frozen-assets deadlock and an expiring...
Europe’s lowest levels of natural gas in storage in nearly two decades risk intensifying the race for LNG supply in the coming months as both Europe and Asia are competing for a shrinking pool of supply, with the Middle East’s...
By almost every explanation on offer for the bond selloff underway treats it as a familiar story wearing a new coat. Too much debt, too much deficit, inflation refusing to die down. All are true. But none of it fully...
The El Niño weather phenomenon is expected to intensify through 2027 and could become the strongest ever recorded, according to the World Meteorological Organization. The WMO says there is a near 100% probability that El Niño will persist through February...
As climate disasters frequent across the African continent, governments have been promoting climate-smart innovations, including the development of drought-resistant crops. Drought-resistant and nutritious staples such as millet and sorghum and drought-tolerant maize varieties are some crops helping farmers survive dry...
As graduates of an online training course gather from across the continent, the consensus is overwhelming: computers and saving animals go together On a bitingly cold night in Lapalala Wilderness nature reserve in South Africa’s Limpopo province, Duncan Kanyakera watches as...
Hargeisa – The President of the Republic of Somaliland, H.E. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdillahi (Cirro), today departed on an official working visit to the United States, transiting through the United Arab Emirates. This visit, the first of its kind by President Cirro...
Chinese refiners are paying a hefty premium for Russia’s ESPO crude to replace Iranian crude that independent refiners were importing before the U.S. installed its naval blockade on the country. East Siberia-Pacific Ocean crude, or ESPO, for delivery in November...
LISTEN NOW: Maine’s Sen. Susan Collins (R) has won five elections in a row, and a Democrat has not won a United States Senate seat in the state since 1988 — but polls suggest Mainers have reached a breaking point. They’re...
Dear President Abdirahman Abdullahi, As you prepare for your next cabinet reshuffle, you have an opportunity to make a decision that could define your government’s effectiveness: put the right people in the right positions. Cabinet appointments should not be driven primarily by political loyalty, the balancing of interests, or rewards for those who supported the government. These considerations may always exist in politics, but they should not outweigh the qualifications of those chosen to lead the country’s ministries. Your government is moving beyond its early period. Citizens will increasingly judge the administration by what it delivers. Can ministries function more effectively? Can public services improve? Can public resources be managed responsibly? Can Somaliland attract investment and create opportunities for its young population? These outcomes require capable people. A president may have a strong vision and ambitious plans, but that vision means little if the people responsible for implementation lack the capacity to deliver. The government’s goals must be matched by the abilities of those appointed to lead its ministries. When there is a gap between ambition and administrative capacity, the result is a misaligned government. As a member of the diaspora living in Somaliland, I have observed good intentions at the top but uneven execution below. That is why the next reshuffle matters. Somaliland needs ministers who understand the responsibilities they are being asked to assume. A person appointed to lead a ministry should bring a relevant combination of education, professional experience, management ability, and a record of achievement. A ministry is not a political trophy. It is a public institution whose performance affects citizens’ daily lives. Political experience alone should not automatically qualify someone to lead a technical ministry. Nor should a close relationship with the president, membership in the governing political camp, or strong personal connections be enough. This does not mean politics has no place in government. It does. Presidents have political responsibilities, and governments need people they can trust. But trust and competence should not be treated as competing choices. The president should seek people who are both trustworthy and capable. The Somaliland diaspora also deserves careful consideration. Somaliland has produced many highly educated professionals with valuable experience in Europe, North America, the Middle East, Africa, and elsewhere. Bringing that experience home can benefit the country enormously. But diaspora status should not confer automatic preference. No one should become a minister simply because they worked abroad or have an impressive resume. The same standard should apply to everyone. What have they accomplished? What do they know about the ministry they would lead? Have they managed people and budgets? Have they solved difficult problems? Can they work within Somaliland’s realities rather than simply import ideas from another country? These are the questions that should guide appointments. One practical step would be to interview serious candidates before making senior appointments. This should not be a political interview, but a rigorous assessment of each candidate’s ability to do the job. Ask candidates what they have accomplished, what they understand about the ministry, what they would change in their first six months, and how they would measure success. Then verify their qualifications and professional history. This would not eliminate political appointments, but it would introduce a basic element of accountability into the process. There is nothing radical about this approach. Governments around the world increasingly recognize that professional civil service is essential to effective government. Research by the Anti-Corruption Evidence programme has also identified links between merit-based recruitment, stronger motivation, lower corruption, and better public-service performance. For Somaliland, this should not be merely an academic discussion. We have limited resources and a long list of national priorities. Every ministry that fails to perform represents a lost opportunity. Your administration has already achieved what many people once considered extremely difficult by securing international recognition from Israel while continuing to build broader support for Somaliland. That is an important development. But recognition, diplomacy, and foreign relations are only part of the larger challenge of building a functioning state. Somaliland also needs institutions that work. It needs ministries that can implement policy, officials who understand public finance, and competent leaders for infrastructure, education, health, investment, fisheries, agriculture, mining, security, and other critical sectors. Most importantly, citizens need to see that government appointments are made because a person can do the job, not simply because they are politically connected. Mr. President, the next cabinet reshuffle gives you an opportunity to establish a different standard. Choose people who can deliver. Choose people who understand their responsibilities. Choose people whose results can be measured and who can be held accountable when they fail. If a politically loyal person is also the best person for the job, appoint them. If a political ally is not qualified to lead a particular ministry, do not appoint them simply because they are an ally. That is what merit should mean. Somaliland cannot afford to place unprepared people in important positions and wait years to discover that they were never capable of carrying the responsibility. The country needs experienced professionals, capable managers, effective politicians, and people with a genuine understanding of Somaliland’s circumstances. The next cabinet should therefore not be about who deserves a position. It should be about who can do the job. That would send a powerful message to Somaliland’s citizens, investors, development partners, and the international community that Somaliland is serious about building institutions based on competence, accountability, and performance. Somaliland needs a government that serves the country, not individuals or political interests. And that starts with putting the right people in the right positions. Thank you, and God bless Somaliland. Mohamed Ibrahim is a Somaliland businessman and public-affairs commentator based in Hargeisa. He holds an MBA and has a professional background in business, journalism, media, and public affairs. He is the founder and former Chief Editor of SomalilandPress , an independent online news and analysis platform covering political, economic, and social developments in Somaliland and the wider Horn of Africa. He can be reached at moguled@gmail.com. Reference: Governance and Integrity Anti-Corruption Evidence (GI ACE), Civil Service Reform and Anti-Corruption in Developing Countries: Tools and Evidence from Eight Countries in Four Developing Regions. GI ACE. Civil Service Reform and Anti-Corruption in Developing Countries....
We played a wargame using AI players. Two nuclear-armed nations — Red and Blue — with a long-standing, fierce border dispute were placed into a militarized crisis. Over the course of several turns, the states managed to avoid escalation to...
Spot LNG prices for Asian buyers went up to almost $26 per million British thermal units yesterday for a 5% weekly gain following the resumption of strikes between the United States and Iran. Spot LNG for Asia traded at $25.908...
As climate impacts increasingly affect economies, societies and livelihoods, often hitting the poorest and most vulnerable hardest, the challenge is no longer simply to set more ambitious targets. It is to turn climate commitments into investments. With at least $1.3...
As a new convoy of Russian armored vehicles arrives from the port of Lomé to support Russia’s Africa Corps deployment in Mali, that mission has entered its fifth year. Russia’s investment of blood and treasure urgently demands a return, but...
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation closed its 26th heads-of-state summit in Bishkek on September 1 with a joint statement — the Bishkek Declaration — timed to the bloc’s 25th anniversary and signed by the leaders of all ten member states: Russia,...
Stronger appetite for Middle Eastern crude grades from China and India has added upward pressure on prices for these grades, pushing the Dubai futures close to $100 per barrel, Bloomberg reported today, citing unnamed traders. Demand for Middle Eastern oil...
A new UNICEF report reveals that 1 in 5 children surveyed have faced tech-facilitated sexual abuse in a single year. Children in protracted crises have been made more vulnerable, as perpetrators are more likely to weaponize economic vulnerability. Credit: UNICEF/Karel...
Nepal is facing a major reconstruction challenge after a catastrophic glacier collapse triggered floods, mud and landslides across areas near the Chinese border on August 26. Authorities estimate that around 20,000 homes will need to be rebuilt, while search and...
The Iran conflict and disruption to the Strait of Hormuz are forcing major oil importing countries to rethink how they source crude. Countries that once relied heavily on nearby Middle Eastern suppliers are increasingly turning to producers in the Americas...
Farmer Field Day held at Mariira, to demonstrate the different Climate Smart Technologies used in farming. December 22nd, 2022. Murang'a county, Kenya. Credit: 2022 CIAT/Owen Kimani By Ismahane Elouafi KIGALI, Rwanda, Sep 3 2026 (IPS) As leaders gather in Kigali for the Africa...
Athens spent $3.5 billion on Israeli missiles this week in the largest defence deal the two countries have ever signed. That this happened while three-quarters of Greeks oppose Israel’s conduct in Gaza, and while every other European government is quietly...
This year marks four decades since Vietnam launched Doi Moi, the economic renovation program that broke with communist central planning. It also marks one of the most concentrated bursts of institutional change the country has witnessed since launching the market-oriented...
On 1 September in Bishkek, Vladimir Putin used one summit to tell Iran that Russia would keep supplying what Tehran needs and to tell the world that Russia is winning in Ukraine and will not negotiate with Kyiv. The same...
Islam Times - By symbolically renaming the Strait of Hormuz the “Trump Strait,” Trump is seeking to challenge the practical constraints imposed on the waterway. But the limited passage of oil tankers under military escort, amid high risks and even...
Islam Times - Trump is seeking to conceal the new realities on the ground by escalating military threats, applying economic pressure, and claiming that he has no need for negotiations; but Iran’s continued resistance, the failure of these pressure tactics,...
Islam Times - In four waves of heavy attacks last night, Iran’s Armed Forces targeted positions of the US terrorist army in the region, striking US bases and military centers in Jordan, Iraq and Bahrain — from a US Marine...
This summer the Pentagon handed NATO members a questionnaire asking whether they support in part, “U.S. foreign policy priorities.” Dubbed a “loyalty test” in the press, it was seen by many Europeans as the most recent sign that the alliance is...
The Bunker appears originally at the Project on Government Oversight and is republished here with permission. President Trump designs aircraft carriers the way kids build paper airplanes. It’s just that his cost billions and can inflict far more pain than paper...
This summer the Pentagon handed NATO members a questionnaire asking whether they support in part, “U.S. foreign policy priorities.” Dubbed a “loyalty test” in the press, it was seen by many Europeans as the most recent sign that the alliance is...
See an insect crawling in the corner of the room? It might be a surveillance robot, thanks to research at Carnegie Mellon University to develop cockroach-like robots with, and for, the Israeli military. Robot cockroaches, “terror-network” mapping, and rapid missile guidance...
Raymond Aron died in 1983, long before China emerged as the US’ principal strategic competitor, North Korea acquired nuclear weapons that could threaten the continental United States, and Russia developed its present military relationship with Pyongyang. Nonetheless, few twentieth-century thinkers...
Israel is methodically emptying the West Bank countryside of hamlets and farms to spur Palestinians to either flee into exile or move into cities hemmed in by Israeli settlements ramshackle “outposts” and military bases. Western governments and the United Nations...
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation closed its 26th heads-of-state summit in Bishkek on September 1 with a joint statement — the Bishkek Declaration — timed to the bloc’s 25th anniversary and signed by the leaders of all ten member states: Russia,...
Summary of Expert Predictions vs. Actual Outcomes The convergence of regional and international expert commentary provides a sharp lens through which to evaluate what transpired during the historic state visit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Highlighted...
President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned airlines, insurers and foreign governments that Russian airspace “will be de facto closed” because of Ukrainian drones. Although Ukraine does not threaten civil aviation, he said, carriers flying to Moscow, St. Petersburg, or other major...
Today, the West Bank is a nightmare of vicious settlement expansion, land seizure, economic strangulation, settler violence and forced displacement. With the collusion of the Israeli military and police, the Israeli-occupied territories are effectively ruled by the Messianic far-right settlers...
Reprinted from Andy Worthington’s website. Many thanks to Dr. Dianne Woodward, a former lecturer in Biological Sciences, and a manager at the Galilee Foundation, a UK charity empowering Palestinian youth since 2007, for writing a compelling article for Al Jazeera,...
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