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Trump picks Jewish real estate tycoon Steven Witkoff for Mideast envoy


Trump also said he will nominate Fox News Channel host Pete Hegseth to be secretary of defense.




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Kenya: House Education Committee Turns to Govt As Lecturers Strike Persists

[Capital FM] NAIROBI -- Talks between the National Assembly Education Committee,university lecturers, and public universities failed to kick off on Tuesday amid a stalement over a strike declared unprotected by courts.




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Nigeria: Police Dismiss Rumour of Bomb Explosion in Jos

[Premium Times] The police on Tuesday morning received a report that a bomb was allegedly planted around Murtala Way, Jos.




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Sudan: Australian Court Jails Man for Leaving Wife 'Discarded' in Sudan

[Dabanga] Melbourne, Australia -- A 52-year-old man was jailed in Australia today, after he deceived his Sudanese wife into leaving Australia, and subsequently left her stranded in Sudan. A Sudanese family law expert has hailed the verdict as "a victory for women". The man, who is an Australian citizen, was charged by Australian Federal Police in 2022, under exit trafficking legislation, enacted by Australia to combat human trafficking that pivots on the departure, instead of the arrival of the victim. Neither names may be revealed for




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Africa: African Nations Demand Huge Climate Aid Boost Amid Global Distrust

[RFI] African nations are pushing for a dramatic increase in climate financing at the UN's Cop29 summit that opened in Azerbaijan on Monday - calling for $1.3 trillion (€1.22 trillion) annually to help the continent transition to renewable energy, adapt to climate impacts and address damage from climate-related disasters.




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Liberia: Sources - Executive May Submit Draft Budget to the Breakaway Bloc This Week

[Liberian Investigator] Monrovia -- Sources have hinted to The Liberian Investigator that the Executive Branch, through the Ministry of Finance & Development Planning, is contemplating submitting the 2025 draft national budget to the breakaway "majority bloc" in the House of Representatives later this week.




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Africa: World's Longest Arbitrarily Detained Journalist Receives The Edelstam Prize

[The Edelstam Foundation] The Edelstam Prize 2024 is awarded to Mr. Dawit Isaak for his outstanding contributions and exceptional courage in standing up for freedom of expression, one's beliefs, and in the defence of Human Rights. The prize will be awarded during a ceremony at the House of Nobility in Stockholm, Sweden, on 19th November 2024. As Dawit Isaak is a prisoner of conscience and the longest-held detained journalist in the world, he cannot be present. His daughter, Betlehem Isaak, will receive the prize on his behalf.




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Ethiopia: Dereja, in Partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Skills and the Mastercard Foundation, to Host the 5th National Career Expo, Connecting Over 30,000 Recent Graduates

[Mastercard Foundation] Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -- Dereja, in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Skills (MOLS) and the Mastercard Foundation, will host the 5th National Career Expo on November 6 - 7, 2024, at Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa. The event will connect over 30,000 skilled professionals to the job market.




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Kenya: Impasse Persists On Revenue Sharing As MPs Demand Withdrawal of Road Maintenance Fund Case

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- The Politics surrounding the control of the Sh10.5 billion Road Maintenance Levy Fund between MPs and Governors has continued to stall talks to iron out the stalemate over the equitable revenue share to the devolved units.




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Ethiopia: Who Is Fano? Inside Ethiopia's Amhara Rebellion

[The New Humanitarian] Bahir Dar, Amhara -- 'I have been in the jungle, struggling for my people.'




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South Sudan: Alarming Spike in Admissions of Children With Malaria At Aweil State Hospital

[MSF] An alarming number of children suffering from severe malaria have been admitted to Aweil state hospital, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs the paediatric and maternity wards, in Northern Bahr El-Ghazal state, South Sudan, over the past three months. Malaria admissions to the children's ward began to increase in June and, by September, up to 400 children a week were being admitted to the paediatric department with severe malaria - more than double the numbers compared to September the




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Africa: 'AI is No Panacea, But If It Can Help With Africa's Challenges, We Should Be Open-Minded'

[allAfrica] Cape Town -- allAfrica's Juanita Williams and Joy Basu, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs, overseeing Economics and Regional Affairs across Sub-Saharan Africa, discussed the work of the Digital Transformation With Africa (DTA) project, which is coming up for its two-year anniversary in December 2024, how DTA chooses its partners, and how AI is not a panacea for the challenges the continent faces. Basu is in Cape Town for the Africa Tech Festival, and Williams spoke with her




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Cancer medication funding to be taken over by health ministry from community chest fund

Responsibility for the funding of cancer medication is set to be taken over by the Health Ministry from the Malta Community Chest Fund • Minister announces Paola Health Hub set to launch operations this week




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Developer persists in attempt to develop Mosta valley plot

A similar proposal was slated for refusal by a case officer who described the proposal as objectionable in principle in 2023




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Ħamrun’s newest każin is ISSA, a centre for emerging arts

Electronic Music Malta has opened a new chapter in the history of contemporary Maltese music with its very own każin in Ħamrun, called ISSA




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Film Commission delays in funds and rebate crippling local productions – MEIA

Maltese producers raise alarm over ripple effect of late payments in funding and services to creatives from Malta Film Commission




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Man gets three years imprisonment for distribution of child porn

Man sentenced to three years imprisonment after admitting to possessing and distributing child pornography




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Children lay out their vision for Malta in conference with national leaders

Malta ESG Alliance holds ISIMGħUNA conference to bring children and national leaders together to talk about the country's future




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Minorities Unsafe in Pakistan

Extremist violence has been escalating in Pakistan, with minorities of all stripes being targeted. Even Islamic sects are not spared.




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Portraying the Xinjiang Attack: Ethnic Conflict or Terrorism?

While the Chinese government has made clear that the Xinjiang attack was an act of terrorism, Western media has misreported it as an incident related to ethnic conflict.




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Singapore: from Bilingualism to Biculturalism

Singapore's bilingual policy has been the cornerstone of its development. It is time for the country to take the next step and embrace biculturalism.




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The International Criminal Court in Afghanistan

Transitional justice efforts have failed in Afghanistan. The ICC has become one of the few serious accountability options still available to this war-torn country.




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Afghanistan's Upcoming Presidential Elections

On April 5, the Afghan people will vote in the country's third-ever presidential elections, but corruption and security pose significant obstacles.




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Is Trump Reversing Course on Iran?

The Trump administration is attempting to dial down the tension with Iran, lowering the risk of military conflict and pushing for diplomatic negotiations.




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Taiwan's Participation in the WHO Annual Assembly Is Vital to Ensuring Global Health Security

Taiwan accepts World Health Organization invitation despite political caveat from China




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Countries North Korea Can Currently Hit With Their Missiles

Should North Korea ever have the capacity to launch a nuclear missile that could reach the U.S. mainland, Trump would have approximately ten minutes to react and make a decision to counterattack.




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Sustainable Food Production is Imperative for a Healthy Planet

Food waste has been a pressing concern for environmentalists and humanitarians for decades. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that approximately one third of all global food products end up in landfills, equating to roughly 1.3 billion metric tons. Conversely, according to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), about 3 billion people lack access to […]




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UNEP’s 2024 Emissions Gap Report Warns: ‘No More Hot Air, Please’

"We’re playing with fire, but there can be no more playing for time. We’re out of time," says UN Secretary General António Guterres




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IMF isn’t doing enough to support Africa: billions could be made available through special drawing rights

At the 2021 UN Climate Summit, Barbados prime minister Mia Mottley called for more and better use of special drawing rights (SDRs), the International Monetary Fund’s reserve asset. The special drawing right is an international reserve asset created by the IMF. It is not a currency—its value is based on a basket of five currencies, […]




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EU delegation visits Sindh Assembly for Strategic plans 2024-2029

Nazir SiyalKARACHI: Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation at the European Union Mission to Pakistan, called upon Speaker of the Provincial Assembly of Sindh, Syed Awais Qadir Shah, here on Tuesday. CEU Mission to Pakistan leader Jeroen was accompanied by Ms. … read more




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Capacity Building Is Key to Africa’s Digital Sequencing Success Story

Christian Tiambo has always wished to uplift local farmers’ communities through cutting-edge science. As climate change wreaked havoc on local agriculture, Tiambo, a livestock scientist at the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) and at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), focused on conserving and developing livestock that could withstand environmental stress. Genomics, […]




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At COP16, Biodiversity Credits Raising Hopes and Protests

At the end of the first week at the 16th Conference of Parties on Biodiversity (COP16), finance emerges as the biggest issue but also shrouded in controversies. On Saturday, as the COP moved closer to its most crucial phase of negotiations, resource mobilization—listed under Target 19 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF)—took centerstage, with […]




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The July Revolution in Bangladesh Is Rooted in Meta-Modernist Philosophy

The students and the common people of Bangladesh dared to do something in 36 days of July-August that was considered simply impossible by most people just days before August 5, 2024. They said ‘enough is enough’ to an old order that outraged their humanity, robbed their dignity and the rulers imagined that their citadel of […]




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Israel’s Ban on UNRWA Threatens the Stability of Palestine

On October 28, the Israeli parliament voted to ban activity from the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Israel. Two bills were passed by the Knesset, Israel’s house of representatives, one that barred all UNRWA efforts, and another that prevents interactions between Israeli authorities and UNRWA […]




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Springfield Confidential: Dishing with Miss Sassy

A small incident in the mounting mayhem of the 2024 elections crystalized the state of the dark art of politics in these United States. In Springfield, Ohio, a small midwestern industrial city, a woman named Anna Kilgore noticed that her cat, Miss Sassy, had been missing for a few days. Kilgore notified the police that she […]




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Strategic Patience can Mitigate Conflict Between Israel & Iran

How will Israel respond to Iran’s recent ballistic missiles barrage? “Strategic patience” is the best course. Israel has its hands full with Hamas and Hezbollah. Now is not the time to escalate a new major war with Iran, which could have nuclear implications. Israeli intelligence is still chafing from its failure to preempt Hamas’ attack […]




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What do Russia and Israel Share in Common?

Russia is pursuing, during these contemporary times, a new form of economic architecture, non-hegemonic policies and simultaneously portraying its first-class military power in the world. Russia’s development paradigm is distinctively different and largely oriented towards Global South. While Russia stands against Western hegemony and dominance, and against NATO, Israel maintains a complex relationship between the […]




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Stigmatization is the Entry Door for Repression and Violence

Information manipulation and misinformation are not new phenomena, but they have taken on exaggerated importance, especially with the massive use of social media. Hostile and stigmatizing narratives against civil society and civic activism, whether intentional or not, especially when propagated by authorities, create undue restrictions and hinder the exercise of the rights to freedom of […]




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Abortion is a Fundamental Human Rights Issue

The right to abortion is a human rights issue that no government agency, courts, local and state legislators, or anyone else has the right to violate or impede in any shape or form. It is a fundamental right that every woman must be free to exercise with impunity, in consultation with her doctor only, who […]




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Mortality in the Gaza-Israel War

Following the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas-led militants, Israel’s response has led to unprecedented high mortality levels in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian death toll over the twelve month period is believed to be among the highest such civilian casualty rates in the 21st century. During the first seven months of the […]




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What is the World’s Most “Demanding and Impossible Job”?

When Dr Gamani Corea, a former Secretary-General of the Geneva-based UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was holding court in the delegate’s lounge, I asked him what he thought of the bitter dispute between then Secretary-General (SG) Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1992-1996) and the United States over the Egyptian’s determination to win re-election for a second […]




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Between Harris and Trump, More Doubts Than Certainties for Latin America

Migration, trade, the defence of democracy, the confrontation with China and the collapse of multilateralism are issues that shed more doubts than certainties on Latin America’s expectations of the imminent presidential elections in the United States. Interest and tension have grown after dozens of polls and bookmakers have shown similar chances of victory for Democrat […]




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This Is Not a Drill. Fascism Is on the Ballot. But…

The conclusion that Donald Trump is a fascist has gone mainstream, gaining wide publicity and affirmation in recent weeks. Such understanding is a problem for Trump and his boosters. At the same time, potentially pivotal in this close election, a small proportion of people who consider themselves to be progressive still assert that any differences […]




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Democracy’s Dilemma: Can We Overcome Short-Termism to Build Lasting Peace?

While the expansion of democracy is a key condition for peace, the Achilles’ heel of democracies is that their leaders are constrained by electoral calendars, forcing them to push for peace or delay, whereas autocracies can afford to play the long game to achieve the favorable outcomes they desire. Take, for example, the current wars […]




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Africa’s Most Important Election is Underway

Africa has had a terrible record dealing with extreme poverty. The late Adebayo Adedeji, the legendary head of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), campaigned vigorously but unsuccessfully in the 1980s against the IMF and World Bank-imposed structural adjustment programmes, contending that these contributed to poverty’s increase. The continent’s economic growth plummeted rapidly […]




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UN Arms Embargo on Israel: Dead on Arrival

When the United Nations imposes sanctions or penalizes a member state – be it the General Assembly or the Human Rights Council – the resolutions are “non-binding” and often remain unimplemented. But the Security Council resolutions are “binding” – and still openly violated by countries such as North Korea—because all these UN bodies have no […]




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Scorched Earth Colonizing of Gaza is a Horrible Idea

For religious, humanitarian, and scientific reasons, Israel’s increasingly apparent plan for the de facto colonization of the Northern Gaza Strip is a bad idea. When that program was rejected recently by Israel’s own Defense Minister Yoav Galant, he was summarily fired by Prime Minister Netanyahu. However, the founding document of the worldwide Jewish community, the […]




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Israel Alienating Allies and Acquiring Adversaries 

As a result of its policies and actions in response to the 7 October attack, the Israeli government has not only alienated its allies and acquired adversaries but also found itself isolated diplomatically. The consequences of those developments and realignments have occurred across countries, organizations and groups worldwide.   Situation The Israeli government’s actions in […]




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Cuba-Where Is It Heading?




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A Personal Account of Hawaii's False Missile Alert