For the first time since 2004, the Bertelsmann Transformation Index (BTI) has recorded more autocratic states than democracies around the world. Civil society activists often represent the last bastion of resistance. Autocracies such as Russia and China on the one hand; democracies like the USA or Germany on the other. Is that the great conflictContinue reading “Democracy in decline worldwide”
Tag Archives: Food Insecurity
World accused of ‘sitting and watching’ as Myanmar slides to war – Al Jazeera
One year since the military coup in Myanmar, calls for international action are growing louder, notably from the National Unity Government (NUG), made up of elected politicians who were thrown out of office by the generals.
How Feel Good Stories Let A Broken System Off The Hook – Second Thought
We’ve all seen those “heartwarming” stories about kids with cancer selling lemonade to pay for their chemo, or janitors being gifted a car because they’ve walked ten miles to work every day for twenty years, or all the other sugar-coated dystopian failures of our capitalist system. In this episode, we’re going to talk about that.Continue reading “How Feel Good Stories Let A Broken System Off The Hook – Second Thought”
Aid workers say Ethiopia air strike in northwest Tigray killed 56 people
An air strike in Ethiopia’s Tigray region killed 56 people and injured 30, including children, in a camp for displaced people, two aid workers told Reuters on Saturday, citing local authorities and eyewitness accounts. Military spokesman Colonel Getnet Adane and government spokesman Legesse Tulu did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Prime Minister AbiyContinue reading “Aid workers say Ethiopia air strike in northwest Tigray killed 56 people”
Gravitas: Omicron Surge: Troops deployed to London hospitals – WION
The British Armed Forces have sent 200 personnel into NHS hospitals across London to plug staff shortages. Last week, 9.5 million people worldwide tested positive for the Wuhan virus. Palki Sharma brings you a report.
Parents selling children shows desperation of Afghanistan
In a sprawling settlement of mud brick huts in western Afghanistan housing people displaced by drought and war, a woman is fighting to save her daughter. Aziz Gul’s husband sold the 10-year-old girl into marriage without telling his wife, taking a down-payment so he could feed his family of five children. Without that money, heContinue reading “Parents selling children shows desperation of Afghanistan”
Let’s talk about the future of 2022 – Beau of the Fifth Column
China: Highest number of daily COVID cases since Wuhan outbreak – DW News
China has recorded its fourth rise in new coronavirus cases in a row. That’s despite some 13 million people already under lockdown in the country’s Shaanxi province. The spike in cases there has produced China’s highest infection rates since the pandemic’s very first outbreak in Wuhan.
China berates US after ‘close encounters’ with Elon Musk satellites
Beijing urges US to act responsibly after two near misses that it says posed serious threat to astronauts’ lives China has accused the US of ignoring international treaty obligations and engaging in irresponsible and unsafe conduct in outer space after two near misses between the Chinese space station and satellites operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceXContinue reading “China berates US after ‘close encounters’ with Elon Musk satellites”
Ten Minute History: The Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany – History Matters
This episode of Ten Minute History (like a documentary, only shorter) covers Germany from the end of the First World War to the end of the World War 2. The first half deals with the establishment of the Weimar Republic, its wider problems and the rise of the Nazis. The second half covers how theContinue reading “Ten Minute History: The Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany – History Matters”
Among the Fray 