Deteriorating education: the dark legacy of Yemen’s war
The war in Yemen has had a severe impact on the learning, and general cognitive and emotional development of the younger generation, writes Shaima Ameen Abdullah for commonspace.eu. "In light of the polarisations that the country is experiencing, there is a need for a clear vision and an effective strategy in setting priorities for reforming the educational process in accordance with the country's circumstances and the available capabilities, especially in stable areas where more reform is possible," she adds. "Radical changes must be made in the essence of the educational process and its system, starting with reforming the goals, objectives and educational philosophy, but also addressing expected educational outcomes and the prospects of education. Such changes must match the needs for Yemeni society and the next generations. One of the key actions in this vein is to allocate more government budget for the development of education and making the curriculum and educational approach neutral and unbiased."
patrickn97
Mon, 03/20/2023 - 05:00
International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Vladimir Putin
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has issued an international arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova. In a statement released on Friday (17 March), the ICC said that both Putin and Lvova-Belova are "allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation". The statement says that there are "reasonable grounds" to believe that both Mr Putin and Ms Lvova-Belova bear "individual criminal responsibility for the aforementioned crimes". It also adds that the ICC had considered issuing secret warrants, but decided that public awareness of the warrants "may contribute to the prevention of the further commission of crimes". Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Ukrainian government estimates that Russia has deported as many as 16,000 Ukrainian children, to Russia.
patrickn97
Fri, 03/17/2023 - 17:20
Poland to become first NATO country to send Ukraine fighter jets
The President of Poland Andrzej Duda has announced that his country will send Ukraine four MiG-29 fighter jets, marking the first time a NATO country has fulfilled Kyiv's request for such aircraft. Ukraine says that fighter jets are essential if they are to defeat Russia and de-occupy all currently occupied territories.
patrickn97
Fri, 03/17/2023 - 09:52
Saudi Arabia could invest "very quickly" in Iran after landmark deal struck
Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan has said that his country's investments in Iran could happen “very quickly” following an agreement to restore diplomatic ties was struck on Friday (10 March) in Beijing.
patrickn97
Fri, 03/17/2023 - 09:32
UK Foreign Secretary visits Moldova and Georgia to pledge support against "Russian malign interference"
The UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly is on a two-day visit to Moldova and Georgia to announce new funding to "boost regional resilience against Russian malign interference". In a press release from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office issued on Thursday (16 March), the UK Government said they will "underline support for territorial integrity and sovereignty as part of work with Russia’s neighbours to deal with the threat on their doorstep.They added that funding will support governance reforms, fair elections, and anti-corruption programmes. First visiting the Moldovan capital of Chisinau on Thursday, Cleverly announced an extra £10 million (€11.4 million) to support economic and governance reforms in Moldova. This new pledge comes on top of £12 million already contributing to military reforms, and anti-corruption and transparency work in the country. Visiting the Georgian capital of Tbilisi one day later, on Friday (17 March), Cleverly announced a £500,000 package aimed at creating an environment for free and fair elections in 2024, protecting them from external interference.
patrickn97
Fri, 03/17/2023 - 08:55
Editorial: Russia is not interested in peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, nor in the future of Karabakh and its people
"It is not in the Kremlin’s interest for Armenia and Azerbaijan to normalise relations between them, for lasting peace in the South Caucasus and for the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to prosper in a safe and tolerant environment," writes commonspace.eu in this editorial. "Moscow does not want another big war in the region, but it does not want peace either. However it is now time for this vicious circle to be broken, and the next weeks will tell us if this is possible." They add that "in the end it is going to be up to Mr Ilham Aliyev and Mr Nikol Pashinyan to decide if the time has finally come to break the Russian hold and settle for peace. It is decision time, but doubts linger...There are those who are waiting for Moscow to actively support these efforts, or at least not hinder them. They wait in vain."
patrickn97
Thu, 03/16/2023 - 12:38
Wagner offensive on Bakhmut "nearing culmination" according to ISW
In its update on the Russia-Ukraine war released late on Wednesday (15 March), the Washington D.C.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has suggested that Wagner's offensive on Bakhmut is likely "nearing culmination", having thus far failed to take the small industrial town with a pre-war population of 70,000 after some eight months of fighting.
patrickn97
Thu, 03/16/2023 - 10:11
Organization of Turkic States convenes in Ankara to discuss disaster preparation and humanitarian relief
Today on Thursday (16 March), the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) will meet in the Turkish capital of Ankara to discuss regional disaster preparation, joint humanitarian relief, and the interoperability of Turkic State disaster responses. The meeting comes some six weeks after a devasting earthquake in Turkey and Syria that has killed over 50,000 people. Established in 2009 as the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States, the OTS is an intergovernmental organisation that has as its "overarching aim" the promotion of "comprehensive cooperation among Turkic States". It has five member states - Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Uzbekistan - as well as three observer states, namely Turkmenistan, Hungary and the internationally unrecognised Turkish Republic of Northern Cyrpus. The precise theme of Thursday's extraordinary summit is "Disaster-Emergency Management and Humanitarian Assistance". Among those attending the summit are President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, and Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
patrickn97
Thu, 03/16/2023 - 09:43
Opinion: the role of women in the Yemen peace process
"Women can make a valuable and multifaceted contribution to the peace process in Yemen, whether it be national or local, political or societal," argues Nuha Al-Junaid in this piece for commonspace.eu.
patrickn97
Wed, 03/15/2023 - 23:00