Category: Letters to the Editor
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Burkina Faso grounds Gates-backed mosquito project amid sovereignty, ethics row
Burkina Faso’s military-led government has suspended the controversial Target Malaria initiative, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation–funded project aimed at combating malaria through the release of genetically modified mosquitoes. Announced Friday (22 August) by the Ministry of Higher Education and Research, the decision halts all activities and orders the destruction of remaining mosquito samples. Project…
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No legitimacy, no place for pseudo-SADR in Sino-African cooperation mechanisms
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by
The Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), held on June 11 in Changsha, capital of China’s Hunan province, followed on June 12 by the official inauguration of the 4th China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo, once again clearly and unequivocally confirmed that the so-called SADR has no legitimacy or place in Sino-African cooperation mechanisms. Like previous editions…
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Sahara issue: King Mohammed VI calls on UN to assume responsibility
King Mohammed VI urged the UN to assume its responsibility over the Sahara issue in a context where the reality points to Moroccan sovereignty over the territory amid growing international support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and for its autonomy plan for the Sahara. “Now is time for the United Nations to assume its responsibility and…
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Court in Comoros hands suspended nine-month in jail sentence to four journalists
Four journalists including French media RFI correspondent have received nine-month in jail suspended sentences for defamation in an alleged sexual harassment affair within State-run television ORTC. The ORTC has been reportedly marred by cases of sexual harassment by some men and senior staff members on women in exchange for promotion. The Union of Journalists of…
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Air travel in EAC region should be made more affordable for citizens
The cost of air travel within the East African Community (EAC) region is still very high, which is also due to high operating costs and onerous visa requirements experienced by African airlines, regional legislators and a senior airline executive have complained. The East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) has recently called on EAC member state leaders…
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Sahara: Arab Journalists Union Reaffirms Backing to Morocco’s Autonomy Plan and Territorial Integrity
The Union of Arab Journalists has reaffirmed strong support for Morocco’s autonomy plan offered the Sahara under its sovereignty and reiterated its steadfast backing for the Kingdom’s territorial integrity against plots of division and separatism. In a statement released following its meeting held June 17-18 in Baghdad, the Union said the Moroccan Autonomy Plan offers…
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UN sounds alarm over human rights situation deterioration in Eritrea
United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Nada Al-Nashif, has described as “dire” the situation of human rights in Eritrea where the UN official indicates that many youth are facing forced conscription. Nashif, addressing the Human Rights Council, warned that serious violations of people’s basic freedoms in Eritrea have continued “and show no sign…
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Can Diplomatic Efforts Save Syria from the Abyss?
While Syria is tumbling deeper into the abyss with the participation of Lebanese Hezbollah in the fierce combats waged by the Syrian army to drive back the rebels and seize the strategic city of Qousseir, the international community seems time pressured to find a solution to this conflict in which over 94,000 persons have reportedly…
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Did the U.S. (almost) change its policy towards Western Sahara?
The United States has for years voiced support to the settlement of the Western Sahara in the context of the United Nations and when in 2007 Morocco proposed a plan providing to grant a large autonomy to the disputed territory, Washington has expressed in unequivocal terms backing to the Plan and subsequently to the Moroccan…
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The Globalization of Education through Technology: Valid on Whose Terms?
Globalization is generally viewed as the inevitable solution to many of the world’s inequality issues, especially where access to education and educational resources are concerned. Technology as a facilitator of educational equity through increased access to education and educational resources is also viewed as an inevitable leveler of the proverbial global playing field. Technology is…