THE WORLD

Photo: Russian defence ministry spokesperson Major-General Igor Konashenkov presents the results of an investigation into the shooting down on September 17 of a Russian Ilyushin Il-20 electronic signals intelligence aircraft. Credit: Russian MoD/YouTube

The Russia, Iran, Turkey, Israel and Syria Mosaic

Viewpoint by Pier Francesco Zarcone*

ROME (IDN) – Recent events in Syria (downing of a Russian Ilyushin plane and an agreement between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recip Erdoğan on Idlib) lead to some reflections starting with the Israeli bombing that caused more than ten Russian deaths.

Many political observers, including Alberto Negri writing in a September 19 article on the Antidiplomatico site, have noted that when Israel is involved Putin is less decisive than usual. In fact, so far there has been no real Russian reaction to many Israeli violations of Syrian sovereignty, apart from certain formal protests.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 24 September 2018

Photo: 6 out of 10 young people in the region work in the informal sector, with lower wages, and less or no benefits or social protection. Such work in Latin America and the Caribbean is often related to domestic work, street vending, illegal mining and farming. (ILO) ©IFAD/Pablo Corral Vega

Helping Rural Latin America Beat the Economic Downturn

By Kwame Buist

ROME (IDN) – Over the last three decades, the countries of Latin American and the Caribbean have experienced a profound transformation which has extended to rural areas. All countries in the region, except for Haiti, are now considered middle-income.

This economic and rural transformation has resulted in many benefits, especially between 2004 and 2013, when millions of people left poverty behind. However, despite this success, over one-quarter of the region’s population continues to live in poverty. Now, the economic downturn of most of Latin America’s economies over the last few years threatens to send millions more back under the poverty line.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; Latin America & the Caribbean; 24 September 2018

Photo: Recovery and restoration of a watershed in Brazil’s Caatinga biome, as part of the URAD initiative. Source: UNCCD

Brazil Sets Up an Innovative Model to Reverse Land Degradation

Viewpoint by Prof. Dr. Valdemar Rodrigues

The writer is Director of Sustainable Rural Development of the Ministry of Environment of Brazil, National Director of the UNDP / GEF / MMA Program and National Director of the FAO / GEF / MMA Program. Prior to joining the Ministry, he was he was a Professor at the Federal University of Piauí. He is a specialist on desertification. This article first appeared in UNCCD Science to Policy Weblog on 13 September 2018. – The Editor

BRASILIA (IDN) – Brazil is synonymous with the Amazon for most people. But Brazil’s vast rainforest and wide rivers have not just captured the imagination of ordinary people. It has also captured donor finances due to the invaluable ecosystem services they provide, ranging from influencing global rainfall patterns, to stabilizing the global climate system to preserving a tremendous and unique biological diversity.

: Jaya Ramachandran; THE WORLD; Latin America & the Caribbean; 22 September 2018

Photo: Flood waters rush around a house in Long Island, New York. Credit: U.S. Geological Survey

When Climate Change Dishes Up a 'Toxic Stew'

By William S. Becker*

MILWAUKEE, USA (IDN) – It happened in July 2016. A flash flood roared through Ellicott City, Maryland, killed two people and caused tens of millions of dollars in damages to the historic buildings along Main Street. The experts said it was one of those rare 1,000-year flood events. The city set about the job of rebuilding. It takes a long time – often years – for a community to recover from a devastating flood.

Then in May 2018, while Ellicott City was still getting over the 2016 disaster, it happened again, another one of those “extremely rare” 1,000-year floods.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 22 September 2018

Photo: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta (left) with the Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) at the Great Hall of the $3.8 billion cost of the Naivasha-Kisumu phase of the Standard Gauge Railway to be provided as part of grant financing. Credit: Xinhua/Yin Bogu.

African Countries Seek Relief from Burgeoning Chinese Loans

By Allan Olingo

In the past 15 years, Beijing has written off more than $2 billion worth of debt advanced to African countries, says Allan Olingo, an accomplished business journalist from Kenya. This article first appeared in The East African on September 17, 2018.

NAIROBI (IDN-INPS) – Some African countries are now seeking to write off their loans from China while others are offering concessions using their natural resources and assets to manage their ballooning debt.

A new report by the U.S.-based Centre for Global Development shows that China’s loans to Africa, currently standing in excess of $14 billion, continue to rise, putting a strain on borrowers and posing the risk of default.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 20 September 2018

Photo: Equatorial Guinea President's son and Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang cropped while addressing the general debate of the UN General Assembly’s seventieth session on 30 September 2015. Credit: UN Photo/Amanda Voisard

When a Vice President is Nabbed With Million Dollar Watches

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) - What does a suitcase full of million dollar watches look like?

Well, it’s blinding for one and it caught the eye of police at the Sao Paulo Viracopos airport in Brazil who confiscated the gem-encrusted time pieces found in the luggage of the son of the long-time ruler of Equatorial Guinea.

In a second bag belonging to Teodorin Nguema Obiang Mangue, vice president and son of President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, $1.5 million in cash was found, allegedly for medical treatment far from home.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 20 September 2018

Japan and China Boost Connectivity in Southeast Asia

Prime Minister Abe is reported to be keen to reach an agreement on specific cooperation project during his planned official visit to China this October.

Viewpoint by Zhao Hong

The author is Professor at the Research School for Southeast Asian Studies, Xiamen University, China. This article was first carried in EastAsiaForum on 15 September 2018. It is being reproduced in view of its relevance beyond Southeast Asia.

SINGAPORE (IDN-INPS) – Southeast Asian countries still face major challenges in regional market integration and connectivity. ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) plans to strengthen connectivity through the development of a series of rail, road and water links offering regional powers not only the opportunity to secure overseas investment contracts but also to shape Southeast Asian infrastructure in their favour.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 20 September 2018

Photo: Development minerals in Zambia. Credit: developmentminerals.org

Catalysing Deep and Lasting Changes in the Minerals Sectors

A global conference in Zambia aimed at the improvement of the miners' productivity and its cumulative impact on poverty reduction at local and national levels.

By Dr. Patrick I. Gomes

The author is Secretary General of the African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States comprising 79 member countries – 48 from sub-Saharan Africa, 16 in the Caribbean and 15 in the Pacific. ACP countries are endowed with enormous mineral resources. yet are characterised by chronic poverty, low human development and overall under-development; causing the categorisation of 39 ACP Member States as Least Developed Countries. – The Editor

: Dr. Patrick Gomes - ACP Seretary-General; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 19 September 2018

Photo: The leader of the opposition armed forces, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-in-Opposition (SPLM-IO), Riek Machar, shaking hands with his chief military and political opponent, the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir to make a fresh joint commitment to peace for the sake of their people. Credit: UNMISS

South Sudan Moves from Despair to Hope after New Peace Deal

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – South Sudan, caught in brutal civil conflict for years, has engaged the United Nations three times since the South Sudan government and opposition groups signed a Revitalized Peace Agreement on September 13.

The country gained its independence from the Republic of the Sudan in 2011, after two civil wars – in 1955, four months before Sudan achieved independence and in the wake of President of Sudan Gaafar Nimeiry in 1983 declaring all Sudan an Islamic state under Shari'a law, including the non-Islamic majority southern region.

: J Nastranis; THE WORLD; Africa; 18 September 2018

Photo: A South African woman working on one of South Africa’s commercial farms. Credit: Australian Govt, Licensed under Creative Commons 2.0a

South Africa Is Determined to Grasp the Nettle of Land Reform

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Zimbabwe messed up its land reform. Now South Africa has decided to give a great push to its slow moving land reform. We'll see if it can avoid Zimbabwe's mistakes.

President Donald Trump tweeted that he'd asked his secretary of state to look into "farm seizures and expropriations and the large scale killing of white farmers” in South Africa. That sounds more like what happened in Zimbabwe 25 years ago than what is going to happen in South Africa today, albeit the killings were not on a "large-scale”.