In recent months, several European representatives embarked on trade missions to Vietnam. German President Steinmeier visited Hanoi in January. The Netherlands sent Prime Minister Mark Rutte, with the Dutch royal couple, King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, soon to follow suit. Notably, the Netherlands stands as the most significant European investor
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Developing countries’ government debt crises loom larger
Developing countries are being blamed for having borrowed and spent irresponsibly. But they have only been doing what foreign powers and financial interests have urged them to do. Since the 2008 global financial crisis, developing nations have been told to borrow massively from private finance, even at exorbitant interest rates, to
The world is bigger than 5
UN Security Council holds rare nuclear disarmament debate
Japan chaired a rare, high-level UN Security Council meeting on nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation on March 18. Although the meeting underscored the urgency of addressing the growing threats posed by nuclear weapons, it also highlighted the chronic divisions among key states on disarmament and nonproliferation issues. “The world now stands on the
Food security issues in Asia
For many Muslims, climate change makes food scarce all year, beyond Ramadan
Every Ramadan, volunteers at Westall Mosque and OneSpace in Melbourne hold free weekly iftars (communal dinners to break the fast in Ramadan). This year, volunteers say numbers are up. To cut down on the resulting landfill, attendees are asked to bring their own reusable food containers and water bottles. In dedicated
UN in Geneva to partially shut down due to cash crisis
Faced with a continued cash flow crisis, the United Nations in Geneva (UNOG) will partially close down – for the second time since December last year— as it scales back its operations, including building closures, official travel restrictions, and budgetary cuts on spending. The UN is studying plans to close the
Biden quietly OKs more 2,000-pound bombs & warplanes for Israel
Despite growing worldwide calls for an arms embargo, the Biden administration in recent days has approved the transfer of billions of dollars worth of new weapons shipments to Israel, including warplanes and 2,000-pound bombs that have been dropped on densely populated areas of Gaza with devastating results. The Washington Post reported
Why thousands of Rohingya are desperately trying to escape refugee camps
Late last week, a boat crammed with Rohingya refugees fleeing a squalid camp in Bangladesh capsized off the coast of Indonesia. Around 75 people were rescued, including nine children, but more than 70 are missing and presumed dead. This tragedy isn’t an isolated incident. The number of Rohingya people trying to
WHO for more data on violence against older women, women with disabilities
Older women and women with disabilities experience abuse that is unique to their demographics, yet they are underrepresented in national and global databases, according to findings shared by the World Health Organization (WHO). On Wednesday, WHO and UN-Women released two new briefs, the first in a series that will discuss neglected