Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso have set up their own bloc, after leaving ECOWAS. Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger have come together to form the Alliance of Sahel States. Each is ruled by a military government – and that’s led to a split from the larger West African regional bloc, the Economic Community of West … Read more
We explore what made Kenyans get up from behind their screens and out into the streets to rise up against the political elite. Images of Gen Z confronting Kenyan police armed with tear gas, water cannon and live rounds have dominated headlines in recent weeks. What began as a social media movement opposing a proposed … Read more
Kenya is in a state of shock following unprecedented scenes that left parts of Parliament ablaze as protests over a finance bill recommending tax hikes turned deadly, prompting President William Ruto’s government to deploy the military. The mainly youth-led rallies began largely peacefully last week, with thousands of demonstrators marching in the capital, Nairobi, and … Read more
Russian president visits North Korea and Vietnam to shore up alliances. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin wrapped up a two-nation Asia tour on a high. It was the first time in 24 years he’d set foot in North Korea – and left Pyongyang with a new defence pact to show for it. His two-day visit to … Read more
Former Iranian official Hamid Nouri released in exchange for Swedish citizens Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi. Tehran, Iran – Iran and Sweden have completed an Omani-brokered prisoner swap that involves the release of a former Iranian official in exchange for a European Union diplomat and another Swedish-Iranian citizen. The state-run Oman News Agency confirmed on … Read more
Fault Lines investigates India’s alleged campaign to assassinate critics in the United States and Canada. Last June, a Vancouver-area plumber named Hardeep Singh Nijjar stood before his congregation of Sikhs to deliver a dark prediction: agents of the Indian government were plotting to kill him. He asked his followers to continue to pursue his life’s … Read more
US designates Kenya as its first non-NATO ally in sub-Saharan Africa. Washington rolled out the red carpet for Kenyan President William Ruto this week. The two countries are marking 60 years of diplomatic relations. The visit is also important for broader United States-Africa relations. Washington appears to be playing catch-up on the continent. China has … Read more
The story of a Palestinian poet and a Christian Syrian professor who championed the Palestinian cause. Meet two Arab writers from different parts of the Middle East who shared a common cause – Muin Bseiso and Constantin Zurayk. Bseiso, a Palestinian poet who wrote about life in Gaza at a time when it was controlled … Read more
South Africa is commemorating the 30th anniversary of its first democratic election. South Africa is marking Freedom Day – the historic day that changed the course of the country. Hopes were high in 1994, as years of segregation and white-minority rule came to an end, and millions of Black South Africans cast their vote for … Read more
As Modi religiously prepares for India’s elections, Sreenivasan Jain examines the tussle between Hindutva and secularism. The politics of Hindu nationalism have played a central role in the dramatic rise of the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. As the elections have neared, the Modi regime has turbocharged its Hindu-first agenda – best exemplified in … Read more