Battleground states: What’s changed in seven states likely to determine US next president
The battlegrounds have changed over time as the country’s economic and demographic trends have shifted populations around. Floria and Ohio, for example, had been tightly contested in past elections, but now lean Republican in presidential votes. On the other hand shifting demographics have put southern states like North Carolina and Georgia into play for Democrats.
Courting The Hague: Israel’s exploding pagers and walkie-talkies verge on war crimes
Hezbollah, a powerful Lebanese Shia group backed by Iran, has been exchanging rocket fire with Israel since October 7, leading to the displacement of tens of thousands in southern Lebanon and Northern Israel. Some estimates hold that more than 600 people have been killed in Lebanon, including more than 130 civilians, over the course of the past year. In Israel, including the annexed Golan Heights, the violence has killed at least 24 soldiers and 26 civilians.
Bill Gates defence of free speech seen as hypocritical after his support for suppression of truth on Covid vaccine
Bill Gates told CNBC any “solution” would involve “rules” for online speech, but he said he isn’t sure what form those rules would take or who would enforce them. Similarly, he told CNET “systems and behaviours” should be in place to target “misinformation.”
Jury is out: US democracy tested as Republicans who blamed Trump for January 6 failed coup line up behind him
In Trump’s telling, the mob on January 6 assembled peacefully to preserve democracy, not upend it, and the rioters were agitated but not armed. They were not insurrectionists but rather 1776-style “patriots.” And now they are being persecuted by the Justice Department, juries and judges for their political beliefs.
Disempowerment: How postcolonial regimes turned Basoga, Baganda in Uganda and Luhyia in Kenya into serfs
Most writings on Busoga have created the impression that there was no Busoga before about 300 years ago. But Busoga is a water rich area with a large part of Lake Victoria within its territory, and the source of the longest river in the world – the Nile – which is mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible (Amos 8:8: Will not the land tremble for this, and all who live in it mourn? The whole land will rise like the Nile; it will be stirred up and then sink like the river of Egypt.) has its source in Busoga. It is important to ask: Why should such an area at the source of the Nile not have a prehistory but Egypt at the mouth of the Nile has a prehistory?
Why SAF, RSF factions in Sudan’s 30-month civil war are averse to peace despite 16,000 people massacre
Furthermore, the various mediators’ strategies follow a predictable incremental logic, starting with a humanitarian ceasefire and aiming for a power-sharing arrangement. All parties can anticipate the steps in this process and are hesitant to engage in processes that could result in outcomes similar to the failed pre-conflict setup.
How American presidents paper over US military fiascos in Africa, Asia and Middle East
In his 2022 National Defence Strategy, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin laid out five key traits of America’s “future force.” The first among them: “Lethal.” In Pentagon-speak, in that instance, “lethal” meant possessing “anti-access/area-denial-insensitive strike capabilities that can penetrate defence at range.”
Al-Shabaab is 18 years old: six factors behind the Somali militant group’s resilience
The west and its African partners have focused on the “hearts and minds” approach to counterinsurgency in Somalia. Building democratic institutions and democracy is part of this strategy. But these are institutions that don’t always function in a war zone, and fail to have the intended effects.
Why Russian-flag waving protesters pricked Nigerian security as Moscow’s clout in West Africa expands
Wagner Group has been identified as a potential threat to security and democracy in Nigeria. This is because of their mode of operation and interests in exploiting natural resources. A recent study has shown that foreign criminals are involved in gold exploration and insecurity in Zamfara, one of the states sharing borders with Niger.
How Harris’ White bid House is attracting record-high funding and groundswell of support for Democrats
Swing states are where elections are won and lost. Reuters has identified seven states as playing an outsized role in determining the winner of the presidential election and their electoral college votes could go either way. Six of the seven have had enough polls conducted to calculate an overall trend for each candidate and tell the story of a very close race. Nevada did not have enough data.
