Author: M Barbu

Avoiding the Abyss as War Resumes in Northern Ethiopia

War rages – again – in northern Ethiopia. The resumption of conflict on 24 August between the federal military, forces from the Amhara region, which borders Tigray, and Eritrean troops, on one side, and Tigray forces, on the other, marks the breach of a roughly nine-month truce that had largely halted some of the world’s deadliest fighting. The return to blows is a setback for a struggling peace process and strenuous efforts to get food to millions of besieged Tigrayans. Although it is unclear exactly why combat restarted or whether either side planned a sustained campaign, both immediately escalated, with a Tigrayan offensive to the south into Amhara and a joint Ethiopian-Eritrean incursion into Tigray from the north. Sustained full-blown hostilities would mean prolongation of a likely unwinnable war, creating more mass suffering. Instead, the Ethiopian parties must renew the truce and overcome the obstacles that have impeded the beginning of formal talks. Concerted high-level pressure by donors, many of whom have been distracted by the Ukraine crisis, will likely be vital to any breakthrough.

Ukraine’s Azov Battalion: Neo-Nazis or Russian Propaganda?

The infamous Ukrainian right-wing extremist Azov Battalion – Полк Азов – was founded on the 5th of May 2014, in the port city of Berdyansk, in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast province in South-eastern Ukraine near the Sea of Azov. Hence, its name. Initially was set up as a voluntary militia in the turmoil of the Euromaidan protests and the subsequent political instability of the country, Asov rose to prominence. Asov-men operated against the illegal armed intrusion by Russia into Donbass and Crimea. The co-founder and the first leader of the Azov Battalion is Ukrainian Andriy Biletsky.

Europe Struggles With Energy Crisis

Europe is struggling with energy crisis.

Reports by media including AP and ABC News said:

Europe is struggling to contain an energy crisis that could lead to rolling blackouts, shuttered factories and a deep recession.

Insiders reveal how Erdogan tamed Turkey’s newsrooms

From an office tower in Ankara, Turkish officials shape the nation’s news, media insiders say – always to President Tayyip Erdogan’s advantage.

When President Tayyip Erdogan’s son-in-law suddenly quit as finance minister in late 2020, four staff in Turkey’s leading newsrooms said they received a clear direction from their managers: don’t report this until the government says so.

Best Practices for Staying Safe While Investigating Human Trafficking

“What we’re doing when investigating human trafficking is investigating crime,” according to the Guardian’s Annie Kelly, editor of a reporting series on modern slavery, trafficking, and labor exploitation. “You are dealing with a criminal industry, which presents risks to yourself and your local sources, or anyone you partner with.”

Explainer: Will capping Russian oil prices actually work?

For the plan to be effective, other countries will have to take part -particularly large nations – such as India and China, some of Russia’s most important clients.

Capping the price of Russian oil, an approach G7 members said they want to pursue “urgently,” would be an unprecedented move and one which some analysts say could backfire.

Is Ukraine’s counteroffensive progressing?

Ukraine’s troops say some southern areas have been retaken, but Russia has reportedly slowed their advance.

Ukraine’s armed forces claim to have launched a long-awaited ground operation to take back territories in the Kherson region in the 27th week of the war, striking in eight directions simultaneously.