One of the main stories of the week has been the resignation of President Omar al-Bashir, the dictator who ruled over Sudan for 30 years. Sudan is an Arab country and has been drawn into the Yemeni war by working with Saudi Arabia and the UAE. What will happen if Sudan changes to democratic rule? Or is the country better under military rule? These ...
New Zealand PM bows out
Here's an article from The Economist which, while talking about John Key's resignation, states that NZ is "one of the most successful countries in the world. While this is debatable, there is no doubt that Key has had successes- namely international recognition- along with failures, housing, immigration and the environment. We have yet to see whether the new Prime Minister, John English, will have the same success.
The NZ Super Fund is a NZD41 billion global investment fund established by the NZ government to help pre-fund universal pensions. It is now increasing its investment in data, with the aim of maintaining its 10 per cent return on investment. The investment is being made alongside CIM, a community focused real estate and infrastructure owner. The det...
There are many uncertainties going on in the world, one of those being the general elections just held in Israel. Benjamin Netanayhu, leader of the right-wing Likud Party, will be forming a right-wing government with the other right-wing parties. It will be the fifth time he will be prime minister. What does this mean for the peace process? On a li...
Anyone who is following Middle East politics will know that Israel is holding its general election on 9 April. Anyone who is following Middle East politics will know that Israel is holding its general election on 9 April. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is standing against several candidates the main one contender being Benny Gentz. While s...
The past fortnight has been dominated by the shootings and murders in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the rise of White Supremacism and analysis of that. At a personal level, the theme of death continued, having had to organize and attend a funeral last week. This is what The Spin Off writes about the Christchurch murders and how Facebook has dealt ...
Now that President Trump has more or less declared that a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine is unworkable will this impact the US's relationship with Israel? This is what Haaretz newspaper says about the issue. Two-state Solution: U.S. Jews Won't Budge. Will It Cost Them Their Relationship With Israel? Supporting two states was not al...
President Trump's decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights has had repercussions all over the world, probably none more so than Russia and President Putin. No doubt, it will destabilize the Middle East. Here is an analysis from Al Monitor's, The Pulse. Russia weighs in on Trump's Golan Heights decision Maxim A. Suchkov March...
President Trump has unilaterally granted the Golan Heights to Israel, after capturing it from Syria in the six-day war in 1967. Under this premise, Israel is not having to grant something to the USA in return, which differs from other situations over the years. To give a full view of what this means, below is an account from Haaratz newspaper, an e...
New Zealand is still reeling from the mosque attacks in Christchurch and the rest of the world is reacting to the response of the New Zealand prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, to the attacks. The response was considered empathetic and measured. As a consequence, the Arab world, largely, has responded with much affection to New Zealand and the attacks...
Last week's tragic events in Christchurch, New Zealand, have had repercussions around the world- from the way New Zealand, and the prime minister in particular, has responded, to the rapid change in gun laws. Then there are the politicians who are using the tragedy for their own ends, such as Turkey's President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. By Mark Lowen,...
New Zealand is still in mourning for the 50 murders at two Christchurch mosques last Friday. With the New Zealand Prime Minister making the right comments at the right time, the Australian Prime Minister, Scott Morrison, is calling for a curb on social media. The terrorist, a White Supremacist, came from Australia. Five public investors in New Zeal...
New Zealand is in mourning. How could such an atrocity happen at the bottom of the world? What it shows is that New Zealand is not immune to what goes on in the rest of the world, notably the rise in White Supremacy. In this case, a White Supremicist, and an Australian to boot, is the alleged terrorist. He acted alone, evidently. What is shocking i...
There are always various goings-on in the Middle East, one of the biggest being the peace negotiations, with the US as power broker. What will happen? And what is the intention of the US? One view is highlighted in this article in Al-Monitor's Daily Briefing. The US administration has been working on a Mideast peace plan since President Donald Trum...
Records of how the NZ Super Fund has voted at listed company AGMs are now available on the Fund's website . Anne-Maree O'Connor, Head of Responsible Investment, says the move is a step forward for transparency, and in line with leading investment management practices globally. Stakeholders can now see NZ Super Fund voting data by country and compan...
Dubai and Saudi Arabia are at the forefront of bitcoin technology in the Middle East, according to a report by Accenture entitled: "How the Middle East can unleash blockchain's transformative potential". Financial services companies in areas such as payment, supply chain financing and trade, reporting, compliance and operations could gain the most ...
This article talks about the Strait of Hormuz, often forgotten in articles about Iran. It's the strait between Iran and Ras Al Khaimah, an emirate in the United Arab Emirates. There's always been a lot of action there, such as fishing boats moving to the wrong waters and getting fired on. Most activity has not hit the news. This time it has. It's e...
While I concentrate on the Middle East, it is Asia where the action is. India is targeting Pakistani militants, successfully, according to the news. Will we see a war between the countries? Although much of the political negotiation has been with Saudi Arabia and Iran, the spectre of losing an ally in the region in the shape of Benjamin Netanyahu i...
Egypt is preparing to open a new capital, yet unnamed, 49 kilometres east of Cairo. The president, Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi is behind the move, which is reminiscent of what the pharaohs did centuries ago, when Thebes and Memphis were capitals. Perhaps he is wanting to be a pharaoh. (For more on this read The Economist of January 26). One would think so...
Looking at sovereign wealth funds, the New Zealand fund continues to perform well. Here is the latest news. 20 February 2019 Appearing before Parliament's Finance and Expenditure Select Committee today for the 2017/18 Annual Review of the Guardians of New Zealand Superannuation, Chair Catherine Savage provided an update on the performance of the NZ...
When I lived in Dubai from 2005- 2014, Egypt was a barometer of what could happen in the rest of the Middle East. It is frightening. And most of the GCC countries, the UAE and Saudi Arabia in particular, are supportive of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Here's what Al Monitor says. Shahira Amin February 14, 2019 Article Summary The rare voice...