Spyke

Mexico Has Fully Recognized the State of Palestine

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/1076816

In fealty to US foreign policy, Mexico has long refused to recognize Palestinian statehood. Last week, that finally changed, with AMLO’s government officially acknowledging Palestinian statehood and establishing a full embassy in Mexico City.

On June 2, the Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates announced that, as of the first of the month, it had reclassified its diplomatic mission in Mexico from special delegation to embassy. The ministry “expresses its firm conviction that this measure will contribute significantly to the . . . strengthening of relations between Mexico and the State of Palestine, on the basis of respect and mutual recognition, in benefit of our two peoples as well as international security and development,” it affirmed in a statement.

https://jacobin.com/2023/07/mexico-amlo-israel-palestine-embassy-diplomacyOpen linkView original on lemmy.world

UN Security Council calls for halt to fighting in Sudan and protection of civilians

The U.N. Security Council is calling for a halt to fighting in Sudan and the protection of civilians. The brief press statement followed closed consultations Friday by the U.N.’s most powerful body. The council also is calling for the scaling up of humanitarian assistance to Sudan and neighboring countries, support for humanitarian workers, and respect for international humanitarian law. Sudan descended into conflict in mid-April after months of worsening tensions exploded into open fighting between rival generals seeking to control the African nation. The fighting has killed thousands of people and forced more than 2.5 million people to flee their homes to safer areas in Sudan and neighboring countries, according the U.N. migration agency.

https://apnews.com/article/sudan-un-security-council-fighting-humanitarian-protection-bac85d8cf26c3de6f8ee99c99065610cOpen linkView original on kbin.social

In Turkey, Erdogan Signals Shift to Conventional Economics

Turkey’s central bank sharply raised interest rates on Thursday, the clearest sign yet that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is shifting his country toward more orthodox economic policies in the hope of taming a painful cost-of-living crisis.

The spike in rates, to 15 percent from 8.5 percent, came less than a month after Mr. Erdogan, Turkey’s dominant politician for two decades, won a third presidential term despite a challenge from a newly unified opposition, high inflation that has left many Turks feeling poorer and catastrophic earthquakes in February that killed more than 50,000 people.

Members of Turkey’s opposition had feared that Mr. Erdogan would capitalize on his victory to crack down on his opponents and further consolidate power. But to date he has made no drastic moves and has largely stuck to his previous positions, including the use of Turkey’s membership in NATO to block Sweden from joining the alliance.

His largest shift has been in economic policy, an apparent effort to head off the threat of interlocking economic problems that economists say are largely of Mr. Erdogan’s making.

The official annual inflation rate rose above 80 percent last year and was at 39.5 percent last month, eroding the purchasing power of Turkish families and sending the nation’s currency, the lira, plunging to record lows. Outside groups have accused the government of manipulating the statistics, saying the actual inflation rate is twice as high.

In the run-up to last month’s election, Mr. Erdogan tapped the central bank’s foreign currency reserves to prevent the lira from falling further while unleashing billions of dollars of new spending to insulate voters from the immediate impact of high inflation. He increased the minimum wage, hiked civil servant salaries and changed regulations to allow millions of Turks to draw early government pensions.

Mr. Erdogan also insisted on repeatedly reducing interest rates, from 19 percent in 2021 to 8.5 percent this year, in defiance of orthodox economic theory and practice, which call for raising rates to control inflation.

Since his victory on May 28, Mr. Erdogan has not directly announced a change of course, but has made several moves that point to more conventional economic policies that, while aimed at taming inflation and reducing the threat of a currency crisis, could also throw the economy into a recession.

He reappointed Mehmet Simsek, a highly regarded former Merrill Lynch banker and minister in Mr. Erdogan’s government, as finance minister. To head the central bank, he named Hafize Gaye Erkan, a Princeton-educated economist and former executive at the now-defunct First Republic Bank. Ms. Erkan is the first woman in Turkey to hold the post.

In announcing the interest rate hike, the bank said that further increases would follow “in a timely and gradual manner until a significant improvement in the inflation outlook is achieved.”

Given the new appointments, many analysts had expected an even bolder rate hike, and the value of the lira continued to slide after the new rate was announced.

Mr. Erdogan has long promoted the unorthodox idea that lower rates lead to lower inflation, a theory that did not work out but that did deliver continuous economic growth.

It remains unclear whether Mr. Erdogan will continue to allow interest rates to rise if Turkey’s economy starts to slow.

Ben Hubbard is the Istanbul bureau chief. He has spent more than a dozen years in the Arab world, including Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Yemen. He is the author of “MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/world/middleeast/erdogan-turkey-interest-rates-economy.htmlOpen linkView original on lemmy.world

Modi State Visit: Modi and Biden Meet in India to Strengthen India-U.S. Relations

Biden welcomes India’s prime minister despite concerns over human rights.

President Biden emphasized common ground with Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India on Thursday during a lavish state visit meant to bolster ties with the world’s most populous nation, while largely skirting points of friction over human rights and Russia’s war in Ukraine, at least in public.

After a pomp-filled, red-carpet arrival ceremony, Mr. Biden and Mr. Modi announced a range of initiatives to advance cooperation in technology, energy and military hardware but revealed no movement toward each other on the areas of disagreement that have strained the relationship in recent months, most especially Ukraine.

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/06/22/us/modi-biden-visitOpen linkView original on lemmy.world

Israeli settlers rampage through Palestinian town as violence escalates in occupied West Bank

"Hundreds of Israeli settlers on Wednesday stormed into a Palestinian town in the occupied West Bank, setting fire to dozens of cars and homes to avenge the deaths of four Israelis killed by Palestinian gunmen the previous day, residents said. The settler attack came as the Israeli military deployed additional forces across the occupied West Bank, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to build 1,000 new settler homes in response to the deadly shooting."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/israel-settlement-attack-eli-west-bank-settlers-storm-palestinian-town/Open linkView original on lemmy.world

What is India’s jet engine deal with the U.S. and why is it significant

The proposed agreement has evoked considerable interest in India and beyond, with experts terming it a significant step for bilateral defence and high-tech cooperation amid China’s growing influence and global technological dominance.

Read without paywall

https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/explained-the-significance-of-indias-jet-engine-deal-with-us/article66992492.eceOpen linkView original on kbin.social