“Here in Bangladesh the factors which drive Jihadist recruitment and mobilisation are multiple. The processes of Islamist radicalisation have historical roots which must be taken into consideration and which exceed the connection poverty-extremism”. Shahab Enam Khan, docent in international relations at Jahangimagar University in Dacca and a member of the Enterprise Institute, has completed an extensive…
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Henri Burin des Roziers was a French Dominican, who in Brazil was called the advocate of “the landless”. He died Sunday, November 26th, 2017 at the age of 87 in the Saint-Jacques convent of Paris even though he would have liked to be in Brazil when “death surprises him.” Born in Paris in 1930, from…
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The year 2018 could See Current Middle East Tensions Reach Their Inevitable Bloody Conclusion. The Middle East has been a center of tension and instability since the end of WW1. Even then, 2017 stands out as being an especially tense year for the region. There are many open conflicts and growing tensions between Iran and…
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Once, long ago, when the world was newly created, Phya Thaen, the highest god and creator, sent all creatures to the earth. As he was sending them down, he would tell each of them how many years they could live on earth. When all creatures had left, he realized that he forgot to tell four…
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The celebrations of the three hundredth anniversary of the rediscovery of the statue of Our Lady of Aparecida ended recently. “Mary shows by her silence that the Gospel is proclaimed from the peripheries, the caves and cellars of humanity”. The rediscovery of the statue by the fishermen Domingos Garcia, Joao Alves and Filipe changed lives.…
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Pelargonium sidoides is a small geranium-like plant which is commonly referred to as ‘South African geranium’ or Umckaloabo in the Zulu language. It is highly regarded by traditional healers as one of the major curative plants. The plant grows in a rosette pattern and forms thick and very dark brown underground roots that grow up…
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The big winner in the Middle East is Russia. Thus, it will be Russia that will play the biggest role in its post-Islamic State organization. It was Russia that turned Turkey into an ally even after the latter’s air force shot down a Russian Sukhoi-24 jet in November 2015. Then in 2017, Russian backed Syrian…
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The West will always choose Turkey over the aspirations of the Kurds. This is one area where The Americans and the Russians agree, allowing Rojava to separate from Syria. Russia has no desire to compromise relations with Turkey even as it tries to capitalize on success in Syria to strengthen its military presence. The Americans…
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The Kurds have become one of the key players of the Middle East. They have secured autonomy alliances with superpowers and attracted investors to their resource rich region. But, the chances of full independence range from zero to few for the time being. The Syrian government appears to have survived the conflict that was more…
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When we visited the Anthropological Museum of Luanda we were fascinated by a small statue known as ‘The Thinker’, which is the cultural symbol of Angola and to which an evocative apologue is linked. The National Museum of Anthropology (Museu Nacional de Antropologia), which is located in the Barrio dos Coqueiros of Luanda, is one…
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The Jesuits in Africa are 1,600, and they work in 34 countries. They are mainly involved in the fields of education, management of natural resources, prevention of AIDS, and assistance to refugees. In addition, they dedicate themselves to the training of the future African leaders. The Jesuit presence in Africa dates back to 1542 when,…
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The crisis in the western provinces of Cameroon comes as no surprise. For years it was known that the English speaking peoples in this area were dissatisfied and felt marginalised by the central government. This malcontent was known and it was feared that sooner or later it would explode. Probably the central government in Yaounde…
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When asked how a farmer’s daughter who became a Catholic nun ended up as one of Brazil’s most influential refugee advocates, Sister Rosita Milesi, 79,…
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Vusi was an honest man and a hard worker. He had cleared a large piece of moorland and turned it into a beautiful fertile field. He…
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On 24 November, the Solemnity of Christ the King, on the occasion of World Youth Day in the Particular Churches, in St. Peter's Basilica the traditional…
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