One of the issues that has been prioritized by the New Zealand Government is measuring if people are leading a better life. This has been done (30 May) by introducing a "Well Being Budget" instead of the traditional GDP-focused one. Is this the best way to measure the economic health of a nation? Certainly, Bhutan thinks so given that it was the fi...
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.
Coping with developing countries and regions is not easy for someone from the West who is likely to be accustomed to things running more smoothly than in the country he/she may be in. I'm in Vietnam currently and although it is different from the Middle East there are similarities- both have centralized government and in both cases some things func...
The Middle East is a hotbed of news. There is Iran,1,000 more US troops being sent to the region, Syria, Palestine and, of course, Israel. It seems unlikely that Palestine and Israel will reach an agreement any time soon. On that score, I have been reading Haaretz, an Israeli newspaper to get the latest news from Israel. Here is what the publisher ...
Tensions are rising in the Middle East, especially between Iran and the US and the other Gulf countries. It's hard to know who to believe, what media to believe in particular, when you are not there to assess actions for yourself. I know that when I lived in the UAE a great deal of activity went on in the Strait of Hormuz that went unrecorded, or a...
There is much going on in the Middle East, from the Gulf countries, Iran, Yemen, Syria and Jordan. Jordan has been forgotten in the turmoil that is the Middle East, often seen as the haven of stability. How wrong is that analysis. A few years ago when I has working with someone in Jordan there was concern then that the government was corrupt, must ...
Saudi Arabia is good at summitry. It has hosted three summits in the last few days, with the main goal of confronting Iran. The results didn't necessarily go according to plan. Al Monitor's Bruce Riedel explains why. Saudi Arabia's King Salman hosted three summits last week in an impressive display of the kingdom's convening power. The Saudis ...
Israel is having another election in September after prime minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu, failed to form a government. Since then, he has refused to adopted strict Jewish Law, perhaps rightly so. This is what one of Israel's papers, Haaretz said on the matter. Israel Will Not Be Governed by Jewish Law, Netanyahu Tweets After Political Ally's Re...
Israel is in a mess, as is the whole Middle East. And most of the world for that matter. After failing to form a government with former Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman, from the Yisrael Beitenu party, whose support in the talks became vital, fresh elections have been called for September 17. Some analysts think this may scupper President Trump's...
The US-Bahrain conference that will be held at the June, at the behest of US President Trump, is another example of how the West thinks about the Middle East- or doesn't. Even though most Gulf states and Israel and Palestine have been invited most will not show up. As the author, Yossi Beilin, says, " there is hardly any connection between what the...
There's a feeling that a war between the US and Iran is inevitable. But is it? According to this analysis, it is not. Iraq, Oman and Germany this week all indicated they'd be willing to engage both sides. But Iraq has said it will side with Iran and that US economic sanctions are unnecessary. Iran vs. US: From Talk of War to Talk of Talk Iraq, Oman...
The mosque terror attacks in Christchurch on 15 March are still being discussed. Now it's because the gunman from Australia has been charged with murder but prosecutors are looking at charging him with terrorism as well. Here is what appeared on www.stuff.co.nz in New Zealand this week, along with a photo of Al Noor Mosque. Charging the mosque terr...
The economy in Gaza has been struggling and the decision to export soda to the West Bank could mean that the economy struggles more. Here is a take on the situation from Al-Monitor. Adnan Abu Amer May 21, 2019 A Palestinian worker monitors 7-Up production at the Yazji Group soft drink factory in Gaza City, Gaza, Aug. 3, 2005. As many Gaza Strip-bas...
Since the Mosque killings in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March there's been an outpouring of emotion and of money. This is what has been pledged so far. New Zealand and global investors representing more than NZD$5 trillion have added their support to the Christchurch Call, which sets out voluntary commitments for governments, companies and wider...
What will happen with the peace process between Israel and Palestine is anybody's guess. It seems like the two-state solution is dead. Will the Palestinian Authority (PA) survive? Who will take over the West Bank? These are only some of the questions that will have to be answered in coming weeks. Here's what one author, who writes for Al Monitor, t...
Even though I have lived in the Middle East for some years, and have visited both Israel and Palestine, I was in the dark about why the Palestinian Authority (PA) came into existence and what could happen next. This article from Yossin Beilin for Al Monitor gives some of the answers. Yossi Beilin May 6, 2019 Article Summary Instead of playing into ...
A lot of people I know celebrate Ramadan and, as a non-Muslim, I always have to check what the timings are. This year it starts on 6 May for one month. It is a time to celebrate, eat good food, and spend time with family and friends. At Khaleej Times we always broke fast with dates- the best ever. I understand this is normal. After living in the UA...
Refugees all over the world face an uphill struggle integrating into society. A Refugee Forum I attended last Wednesday in Christchurch, New Zealand, that's April 24, was organized by the Canterbury Refugee Resettlement and Resource Centre (CRRRC) and had the theme: "Unleashing the full potential of refugees". Here is what happened and a photo of t...
We are often told the effectiveness of storytelling. While we can all be storytellers, learning to tell stories well is the trick. I read this article with interest from the Nielsen Norman Group and wanted to share it with you. And if you are wondering what UX stands for, like me, it is the following: User experience (UX) is an approach to product ...
I was in Christchurch yesterday, at a refugee forum at which many Muslims were present, some of whom had lost loved ones in the Christchurch bombings. It was an horrific act and it's easy to link it to the Sri Lanka bombings – which is what a Sri Lankan junior minister has said. This article by Paul Buchanan, the Director of 36th Parallel Assessmen...
Airports are on my mind; I'm working part-time at Queenstown airport, which is in the lower part of the South Island in New Zealand. Check-in, weighing bags and finding missing bags is my job. Like some have said, the best way to lose money is to invest in an airline. There are enormous costs involved; there is not only the cost of the aircraft but...