Front: Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF)

Strengthening the Financial Independence of Independent Media Organisations

The key findings of the literature review with regard to international donor assistance and private funding for independent media are as follows:

  • The United States and Germany are the largest contributors of international media assistance (Myers & Juma, 2018); China is emerging as a large donor for media and communications infrastructure projects although it is less interested in freedom of the media (Myers & Juma, 2018);
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Who funded the anti-BRI “Made in Ethiopia” documentary?

WSWS: Made in Ethiopia—or anywhere else in the worldXinyan Yu (National Fellow at New America*), Max Duncan (Reuters in China), Eastern Industry Park

Related:

Industrial park showcasing Chinese extensive investment participation in Ethiopia

In addition to the 12 industrial parks built by the government and managed by the Industrial Parks Development Corporation and regional governments and the Diredawa Free Trade Zone, there are also industrial parks built and managed by private investors in various areas of Ethiopia. One of these private industrial parks is Eastern Industry Park. The industrial park is located in Dukem area, and 153 companies are engaged in production activities in the park. 95% of the companies are owned by Chinese investors, while the rest are owned by companies from India, England, and other countries. These producers are contributing significantly in terms of job creation, foreign exchange earnings, technology, and knowledge transfer.

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‘Responsible Statecraft’: What does Ukraine’s incursion into Russia really mean?

‘Responsible Statecraft’, a publication of analysis, opinion, and news that seeks to promote a positive vision of U.S. foreign policy based on humility, diplomatic engagement, and military restraint, asked some experts to gauge the short and long term effects of Kyiv’s bold invasion on the war.

‘Responsible Statecraft’: What does Ukraine’s incursion into Russia really mean?

Chile, September 11, 1973: The Horrors of ‘the First 9/11’ Are Routinely Overlooked

Salvador Allende’s Final Speech on Sept. 11, 1973

Each September large memorials are held for the 9/11 attacks on the US. Yet few recall the far more destructive 9/11 that occurred 28 years before.

Chile, September 11, 1973: The Horrors of ‘the First 9/11’ Are Routinely Overlooked

Related:

Chile and the United States: Declassified Documents Relating to the Military Coup, September 11, 1973

Is Argentina’s presidential frontrunner Javier Milei US’ “boy?” Rejects China+Mercosur, embraces $$

Argentina’s Milei Says He’d Reject ‘Assassin’ China, Leave Mercosur

Milei described his foreign policy proposals as a global “fight against socialists and statists,” and revealed that he would appoint Diana Mondino, a trusted economic adviser, to be his top diplomat. She’s a former Standard & Poor’s director for Argentina and is running for Congress.

Video via Emil Cosman

Related:

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Knives Are Out Again for Those Advocating For Peace on the Korean Peninsula

The knives are out again for those advocating for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Almost eight years to the day, I wrote “The Knives are Out For Those Who Challenge Militarization of the Korean Peninsula,” about Washington Beltway pundits and those on the payroll of organizations and corporations that make money out of the U.S. bureaucracy’s need for an enemy. These groups had focused their outrage and diatribes at Women Cross DMZ for organizing the 2015 trip to North and South Korea and daring to challenge the status quo of US policy toward North Korea.

Knives Are Out Again for Those Advocating For Peace on the Korean Peninsula

IRS audits Black taxpayers more often than other groups, agency confirms

The Internal Revenue Service audits Black taxpayers at significantly higher rates than other Americans, Commissioner Daniel Werfel told lawmakers Monday, confirming earlier findings by researchers at leading universities and the Treasury Department.

IRS audits Black taxpayers more often than other groups, agency confirms

Related:

The IRS Targets Black Taxpayers, Researchers May Have Uncovered Why

Consistent underfunding of the IRS means it’s a lot easier for them to go after someone who is low-income and qualifies for the EITC than it is to go after someone with a million lawyers hiding money in the Cayman Islands.

Targeting the rich for their tax-related shenanigans takes some major coins, and the IRS severely lacks the funds it would need to do that. Unfortunately, that means they’re more likely to knock on the doors of people just trying to get by.

Good thing Republicans are trying to repeal IRS funds?! /sarcasm