Category Archives: International Affairs

Equatorial Guinea: 2012 Convener of the Year

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Washington, D.C. – New York City based South African Arts International, Ltd. is proud to announced that the Republic of Equatorial Guinea has been selected for the 2012 Convener of the Year.

This newly awarded accolade is being bestowed to a country that has showed great skill, courage and humanity in bringing Heads of State, government officials, International Humanitarian Agencies, Non Governmental Agencies, International Sports Governing Body’s, Artists, Artisans, Intellectuals and the Diaspora together.

“H.E. Obiang, President of Equatorial Guinea, has mastered the Art of Humanity by bringing people together to tackle the issues (HIV/AIDS, Culture, Education, Climate Change, Development, Globalization, etc.) in a warm hospitable environment”, said Victor Mooney, executive director and founder of South African Arts International, Ltd.

“We share the same planet and the quicker more people grasp this fundamental attribute, the better off our children’s children will be”, Mooney added.

Flight Records Say Russia Sent Syria Tons of Cash

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by Dafna Linzer, Michael Grabell and Jeff Larson ProPublica, Nov. 26, 2012, 12 a.m.

This past summer, as the Syrian economy began to unravel and the military pressed hard against an armed rebellion, a Syrian government plane ferried what flight records describe as more than 200 tons of “bank notes” from Moscow.

The records of overflight requests were obtained by ProPublica. The flights occurred during a period of escalating violence in a conflict that has left tens of thousands of people dead since fighting broke out in March 2011.

The regime of Bashar al-Assad is increasingly in need of cash to stay afloat and continue financing the military’s efforts to crush the uprising. U.S. and European sanctions, including a ban on minting Syrian currency, have damaged the country’s economy. As a result, Syria lost access to an Austrian bank that had printed its bank notes.

What’s Happening in Libya: A Guide to the Best Coverage

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ProPublica, Sept. 12, 2012, 4:08 p.m.

Here’s the best reporting we’ve found not only on yesterday’s killings but also on post-war Libya. What are we missing? Please leave your favorite stories in comments.

THE ATTACK: ITS ORIGINS AND VICTIMS

U.S. Suspects Libya Attack Was Planned, New York Times The connection between an anti-Islam film that reportedly sparked this week’s protests in the Mideast and the attack that killed the American ambassador is unclear. Unnamed U.S. officials have told the New York Times and CNN that militants behind the attack may have instigated a protest against the film as a diversion or taken advantage of it as an opportunity.

Stevens ‘was thrilled to watch the Libyan people stand up’, YouTube In a U.S. embassy video uploaded to YouTube in May, Ambassador Stevens introduced himselfto the Libyan people. He described his childhood in California and how he fell in love with North Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, and compared the challenges facing Libya to the American Civil War.