Viernes, 8 de marzo de 2019 (Continuación)

Candidate billboards in Kyiv. Photo: Getty Images.

Europa,

Ukraine’s post-Maidan political arrangement has delivered on some transformations but proved disappointing on others. Regardless of who wins the presidential polls, which begin on 31 March, tough questions should be asked about the viability of campaign promises, the provenance of candidates’ funding and the influence of vested interests.

A central element in the current political environment is a conflict between voters’ expectations and frustrations with their current situation and the need for Ukraine to transform into a resilient and better-off country. Resistance from a mix of powerful interest groups, as well as Russia’s aggressive stance and record of meddling in elections, aggravate this clash.…  Seguir leyendo »

The entrance of Idlib Health Directorate in November 2018. Photo: Getty Images.

MundoOriente Próximo,

The German Technical Cooperation Agency, which has been a major underwriter of health service delivery in the northwestern Syria governorate of Idlib for more than five years, suspended its funding to Idlib Health Directorate last month, three days after an Al-Qaeda affiliated group took full control of the governorate, the last-remaining opposition-controlled area in Syria.

Idlib Health Directorate has been the de-facto health authority in the opposition-controlled governorate since 2013. It was established by a group of local Syrian doctors to sustain medical standards and health governance in the absence of the central health ministry and has repeatedly pronounced it is neutral in the conflict.…  Seguir leyendo »