By Jaya Ramachandran Independent UN experts say the right to food and international humanitarian law must remain central to FAO’s work, warning that staff should not face reprisals for documenting starvation and famine in Gaza. GENEVA | 14 October 2026 (IDN) — A group of United Nations human rights experts has called on the Food […]
Brexit Will End and Europe Will Come Together Again
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 14 October 2026 (IDN) — At last, a British prime minister who is not afraid to say Europe is good for Britain. After a slow start on the issue, Andy Burnham has now made it fairly clear that Britain will seek to rejoin the European Union. It is not […]
The International Year of Volunteerism: an Opportunity for a Profound Reset
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal 14 October 2026 (IDN)— A lost opportunity. I can’t find better words to describe the rollout of the International Year of Volunteerism 2026, a rare opportunity to embed and experience the best humanity can offer. Volunteerism and civic engagement, the latter a broader concept that encompasses a variety of forms […]
Why Shift Mental Halth Care from Institutions to Communities
By Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (WHO Director-General) and Anura Kumara Dissanayake (Sri Lanka President) TIME first published this commentary on 12 October 2026, and it is reproduced with WHO’s permission. GENEVA | 13 October 2026 (IDN) — In recent decades, many countries have made meaningful progress in developing community-based mental health services. Moreover, rights-based approaches […]
A Nobel for Justice as Washington Moves Against the World Court
Navi Pillay’s Peace Prize and sweeping US sanctions on the International Criminal Court place two opposing views of international law before the world. By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | THE HAGUE 13 October 2026 (IDN) — On the same day that the United States announced sanctions against the International Criminal Court as an institution, the Norwegian […]
UN and The Hague Confront Impunity for War Crimes
By Nicolas J. S. Davies NEW YORK | 12 October 2026 (IDN) — On 9 October 2026, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Navi Pillay, the South African international lawyer who defended Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid political prisoners on Robben Island, and went on to serve as a judge on the UN International Criminal […]
“Is being Tigrayan a curse in Ethiopia?” Arbitrary arrests in Addis Abeba amid renewed war
By Daniel Tesfa, Filmon Gebremikael and Mirjam van Reisen ADDIS ABEBA | Ethiopia | 12 October 2026 (IDN) – On 21 September 2026, police detained dozens of Tigrayans in Addis Abeba without charge. Among them was Haile Kiros*, who recalls being denied food and even the dignity of using a bathroom regularly. “They don’t treat […]
EEPA reports on ENDF capture key towns near Eritrean border
BRUSSELS | 12 October 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on the situation in Ethiopia, the situation in Sudan, the regional and international situation, ENDF capture key towns near Eritrean border, 200 killed in airstrike on gold mine in Sudan, arms embargo extended in Darfur Situation in Ethiopia (per 12 […]
A Cultural Turning Point for American Democracy
What artists and religious leaders reveal about the health and future of democracy By Azza Karam NEW YORK, 12 OCTOBER 2026 (IDN) — A concert can tell us more about a country than an election poll can. It can reveal whose suffering people are prepared to acknowledge, what powerful institutions will permit them to say, […]
Books or Bombs? France’s Student Revolt vs. NATO’s Spending Push
By Medea Benjamin NEW YORK | 12 October 2026 (IDN) — For the third week in a row, high school students across France are taking to the streets demanding more investment in their education. They want more teachers, smaller classes, decent school buildings and a public education system that works for poor and working-class students. […]