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. […]
Two African Wars Put Civilians—and the UN’s Authority—at Risk
Ethiopia and Eritrea trade accusations before the Security Council as another deadly strike hits displaced families in Sudan. By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | ADDIS ABABA | KHARTOUM (IDN) — Wars in Ethiopia and Sudan are testing how far the United Nations can act when appeals for restraint are ignored. Ethiopia and Eritrea have carried their […]
The Slow-Motion Erasure Of The West Bank
By Dr Alon Ben-Meir* A people are being erased not in a single cataclysm, but through daily terror: bulldozers, armed settlers, night raids, demolished homes, and stolen water. The West Bank’s suffering is not a security policy—it is a warning of Israel’s own moral collapse NEW YORK | 10 October 2026 (IDN) — There are crimes […]
Picasso’s Personal Mythologies: Three Paintings at the Currier Museum
By Sam Ben-Meir* NEW YORK | 9 October 2026 (IDN) — Manchester’s Currier Museum is currently presenting Personal Mythologies: Picasso in the 1940s and 50s—a small exhibition consisting of three paintings, two of which are on loan through October: L’Homme au béret basque (1946) and The Two Children (1954). The third, belonging to the Currier collection, is the […]
Germany’s Ukraine Policy: The Merz Factor
By Wolfgang Bittner* The following commentary reflects the author’s personal assessment of German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s policy towards Ukraine. GÖTTINGEN, Germany | 9 October 2026 (IDN) — German Chancellor Friedrich Merz was pleased that Viktor Orbán was not re-elected and that the EU can transfer 90 billion euros to Ukraine. On 14 April 2026, he […]