By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW | NEW YORK | 30 September 2026 (IDN) — At the 81st UN General Assembly in New York, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterated Russia’s objection to South Africa’s exclusion from the forthcoming G20 summit in the United States, while emphasising the importance of multilateral institutions and the place of […]
Censorship Regarding Genocide
By Jan Servaes BRUSSELS | 29 September 2026 (IDN) — During his speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on 24 September, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a visual aid. He displayed a pager resembling the devices used in the deadly pager attacks that Israel carried out in Lebanon in 2024. An […]
What We Lose When We Use AI
By Reihshan Deen* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 28 September 2026 (IDN) — In Plato’s Phaedrus, Socrates recounts a discussion between two Egyptian gods: Theuth, said to have invented writing, and Thamus. Thamus disapproves of Theuth’s invention, stating that it “…will create forgetfulness in the learners’ souls, because they will not use their memories; they will trust […]
EEPA reports on ENDF captures Alamata
BRUSSELS | 28 September 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on the situation in Ethiopia, the situation in Sudan, the international and regional situation, ENDF captures Alamata, ASF troops advance in Afar, mobile networks and banks shut down in Tigray, SAF resume air strikes in Darfur Situation in Ethiopia (per […]
South Pacific: As Small Islands Battle Climate Change, Debts Should Not Be Weaponized
By ANTONIA BHAGWAN* SUVA, Fiji | 28 September 2026 (IDN|Wansolwara) — The South Pacific region with its many vulnerable island nations may have moved beyond the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, but its economic consequences continue to weigh on governments across the region. Once again, countries are facing rising debt levels. In its 2026 Pacific […]
Palestine Gains Recognition While Losing the Land for a State
Diplomatic recognition has widened, but settlement expansion and territorial fragmentation threaten the foundations of Palestinian statehood. By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK | 26 September 2026 (IDN) – Mahmoud Abbas delivered one of the most important speeches of this year’s United Nations General Assembly without being allowed into the hall. The Palestinian president appeared […]
Guterres Bids Farewell to a United Nations Under Strain
The outgoing Secretary-General leaves behind unresolved questions of war, representation, finance and climate justice. By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK | 25 September 2026 (IDN) — The Security Council offers the clearest example. It becomes paralysed whenever a conflict touches the interests of a permanent member or a close ally. Russia can block action […]
Iran and the United States Find a Narrow Opening in New York
Indirect exchanges through Qatar have revived diplomacy, although the two governments remain far apart By Jamshed Baruah NEW YORK | 25 September 2026 (IDN) – The annual United Nations gathering is often dismissed as a succession of speeches. Much of its diplomacy, however, takes place outside the General Assembly Hall, in private rooms, hotel meetings […]
Ukraine and the Security Council’s Unresolved Contradiction
The body charged with maintaining international peace remains constrained when a permanent member is involved in the war. By J. Nastranis NEW YORK | 24 September 2026 (IDN) – The warning that the war in Ukraine has entered a dangerous new phase may sound familiar after more than five years of fighting. Repetition, however, should […]
When Artificial Intelligence Reaches the Security Council
The technology has moved from laboratories and boardrooms into the chamber responsible for international peace and security By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK | 24 September 2026 (IDN) – The United Nations Security Council has spent most of its history discussing wars, peacekeeping missions, sanctions and threats posed by armed groups. Its meeting on […]