Situation in Sudan (per 12 May) Port Sudan, El Fasher in North Darfur, West Kordofan, North Kordofan and West Darfur all saw heavy fighting in the last week. Over a week of drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on Port Sudan has led to a shortage of water and disruption in electricity. The […]
Tackling global risks: how the financial sector can lead with impact
By Natalia Abril Bonilla and Lisa van den Hoven* AMSTERDAM | 12 May 2025 (IDN) — In 2025, it feels like we are in a period of declining optimism. As the recent World Economic Forum Global Risks Report set out, state-based armed conflict, extreme weather events, ‘fake news’ and falling trust – together with deepening […]
Low Birth Rates and Rising Deaths: What Else Could Reverse Russia’s Declining Population
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW | 12 May 2025 (IDN) — How vital is Thomas Malthus’ population theory today? Malthus, an English cleric and scholar, published this theory in his 1798 writings, An Essay on the Principle of Population. He believed that exponential population growth could lead to unprecedented pressure on the land and create […]
Peace and Disarmament Education: A Strategy to Prevent Dystopia
By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com/ BERLIN | 12 May 2025 (IDN) — Fancy people around the world singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” — of a world where there is “nothing to kill or die for” and “all the people living in peace…sharing all the world…as one”! Envision people beating their “swords into […]
Burkina Faso Forging Stronger Partnership with Russia
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW, 11 May 2025 (IDN) — Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Burkina Faso counterpart, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, have agreed to step up efforts to combat growing extremism and terrorism, which is widespread across the Sahel region, an elongated landlocked territory located between North Africa (Maghreb) and West Africa. The cooperation […]
India vs Pakistan, Two Nuclear Powers, in a Potentially Explosive Confrontation
By Thalif Deen* NEW YORK | 9 May 2025 (IDN) — Will the rising military tension between two of the world’s heavily-armed nuclear powers –India and Pakistan—lead to a full-scale war? The guessing game is on. The two South Asian countries have long remained locked in a bitter confrontation, mostly over the disputed territory of […]
Situation report Horn of Africa: Sudan cuts diplomatic relations with UAE
Situation in Sudan (per 9 May) A series of drone strikes continued to hit Port Sudan throughout this week, some of which caused damage to key infrastructure points of the city, such as fuel depots and an electricity substation. Thursday marked the fifth consecutive day of assaults. Drone strikes also continued to hit Kassala. With […]
Russia’s Victory Day A Profound Symbol of National Resilience
By Somar Wijayadasa* NEW YORK | 7 May 2025 (IDN) — Russia celebrates the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany and holds its annual Victory Day parade on Red Square on May 9. Praising Russia as a nation of winners, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that “the victory was a profound […]
Humanitarian Corridors: A Trojan Horse Threatening Bangladesh’s Sovereignty
By Tajul Islam* DHAKA, Bangladesh | 6 May 2025 (IDN) — In the ever-shifting terrain of global politics, ‘humanitarian corridors’ are increasingly wielded not as genuine lifelines for suffering populations but as instruments of foreign influence and domination. The recent decision to establish a United Nations-backed humanitarian corridor along the Chittagong–Rakhine route in Bangladesh is […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: Hospital in Old Fangak, South Sudan, deliberately targeted
Situation in South Sudan (per 5 May) A hospital in Old Fangak, South Sudan, was deliberately bombed on 3 May. Two helicopter gunships first dropped a bomb on the pharmacy, completely destroying it, and then bombed the town of Old Fangak for 30 minutes. At least seven people died and 20 were injured in the […]