By Arul Louis* United Nations. 2 September 2023 (IDN) — Albania, which holds the presidency of the Security Council this month, is planning to launch a platform for the private sector to work with the world organization in providing humanitarian assistance, according to the nation’s Permanent Representative Ferit Hoxha. On 1 September, he said that […]
China’s Shandong Province Expands Its Footprint to The Pacific
By Kalinga Seneviratne SUVA, Fiji. 2 September 2023 (IDN) — A high-powered delegation of Chinese ocean and marine scientists and Asia-Pacific scholars from Shandong Province visited Fiji promoting South-South cooperation to mitigate climatic change—Pacific Islands’ biggest security threat. Facilitated by the Chinese Embassy here, Shandong Province and Fiji signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to […]
Group Snubs Chance to Reset Peace and Justice for West Papua
By David Robie, Editor of Asia Pacific Report AUCKLAND. 1 September 2023 (IDN) — The ‘Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG)’ has thrown away a golden chance for achieving a historical step towards justice and peace in West Papua by lacking the courage to accept the main Papuan self-determination advocacy movement as full members. MSG comprises four […]
A Wake-Up Call For Kosovo’s Prime Minister Kurti
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK. 1 September 2023 (IDN) — Prime Minister Kurti was elected on the premise that he would attend to Kosovo’s socio-economic malaise, lift its people from the ashes of the war, give them hope, and restore their dignity. Sadly, more than two years later, Kurti has little to show for his […]
Backers of Endless War Deplore That Many Trump Supporters Favor Use of Violence
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO. 31 August 2023 (IDN) — Ever since Donald Trump became a former president, news outlets and commentators have cited polls showing that many Republicans believe violence might be needed to save the country. As Trump’s legal woes increase, so do mainstream media alarms about the specter of violent responses. But […]
Thailand Is Open Again for Business and Tourism
By Jan Servaes* BRUSSELS. 31 August 2023 (IDN) — With the arrival of the government of real estate magnate Srettha Thavisin on 28 August 2023, the Thai political theatre seems to be entering the next phase. As I feared in previous posts, this phase makes the 14 May election results look like a joke. The […]
Afghanistan: Taliban Must Earn Legitimacy through Diplomacy
By Latheef Farook* COLOMBO. 30 August 2023 (IDN) — After more than four decades of foreign occupation, death and destruction, the landlocked mountainous country of Afghanistan, bordering Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the north, Iran to the West, Pakistan to the east and south, liberated itself from United States occupation two years ago in August […]
BRICS Summit: The “Legitimate Aspirations” of Developing Economies – Part 3
By Somar Wijayadasa* Editor’s note: This is the third of a three-part article dealing with an issue of immense interest to our readers and a subject that affects all developing countries. Read Part-2 here NEW YORK. 30 August 2023 (IDN) — On the final day of the historic BRICS Summit held in South Africa from […]
BRICS Jumps to Africa’s Rescue
By Jeffrey Moyo HARARE, Zimbabwe. 29 August 2023 (IDN) — The three-day BRICS Summit from 22-24 August 2023 in South Africa has raised hopes across the African continent that a new deal for development aid to Africa could be taking shape that will be more fair and equitable. For decades, critics have pointed out that […]
BRICS Summit: The Irresistible Move to a Multipolar World – Part 2
By Somar Wijayadasa* Editor’s note: This is the second of a three-part article dealing with an issue of immense interest to our readers and a subject that affects all developing countries. Read Part-1 here NEW YORK. 29 August 2023 (IDN) — The historic three-day BRICS Summit, held in South Africa from 22-24 August 2023, attended […]