By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY, 16 Feb 2023 (IDN) — Universities are sometimes seen as ivory towers aloft from the communities they are supposed to serve. But, in reviving a sector that was badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, universities are now taking the lead in working with the communities to achieve the United Nation’s Sustainable […]
Debate About Military Use of Artificial Intelligence
By J C Suresh TORONTO | WASHINGTON 16 Feb 2023 (IDN) — As an increasing number of States are developing military AI capabilities, which may include using AI to enable autonomous systems, the United States has proposed a “Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy” during a conference on the issue […]
How The Palestinians Lost Their Way
By Dr Alon Ben-Meir* The following is the second instalment in a series of three articles. The first addressed how Israel lost its way; the third will demonstrate certain realities on the ground that are not subject to change short of a catastrophe. In that context, since Israeli-Palestinian coexistence is inevitable, both sides must choose […]
Looking Back, Facing Forward as Nigeria Decides
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA 15 Feb 2023 (IDN) — It’s hard to imagine that it’s nearly eight years since. This time in 2015, I was over the moon with the prospects of a general election that was certain to end the […]
African Leaders Launch Equality Drive at Landmark Conference
By UN News JUBA, South Sudan 14 Feb 2023 (IDN) — Women leaders called for swift, concerted action to advance gender rights at the first International Conference on Women’s Transformational Leadership, in Juba, South Sudan. Almost 400 women leaders from 15 African countries joined the UN-backed three-day conference, which opened on February 1, including former […]
The Crude Instinct of Solving Problems by Warfare
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — “We showed weakness and weak people are beaten,” said President Vladimir Putin in September 2004, surveying the wreckage of the battle-scarred school in Beslan in Russia after Chechnyan terrorists had tried to hold children hostage and the army was sent in. Hundreds of children died, probably unnecessarily.
Growing Violence as Nigerian Election Nears
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | LAGOS (IDN) — Election Day is around the corner in Nigeria and it’s approaching with new and troubling reports of violent attacks on candidates and their supporters. Over the weekend (February 11-12), supporters of candidate Peter Obi reported being threatened by vandals carrying machetes and other […]
South Africa in ‘State of Disaster’ As Power Shutdowns Grow
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | PRETORIA (IDN) — No lights, no water. Living in South Africa is no picnic today. In his recent State of the Nation Address, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged crippling power shutdowns, which threaten the country’s economy and security and undermine daily life in the continent’s leading industrial […]
Latin America & the Caribbean Lack Access to Healthy Diet
By Rodrigo Pérez SANTIAGO, Chile (IDN) — As many as 131.3 million in Latin America and the Caribbean have had to forego nutritious foods in 2020 because of the higher average daily cost of healthy diets in the region compared to those in other areas of the world. According to the new United Nations report […]
New Book Tells the Life Story of a Little-Known Swazi Woman Activist
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — To some, she was a towering intellectual, a pioneering African feminist and an anti-colonial political activist. But almost no one knows her name or her story, says Joel Cabrita, a researcher and director of the Center for African Studies at Stanford University and author of […]