Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — An ugly cloud of pessimism hangs over many parts of the world. War that seemed to be in retreat, has returned with a vengeance with the second-largest military in the world, Russia’s, battling a very under-resourced neighbour, Ukraine. It’s getting a lot of people down. Yet there […]
The Latest IPCC Report: No Good News for Pacific Islands Countries
Viewpoint by Volker Boege This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. QUEENSLAND, Australia (IDN) — The latest IPCC report on Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability shows that the effects of climate change are more severe than previously thought, that the situation will deteriorate globally faster than expected […]
Fiji: Recognising Sufferings of Indentured Labourers
By Ravindra Singh Prasad SUVA (IDN) — Every year on May 14 Fiji’s Indian community mark the day when the first shipment of their ancestors came here as indentured labourers to work in British sugarcane plantations established in their Pacific Ocean colony. Girmitiya is how they came to be known over time—the name derived from […]
Security Council to Hold Emergency Session on World Food Security
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The United States, which is holding the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council this month, has summoned an “emergency session” of the Council on May 19 to focus largely on world food security in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony […]
A Schoolgirl Is Latest Victim of Nigerian Religious Strife
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Religious conflicts have escalated dramatically in recent years. Throughout the 1950-1996 periods, these conflicts constituted 33% to 47% of all conflicts. Few continents are exempt from this picture of faith-based conflict and today Nigerians are grappling with a troubling theological issue following the stoning death […]
Big Oil and Gold Miners Get The ‘Unwelcome Mat’ From African Grassroots Groups
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Oil companies and gold mines in Africa are facing increasingly fierce challenges from grassroots community organizations trying to address serious climate concerns. Shell Oil, to give an example, was hit with legal challenges as both the company and individual Board members faced opposition from Friends […]
Big Oil and Gold Miners Get The ‘Unwelcome Mat’ From African Grassroots Groups
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Oil companies and gold mines in Africa are facing increasingly fierce challenges from grassroots community organizations trying to address serious climate concerns. Shell Oil, to give an example, was hit with legal challenges as both the company and individual Board members faced opposition from Friends […]
Shipwreck Museum in Cape Verde Recalls a Dark Past
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The Republic of Cabo Verde (Cape Verde) is an archipelago island nation to the west of Senegal and Mauritania, consisting of 10 volcanic islands that lie between 320 and 460 nautical miles west of Cap-Vert, the westernmost point of continental Africa. The official language is […]
Economic Gender Equality Falls Short—Despite Investments in Girls’ Education
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — A new study concludes that investments in girls’ education have failed to deliver economic equality for women. The researchers found that while such investments have delivered many other benefits—including better health outcomes for women and their families—the economic returns are often disappointing.
Commonwealth Joins the UN in Combating Corruption in Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW l KIGALI (IDN) — The 12th Regional Conference of Heads of Anti-Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa convened in Kigali, Rwanda, from May 3-7 under the theme: ‘Combating Corruption for Good Governance and Sustainable Development in Africa’. The Conference was jointly organised by the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Government of Rwanda […]