By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK | NUR-SULTAN (IDN) — In a joint statement, the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), comprising six member states, has highlighted the role of Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose decree shut down the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site on August 29, 1991. The statement was published by the press service of […]
Will Mandatory Vaccinations Apply to UN Staff & Diplomats?
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) — The rigid new restrictions imposed by New York city—currently facing a surge in the deadly Delta corona virus variant—have prompted scores of US companies to impose mandatory vaccinations on all employees, mostly returning to work after temporary lockdowns. The mandate follows the approval on August 23 of the […]
Would “Reformed” Taliban Respect Other Religions, Cultural Heritage and Non-Believers?
Viewpoint by Sugeeswara Senadhira COLOMBO (IDN) — The Taliban’s fanatical yearning to attack everything opposed to what they mistakenly believe as Islam was displayed in two acts of destruction in the year 2001. The return of Taliban as rulers of Afghanistan raise question whether the remaining remnants of a Buddhist civilization in the region would […]
US Investors to Explore Opportunities in AfCFTA
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) — United States investors are looking forward to exploring several opportunities in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), a policy signed by African countries to make the continent a single market. Speaking at the 13th US-Africa Business Summit from July 27 to July 29, organised by the Corporate […]
Countries Around the World Are Still Ill-Prepared to Deal with Multiple Overlapping Crises
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) — Over the past two decades, the Asia-Pacific region has made remarkable progress in managing disaster risk. But countries can never let down […]
The Story of US-Led Collusion in Razing Afghanistan to the Ground
Viewpoint by John Pilger This article was produced by Globetrotter. John Pilger is an award-winning Australian journalist, filmmaker, and author. Read his full biography on his website here, and follow him on Twitter: @JohnPilger. Source: Globetrotter SYDNEY (IDN) — As a tsunami of crocodile tears engulfs Western politicians, history is suppressed. More than a generation […]
Paralympics: An Incredible Medium to Create Awareness of the Disabled
Viewpoint by Simone Galimberti Simone Galimberti is Author and Co-Founder of ENGAGE, a not-for-profit NGO in Nepal. He writes on volunteerism, social inclusion, youth development and regional integration as an engine to improve people’s lives. KATHMANDU, Nepal (IDN) — Once again the limelight will be back on Tokyo as the city is hosting the Paralympics […]
Americans, Not the Europeans, Are Dilly-Dallying in The Iran Nuclear Deal
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The panic button on Iran is being pressed again. A report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), suggests that Iran has taken more significant steps towards developing a nuclear weapon. At the same time the warnings from Israel are coming thick and […]
New Zealand Should Have Stayed Out of the War in Afghanistan
Viewpoint by Keith Locke Former Green MP Keith Locke was the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson. He writes occasional pieces for Asia Pacific Report. This article was first published by The Spinoff, republished in Asia Pacific Report, our partner, on August 19 with the author’s permission. WELLINGTON (IDN) — After the fall of Kabul, the obvious […]
Dwindling Democracy and Press Freedom in Hong Kong
Viewpoint by Jan Servaes Jan Servaes was Head of the Department of Media and Communication at the City University of Hong Kong (2013-2016). He taught ‘international communication’ in Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, the US, the Netherlands and Thailand, in addition to short-term projects at about 120 universities in 55 countries. He is editor of […]