By Felicia Vacarelu The writer is Communication Officer of UN Global Pulse, a flagship innovation initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General on big data, which has released a new study discussing the risks that can arise from the malicious use of automated text generation software, and the potential impacts. The study used open-source tools and […]
Ghana’s President Stuns Women with Demeaning Remarks
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – In this day and age of “Me Too” shaking up outdated gender relationships around the world, it was somewhat unsettling to hear Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo demean his country’s working women as insufficiently activist and dynamic enough to obtain better leadership jobs. Did he really […]
New President Feels the Heat of Trouble Brewing in Liberia
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | MONROVIA (IDN) – Liberian President George Weah is having a few bad days. And more may be on their way. A citizen action group – the Council of Patriots (COP) – has a long list of demands covering governance, human rights and the rule of law, […]
China’s Meteoric Rise Revives ‘Yellow Peril’ in the U.S.
Viewpoint by Kishore Mahbubani The writer is a Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the author of ‘Has the West Lost It?’ This analysis first appeared in EastAsiaForum on June 5, 2019 with the heading ‘A ‘yellow peril’ revival fuelling Western fears of China’s rise’. SINGAPORE (IDN-INPS) – Do we arrive at […]
SDGs Offer Russia New Opportunities in Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-19) that brought together thousands of foreign delegates, including those from Africa, prioritized “sustainable development” as the key theme. It offered an opportunity to discuss in-depth the significance, challenges and prospects of sustainable development, and cooperation among state institutions and businesses as […]
Urgent Action Needed to Scale-up Energy Access in LDCs
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK | BEIJING (IDN) – The world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs) will fail to achieve global sustainable energy targets by 2030 unless urgent and enhanced action is undertaken. This was the backdrop to discussions which took place on May 30-31, 2019 at a United Nations conference on ‘Scaling-Up Energy […]
Boosting Energy Access and Finance in Poorest Countries
Viewpoint by Youba Sokona The following are extensive extracts from keynote remarks by Youba Sokona, South Centre’s Senior Adviser on Sustainable Development, at the Global Conference on Scaling-up Energy Access and Finance in Least Developed Countries in Beijing, China. The United Nations Office of the High Representative for Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and […]
UN Study Urges a More Gender-Equal Digital Space
Flays Feminization of Voice Assistants By Rita Joshi BERLIN | PARIS (IDN) – “I think if we wake up 20 years from now and we see the lack of diversity in our tech and leaders and practitioners [that we see today], that would be my doomsday scenario,” said Li Fei-Fei, co-director of Stanford University’s Human-Centered […]
79-Nation ACP Moving into a New Era of Global Partnerships
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (IDN) – To bring “Asia and the Americas into closer bonds of friendship” with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and “strengthen South-South solidarity”, Secretary-General Dr. P. I. Gomes is keen to “build bridges with India on technical cooperation” and initiate a “new partnership” with Peru. He was […]
The Electric Vehicle Revolution Is Underway in Africa
By Giles Kirkland An automotive expert and blogger, Giles Kirkland says he has a passion for new technologies. LONDON (IDN) – In 2016, a businessman called Francis Romano imported an electric car Nissan Leaf to Nairobi, Kenya. However, the car was held up at the Customs for an intriguing reason: they had never seen an […]