By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 14 July 2024 (IDN) — CIVICUS, World Alliance for Citizen Participation, has documented the use of restrictive legislation against activists, journalists and others critical of the state, along with harassment and attacks. In its report to the UN Human Rights Committee on the state of civic space in India, CIVICUS […]
Discredited ‘Ostpolitik’ of Willy Brandt Remains Pertinent
By Hans Kundnani* LONDON | 13 July 2024 (IDN) — The conventional wisdom in Germany is that Ostpolitik—which is usually taken to mean a policy based on the idea of peaceful co-existence with Russia going back to the approach taken by Willy Brandt as chancellor—is now completely discredited. Even those who admit that it was […]
The NATO Declaration Echoes the Deadly Strategy of Neoconservatism
For the sake of America’s security and world peace, the U.S. should immediately abandon the neocon quest for hegemony in favor of diplomacy and peaceful co-existence. By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 13 July 2024 (IDN) — In 1992, […]
Tonga: Ancestral Fishing Methods Could Help Out of the Crisis
By Marc ‘Ake* NUKU’ALOFA, Tonga | 12 July 2024 (IDN | Wansolwara) — With Climate Change and overfishing amongst the biggest contributions to the degradation of the marine environment in Tonga, the government has cracked down on overfishing by devising certain timeframes in the year for the fishing and harvest of certain endangered marine species.There […]
BRICS Parliamentary Forum Seeks to Strengthen Multilateralism for Global Security
By Tajul Islam* DHAKA | 12 July 2024 (IDN) — The 10th BRICS Parliamentary Forum convened in St. Petersburg, Russia, on July 11 and 12, 2024, under the theme “The Role of Parliaments in Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security.” This year’s plenary session focused on “The BRICS Parliamentary Dimension: Prospects for Strengthening […]
Former UN Humanitarian Affairs Chief Warns of Failing Collective Responsibility
By Kasmira Jefford GENEVA | 12 July 2024 (IDN | Geneva Solutions) — The United Nations’ top aid chief stepped down last month at a time of huge pressure on the humanitarian sector to meet record global needs. In his last briefing with journalists, Martin Griffiths said it would be up to his successor to […]
Is the IAEA Securing Medical Radioactive Sources in Conflict Areas?
By Tariq Rauf* VIENNA | 11 July 2024 (IDN) — On Friday, 12th July 2024, the 35-member Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will meet in emergency session to discuss the bombing of a children’s hospital in Kyiv and the safety and security of medical radioactive sources in use in the […]
UN Projects World Population to Rise: from 8.2 to 10.3 billion in mid-2080s
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 11 July 2024 (IDN) — The world’s population is expected to rise—from the current 8.2 billion people to around 10.3 billion in the mid-2080s—and eventually stabilize at around 10.2 billion by the end of the century. The new projections were released on July 11 by the United Nations in […]
Imperial NATO is On the Way, but Unlikely to Reach Its Goals
By Stephen Bryen and Shoshana Bryen* This article was issued by Weapons and Strategy and is being republished with their permission. WASHINGTON, D.C. | 11 July 2024 (IDN) — NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. The name should have been changed long ago, when NATO shifted its focus and operations south and eastward. NATO […]
The Ukraine War Could Have Been Averted If the UN Charter Had Been Observed
By Michael von der Schulenburg* BRUSSELS | 11 July 2024 (IDN) — As the war in Ukraine continues, we must once again ask ourselves perhaps the most important question about a peaceful future for humanity: can there be a world in which peace and an international order can be guaranteed by joint agreements between states, […]