By Rodrigo Pérez MIAMI, USA | 27 October 2025 (IDN) — In an unexpected step for one of the world’s most tightly managed economies, Cuba has approved a new policy that allows international hotel chains to lease — not merely operate — state-owned hotels. The move marks a historic departure from decades of rigid central control […]
From Illusion to Real Peace: Trump’s Test in Gaza and Ukraine
By Jeffrey D. Sachs & Sybil Fares This article was originally published on Al Jazeera and is being reproduced with the authors’ permission. NEW YORK | 24 October 2025 (IDN) — United States President Donald Trump styles himself as a peacemaker. In his rhetoric, he claims credit for his efforts to end the wars in […]
How Island Nations Are Rewriting Climate Finance
Caribbean states are pioneering bold financial reforms to survive climate change. This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN | 18 October 2025 (IDN) — When hurricanes strike the Caribbean, they leave behind more than just destruction. They also leave debt. Small island developing states (SIDS) often have to borrow large sums at high interest […]
Operation Colombo: The Assassinations of Bandaranaike and Allende
What two Cold War killings reveal about empire and disinformation. By Darini Rajasingham Senanayake* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 1 October 2025 (IDN) — September marks anniversaries in the chilling deaths of two democratically elected Socialist heads of state during the United States’ led Cold War anti-communist crusade that unfolded across the world between 1948-91: The […]
Cuba’s Economic Collapse: Inflation, Dollarisation, and a Nation at Breaking Point
By J. C. Suresh TORONTO | Havana | 8 September 2025 (IDN) — For decades, Cuba stood as one of the Caribbean’s most distinctive economies—heavily centralised, politically resilient, and symbolically influential across Latin America. Once a regional reference point for social programs and state-driven development, it now finds itself among the hemisphere’s weakest performers. The […]
Haiti Situation Report: Three-month state of emergency declared
Situation in Haiti Haiti declared a three-month state of emergency on 9 August in the West, Artibonite, and Center departments to counter escalating gang violence and its impact on food production. Two Haitian National Police (PNH) officers were killed in Kenscoff when their armored vehicle got stuck in a ditch dug by gangs and were […]
US-Russia Talks: The Choice Between Pursuing Peace and Escalation
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 17 August 2025 (IDN) — Donald Trump came into office promising to end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours. Now, six months later, his high-stakes meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska may have put the United States and Russia on a new path […]
Haiti Situation Report: Nonprofits withdraw after Kenscoff kidnapping
Situation in Haiti The nonprofits Our Little Brothers and Sisters and the St. Luke Foundation shut down all operations in Haiti, including hospitals and orphanages, after gunmen abducted seven staff members and a 3-year-old child from the St. Helene Orphanage in Kenscoff on 3 August. Three police officers were killed in an ambush by the […]
Haiti Situation Report: Gang violence surges in Artibonite
Situation in Haiti At least seven people were killed and about 10 injured in a 19 July attack by the Kokorat San Ras gang in Kapenyen, a stronghold of anti-gang resistance in Artibonite. A gang attack on the Haitian National Police (PNH) station in Marchand-Dessalines, Artibonite, on 17 July left one resident dead and destroyed […]
At 80, the United Nations Faces a Moment of Reckoning — and Renewal
A milestone year brings calls for gender parity, regional equity, and bold leadership at the helm of the UN. By Ramesh Jaura This article was first published on https://rjaura.substack.com BERLIN, NEW YORK | 22 July 2025 (IDN) — As the United Nations prepares to celebrate its 80th anniversary in 2025, the milestone presents an opportunity […]