By Vibhu Mishra NEW YORK | 12 November 2024 (IDN | UN News) — This year has seen a staggering 1,000 per cent or ten-fold surge in sexual violence against children in Haiti, during an unprecedented crisis which has seen armed gangs continue to terrorize communities amid a growing humanitarian disaster. Virginia Gamba, UN Special […]
Ocean Climate Crisis: Acidification, Deoxygenation and Warming
By Dr. Kirsten Isensee, Dr. Katherina School, Professor Steve Widdicombe and Jeremy Sterling* PARIS | 11 November 2024 (IDN) — Governments meeting in Baku for the COP29 Climate Summit have many mountains to climb in their quest to raise ambitions and accelerate action. They must not, however, forget about the ocean. Because the blue part […]
Will Unrestricted Arms Supplies to Israel Continue Under Trump?
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS |10 November 2024 (IDN) — After US presidential elections on November 5, a question floating around the US and Middle Eastern capitals relates to Gaza, which has been devastated largely by US-supplied weapons, including fighter planes, air-to-ground missiles, battle tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs) and 2,000-pound unguided bombs. Will the […]
An Asian Perspective of the Trump Victory at the US Presidential Election
From the Asia Society in New York NEW YORK | 8 November 2024 (IDN) — Asia Society Policy Institute experts comment on the news that Donald Trump has won the 2024 U.S. election and what it means for Asia. Daniel Russel – Vice President, International Security and Diplomacy The uncertainty of the election now gives […]
Sri Lanka: Daunting Foreign Policy Options for a New Administration — Part 1
By Dr Palitha Kohona Former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and more recently, Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China (PRC). COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 6 November 2024 (IDN) — In the nineteenth century, the GREAT GAME was played by two global powers among the soaring peaks and stunning valleys of […]
India-China Historic Agreement Brings Hope for Global Harmony
By Bhikkhu Sanghasena* LEH, Ladakh, India | 4 November 2024 (IDN) — It is with immense joy and relief that we welcome the long-anticipated news: the two great nations of Asia—India and China—have finally reached an agreement on military disengagement along their disputed border. This significant announcement brings hope to all those who have been […]
US Congress Backs Diaspora-Driven Efforts for Tamil Self-Determination
By Shyamika Jayasundara-Smits* This article was originally published in East Asia Forum Quarterly. ROTTERDAM (IDN) — On 15 May 2024, US Congressman Wiley Nickel introduced House Resolution 1230, marking the latest congressional effort to address the long-standing grievances of the Tamil people. The resolution recognises the hundreds of thousands of lives lost during Sri Lanka’s […]
No Matter Who Wins US Presidential Election, Our Work Has Just Begun
By India Walton* BUFFALO, NEW YORK | 3 November 2024 (IDN) — Those of us who “enjoy” a particular type of pain, the kind reminiscent of warm needles being inserted into your cornea, have spent the past few months trying to understand the strategy of the Democratic Party. It has been frustrating to watch Vice […]
Improving Cities — from Space
By Ladislav Charouz and Kareff Rafisura* BANGKOK | 2 November 2024 (IDN) — Despite offering a range of opportunities, urbanisation poses a set of unique challenges to sustainable development. The rapid expansion of cities often results in the growth of informal settlements, with East and South-East Asia being home to 370 million people living in […]
Noah, the Ark, and the Flood: Applying Themes of an Ancient Tale
By Yossef Ben-Meir* MARRAKECH, Morocco | 01 November 2024 (IDN) — It is worth considering, in light of humanity’s profound struggle against the world’s climate and matters of elemental justice, how the onset of the Biblical tale of Noah is relevant today. According to ancient Hebraic commentaries, Noah actually grew the timber he used for […]