By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Editor-In-Chief of LEADERSHIP and the author of the new book Writing for Media and Monetising It. ABUJA, Nigeria | 22 August 2025 (IDN) — European leaders often portray Russian President Vladimir Putin as a tyrant, a land grabber, and a modern-day Russian bear. And following the outbreak of […]
Pashinyan Apologies For Insulting The Armenian Apostolic Church
By Benoit Lannoo* YEREVAN, Armenia | ANTWERP, Belgium | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — There is little chance that the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will congratulate the Armenian Apostolic Catholicos on his birthday today. This is a U-turn from five or six years ago, when a praising press release was issued every year by […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: Shire in Tigray hub for smuggled gold
Situation in Sudan (per 21 August) Armed individuals clashed within the Zalengei hospital in Central Darfur after two different patients were brought in with gunshot wounds on 16 August. A grenade attack left one person dead and five injured. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) decided to suspend its activities at the hospital and evacuate its staff following […]
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 […]
Situation Report Horn of Africa: Secret Sudan-US talks in Switzerland
Situation in Sudan (per 14 August) At least 40 people have been killed in an attack by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) on the Abou Shouk displacement camp close to El Fasher, North Darfur, on Monday, states the Abu Shouk Emergency Response Room. Civilians were shot in their homes and in public. The Yale Humanitarian Research […]
Karapetyan’s Case Crucial for Armenia’s future
By Benoit Lannoo* YEREVAN, Armenia | 14 August 2025 (IDN) — Today at 5:30 PM local time, an Armenian anti-corruption Court in Yerevan will decide on a petition of the General Prosecutor of the country to prolong the detention of Mr. Samvel Karapetyan. Last Monday, the Armenian Court of Criminal Appeals already decided that Mr. […]
Sri Lanka at the Human Rights Council: “Engage to Disengage”
By A.L.A. Azeez* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 14 August 2025 (IDN) — Time is ticking off. And it is ticking off on Sri Lanka’s human rights and accountability front, in Geneva. In less than a month from today, the question of promoting reconciliation, accountability and human rights in Sri Lanka will come up for consideration […]
New testimonies of harrowing incidents of sexual violence in Sudan
By Mirjam van Reisen IDN received 15 new testimonies collected by an organisation focusing on supporting rape victims in the war in Sudan. The testimonies document a series of harrowing incidents of sexual violence in Sudan, primarily targeting women aged between 18 and 36 years. These incidents occurred across various locations, including Khartoum and its […]
Leveraging Trump’s Tariff Shock: Diversify Products and Markets — Industrialise
By Darini Rajasingham Senanayake* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 12 August 2025 (IDN) — Real and staged crises present opportunities to reorient, innovate and think outside the box. Trump’s tariff ‘shock’ presents Sri Lanka’s business sector and national policy makers an opportunity for short, intermediate and long-term economic and industrial policy shift out of the current […]