By Edem Wosornu The author is Director of Operations and Advocacy of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Following are extensive excerpts from his Briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Sudan. NEW YORK | 21 March 2024 (IDN) — In resolution 2417, you asked the Secretary-General […]
Small Island Developing States Meet in Antigua and Barbuda in May
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK | 20 March 2024 (IDN)—When the last International Conference on Small Island Developing States was held in 2014, there was no COVID-19 pandemic and no global economic recession and much fewer geopolitical tensions. The climate emergency, while present, had not reached the heights it has today. This year, as the […]
US Military ‘No Longer Justified’ In Niger, Junta Leaders Say
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 19 March 2024 (IDN) — The West African nation of Niger has suspended military cooperation with Washington after high-level talks to break recent tensions between the two parties collapsed. Speaking for Niger’s military junta, Col. Maj. Amadou Abdramane announced on state TV that the U.S. military […]
Ukraine War: European Union May Risk Its Political Future
By Michael von der Schulenburg, Hans-Joachim Funke* BERLIN | 19 March 2024 (IDN) — The deteriorating military situation in Ukraine and the United States’ increasing withdrawal from this war created a situation in which the EU is now pushed to the forefront in dealing with this problem. Probably for the first time since the end […]
The Origin of COVID-19 and US Responsibility
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. A US-funded laboratory origin of COVID-19 would constitute the most significant case of governmental gross negligence in history. The people of the world deserve transparency and factual answers to vital questions. NEW YORK | 18 March […]
UN Health Agency Warns of Imminent Famine in Gaza
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 18 March 2024 (IDN) — The situation in Gaza is catastrophic, and northern Gaza faces imminent famine. According to the latest analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) partnership released today, the rest of the Strip is also at risk. Over a million people are expected to face […]
India-China Geopolitical Battle Intensifies in the Indian Ocean
Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE | 17 March 2024 (IDN)—China and the Maldives signed a military assistance agreement earlier this month. Indian troops have started withdrawing from the Islands. Simultaneously, China, Russia, and Iran are holding war drills in the Indian Ocean. Though the geopolitical battle in the Indian Ocean is intensifying, it could assist […]
Africa: Undersea Cable Damage Disrupts Internet
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 17 March 2024 (IDN) — What is a world without a phone? Without long-distance service? Without a digital cellular network? It’s hard to imagine since billions of people across the globe can now call relatives, do business or exchange information without having to put it in […]
Is There a Way Out of Nuclear Stalemate?
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 16 March 2024 (IDN) — Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has entered its third year. President Vladimir Putin has been threatening the use of nuclear weapons. Republican Presidential candidate, former President Donald Trump, doubled down his threat and appeared to invite Putin to invade any NATO member failing to meet […]
Online Activism in China
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK| 15 March 2024 (IDN) —There are already more than 1 billion netizens in China, more than 3 times the population of the USA and almost one and a half times that of Europe. This means that about 20% of the world’s internet users, or almost 1 in 5, live in China. […]