Viewpoint by Philip Roscoe* ANDREWS, Scotland (IDN) – When the infamous Zong massacre trial began in 1783, it laid bare the toxic relationship between finance and slavery. It was an unusual and distressing insurance claim – concerning a massacre of 133 captives, thrown overboard the Zong slave ship. The slave trade pioneered a new kind […]
El Sistema Brings Forth Genius in Every Child
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Simon Rattle, the former chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic and now conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, has said that El Sistema in Venezuela is “The most important thing happening in classical music today in the world”. Julian Lloyd Weber, the renowned cellist, has said, “It’s […]
EU Subsidies Benefit Big Farms While Underfunding Greener and Poorer Plots
Viewpoint by Murray Scown, Kimberly Nicholas & Mark Brady* UTRECHT | LUND | UPPSALA (IDN) – The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the European Union’s largest budget item. For the 60 billion euro a year it pays in subsidies, the CAP is expected to support farmer incomes, ensure a supply of quality food, protect biodiversity, tackle […]
President Trump’s ‘Orwellian’ Policy Fosters Child Trafficking
Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. LOS ANGELES (IDN) – President Donald Trump thinks […]
TikTok, Trump and the Need for a Digital Non-Aligned Movement
Viewpoint by Juan Ortiz Frueler* This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts (IDN) – Recent weeks have seen a dramatic escalation in the US stance towards tech companies from the People’s Republic of […]
Dark Money, Dirty Politics & the Backlash Against Human Rights
Viewpoint by Peter Geoghegan* This extract of Peter Geoghegan’s new book Democracy for Sale: Dark Money and Dirty Politics traces Victor Orbán’s rise to power. This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News. GLASGOW | LONDON […]
India’s COVID-19 Experience May Usher in a More Humane World for Women and Informal Sector Workers
Viewpoint by Lakshmi Lingam*, Tata Institute of Social Studies MUMBAI (IDN) – Women in India spend 297 minutes on unpaid domestic work each day, 245 minutes more than men who contribute only 52 minutes. Women’s work is not accounted for in the national accounting system, making their contributions unrecognised and unvalued. An Oxfam report observes […]
Uncertainty Hangs Over the Fate of Elections in Bolivia
Viewpoint by Vijay Prashad and Manuel Bertoldi * This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. NORTHAMPTON, Massachusetts (IDN) – On November 10, 2019, President Evo Morales Ayma of Bolivia announced his resignation from the presidency. Morales had been elected in 2014 to a third presidential term, which should have […]
Nonviolent Protests in Belarus Have More Chance Than Any Violent Activities
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) – There have never been such massive crowds of anti-government protestors in the countries of the ex-Soviet Union as there are this week. In Minsk, the capital of Belarus and in other major cities they stretch as far as the television cameras can see. Not even the protestors […]
Russian Influence in Southeast Asia Will Struggle to Be More Than Marginal
Viewpoint by Joshua Bernard B Espeña, UP Diliman * DILIMAN, Quezon City, Philippines (IDN) – The Russian people have voted in favour of constitutional reforms that give President Vladimir Putin the potential to stay in power until 2036 through a landslide victory in a national referendum on 2 July 2020. While critics complain about voting […]