Viewpoint by Roberto Savio* ROME (IDN) – On August 23, a respected Brazilian polling institute found that the country’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, enjoys an approval rating of 51 per cent, the highest since he was elected. Brazil ranks second as the country with the highest number of coronavirus deaths (116,000), according to Wikipedia, after the […]
What Is Mali Telling Africa?
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) – The headlines, especially in the Western press, suggest that Africa is back again in the news for the wrong reasons. Misery has really never been too far away, but in the last few years, […]
Four Ways the Philippine Strongman Rodrigo Duterte Could Fall
Viewpoint by Walden Bello * “This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper.” — T.S. Eliot, The Hollow Men NEW YORK (IDN) – The fix that Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is in now illustrates the truth in the saying that the best-laid plans of mice and men are often […]
How the Shadow of Slavery Still Hangs over Global Finance
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 […]