Viewpoint by Siddharth S Edake NEW DELHI (IDN) – Today, I can see the forests of the Aravali Biodiversity Park at the far end, under a light blue sky dotted with fluffy white clouds. The air is crisp and clear, and close to around 20 yellow-footed green pigeons locally known as hariyal, a rare sighting […]
Postponement of NPT Review Conference Offers an Opportunity
Antagonisms, Conflicts and Nuclear Risks After the Pandemic A Pugwash Document Signed on May 6 by Sergio Duarte (President of Pugwash), Paolo Cotta Ramusino (Secretary-General of Pugwash), Steven Miller (Chair of the Pugwash Executive Committee), and Saideh Lotfian (Chair of the Pugwash Council). Download a copy [PDF]. As of May 10, 135 eminent personalities including […]
Close Encounters of the COVID Kind
The what, where, when, why, who, and how of the coronavirus pandemic Viewpoint by Dr. Dilkhush Panjwani * TORONTO (IDN) – Humanity is facing close encounters with the unfolding crisis of the novel coronavirus SARS-COV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic. Doctors, nurses, paramedics, and many other essential service providers are on the frontline, risking their lives to save […]
COVID-19: An Opportunity to Fix Dysfunctional Biomedical R&D System
Viewpoint by Sreenath Namboodiri* The author is Assistant Professor of Law at School of Ethics, Governance, Culture & Social Systems, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth (deemed to be university), Ernakulam, Kerala, India. He can be reached on twitter @SnathNamboodiri NEW DELHI (IDN) – Failures of the patent system to meet the public health priorities demand a new approach […]
In Africa, Trump’s Fate Is Worse Than a Laughingstock
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) – In a recent article in The Atlantic also widely used elsewhere, American journalist, Anne Applebaum, described the pathetic meltdown of US President Donald Trump, especially since the outbreak of the global health crisis, COVID-19. […]
Our Oceans Keep Our Health, The Economy and Our Lives Above the Waves
Healthy oceans: keeping Asia and the Pacific afloat Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana The writer is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP. BANGKOK (IDN) – Memories of idyllic beaches and sonorous waves may seem far away while we remain at home. Yet, we need not look far to appreciate the enduring history […]
COVID-19: Should Economy Have Priority Over Migrant Workers’ Health?
Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) – Many critics have described labour migration as the 21st-century slave trade and Covid-19 crisis has exposed this stark reality. Eastern European migrant labour in Europe. Unpaid construction workers on the brink of starvation in the Middle East. Hundreds of South Asian dormitory locked down migrant labourers infected with […]
Greece Extends COVID-19 Lockdown at Refugee Camps
Viewpoint by Eva Cossé, Human Rights Watch The writer is Western Europe researcher, works on issues related to discrimination, migration, asylum and minority rights, with a focus on Greece. This article first appeared on Human Rights Watch, and is being reproduced with the author’s permission. LONDON | ATHENS (IDN) – The Greek government has begun […]
Tale of a Machiavellian US in the Middle East
The US Has to Work with Russia, Not Against It Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) – The war in Syria has dropped out of the news, like almost everything else, in a time when the Coronavirus seems to dominate all discourse and reporting. But the regime of Bashar al-Assad continues to strangle its […]
Non-Aligned Movement Aligned Against COVID-19
By Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Sr Lanka President The following is the text of the Sri Lankan President’s address on May 4 to the online summit meeting of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) under the theme “United Against COVID-19”: COLOMBO (IDN) – I am pleased to be participating at this Summit, in support of global solidarity, unity […]