Christmas commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ. But early Christians did not celebrate his birth, and no one knows on which date Jesus was actually born By Arjun Sengupta, Indian Express NEW DELHI | 25 December 2024 — The birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated annually in most (not all) places on December 25, as […]
A Day’s Affair of A Jewish and Muslim Calling in Morocco
By Yossef Ben-Meir* MARRAKECH | 24 December 2024 (IDN) — On the 12 December 2024, I set out with four colleagues of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) to meet with members of the rural community of Tafza (Al Haouz province, Marrakesh region), located in the mountain range that bore the horrendous epicenter of the September […]
Who Will Stop Israel as it Defies the UN and Invades Syria?
By Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 23 December 2024 (IDN) — The United States, Turkey and Israel all responded to the fall of the Assad government in Damascus by launching bombing campaigns on Syria. Israel also attacked anddestroyed most of the Syrian Navy in port at Latakia, and invaded Syria from the long-occupied […]
Ghana’s Historic Election Is a Vote for Change
By Nicholas Mwangi* NAIROBI, Kenya | 22 December 2024 (IDN) — Ghana’s Electoral Commission declared on December 9 that former President and opposition leader John Dramani Mahama was the winner in the presidential election held on December 7, securing 56.55% of the vote, according to provisional results. The election marked a political comeback for the […]
Coal Will Be a Central Pillar of UN Climate Summit in 2026
By Christopher Wright and Ufuk Alparslan* LONDON | 22 December 2024 (IDN) — Australia and Türkiye went into COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a range of diplomatic goals, but none greater than each country’s hopes to be announced as the host of the UN climate summit in 2026. For Ufuk and myself, the competition between […]
Africa: Economic Potential of BRICS Partner States — Algeria, Nigeria and Uganda
By Professor Maurice Okoli and Professor Chinedu Ochinanwata* ABUJA, Nigeria | 21 December 2024 (IDN) — After the historic 16th BRICS summit held in October 2024, three African States Algeria, Nigeria and Uganda, among others in Europe (Belarus and Turkey), Asia and Latin America, recognizably became BRICS+ partner states. In total, thirteen countries received BRICS […]
Will Malaysia Help Resuscitate ASEAN in 2025?
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 20 December 2024 (IDN) — What should we expect from the Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025? After several years of hibernation in which the regional bloc did not certainly sparkle in terms of vitality and creativity, will Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia be able to resuscitate an […]
Interview: Developments in Syria Can Give Opportunity to ISIS to Bounce Back
By Manish Rai ERBIL, Iraq | 17 December 2024 (IDN) — Mr Shoresh Ismail Abdulla is the Minister of Peshmerga affairs in the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). The Peshmerga are the military forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and one of the most capable forces in the region, which pushed back ISIS from its […]
Syria: A Non-Interventionist Approach Is Extremely Dangerous
By Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK 17 December 2024 (IDN) — Given its geostrategic interest and the security of its allies in the Middle East, the US has no choice but to intervene constructively in Syria by extending a helping hand to the new regime to stabilize the country. The question is, will Trump change his […]
Was South Korea’s Coup an Attempt to Restart the Korean War?
By Ju-Hyun Park* SEOUL | 16 December 2024 (IDN) — As South Korea’s political crisis continues following President Yoon’s failed attempt to declare martial law on December 3, new details are emerging in the country’s legislature that suggest the full scope of Yoon’s coup plot may have included plans to trigger a “limited war” with […]