By Benoit Lannoo* YEREVAN, Armenia | ANTWERP, Belgium | 21 August 2025 (IDN) — There is little chance that the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will congratulate the Armenian Apostolic Catholicos on his birthday today. This is a U-turn from five or six years ago, when a praising press release was issued every year by […]
Karapetyan’s Case Crucial for Armenia’s future
By Benoit Lannoo* YEREVAN, Armenia | 14 August 2025 (IDN) — Today at 5:30 PM local time, an Armenian anti-corruption Court in Yerevan will decide on a petition of the General Prosecutor of the country to prolong the detention of Mr. Samvel Karapetyan. Last Monday, the Armenian Court of Criminal Appeals already decided that Mr. […]
Twenty Million Radicalizing Muslims Pose a Challenge
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 14 January 2025 (IDN) — Besides dealing with Ukraine, Russia stands at a major crossroads as it works out how exactly to deal with the 14.5 million ethnic Muslims that live inside its borders. If, added to this are the migrant workers from Central Asia and Azerbaijan, the total […]
How Christmas Came to Be Celebrated on December 25
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 […]
Disputes on Sexuality Shaking the African Church
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 11 June 2024 (IDN) — Leaders of the United Methodist Church expressed regret over last week’s decision by the branch in Ivory Coast to leave the union following the decision of the church to repeal a long-standing ban on LGBTQ+ clergy. The developments were the latest […]
Is Violence in the Blood of Muslims?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 19 March 2024 (IDN) — Is Islam violent? ISIS in Syria and Iraq. In Pakistan, there is Lashkar-e-Taiba and the attempted murderer of the schoolgirl, Malala Yousafzai. Immigrant Moroccan men roughly pushing women and fondling them in the crowd in Cologne. Murderous bombs in Paris. Right now, much of […]
The Commercialization of Thai Buddhism into a Modern Prosperity Cult
By Jan Servaes BANGKOK | 26 January 2024 (IDN) — General and former Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha opened his royalist shirt during a press conference on May 16, 2016 to reveal the dozen amulets on his chest. He explained that these would give him moral support in negotiations with Russian President Putin. Thus, Thailand’s then […]
“In the Beginning” in Morocco
By Yossef Ben-Meir* MARRAKECH | 14 October 2023 (IDN) — As Morocco rebuilds in the aftermath of a horrifying earthquake that struck the High Atlas Mountain ranges last month, this article considers the guiding premises for sustainable societies established in the first chapter of the Torah, “In the Beginning.” This week, in every synagogue on […]
Pope Francis’ Special Envoy Goes to China to Seek Peace in Ukraine
By Devin Watkins BERLIN | ROME. 14 September 2023 (IDN | VATICAN NEWS) — Pope Francis’ special envoy, Cardinal Matteo Mario Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna, is visiting Beijing on 13-15 September to seek peace in Ukraine, according to The Holy See Press Office. “The visit (to China) forms another step of the mission desired […]
Ukrainian Refugees—Mostly Women—Reluctant to Return Home
Ukrainian Refugees—Mostly Women—Reluctant to Return Home By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury* DHAKA. 7 September 2023 (IDN) — In the wake of the conflict in Ukraine that erupted on 24 February 2022, millions of Ukrainians sought refuge in various countries across Europe and beyond. A unique feature of this refugee flow, however, is its striking gender […]