By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 19 May 2024 (IDN) — South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is promoting a long-awaited new law that would provide universal health care free of charge for all. It could lead to the biggest shake-up in the health sector since the end of the racist system of apartheid 30 […]
Microsoft Shuts Down Center in Lagos, Leaving Hundreds in the Lurch
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 19 May 2024 (IDN) — A Microsoft development center is shutting down in Lagos, where hundreds of staffers had nursed high hopes for training opportunities and the prospect of a good job in the high-tech industry. Just two years ago, the Development Center was opened with […]
Swiss Court Convicts a Former Gambian Minister for Crimes Against Humanity
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 17 May 2024 (IDN) — A former minister of the West African nation of The Gambia has been found guilty of multiple crimes against humanity during the brutal regime of President Yahya Jammeh. The verdict came from the top court of Switzerland whose law recognizes universal […]
African Women Battling Legal Bias in Families
By Kizito Makoye DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania | 16 May 2024 (IDN) —Thandi* was barely 14 when she was forced into marriage—crushing her dreams to become a nurse. Her cash-strapped granny who lives in Malawi’s impoverished Nano district, married her off at a meagre pride of 15,000 Malawian Kwacha, barely $8. The money, intended to […]
UN Report Cautiously Optimistic About Global Economic Outlook
By Rodney Reynolds NEW YORK | 16 May 2024 (IDN) — A United Nations report expects a sustained rebound in tourism to improve the economic prospects for small island developing States (SIDS), leading to GDP growth from 2.4 per cent in 2023 to 3.3 per cent in 2024. However, SIDS remain vulnerable to spikes in […]
Latin America and the Caribbean: Initiative to Empower Young People in Arms Control, Peacebuilding
By Rodney Reynolds NEW YORK | 15 May 24 (IDN) — The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) has launched the first edition of GenerAcción Paz: building dreams, disarming violence (GenerAcción Paz: armando sueños, desarmando la violencia), which aspires to empower young people to create […]
US Declassified Documents Reveal How Concocted Lies Trigger Wars
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 15 May 2024 (IDN) — President Barack Obama once observed, “ISIS [Islamic State] is a direct outgrowth of Al Qaeda in Iraq that grew out of our invasion—which is an example of unintended consequences—which is why we should generally aim before we shoot”. Many of us, looking back at […]
U.S. Weapons to Israel are an Arsenal of Genocide
By Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 14 May 2024 (IDN) — On May 8, 2024, as Israel escalated its brutal assault on Rafah, President Biden announced that he had “paused” a delivery of 1,700 500-pound and 1,800 2,000-pound bombs, and threatened to withhold more shipments if Israel went ahead with its full-scale […]
UN Report Faults Misinformation and Politicisation of Migration
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | DHAKA | 13 May 2024 (IDN) — Migration is an intrinsic part of human history, but it is often overshadowed by sensationalised narratives and headlines that contradict reality. “Most migration is regular, safe, and regionally focused, directly linked to opportunities and livelihoods,” says the UN migration agency IOM agency. “Yet, […]
Bad Weather and Poor Harvests Devastating Cocoa Crop in Ghana
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 13 May 2024 (IDN) — Everyone or almost everyone loves chocolate, making it imperative to follow Ghana’s production shortfall and similar problems in the Ivory Coast. These shortfalls have fuelled historic surges in cocoa prices, forcing customers to shell out more for familiar chocolate bars and […]