By Sugeeswara Senadhira This article is the 47th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous reports. COLOMBO (IDN) — An inaugural flight between Colombo and India’s newest international airport Kushinagar landed on October 20 to mark the official […]
With Public Interest Journalism Fund, NZ Seeks To ‘Normalise’ Diversity
By Sri Krishnamurthi The author wrote this article for the IDN partner Asia-Pacific Report on October 13. WELLINGTON (IDN) — The announcement in February of a new $55 million, three-year Public Interest Journalism Fund (PIJF) by Minister for Broadcasting and Media Kris Faafoi suggested a revitalisation of tired old traditional media models. Since then it […]
Nobel Peace Laureate Tutu Celebrates 90 With Global Leaders
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Celebratory messages of love and appreciation for Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu poured in from across the world on the Nobel Peace laureate’s 90th birthday on October 7. A week’s worth of events culminated on his birthday with the 11th Desmond Tutu International Peace Lecture delivered […]
Nobel Laureate Abdulrazak Gurnah Ignites Debate in Zanzibar
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Out of 118 Nobel Prize laureates between 1901 and 2021, only six have gone to African writers with only two to Black Africans. So, there was a measure of celebration, excitement, and pride when this year’s prize was awarded to Zanzibar-born writer Abdulrazak Gurnah.
Hundreds Of Events Mark World Migratory Bird Day
By Rita Joshi BONN (IDN) — People all over the world celebrated on October 9 World Migratory Bird Day, a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. Two environmental treaties—the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the […]
Coastal Developing Countries Count on A Sustainable Ocean Economy in the Aftermath of COVID-19
By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN | UNCTAD) — Barbados, Belize and Costa Rica are looking beyond the pandemic and climate shocks by developing and implementing national trade strategies strongly linked to resilience, conservation and the sustainable use of their marine resources. A regional experience-sharing workshop held on September 23-24 highlighted the need to adopt, elaborate and […]
New U.S. Travel Rules Exclude Foreigners Vaccinated With Russia’s Sputnik V
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) — Russian and foreign media have stepped up reports about rising Covid-19 infections. The reports also indicate high deaths in the country. Some new trends are noticeable. Interestingly, Tourism and Travel agencies have revealed that vaccine uptake has lagged in Russia and worse, due largely to mistrust, so many […]
COVID-19 & the Global South: From Crisis Response to Sustainable Development
By Rachel Gisselquist Rachel M. Gisselquist, a political scientist, is a Senior Research Fellow with the United Nations University World Institute for Development Economics Research (UNU-WIDER) and a member of the institute’s senior management team. She works on the politics of developing countries, with particular attention to inequality, ethnic politics, state building and governance and […]
Back to the Future with the Taliban?
Viewpoint by Amin Saikal This article was issued by Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. SINGAPORE (IDN) — The defeat of the United States and its allies and return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan have changed the regional landscape. The configuration of forces has shifted in favour of Pakistan […]
UN Implicitly Warns Member States Against Expelling Officials for Political Reasons
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) — Ethiopia’s decision last week to expel seven UN officials, including senior humanitarian officials from the politically troubled African nation, generated an implicit warning to all 193 member states: do not kick out any UN officials for political reasons or declare them “persona non grata”.