By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) — More than 40 former government officials and leading nuclear non-proliferation experts have expressed strong support for an agreement that returns Iran and the United States to comply with the 2015 nuclear deal. The accord between Iran and the major world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of […]
Remembering ECHELON: The First International Mass Surveillance Program
By Mila Bera BELGRADE (IDN) — Ask a family member or friend how much they value their online privacy and you’ll usually get a noncommittal answer that belies their disinterest. In fact, most people don’t have a clue how much their privacy is really worth. Governments and their agencies have no such doubts; they set […]
Street Vending: Covid Seems to Have Killed a Bangkok Icon
By Pattama Vilailert BANGKOK (IDN) — Street vendors have been an iconic attraction for millions of tourists that visited Bangkok each year before the COVID-19 pandemic. In perfect tune with the Thais’ approach to enjoying life to its fullest, including eating and shopping, street vendors have set their carts in the heart of Thai people […]
Women Die in Troubled Marriages Because We Slay Singles
Nigerian Gospel Singer Dead at 42 Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwen The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) — A good number of those I have spoken with since the news of her tragic death broke on April 8 night, said Nigerian gospel artiste, Osinachi Nwachukwu, 42, should […]
Sustainable Development Threatened by ‘Finance Divide’ and COVID-19
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) — The crippling cost of debt financing for many developing countries has hamstrung their recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, forced cutbacks in development spending, and constrained their ability to respond to further shocks, according to a new United Nations report.
UN Chief Joins Rwandese to Denounce ‘Deliberate, Systematic’ Use of Genocide
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Speaking by video on the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged the world community to choose humanity over hatred; compassion over cruelty; courage over complacency and reconciliation over rage. If anyone missed the […]
UN’s Goal of Poverty & Hunger Eradication by 2030 is “Highly Unlikely, if not Impossible”
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — A projected rise in global poverty this year—with over a quarter of a billion more people joining the ranks of the world’s poor—threatens to undermine the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the General Assembly back in 2015. One of the primary goals, listed high-up as […]
How the Portuguese Language Countries Are Facing Challenges
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW | LISBON (IDN) — After two and half decades of its existence as a popular multilateral forum for Portuguese-speaking countries, the Confederação Empresarial da CPLP has been looking at multifaceted and diverse opportunities to strengthen the organization and to improve mutual cooperation among the member-governments which are geographically located in […]
Russian Invasion of Ukraine Triggers a Rise in Military Spending in Europe
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The Russian invasion of Ukraine is forcing most European countries to increase defence spending, boost military capabilities and secure their territorial borders. The attack against Ukraine, which began February 24 and has continued despite international condemnations, has resulted in thousands of civilian killings, along with the devastation of […]
UN Warns It’s ‘Now or Never’ To Limit Global Warming
By Radwan Jakeem with UN News NEW YORK (IDN) — Backed by scientists, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that it’s ‘now or never’ to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. He was reacting to the latest findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).