By Jan Zielonka* This article has been issued jointly by Social Europe and IPS-Journal OXFORD | 7 May 2024 (IDN) — In a recent interview for the New Statesman, a former head of Israel’s internal-security service, Ami Ayalon, disarmingly confessed: ‘We have to assume we shall have a war with Hezbollah not because we want […]
Small Gains Seen in Africa for Environmental Journalists
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 6 May 2024 (IDN) — This year, World Press Freedom Day centred around the importance of journalists raising awareness of the global environmental crisis and its consequences. As they investigate climate change, pollution, deforestation, supply chain problems, illegal mining and animal trafficking, reporters have been facing […]
A Mixed Reception at Talks on an Anti-Pollution Plastic Treaty
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU Nepal | 5 May 2024 (IDN)– The fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-4), negotiating a draft treaty against plastic pollution, one of the growing environmental hazards, was held in Ottawa, Canada, 23-29 April. But how did the talks end? It depends. Certainly, you do not need to be an […]
UN Conference to Assist Small Island States to Defy Multiple Crises
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 4 May 2024 (IDN) — “Charting the Course Toward Resilient Prosperity” is the overarching theme of the fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States (SIDS4) to be held from 27 to 30 May 2024 in St John’s, Antigua and Barbuda at the American University of Antigua. The Conference has […]
The Gaza War Pushes More Than Half of Palestinians into Poverty
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 3 May 2024 (IDN) — The seven-month-long Gaza war is thrusting nearly 1.74 million—more than 58 per cent—of Palestinians into poverty, plunging the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the State of Palestine by nearly 27 per cent or causing a loss of 7.1 billion US Dollar from a 2023 […]
WHO Fears Bloodbath If Israel Launches a Full-Scale Military Operation in Rafah
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 3 May 2024 (IDN) — The World Health Organization (WHO) has called for respecting “the sanctity of health care”, adding that “parties to the conflict have the coordinates of health facilities”. These must be actively protected and remain accessible to patients, health workers and partners. “The safety of health and […]
Sri Lanka: Between Gratefulness to Iran and Reservations of a Community
By Kalinga Seneviratne ALIKOTA ARA, Wellawaya, Sri Lanka | 2 May 2024 (IDN) — Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi made a one-day visit to Sri Lanka on 24 April amid tight security to declare open an Iran-assisted mega power and agricultural development project that would provide power to the national grid and water to farmers in […]
Sub-Saharan Africa’s Growth Requires Quality Education for Growing Population
By Michele Fornino and Andrew Tiffin WASHINGTON. DC | 1 May 2024 (IDN) — Demographic transition may be the biggest single opportunity for the economies of sub-Saharan Africa, but countries will only be able to enjoy the dividends if they make sufficient investment in education. The region’s population is poised to double to 2 billion […]
UK-Rwanda Asylum Law: UN Leaders Warn of Harmful Consequences
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 30 April 2024 (IDN) — A highly contentious piece of legislation, forcing migrants and asylum seekers arriving in Britain, to be deported to Rwanda, has come under heavy fire. The bill, described as the British Conservative Party’s flagship immigration policy, was adopted April 22, despite strong opposition from the […]
South Africans Mark ‘Freedom Day’ Recalling ANC Victory 30 Years Ago
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 29 April 2024 (IDN) — South Africans marked on 27 April the 30th anniversary of a momentous vote, when millions of Black South Africans, young and old, brought apartheid to a close. It was the first all-race election, and the previously banned African National Congress won […]