By Thalif Deen* UNITED NATIONS | 18 October 2023 (IDN) —The ongoing battle between Israel and Hamas is overwhelmingly one-sided—the most powerful military in the Middle East, armed with some of most sophisticated and state-of-the-art American weapons systems vs a ragtag guerrilla force armed largely with shoulder-borne rocket launchers, mortars, drones and small arms. Adding […]
Australia Referendum Exposes Flaws of Democracy Architecture
Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY | 17 October 2023 (IDN) — The resounding defeat suffered by the Australian Labour Government on the 14 October referendum to amend the constitution to recognize the “First Australians” (indigenous people) exposes the flaws in the Australian democratic architecture, especially the role of social media and concentration of media ownership […]
Is the Israel-Palestine Crisis Just About Gaza?
By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA | 13 October 2023 (IDN) — This is the moment the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu always feared with great anxiety. Yet when Hamas launched a deadly attack on Southern Israeli border towns in the early hours […]
UN Human Rights Council: Russia Loses, China Wins Narrowly
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 11 October 2023 (IDN) — The UN’s 47-member Geneva-based Human Rights Council (HRC) has had a longstanding notoriety for having several so-called “repressive regimes” and “authoritarian governments” as its members—elected by the 193-member General Assembly. At the elections, held by secret ballot on 10 October, the 15 new members […]
Israeli Policies A ‘Carbon Copy’ of Apartheid-Era, Says A Church Leader
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 10 October 2023 (IDN) — Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba ruffled a few feathers when he released a decision passed by the South African church ruling body that declared Israel an apartheid state. The decision reads in part: “As people of faith who are distressed by the […]
The Attacks from Gaza: Are Israelis Aware of Their Long History?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 10 October 2023 (IDN) — If those people of Israel who stand on the right alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu want to go back to their memories of their war against the Arab nations after they had been attacked following the handover by the British in 1948; if they […]
Uganda Bans Opposition Rallies, Detains Journalists
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | KAMPALA | 9 October 2023 (IDN) — President Yoweri Museveni has held office for almost 40 years. To many, that would seem like more than enough. But in poll after poll, Museveni was the candidate to beat and he eked out victories six times until a […]
Religious Leaders Can Help Bring About World Peace
By Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ASTANA. 6 October 2023 (INPSJapan | IDN) — It is not a secret that the world is witnessing rising international tensions and erosion of the global order that has been in place since the establishment of the United Nations. Divisive blocs, which have not been seen since the Cold War, are making […]
The US Should Beware of Fuelling Hostility in Bangladesh
By Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury* DHAKA. 5 October 2023 (IDN) — On 24 May 2023, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced a “visa policy” on Bangladesh, enacted on 22 September 2023. US Ambassador in Bangladesh Peter Haas has documented that this “visa policy” shall also apply to the media members in Bangladesh. Anyone knowing […]
UN Human Rights Council: Are Inmates Taking over the Asylum?
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 5 October 2023 (IDN) — When the 193-member General Assembly (GA) elected some of the so-called “repressive regimes” as members of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) in a bygone era, US Congressman Dana Rohrabacher remarked: “The inmates have taken over the asylum”. And, as an after-thought, he added: “I […]