By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The UN’s peacekeepers, described as one of the most hazardous jobs at the United Nations, routinely risk their lives either in ongoing military conflicts or in post-conflict war zones. According to figures released by the UN Staff Union on January 20, at least 32 UN peacekeeping personnel—28 military […]
Abducted Cameroonian Journalist Found Brutally Murdered
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A prominent Cameroonian journalist was found dead this week with signs of torture near the capital Yaounde, five days after he was abducted by unidentified assailants, according to the National Union of Journalists of Cameroon and media rights advocates. Martinez Zogo’s disappearance and death was […]
Iran’s Human Rights Violations Are Indescribable
Viewpoint by Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK (IDN) — The Iranian government continues to commit human rights violations and crimes against humanity in its effort to strike terror into the heart of its people. That the government considers itself a devout Muslim regime is sacrilegious and makes a mockery of Islam.
Ageing Dalai Lama Attracts Huge Crowds to Buddhist Sacred Site
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 51st in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous reports. BODHGAYA, India (IDN) — The Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual leader, has just concluded a three-day speaking engagement here at Bodhgaya, known as […]
UN Concerned About 10 Million People Detained Worldwide
They are Threatened with Torture & ill-Treatment By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — According to a joke that was circulating in Washington political circles in a bygone era, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s notorious torture chamber in the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad—once held up as a symbol of barbarity—was never shut down. After the […]
South Pacific: Democracy Prevails in Fiji
Former Coup leaders Change Roles in Parliamentary Vote By Ravindra Singh Prasad SUVA (IDN) — In a parliamentary vote on December 24, former coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka was elected the new Prime Minister by a slim majority of one after a hung parliament. He replaces another former coup leader and twice democracy-elected Prime Minister, Voreqe […]
Austria: Call for an Independent Law Enforcement Body
A Special Report by Aurora Weiss VIENNA (IDN) — Austria’s capital is home to 20 international United Nations offices and organisations seated at the Vienna International Centre. But law enforcement in this country falls short of the UN’s requirements. The United Nations Convention against Corruption, for example, calls for independent bodies or persons specialized in […]
A NATO-Ukrainian Proposal for European Security
By Vladimir Socor * WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — The Ukrainian Presidential Office envisages a system of international security guarantees vis-a-vis Russia that would answer Kyiv’s post-war requirements. The guarantees would be provided by willing North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries, albeit, at the moment, short of NATO membership, this would potentially clear Ukraine’s path […]
McCarthy’s Ghost Could Haunt Biden’s Path to Renomination
Viewpoint by Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen* SAN FRANCISCO (IDN) — These days, conventional media wisdom says that President Biden will have a smooth path to renomination if he wants it. Don’t be so sure. Fifty-five years ago, pundits scoffed when a Democratic senator announced that he was running against incumbent Lyndon Johnson for their […]
US Foundation Commits $19.2 Million to Bolster Nigerian Media
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has announced 13 grants totalling more than $19.2 million to strengthen local and regional investigative journalism in Nigeria. The initiative, awarded through the foundation’s Nigeria program, seeks to reduce corruption by supporting Nigerian-led anti-corruption efforts that advance […]