Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE. 27 September 2023 (IDN) — Catastrophic floods in Libya this month have killed over 10,000 people, according to estimates, due to a burst of a dam, weak infrastructure, and a lack of governance created by NATO’s bombing campaign over a decade ago to overthrow the long-serving Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi […]
Sudanese Military Chief Hints at a Solution to Ongoing War
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 24 September 2023 (IDN) — In a recent press interview, Sudan’s army chief claimed to support a peaceful solution to the ongoing war that killed thousands and displaced millions of civilians. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the de facto ruler of Sudan, was on a regional tour, making […]
Son of Ousted Gabonese Leader Joins Dad in Hot Water
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 23 September 2023 (IDN) — More bad news for the Bongo family, one-time rulers of the oil-rich nation of Gabon for nearly 56 years. On the same day, a military coup removed President Ali Bongo Ondimba from power, soldiers arrested one of Bongo’s sons, five senior cabinet […]
Re-Elected Zimbabwe President Gets Low Marks for Gender-Balance
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | HARARE. 17 September 2023 (IDN) — Women’s groups in Zimbabwe are calling on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to have a gender-balanced cabinet. The recently reelected leader has appointed just six women out of 26 cabinet positions. Women comprise 54% of Zimbabwe’s population, but men received the lion’s […]
Decaying Dams Blamed for ‘Worst Disaster’ in Libyan History
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 17 September 2023 (IDN) — As stricken Libyans searched for signs of life amid the wreckage left by two enormous dams that burst in a hurricane-strength storm, anger was growing over warnings that were ignored but could have possibly prevented the worst disaster in the country’s modern […]
South Africa’s Founder of Inkatha Freedom Party Passes At 95
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 12 September 2023 (IDN) — Prince Mangosuthu Gatsha Buthelezi, a South African politician and Zulu prince, was the oldest Member of Parliament when he passed on 9 September. He was admitted to hospital in July following a failed medical procedure to ease his back pain, his family […]
African Leaders Decide to Mobilize for Climate Change
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | NAIROBI. 11 September 2023 (IDN) — In a first for African leaders grappling with climate issues from droughts to floods, a summit was convened from 4-6 September in Nairobi, Kenya, with a focus on mobilizing the finances desperately needed for extreme weather, conserving natural resources and […]
People Behind Locked Gates Die in Building Fire in Jo’burg
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | JOHANNESBURG. 5 September 2023 (IDN) — After one of the worst residential fires in South Africa’s history, little remains of the overcrowded building in Johannesburg that sheltered some 200 Africans. Some called it a death trap and a disaster waiting to happen. The fire that began […]
African Union Condemns An ‘Epidemic’ of Coups, Dismissing Citizen Claims of Misrule
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 5 September 2023 (IDN) — African leaders holding office for 20, 30 or 40 years after questionable elections are battening down the hatches as their grip on power and consumption of the nation’s riches seems unlikely to go unchallenged for long. This so-called “resurgence of coups” […]
Tel Aviv Riots Upend Eritrea’s Historic Ties to The Jewish Community
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | TEL AVIV. 4 September 2023 (IDN) — Violent clashes in Tel Aviv over the weekend between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean regime of Isaias Afwerki threaten to break ties between Jews and Eritreans dating back to the 19th century. Some 170 people were injured in […]