By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — “What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore…and then run?” Those were the prophetic words of poet Langston Hughes but they could also explain the rising frustration in an African election season […]
Discussion About the Repatriation of Nigeria’s ‘Benin Bronzes’ Looted by British Soldiers
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The Church of England is joining a handful of museums, universities, and private owners exploring the repatriation to Nigeria of thousands of brass plaques, wooden and ivory sculptures known as the Benin Bronzes looted by British soldiers in the waning days of the colonial era.
Sudan Declines Ethiopian Proposal for Data Sharing on Dam Filling
By Sudan Tribune KHARTOUM (IDN) — Sudan has declined an Ethiopian offer to share data on the second filling of a giant dam before reaching a legally binding agreement. Egypt has adopted a similar position. Ethiopia’s foreign ministry on April 9 said it has formally requested Sudan and Egypt to “nominate dam operators to exchange […]
Experts Urge US to End Military Solutions for African Problems
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Three noted Africa experts, at a Roundtable with the BBC, are warning of endless “forever wars” if Africa continues to rely on military solutions with weapons and training from the U.S. and the international community instead of addressing local grievances. The group spotlighted the case […]
‘Human Rights’ and Ecological Crisis in Sri Lanka
Viewpoint by Dr Asoka Bandarage The writer, a scholar and practitioner, has taught at Yale, Brandeis, Mount Holyoke (where she received tenure), Georgetown, American and other universities and colleges in the U.S. and abroad COLOMBO (IDN) — The recent UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution A/HRC/46/L.1/Rev.1 of March 16 has brought extensive charges against Sri […]
China’s Growing Network of Ultra-High Voltage Power Lines Has Hit Its Fair Share of Snags — Part Two
Please click here for Part One of this article. By Ye Ruolin and Yuan Ye * SHANGHAI (IDN | China Dialogue) — The Hunanese experience and other cases demonstrate how this vision may prove difficult to realise. The Baihetan dam, currently under construction on the Jinsha River straddling the border of Sichuan and Yunnan provinces, […]
China’s Growing Network of Ultra-High Voltage Power Lines Has Hit Its Fair Share of Snags — Part One
By Ye Ruolin and Yuan Ye * SHANGHAI (IDN | China Dialogue) — With few coal reserves to call its own and winter rains too erratic to rely on hydropower, central China’s Hunan province had long faced frequent electricity blackouts, an annoyance to residents and a hindrance to economic growth. So, when an ultra-high voltage […]
Internal Conflict Over Carbon Neutral China by 2060
Viewpoint by Alexander Kallweit Last year, President Xi Jinping announced ambitious climate targets. But China’s reluctant state apparatus struggles to reconcile high growth and climate policy, writes Dr Alexander Kallweit, who heads the office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Beijing. Previously, he led the foundation’s International Dialogue Department in Berlin. This article first appeared in the […]
Fire Through Sierra Leone Leaves Thousands Without Shelter
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A scorching blaze that turned a crowded neighbourhood of Sierra Leone’s capital city into rubble and ashes has left an estimated 4,500 residents homeless with many searching for missing family. The inferno which broke out on March 24 between 7 and 10 p.m. in Susan’s […]
Extremist Groups’ Attacks on Civilians in Niger Condemned
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — “Multiple senseless attacks” on civilian populations by armed groups in the Tahoua and Tilabery regions of Niger were condemned by world leaders and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) which noted the recent killings of some 200 civilians including children in the violence. In the last […]