By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — On May 21 when Australians go to the polls to elect a new government, the vast continent which was stolen from the indigenous people in 1788 and annexed to the British crown may have its ‘independent day’—not one that would declare itself a republic, but a day when ‘independent’ […]
Australia: Major Parties Fight Shy of Making Healthcare an Election Issue
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — During the months-long Covid lockdowns across Australia in 2021, the reason given was that the country’s public hospitals would be overwhelmed by the virus-infected patients, and they would not be able to cope with the situation. Thus, while the surgery scheduled was postponed, there were long queues of patients […]
Sierra Leone Teacher Activists Arrested for Demanding ‘Living Wages’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | FREETOWN (IDN) — Schoolteachers in Sierra Leone say they’ve had enough after the arrest of Mohamed Salieu Khan, interim chair of the Teachers Solidarity Movement (TSM). On April 26, he was grabbed by police outside the popular AYV TV station after speaking about the dismal plight […]
German Deal with Namibian President on Hold Because Herero and Nama Were Left Out
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Reparations—a system of redress for egregious injustices—are not a foreign idea imposed from the outside on the United States. On the contrary, the U.S. has given lands to Native Americans, paid $1.5 billion to Japanese Americans interned in the U.S. during World War II, and […]
Whistle Blower Reveals U.S. Role in Zuma’s Corruption Inquiry
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Business consultant Athol Williams said he witnessed high-level corruption under the presidency of Jacob Zuma—but a good portion of it emanated from a U.S. company with connections to U.S. presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, according to a new report.
Explosion At Illegal Oil Refinery in Southeast Nigeria Kills Scores
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — In one of the deadliest explosions in years, fire and blast shook south-eastern Nigeria, Imo state, possibly the result of illegal oil refining of stolen crude or “kpofire”. News reports described charred bodies left scattered among burnt palms, cars and vans after the weekend explosion […]
Former Kenyan President Kibaki Leaves Mixed Legacy
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Kenya’s former president Mwai Kibaki leaves a mixed legacy of economic reforms and a new constitution alongside a controversial election which led to deadly violence and entrenched corruption. His death at 90 years of age was announced by his successor, President Uhuru Kenyatta. A British-educated […]
A Staged Default: Sri Lanka’s Sovereign Bond Debt Trap and IMF’s Spring Meetings Amid Hybrid Cold War – Part 1
This is the first in a series of three articles. Viewpoint by Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake * Debt cancellation, not asset stripping is the need of the hour! COLOMBO (IDN) — In Cherry Blossom lined Washington DC in the glare of global media April 18-23 Sri Lanka became the poster child of the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF), […]
African Woman Writer Scoops Major Fellowship Prize
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Fellowships to 180 exceptional individuals in pursuit of scholarship in any field of knowledge and creation in any art form were announced on April 7 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Chosen from a rigorous application and peer review process out of almost 2500 […]
Safeguarding The Blue Pacific from Any Further Nuclear Contamination
By Neena Bhandari SYDNEY (IDN) — The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the region’s leading political and economic policy organisation, has appointed a panel of global experts on nuclear issues to provide independent scientific and technical advice to Pacific nations in their discussions with Japan over its intentions to discharge treated nuclear wastewater from the Daiichi […]