By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – With Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed having ordered federal armed forces to launch a “final offensive” on the country’s Tigray region after a 72-hour ultimatum that dissident local leaders surrender expired, there are fears that those most likely to suffer will be innocent civilians. In an attempt to counter […]
Morocco’s Multiculturalism Fosters Sustainable Development
Viewpoint by Dr Yossef Ben-Meir The writer is President of the High Atlas Foundation in Marrakech, Morocco. MARRAKECH (IDN) – One ought not to doubt the Kingdom of Morocco’s abiding sincerity in its commitment to the principles of multiculturalism and to the diverse identities that constitute this Islamic nation. This embracing on the part of […]
China to Add Long-Range Bombers and Other Arsenal in the Next Five Years
By Sahil Mishra * NEW DELHI | BEIJING (IDN) – The highly publicised fifth plenary session of the 19th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) concluded at the end of October 2020 with an important communiqué which outlines the main objectives of China’s 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and the long-term vision to […]
EU Called Upon to Urgently Engage in Peace Efforts for the Horn of Africa
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (IDN) – Representatives of non-governmental organisations and academia from all around Europe have called upon the European Union (EU) to urgently appoint senior High-level Envoys for the Horn to engage in and provide support to international, in particular African, efforts to curb the crisis in the Horn of Africa. The appeal […]
RCEP Augurs Hope for 10 ASEAN States and Their 5 Partners
Viewpoint by Chandra Muzaffar This article is being reproduced from the Website of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST) presided over by Dr Chandra Muzaffar. KUALA LUMPUR (IDN) – Amidst the gloom generated by the twin health and economic crises, the birth of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a ray of […]
COVID-19 Shatters Hopes for Industrial Advance in Africa
But the Next Decade Might Trigger the Change Needed Viewpoint by Jenny Larsen* VIENNA (IDN) – Industrial development in Africa has been sluggish for some decades. Now, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic kick in, hopes for better progress, at least in the short term, appear to be fading. But if countries grasp the […]
Allegations of War Crimes by Australian Forces in Afghanistan Shock the Nation
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) – The release of a report into a landmark four-year investigation into the behaviour of Australians special forces known as the SAS (Special Air Service) in Afghanistan, seem to have shocked the nation, judging from newspaper headlines on November 20. Yet, for many who opposed Australia’s involvement in the Afghanistan […]
A ‘Wind Of Change’ Could Block African Leaders Seeking ‘Presidency For Life’
By Lisa vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) As British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once said it, there’s a “wind of change” blowing through the African continent. “Whether we like it or not,” he said, “this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.” That was the ‘60s, as countries across the continent were […]
In Memoriam of Rawlings, A Charismatic Leader and a Stalwart for Pan Africanism
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – “A bear of a man with a booming voice.” That’s how some will remember Ghana’s former President Jerry John Rawlings who died November 12 in the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, according to local media reports. He was 73. “A great tree has fallen and Ghana […]
How I am Combating Human Trafficking in Malawi
By Maxwell Matewere A Malawian crime prevention expert with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Maxwell Matewere, has been active in the anti-human trafficking field for more than two decades. The following is being republished from UN News, LILONGWE (IDN) – I was a young, recent law graduate when I first experienced the […]