By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) – Voters in the South Pacific Islands French colony of New Caledonia have narrowly voted to remain with French rule, but indigenous Kanaks have been celebrating the outcome of October 5 vote as taking a step closer to independence. A third referendum needs to be held in two years’ time […]
Cash-Strapped Sudan Faces New Demands Before Painful Sanctions Are Lifted
Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – The U.S. has now conditioned the lifting of painful sanctions on Sudan until it agrees to Washington’s Middle East agenda and to normalizing relations with Israel. If Sudan agrees before U.S. elections in November, sanctions could be lifted, opening the floodgates to desperately needed investment for […]
Popular Harvest Fest in Ethiopia Scaled Back as Opposition to Leadership Grows
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Harvest festivals are a common sight in Africa although this year organizers were advised to keep the numbers down due to the COVID-10 pandemic. The Homowo Festival – a celebration by the Ga people of Ghana – was held as scheduled in Ga Mashie. Many […]
Faith Leaders Criticise Bill Gates for A ‘Highly Problematic’ Agricultural Project
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – African faith leaders are calling on Bill Gates to reconsider his foundation’s “highly problematic” support of genetically engineered foods, crops and agrichemicals against the interests of non-corporate farmers in countries throughout Africa. “We write out of grave concern that the Gates Foundation’s support for the […]
Regional Autonomy Could Resolve Nigeria’s Multifaceted Problems
Viewpoint by Kester Kenn Klomegah * MOSCOW (IDN) – The African Union (AU) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have turned blind-eyes to the unprecedented and indiscriminate killings of civilians mostly in the southern parts of Nigeria. Nevertheless, the International Court of Criminal Justice (ICC) has utterly refused to categorise these as […]
Cathartic Returns to Morocco: From Peace Corps to Farmer-to-Farmer Volunteer
By Ellen Hernandez and Katie Bercegeay * MARRAKECH (IDN) – Upon hearing the words “Hamdullah wa inshallah,” Mark Apel is transported as if in a time capsule to the many times he and Yossef Ben-Meir, President of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF), uttered them in gratitude for the food set before them or in hope […]
China Aids Africa to Advance into The Satellite Age
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – An ET-SMART-RSS Earth Observation (EO) smallsat, designed in Ethiopia with Chinese funds, is preparing for launch into orbit as soon as next month. The satellite is the second to be launched into space by Ethiopia – just months after the launch of the county’s first […]
Colonialism Is Not Dead, it has Acquired A New Face
Sri Lankan Author of a New Book Warns By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) – In the 19th century, European powers came to Asia and used gunboats and gunpowder along with doublespeak to intimidate and coerce local rulers to accede their land for the European mercantile elites to establish plantations. Sri Lankan born American sociology professor […]
A Nigerian State to Test Castration as Punishment for Rapists
By Lisa Vives Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Is it a welcome development? Or legislative sadism? Those are the two sides of a debate roiling Nigeria following the passage of an amendment to a law that orders convicted rapists to be surgically castrated if a man, or have their fallopian tubes removed if […]
Historic Uganda University Devastated by Overnight Blaze
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – “It is a very dark morning for Makerere University. Our iconic Main Administration Building caught fire and the destruction is unbelievable. But we are determined to restore the building to its historic state in the shortest time possible.” Those were the words of Makerere’s Vice-Chancellor […]