By Justus Wanzala NAIROBI (IDN) – African governments have been availing of two conferences at the UN Environment Headquarters in the Kenyan capital in September to gear up for the Biological Diversity Summit in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, and the Climate Summit in Katowice, Poland. The African Ministerial Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) from September […]
China-Japan Rivalry Intensifies in Asia’s New Growth Region
By Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE (IDN) – While China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has been in the news for a while – thanks mainly to negative reporting by the western media – Japan is slowly funding the building of supplementary trade corridors in the Mekong region projecting itself as not only interested in building infrastructure, […]
Right to Information a Mixed Success in the Asia-Pacific Region
By Sean Buchanan LONDON (IDN) – Freedom of information is not only a human right, but also an essential tool to engage and empower citizens to demand accountability from governments and fight corruption. Worldwide, around 120 countries have a right to information (RTI) act, indicating that most countries consider it important to spell out in […]
Japan Considers Ways of Shedding the Straitjacket and Go the Whole Hog for Nuclear Abolition
The following is a revised version of the article posted on September 30, 2018. By Katsuhiro Asagiri TOKYO (IDN) – Japan’s profound interest in the international community’s efforts to help usher in a world free of nuclear weapons was underlined in the run-up to the commemoration of the International Day for the Total Elimination of […]
India Hosts UN Chief on International Day of Non-Violence
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – In the run-up to UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ four-day visit to India beginning October 1, a senior official of the world body has expressed “a special thank you” to the Government of India, which is contributing US$1 million to install solar panels and a green roof on […]
Tanzanians Search For Reasons Behind Latest Ferry Disaster
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Tanzanian President John Magufuli took action against a ferry captain and all of the crew as the number of bodies pulled from Lake Victoria in the latest maritime disaster topped 200. Magufuli told the nation on September 21 that the captain left the ferry’s steering […]
Nelson Mandela Peace Summit Rebukes ‘America First’ Strategy
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – South African President Cyril Ramaphosa couldn’t be prouder as he unveiled a life-size statue of Nelson Mandela on September 24, a day before the start of the General Debate of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA73) and the opening of a day-long […]
Sustainable Development Award Winners Celebrated at UN
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK(IDN) – Tanzania-based WomenChoice Industries and Mukuru Clean Stoves of Kenya are the global winners of the SDGs and Her Competition that seeks to increase knowledge about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their potential impact on women, as well as to encourage private sector partners and share best practices […]
African Countries Seek Relief from Burgeoning Chinese Loans
By Allan Olingo In the past 15 years, Beijing has written off more than $2 billion worth of debt advanced to African countries, says Allan Olingo, an accomplished business journalist from Kenya. This article first appeared in The East African on September 17, 2018. NAIROBI (IDN-INPS) – Some African countries are now seeking to write […]
When a Vice President is Nabbed With Million Dollar Watches
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – What does a suitcase full of million dollar watches look like? Well, it’s blinding for one and it caught the eye of police at the Sao Paulo Viracopos airport in Brazil who confiscated the gem-encrusted time pieces found in the luggage of the son of […]