A Lotus News Feature by Kalinga Seneviratne LUOYANG, China | 15 August 2024 (IDN | LCN) — Though people around the world may not relate China with Buddhism these days, the reality is that Buddhism has been an integral part of Chinese civilization and culture for 1900 years, and even today with over 200 million […]
India Balances Interests Amidst Israel-Iran Tensions
By Kabir Taneja* NEW DELHI | 15 August 2024 (IDN) — The assassination of Ismail Haniyeh, Chief of Hamas’s Politburo in Tehran, hours after he attended the swearing-in ceremony of the newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian was a dramatic event. Haniyeh, the political lead for various levels of negotiation and talks since 7 October terror […]
Gaza War: Theft of Nation—Again
By James E. Jennings* ATLANTA, Georgia | 12 August 2024 (IDN) — At a carnival or county fair the chances are you’ll be accosted by a huckster with a shell game—“Step right up—try your luck!” It’s a game of distraction, and you’re a sucker if you think you can beat the quick fingers of the […]
The Cost-of-Living Crisis Lingers on Despite Recent Declines in Inflation
By Shuvojit Banerjee* BANGKOK, Thailand | 12 August 2024 (IDN) — High prices of essential goods and services have become a pressing issue for the poor and vulnerable in Asia and the Pacific despite decent economic growth and declining inflationary trends so far in 2024. This cost-of-living crisis since the onset of the war in […]
Kazakhstan Willing to Share Nuclear Disarmament Expertise with N. Korea
By Ji Da-gyum, The Korea Herald ASTANA, Kazakhstan | 11 August 2024 (IDN) — Kazakhstan is willing to share its nuclear disarmament expertise with North Korea, emphasizing its own journey of voluntarily relinquishing nuclear weapons inherited from the Soviet Union and subsequently achieving substantial economic growth, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko said. “We want […]
Wagner Group Setback in Mali Challenges Russian Strategy in Africa
By Christopher Michael Faulkner* WASHINGTON, D.C. | 11 August 2024 (IDN) — While Russia’s army is bogged down in Ukraine, its mercenaries are faring no better in Africa. In late July 2024, mercenaries from the the Wagner Group, a Moscow-aligned private military company, accompanied the Malian army in what the Malian regime called a “stabilization […]
The Manor: A Home for Greatest Stories from Africa
By Franck Kuwonu NEW YORK | 8 August 2024 (IDN | Africa Renewal) — The digital age has sparked a wave of innovation and entrepreneurship worldwide, leading to the creation of startups and tech. On the African continent, the rapid spread of digital technology is revolutionizing how young people engage with the world, empowering them […]
Netanyahu Is Dragging Israel Down on His Catastrophic Journey to Hell
By Alon Ben-Meir NEW YORK | 6 August 2024 (IDN) — Israel has never faced the kind of horrific state in which it currently finds itself since its establishment in 1948. It is hard to fathom how an Israeli prime minister would risk the very existence of the millennia-old dream of Jewish statehood only to […]
World Bank Shows Way Out of Extreme Poverty for Two-thirds of Global Population
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 6 August 2024 (IDN) — Bad news for two-thirds of the global population. They comprise six billion people and inhabit 108 countries—including China, India, Brazil, and South Africa—classified as “middle-income”, each with annual GDP per capita in the range of $1,136 to $13,845. Two out of every three people […]
Manila and Tokyo Ally with Washington but Keen to Strengthen Their Own Defences
By Richard Heydarian* This article is republished courtesy of Internatinal Politics and Society. Read original MANILA | 4 August 2024 (IDN) — Following years of intensive negotiations, the Philippines and Japan have consolidated their military cooperation with a new defence pact. Under the recently signed Reciprocal Access Agreement, the two Asian countries will define procedural […]