By Thalif Deen* UNITED NATIONS | 18 October 2023 (IDN) —The ongoing battle between Israel and Hamas is overwhelmingly one-sided—the most powerful military in the Middle East, armed with some of most sophisticated and state-of-the-art American weapons systems vs a ragtag guerrilla force armed largely with shoulder-borne rocket launchers, mortars, drones and small arms. Adding […]
Australia Referendum Exposes Flaws of Democracy Architecture
Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY | 17 October 2023 (IDN) — The resounding defeat suffered by the Australian Labour Government on the 14 October referendum to amend the constitution to recognize the “First Australians” (indigenous people) exposes the flaws in the Australian democratic architecture, especially the role of social media and concentration of media ownership […]
Devastating Destruction in Ghana After Akosombo Dam Overflows
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | ACCRA | 16 October 2023 (IDN) — Widespread spillage from Ghana’s Akosombo Dam on the Volta River has forced over 4,000 people to abandon their homes due to flooding. The Volta River Authority (VRA) initiated controlled spillage of the Akosombo and Kpong Dams on 15 September […]
UN Peacekeepers in The DRC Suspended Over Misconduct Charges
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 16 October 2023 (IDN) — South Africa’s military has ordered home a group of soldiers accused of operating a system of mass prostitution in front of their base in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Some nine South Africans, part of a UN peacekeeping mission, were […]
No Blind Support for Israel in Asia
By Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE. 14 October 2023 (IDN) — In the aftermath of Palestinian group Hamas’s terror attack inside Israel on 7 October and the Israeli state’s equally terrifying attacks on Palestinian settlements in Gaza, the media across many parts of Asia tend to take a more neutral stand to that of their western counterparts, […]
Who’s WHO?
BY Aayusha Pokharel* KATHMANDU. 12 October 2023 (IDN) — The World Health Organisation (WHO) will be nominating its South East Asia Regional Office (SEARO) Director at its 76th session starting 30 October in New Delhi. Nepal’s candidate Shambu Prasad Acharya has emerged as a clear favourite among international public health practitioners. But vying for the […]
Israeli Policies A ‘Carbon Copy’ of Apartheid-Era, Says A Church Leader
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 10 October 2023 (IDN) — Anglican Archbishop Thabo Makgoba ruffled a few feathers when he released a decision passed by the South African church ruling body that declared Israel an apartheid state. The decision reads in part: “As people of faith who are distressed by the […]
The Attacks from Gaza: Are Israelis Aware of Their Long History?
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 10 October 2023 (IDN) — If those people of Israel who stand on the right alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu want to go back to their memories of their war against the Arab nations after they had been attacked following the handover by the British in 1948; if they […]
A German Foundation Taps Zimbabwe Writer Citing ‘Remarkable Courage’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 9 October 2023 (IDN) — Highly regarded Zimbabwe author Tsitsi Dangaarembga has been tapped for the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom award, given to individuals with “remarkable courage and dedication” and political activism. Ms. Dangarembga received the prize this week in Johannesburg. Tinashe Mushakavanhu, a research […]
Uganda Bans Opposition Rallies, Detains Journalists
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | KAMPALA | 9 October 2023 (IDN) — President Yoweri Museveni has held office for almost 40 years. To many, that would seem like more than enough. But in poll after poll, Museveni was the candidate to beat and he eked out victories six times until a […]