A Book Review by W. D. Lakshman The writer is Professor Emeritus, University of Colombo Asoka Bandarage| Crisis in Sri Lanka and the World: Colonial and Neoliberal Origins – Ecological and Collective Alternatives. De Gruyter Contemporary Social Sciences. Vol 30. Berlin and Boston: De Gruyter. 2023 9 November 2023 (IDN) — Asoka Bandarage is known […]
Nuclear Tensions Loom Over War Zones
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 9 November 2023 (IDN) — The two ongoing military conflicts in Europe and the Middle East are pitting two nuclear powers—Russia and Israel—against a non-nuclear state (Ukraine) and a non-nuclear militant armed force (Hamas). The military might is overwhelmingly in favor of both Russia and Israel in the two […]
African Fashion Bursting with Opportunities, UNESCO Says
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 7 November 2023 (IDN) — If you thought UNESCO was just about dusty old artifacts, think again. UNESCO, which stands for United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, was created in 1945 “to build peace through international cooperation as the only way to build bridges between […]
Horrific Humanitarian Situation in Gaza
By J C Nastranis NEW YORK | 4 November 2023 (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has reiterated his appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire in the Gaza war raging since 7 October. He said he was “horrified” by a strike on an ambulance convoy outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip on 4 November. According […]
Fiji: Pro-Israel UN Vote Splits the Governing Coalition and Upsets The Army
By Ravindra Singh Prasad SUVA, Fiji | 3 November 2023 (IDN) — Fiji’s vote at the recent UN General Assembly against a ceasefire in Gaza to protect civilians has split the governing coalition government and upset the chief of the armed forces. Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Professor Biman Prasad, leader of the […]
Don’t Even Think About Starting a Nuclear War
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 3 November 2023 (IDN) — In New York City, where streets in mid-town Manhattan are routinely congested and the traffic flow incredibly overwhelming, there is a warning sign outside some buildings that says it all: DON’T EVEN THINK OF PARKING HERE. If you do, either your vehicle will be […]
Climate Change Threatens to Reverse Health Gains
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 2 November 2023 (IDN) — A new multi-agency report coordinated by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned that as the world warms at a faster rate than at any point in recorded history, climate change is threatening to reverse decades of progress towards better health and well-being, particularly in […]
Russia’s Decision to Revoke Ratification of CTBT Comes Under Fire
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 1 November 2023 (IDN) — A decision by the Russian parliament to pass a bill on 18 October to revoke its ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) has come under heavy fire. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he was “dismayed” by the Duma’s decision to revoke […]
New Report Examines Racism and Racial Discrimination in the UN System
By Shihana Mohamed* UNITED NATIONS | 31 October 2023 (IDN) — In 2020, the UN Secretary-General made formal acknowledgement that racism exists within the United Nations in 2020. He said, “Racism is the repudiation of our common humanity—of the Charter of the United Nations—of all that we are and all that we do. We must […]
No-Go For Kenyan Troops to Haiti — At Least For Now
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 30 October 2023 (IDN) — One thousand Kenyan soldiers will not be going to Haiti anytime soon. That’s the word from the High Court in Kenya freezing a UN Security Council-approved mission to the Caribbean nation to combat gang violence there. The mission was put on […]