Sustainable Cities & Communities

Photo: Haiti was struck on August 14 by a deadly 7.2-magnitude earthquake that left hundreds dead and countless others injured. (file) MINUJUSTH/Logan Abassi

UN Working with Aid Partners in the Wake of Massive Earthquake Hitting Haiti

By UN News

NEW YORK (IDN) — The United Nations is working to support rescue and relief efforts in Haiti following a powerful earthquake that reportedly left hundreds dead, with perhaps even more injured and missing, and caused massive damage in the south-western part of the country.

UN chief António Guterres said that he is closely following the latest unfolding tragedy in Haiti, while UNICEF reported that its teams already on the ground are making assessments to prioritize urgent needs and provide assistance to affected populations in the wake of the 7.2 magnitude quake that has reportedly killed more than 500 people.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Cities & Communities; 15 August 2021

Photo: Iran men's national kabaddi team, which won gold, halting India's dominance in Asian Games 2018. Credit: Fars News Agency. CC BY 4.0

Asian Sports Should Be Better Represented in Olympics

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — Japan was the first Asian country to host a summer Olympic Games in 1964 and this year became the only Asian country to host it twice. The Olympics that concluded on August 8, included very few sports that could be called Asian, and the question begs whether Japan had done enough to promote more Asian sports in the latest Olympic Games.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Cities & Communities; 10 August 2021

Photo: The railway station of Birobidzhan, a town and the administrative centre of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast, Russia, located on the Trans-Siberian Railway, near the China-Russia border. Created: 6 October 2007. CC BY-SA 3.0.

The Russian Town Birobidzhan Is an Alternative to Jewish Settlements in Palestine

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The Israeli government allows its settler movement to go on and on claiming more of the West Bank. Is there nothing that can be done? The might of America, combined with the influence of the European Union and the Arab world, have not been able to halt the territorial growth of Israel.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 01 June 2021

Photo (top): Launch of an Internet portal 'Sutta Central'.

Australian Monk Takes On The Mammoth Task To Bring Buddha’s Discourses Into One Place

By Kalinga Seneviratne

As Buddhists across the world celebrate the triple anniversary of Vesak on May 26 that marks the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha, this IDN-Lotus News special feature by Kalinga Seneviratne—46th in a series—focuses on a landmark project in the dissemination of the Buddha’s teachings. Click here for previous reports.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 24 May 2021

Photo: Nigerian start-up's bus. Source: Plentywaka

Nigerian Start-Up Plans International Debut in Canada

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — You’ve hailed an Uber, waved down a taxi—now a Nigerian start-up will take you to the next level. Their company—Plentywaka—will let you call a bus.

Founder Onyeka Akumah and his team are planning to make their international debut in the Canadian market after recently receiving $120,000 backing from Techstars Toronto.

: THE WORLD; Africa; 19 April 2021

Photo: Prof. Ksenia Tabarintseva-Romanova and Prof Alexei Antoshin

Economic and Social Development of the African Continent — A Russian Perspective

Kester Kenn Klomegah* interviews Prof. Ksenia Tabarintseva-Romanova and Prof Alexei Antoshin

MOSCOW (IDN) — After the Soviet collapse, Russia has maintained strong and time-tested relations with African countries, particularly as the Soviet Union had played an important role during decolonization. The African continent comprises a diverse collection of countries, each with its own set of development setbacks and challenges. The political culture and investment climate are, in fact, diverse but are also important forces in determining the levels of the economy.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Africa; 18 April 2021

Photo: Explosive eruption of La Soufriere volcano prompts evacuations for St. Vincent and the Grenadines. Source: CaribDirect.com

Erupting Caribbean Volcano Enhances Solidarity to Save Lives & Property

By P.I. Gomes

Dr P.I. Gomes is former Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, the Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS was previously ACP Group of States).

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (IDN) — La Soufriere volcano in the northeast of the main island of St. Vincent & the Grenadines, after warning signs of rumblings some months ago and the volcanologists’ prediction of an imminent eruption, just a week ago, the fate of nature’s fierce foray was felt on April 8, 2021 by the first explosive eruption of metre-high clouds of ash, smoke, rocks and debris. This was the first most severe event causing the evacuation of some 16,000 persons from a red zone in close proximity to the volcanic area.

: Dr. Patrick Gomes; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; OACPS; 14 April 2021

Photo: Fire rips through Sierra Leone. Source: International Centre for Investigative Reporting

Fire Through Sierra Leone Leaves Thousands Without Shelter

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — A scorching blaze that turned a crowded neighbourhood of Sierra Leone’s capital city into rubble and ashes has left an estimated 4,500 residents homeless with many searching for missing family.

The inferno which broke out on March 24 between 7 and 10 p.m. in Susan's Bay, devastated a community of struggling families, mostly fishermen and petty traders, according to Save the Children in a report.

: THE WORLD; Africa; 29 March 2021

The Need to Engage Youth Social Entrepreneurs to Accelerate the SDGs

Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana

Ms. Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) was Professor of Economics at Universitas Padjadjaran in Bandung, Indonesia.

BANGKOK (IDN) – This year, the United Nations is marking its 75th anniversary – a milestone of extraordinary economic and social progress in Asia and the Pacific. While the Organization enjoys a lifespan almost equal to the world’s improved average life expectancy, the future lies with those who have recently embarked on theirs: our young people.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 30 October 2020

Photo: The Dalai Lama, spiritual head of the Tibetan people, interacts with the media during his visit to the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya, December 2019. Credit: PTI.

Xi Ready to Turn Free Tibetans Into Hapless Uighurs

By Nadir Ali Wani*

SRINAGAR, India (IDN) – Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet. Which of them would be the first to completely lose its separate and independent identity under the watch of the expansionist Chinese president, Xi Jinping? Critics say while the world pays more attention to Taiwan and Hong Kong and the Ladakh stand-off against India, Tibet is his chosen prey.

President Xi has used the COVID-prompted isolation since January to create the atmosphere – in terms of an ideological justification coupled with amendments to laws and governance of autonomous regions – for the felling of Tibet.