THE WORLD

Call for Renewed U.S.-Russian Strategic Dialogue

By Daryl G. Kimball*

WASHINGTON , D.C. (IDN-INPS) – In the latest in a series of expert conferences and dialogues in Moscow and Washington, a group of distinguished U.S. and Russian experts released a public statement calling on U.S. and Russian officials to get back to the arms control negotiating table, with the first order of business being agreement on a five-year extension of the 2010 New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), as allowed for in Article XIV of the treaty, and talks designed to head-off new arms competition in the wake of the likely termination of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

: Daryl G. Kimball; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 12 April 2019

Rich Nations Slash Development Aid to Neediest Countries

By Krishan Dutta

PARIS (IDN) – “Donor countries are not living up to their 2015 pledge to ramp up development finance and this bodes badly for us being able to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals,” OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría has cautioned.

The warning of the head of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) comes at a time when, according to preliminary data collected by the OECD, official development assistance (ODA) from 30 member countries of the club of rich nations fell 2.7 percent in 2018 from 2017. The worst affected by the declining share were the neediest countries.

: Ramesh Jaura; SUSTAINABILITY; Global Partnerships; 10 April 2019

Photo: PNG Minister Maru presents a gift to ACP Secretary-Genral Dr. Gomes during their bilateral Meeting in N’Djamena, Chad.

The Pacific Reaffirms Commitment to the ACP Group of States

By ACP Press

BRUSSELS (ACP-IDN) – Minister for National Planning and Monitoring of Papua New Guinea, Richard Maru, has assured the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group that Papua New Guinea will continue to play an active role in the affairs of the ACP Group of States.

Minister Maru met the ACP Secretary General, Dr. Patrick Gomes, at the margins of the ACP-EU Ministerial Meeting in N’Djamena, Capital of the Republic of Chad, Central Africa, on April 3 where they discussed, among other things, Papua New Guinea’s role in the current ACP-EU post-Cotonou negotiations.

: IDN-INPS Asia Editor; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 08 April 2019

Photo: Sengalese at cultural parade in Harlem in New York. Photo: Alamy | Richard Levine | Source: Africa Renewal.

African Migrants Strive to Preserve Their Cultural Heritage

By Sharon Birch-Jeffrey*

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – To experience a taste of African culture deep inside the Big Apple, visitors – including many Senegalese – turn to Le Petit Senegal (Little Senegal), a West African neighborhood in West Harlem, New York.

African grocery shops, fabric stores, hair braiding parlors and regional restaurants sit shoulder to shoulder along the streets. The Sandaga Market of Little Senegal showcases a strong blend of African cultures, customs and languages, symbolizing efforts by African immigrants to project and protect their cultural identities.

: IDN-INPS Middle East & Africa Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 08 April 2019

Photo: President of Angola Joao Lourenco.

Angola Plans Manufacturing Russian Military Equipment

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – Many African countries are looking for profitable business, investment and trade rather than development aid. Now Angola, a south-central Africa, has announced corporate plans to diversify its state business away from purchasing to full-fledged manufacturing of Russian military equipment for the southern African market, and possibly other regions in Africa – impeding realization of the Sustainable Development Goal 16 calling for peace and justice.

: IDN-INPS Middle East & Africa Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 07 April 2019

Photo: Group photo of ACP-EU parliamentarians in Bucharest. Source: Website of Jacob L. Oulanyah

Parliamentarians Demand 'Greater Presence' of ACP-EU Compact at the UN

By Robert Johnson

BRUSSELS (IDN) – Parliamentarians of the compact of more than 105 countries of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group and the European Union (EU) are demanding "a greater presence" at the United Nations (UN). As a minimum, an ACP-EU coordination unit should have a seat at the UN, says a landmark resolution of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly held in Bucharest, the capital of Romania. It also pleads for "permanent ACP-EU working mechanisms across UN special agencies and other global institutions to enhance the global visibility of the ACP-EU partnership."

: Robert Johnson; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 06 April 2019

Photo: New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern visits members of the Muslim community at the Phillipstown Community Centre, 16 March 2019 less than 24 hours after a terror attack to two mosques left 50 people dead and dozens seriously injured in Christchurch. Credit: Kirk Hargreaves/Christchurch city council.

Terrorism Comes Unannounced to Laid Back New Zealand

By Dr Palitha Kohona

The writer, former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary, returned recently from a visit to New Zealand.

COLOMBO (IDN) – White extremism and terrorism may appear to be uncoordinated and spontaneous. It certainly lacks the 'viciousness incarnate' tag conferred by the media and certain commentators when referring to Islamic terrorism associated with the brands of Al Qaeda, Hezbollah or ISIS or to Tamil terrorism in the form of the LTTE.

: Dr. Palitha Kohona; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 06 April 2019

Photo: President Lourenço of Angola with President Putin of Russia. Credit: en.kremlin.ru

Russia and Angola Stuck between Diplomatic Rhetoric and Business Reality

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – Strengthening cooperation in trade, economy and culture, as well as current international and regional matters were top issues in talks between President Vladimir Putin of Russia and President João Lourenço of Angola at the Kremlin on April 4.

Striking a personal note, the Angolan leader, who completed his education in 1982 in Moscow, said: “Moscow then and now are two different cities. My congratulations – you have ensured progress and development for Russia and the Russian people.”

: IDN-INPS Middle East & Africa Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 05 April 2019

Photo: Kamala Harris announcing her candidacy for the presidency, on January 27, 2019. CC BY 3.0

Democrats Lining Up to Try to Take on President Donald Trump

By Radwan Jakeem

WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) – After months of speculation about who might run for president in 2020, the Democratic field appears to be set. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some stragglers who have yet to commit one way or another, but for all intents and purposes it appears we know who’s in the race.

What brought us to this point most recently, really, was the announcement by Beto O’Rourke, the three-term congressman from El Paso who narrowly lost a high-profile senate race to Republican Ted Cruz.

: Jaya Ramachandran; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 05 April 2019

Photo: Participants in the April 1-3 meeting in Apia. Credit: SPREP

15 Pacific States Build Resilience to Climate Change

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS | APIA, Samoa (ACP-IDN) – Leaders of the Pacific Island Forum, the region’s premier political and economic policy organisation, have repeatedly identified climate change as the single greatest threat to the livelihoods, security and well-being of the peoples of the Pacific. A three-day meeting, concluded on April 3 in Apia, Samoa, marked a major milestone in helping to build Pacific island resilience to this threat with the start of a EUR 12 million project spanning 15 countries.