THE WORLD

Photo: Vladimir Putin & Donald Trump in Helsinki, 16 July 2018. Credit: President of the Russian Federation. CC BY 4.0

Exploring Whether Trump or Putin Is a Dictator

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Who comes closest to being a dictator? Is it President Vladimir Putin or President Donald Trump?

Until Trump came on the scene as America’s number one, Putin took the prize for autocracy. No longer. Who uses his power to stir up violent, anti-democratic, movements? Who incites racism?

Who cares barely a fig for poor ill people? Who cossets the rich? Who threatens the world’s existence most – the one who spends more on increasing armaments than the other has altogether?

: Jonathan Power; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 20 October 2020

Photo: A photo combo of president Museveni (L) and Kyaddondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi (Bobi Wine). Credit: Daily Monitor, Uganda.

Ugandan Opposition Leader Bobi Wine's Headquarters Raided and Robbed

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Security forces raided the offices of reggae star and prominent opposition leader Bobi Wine, reportedly seizing cash, posters, banners and boxes of red berets – Wine’s signature headgear and a “symbol of resistance” which the government says is illegal.

The raid took place in a suburb of Kampala, the capital, on October 14. It comes as tensions are rising ahead of upcoming presidential elections.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 19 October 2020

Photo: 82-year-old Alpha Condé, President of Guinea, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2017.

A ‘Wind Of Change’ Could Block African Leaders Seeking ‘Presidency For Life’

By Lisa vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) As British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once said it, there’s a “wind of change" blowing through the African continent. “Whether we like it or not,” he said, “this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.”

That was the ‘60s, as countries across the continent were lowering the British flag and raising their national one.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 19 October 2020

Photo: Reverend John MacArthur. Credit: Wikimedia.

The US Pastor Who Preaches Climate Change Denial

Viewpoint by Paul Braterman*

LANCASTER (IDN) – Every so often you come across a piece of writing so extraordinary that you cannot help but share it. One such piece is a sermon on global warming by American pastor John MacArthur. Full of beautifully constructed rhetorical flourishes, it is forcefully delivered by an experienced and impassioned preacher to a large and appreciative audience.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 19 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.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 18 October 2020

Photo: Hanization raising discontent among Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang. Credit: The Kootneeti.

China Continues 'Hanization' Violating the Freedom of Ethnic Minorities

By Nadir Ali Wani*

SRINAGAR, India (IDN) – China claims, as in a 2019 white paper, "Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China”, that it fully protects the freedom of ethnic minorities to use and develop their spoken and written languages and that the state protects by law the legitimate use of spoken and written languages of ethnic minorities in the areas of administration and judiciary, press and publishing, radio, film and television, and culture and education.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 17 October 2020

Photo: The first Russia-Africa summit: Vladimir Putin with the Central African Republic President Faustin-Archange Touadera.

Russia Makes Inroads into the Central African Republic

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) – On the margins of 75th session of the General Assembly, which commenced on September 15 in virtual format amid Covid-19, UN Secretary-General António Guterres convened a high-level meeting on the Central African Republic with President Faustin-Archange Touadera, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the Chairperson of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) Commission, Gilberto Veríssimo.

The international partners expressed their support for advancing the political process, including the organization of the elections, the first round of which is scheduled for December 27.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 17 October 2020

Photo: We will never know whether or not Reinoehl was guilty of murdering Danielson, as he was not given a chance to stand trial. Source: Insider.

Death Before Due Process in Trump's America

Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar

This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations.

LOS ANGELES (IDN) – The federal government’s killing of Michael Reinoehl exactly two months before the November 3 presidential race ought to have been one of the most high-profile election issues being discussed in America. Instead, it has been almost forgotten save for some media outlets starting to question the official narrative of his death.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 17 October 2020

Photo: A mother and doctor tend to a young girl with COVID-19 at an intensive care ward in the western region of Chernivtsi, Ukraine. © UNICEF/Evgeniy Maloletka

The World Health Organization Deeply Concerned About COVID-19 Rise in Europe

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA (IDN) – The UN World Health Organization (WHO) is alarmed at the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases in Europe where nearly 700,000 cases were reported this week, the highest weekly incidence since the pandemic began in March. Overall, Europe has recorded more than seven million cases of COVID-19, with the jump from six million taking just 10 days, according to Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, the regional head of the WHO.

: Jaya Ramachandran; COVID-19; 15 October 2020

Photo: Tidjane Thiam speaking at the World Economic Forum in Dalian, China, 2011. CC BY-SA 2.0

The Ouster of Top Ivorian Banker May Spell Trouble for Africa

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – He was a celebrated banker. Euromoney named him Banker of the Year. Credit Suisse, which he briefly headed, saw an incredible turnaround under his leadership – from a troubled bank with billions owed in fines - to a successful one.

But after a few short years at the helm of the Swiss bank, their cold message to the accomplished Ivorian director was: “You’ve cleaned up the mess. Now leave.”