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By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Trade unionist, anti-apartheid activist and political organizer Norman Levy, survivor of torture and imprisonment in South Africa before spending two decades of exile in Britain, has died in Cape Town, according to relatives. He was 91.
He became an activist in his teens and joined the Young Communist League before becoming a member of the Communist Party of South Africa.
By Niba Mirza*
COLOMBO (IDN) — Sri Lanka which from time immemorial is linked to South America through the Indian Ocean is now also connected through Joint Movie/ Documentary co-production and audiovisual exchange.
The Asociación Latinoamericana de Comunicación Audiovisual Parlamentaria, ALCAP, or the Latin American Parliamentary Association of Audiovisual Communication, signed a MOU with TTV Media Hub of Sri Lanka so that bridges between Sri Lanka and South America can be diversified and strengthened via enhanced Audiovisual exchange and Joint Movie Production.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — “It is easy to break down and destroy. The heroes are those who make peace and build.” Those were the prophetic words of Nelson Mandela, for whom the United Nations designated July 18 as Nelson Mandela International Day to remember the life and legacy of a legendary global advocate for dignity, equality, justice and human rights.
Viewpoint by M.K. Bhadrakumar *
NEW DELHI (IDN) — The 'official working visit' by the German Chancellor Angela Merkel to the White House on July 15 has been most conspicuous for its subdued tone regarding the most fateful topic of her discussion with President Joe Biden—China.
Merkel's guarded remarks about China at the joint press conference with Biden came as no surprise but what took the breath away is that Biden himself treaded softly on that topic.
Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne
SYDNEY (IDN) — It may not be as dramatic as the Vietcong tanks crashing through the gates of the Presidential Palace in Saigon while the US airlifts its last troops by helicopter at the end to the Vietnam war, yet the US troop "withdrawal" from Afghanistan this month looks nothing but a surrender to Taliban after spending $3 trillion on the war over the past 20 years and losing 2400 of its troops.
Viewpoint by Max Berengaut*
MARRAKECH (IDN) — Entering Morocco, Sub-Saharan African migrants find themselves at a crossroads. There is the promise of an economic future waiting for them in Europe, but the path to it is perilous. They require either an assurance of asylum status or some familial relationship with a European in order to enter Europe without any problems. Unfortunately, many will have neither, forcing them into dangerous and irregular means of entry into Europe, or at times leading them to stay in Morocco.
Viewpoint by Corey Wallace
The writer is Assistant Professor at Kanagawa University.
YOKOHAMA, Japan (IDN | East Asia Forum) — Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics have cast a shadow over Japan’s COVID-19 response. Critics—including a former Japanese prime minister—questioned whether the government’s lacklustre early response to the outbreak and its ‘risky’ cluster-based strategy were a product of political considerations concerning the Games. A former health minister even asked whether under testing and ageing Japan’s more than 90,000 annual pneumonia deaths conveniently obscured the true impact of COVID-19.
Viewpoint by Sugeeswara Senadhira
COLOMBO (IDN) — A transformation in the security dynamics in South Asia is taking place at such a fast rate that experts on regional security are totally confused and puzzled about the future scenario. The withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan, the gradual expansion of Taliban control in the country, India’s alleged secret talks with Taliban leaders in the Middle East, Pakistan’s growing concerns and the wait-and-watch attitude of China and Russia have added to the bewilderment and reluctance to forecast any possible outcome.
By Hans-Joachim Allgaier
POTSDAM, Germany (IDN) — A German learning portal that provides free basic digitization knowledge in several languages to Internet users around the world is heading for its one-millionth enrolment. German science patron, Prof. Hasso Plattner, co-founder of the software company SAP and founder of the Hasso Plattner Institute (HPI) in Potsdam, is behind the international project and fully finances the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC).
By Kingston Reif and Shannon Bugos*
WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) — As the Biden administration prepares to initiate a review of U.S. nuclear weapons policy, its first budget request proposes to continue every part of the unnecessary and unsustainable nuclear weapons spending plans it inherited from the Trump administration. This includes the controversial additions made by President Trump to the Obama-era program, such as additional, more usable lower-yield nuclear capabilities.
IDN-InDepthNews offers news analyses, features, reports and viewpoints that impact the world and its peoples. It has been online since 2009. Its network spans countries around the world.