THE WORLD

Photo: Submarino Nuclear Brasileiro (SNB) "Alvaro Alberto" SN10, the future SSN of the Brazilian Navy. Source: Navy Recognition.

Safeguards — Brazilian Nuclear Submarine

Viewpoint by Sergio Duarte

The writer is an Ambassador, former United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affair, and President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs.

NEW YORK (IDN) — The public curiosity about the Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine, named “Alvaro Alberto” in honour of a nuclear research pioneer in Brazil, has raised interest in the special verification procedures applicable to the project. This is the first time that a country that does not possess nuclear weapons, such as Brazil, decides to activate such procedures for the fuel to be used in a conventionally armed submarine powered by a nuclear reactor. It is thus important to review the legal provisions of the relevant international instruments, as well as the obligations assumed by Brazil in this field.

: Sergio Duarte; OPINION; 07 July 2022

Image Source: European Commission. Credit: Deutsche Welle, a German public, state-owned international broadcaster.

The War in Ukraine Triggers a New Order in the Western Balkans

By Aurora Weiss

VIENNA (IDN) —Ukraine and Moldova have moved closer to membership of the European Union (EU) much faster than the six countries of the Western Balkans. There has been general agreement that requirements for EU accession candidature are not easy to meet, but Ukraine and Moldova seem to have got that status overnight.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 06 July 2022

Photo: Anthony Albanese being sworn in as prime minister by Governor-General David Hurley, Governor-General of Australia. CC BY 3.0

Australian PM Slated for Secret Ukraine Visit Amid Floods Back Home

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — Australia's new Labour Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, has been criticised on Twitter and some media for secretly making a trip to Ukraine to meet Volodymyr Zelensky and pledge $100 million of military aid. At the same time, thousands of families across Australia were being evacuated from rising flood waters, with emergency services seemingly underfunded. Some families have evacuated their homes for the second or third time this year.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 06 July 2022

It's High Time for Turkey's Accession to the EU

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Once again in the European Union, thanks to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, the discussion about admitting new members is coming to the boil and, once again Turkey, promised membership of the Union over 30 years ago, is not on the list.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 05 July 2022

Photo: (left) Moussa Faki Mahamat, Chair of the African Union Commission and (right) Fortune Charumbira, President of the Pan-African Parliament. Source: News Zimbabwe.

Mugabe Supporter to Head Pan-African Parliament

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — As members of the Pan-African Parliament hotly disputed the election of senator and chief Fortune Charumbira as their next president, a familiar figure could have turned the exercise upside down.

The familiar figure was ex-President Robert Mugabe. Charumbira, an unapologetic Mugabe supporter, once faced censure from Zimbabwe’s High Court which ruled that his comments publicly supporting Mugabe’s Zanu PF party were unconstitutional as chiefs are required to be neutral.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 05 July 2022

Photo: Protesters on June 29, 2022 (twitter #AriseGhana ). Source: The African Report

Ghanaians Take to The Streets Over Intolerable Living Costs

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — “Mr President, where is our money? The high cost of living will kill us.”

Those were the cries that filled the streets of Accra as the usually peaceful people of Ghana could no longer stop their anger and frustration over intolerable living costs, record inflation, and misleading information about the economy shared by the government.

Over the past week, hundreds of Ghanaians clashed with police and denounced their government’s inaction on the crisis.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Sustainable Cities & Communities; 04 July 2022

Photo source: Global Information Network

Ghana Cracks Down on LGBTQIA+ Community Despite Opposition

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Legislators in Ghana with unapologetic support from President Nana Akufo-Addo have come up with a new law making life even harder for LGBTQIA+ persons in the West African country, a bill which essentially strips the community of all human rights.

Dubbed the “most homophobic document the world has ever seen”, the 36-page Promotion of Proper Human Sexual Rights and Ghanaian Family Values Bill 2021, which is yet to be considered by parliament, would criminalize LGBTQIA+ activities in the religious West African country.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 04 July 2022

Image: Two bronzes are being returned today: Commemorative head of a king; King with four attendants © Ethnological Museum of the National Museums in Berlin; Claudia Obrocki, Martin Franken

Germany Will Return Two Historic Bronzes to Nigeria

By Jutta Wolf

BERLIN (IDN) — Germany has taken a historic step toward addressing colonial injustice. It has agreed to return valuable bronzes to Nigeria. More than 1100 fascinating bronzes pillaged from the former Kingdom of Benin (today's Nigeria) are stored for some 125 years in the stockrooms and collections of 20 German museums. These are not only magnificent artefacts. They are some of Africa’s greatest treasures.

: Jutta Wolf; SUSTAINABILITY; Quality Education; 04 July 2022

A New Coalition Issues a Statement on the Crisis in Sri Lanka

Southern Voices to be Heeded: A Call for Debt Justice, Debt Jubilee and Debt Cancellation

COLOMBO (IDN) — The Coalition for Economic Democracy in Sri Lanka (CEDSL) is a group of concerned academics, activists, agricultural, fisheries and industrial workers, students, businesspersons, trade unionists, and professionals based 'in country' and overseas, including the diaspora, who uphold the values of economic rights and justice in public policy making.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 03 July 2022

Photo: Abortion rights demonstrators protest outside the U.S. Supreme Court after the court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade abortion decision, in Washington, D.C. on June 24, 2022. Credit: Jason Garza for The Texas Tribune

Two Infamous Rulings by the US Supreme Court Put America to Shame

Viewpoint by Alon Ben-Meir

Dr Alon Ben-Meir is a retired professor of international relations at the 'Center for Global Affairs' at New York University (NYU). He taught courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies for over 20 years.

NEW YORK (IDN) — Recently the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, which granted women the constitutional right to abortion, and the other ruling nullified a century-old New York law that forbid New Yorkers from carrying firearms in public. Both rulings are despicable as they will only severely undermine the health and security of millions of Americans.