THE WORLD

Photo: Three young children wait to be evacuated from Libya to Niger, at UNHCR’s Gathering and Departure Facility in Tripoli. © UNHCR/Mohamed Alalem

Fighting in Tripoli Throws Refugees Out of the Frying Pan into the Fire

By Klara Smits

BRUSSELS (IDN) – Multiple independent sources report that at least three people were killed and around 20 injured in an attack on the Qasr bin Ghashir detention centre in southern Tripoli. The attack seemed specifically aimed at the refugees and migrants in the centre, according to witnesses who say that the rebel militia fighters of General Khalifa Haftar were behind the attack.

Reports say that after a brief lull, the fighting around Libya’s capital Tripoli has intensified in the past week. In the southern districts of Tripoli, forces loyal to the UN-recognised Tripoli-based government clashed with the forces of General Khalifa Haftar.

: Klara Smits; THE WORLD; Middle East & North Africa; 26 April 2019

Photo: The Kingsbury Hotel in Colombo, which was among three Colombo hotels hit by suicide bombers on Easter Sunday. CC BY-SA 4.0

Sri Lanka Easter Sunday Attacks Possibly More Than a Religious Conflict

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SINGAPORE (IDN) – “I gave leadership to the government that defeated the terrorists that no one thought could ever be defeated. From the moment this government came into power in January 2015, they have been persecuting the members of the armed forces and the intelligence services that ended that war,” said former President and Current Opposition Leader Mahinda Rajapakse in an emotional 10 minute address to parliament on April 23.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 25 April 2019

Photo credit: Cover image of the study 'Ready for the Dry Years: Building Resilience to Drought in South-East Asia'.

Drought Looms for South-East Asia

By Sean Buchanan

LONDON (IDN) – South-East Asia is expected to experience a future of many dry years and the hardest hit will be the poor, especially farming communities that rely on regular rainfall for their annual crops and have few resources to fall back on during periods of rain shortfall.

This is the prospect for the region outlined in a just-released study by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) entitled Ready for the Dry Years: Building Resilience to Drought in South-East Asia.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 25 April 2019

Photo (l to r): Jamaica's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith; EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica; and Professor Robert Dussey, the ACP’s Chief Negotiator.

Future EU-Caribbean Relations in New ACP-EU Partnership

By ACP Press

KINGSTON (ACP-IDN) – As the EU is working to modernise its relations with 79 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP), the two groups' chief negotiators Neven Mimica and Robert Dussey met with ACP Caribbean leaders for a dedicated dialogue on the regional EU-Caribbean pillar in the framework of the post Cotonou ACP-EU partnership.

The discussions on April 15, 2019, formed part of broader regional consultations and are focused on the Caribbean’s specific needs and priorities for the coming years. The outcome will guide the negotiators’ work in creating a tailor-made EU-Caribbean partnership within the future ACP-EU agreement.

: Africa & ME Editor; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 24 April 2019

Photo: Raila Odinga, AU high representative for infrastructure development in Africa. Credit: KahawaTungu

Infrastructure Development Key to Africa’s Growth

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) – Over the years, African Union officials have repeatedly urged African leaders to prioritise Africa’s Agenda 2063 – a strategic framework for delivering on Africa’s goal for inclusive and sustainable development – and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The 15-member UN Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution welcoming AU initiatives for infrastructure development and pledging support for "African solutions to African problems" in an attempt to achieve the SDGs.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Africa; 24 April 2019

Zambian Villagers Win Landmark Ruling in Water Poisoning Case

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Zambian villagers whose livelihoods were turned upside down by a toxic spill from a copper mine will finally have their day in court. They succeeded against the odds in a case pitting their claims against a worldwide mining company which denied responsibility for the spill caused by a local Zambian company it controlled.

It wasn’t the first claim against the Vedanta company, based in the UK. In January, a factory in Tamil Nadu, India, was ordered closed by the local pollution board for having “irreversibly polluted the groundwater in and around the Thoothukudi district”.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 23 April 2019

Photo: An ad of a skin whitening cosmetic product in Kumasi, Ghana. Source: Africa Renewal.

Huge Risks Accompany the Desire for Fair Skin in Africa

By Pavithra Rao*

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – "I’ve been dark skinned for many years and I wanted to experience the other side. I wanted to see what it would be like to be white and I’m happy," says South African singer Mshoza, whose real name is Nomasonto Mnisi.

Mshoza is famous for her music – and now for her bleached skin. She initially sought to bleach her hyperpigmentation (dark patches on the skin) but then decided to maintain a light complexion overall.

: Africa Renewal; THE WORLD; Africa; 22 April 2019

Photo: Nuclear disarmament in the Middle East. Credit: USA Air Force.

New Attempt to Tackle Nuclear Proliferation Threat in the Middle East

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) – A conference on the establishment of a Weapons of Mass Destruction-Free Zone (WMDFZ) and a Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone (NWFZ) in the Middle East appeared to have been consigned to oblivion until the First Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) decided in December 2018 "to entrust to the Secretary-General the convening" of an international meeting to address the risk of nuclear proliferation in one of the world's most volatile regions.

: Santo D. Banerjee; THE WORLD; Middle East & North Africa; 21 April 2019

Image: Collage by IDN-INPS with graphics von Internet.

The Great De(b)terioration in the Offing As Impotent Capital Weds Algorithms

Viewpoint by Jayasri Priyalal

The writer is the Regional Director responsible for Finance Sector of UNI Global Union, Asia & Pacific based in Singapore. This article was first published in the Financial Times, Sri Lanka.

SINGAPORE (IDN-INPS) – We are now in the era of acceleration termed as the Fourth Industrial Revolution [4IR]. In the new era, the impact and relevance of old ethical theories of yesteryear have severe limitations to offer solutions to the complex problems unfolding in the twenty-first century.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 20 April 2019

Photo: Women discuss politics at a women’s conference in Darfur, Sudan. Credit: UN

Women in Politics: Miles to Go Before Parity Is Achieved

By Zipporah Musau

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – In the fight for gender equality, women around the world have advanced in small and large ways. Yet for women in Africa, progress is measured in micro steps, and the struggle has a long way to go.

The good news is that women’s representation in political decision making has been on the rise globally. The not-so-good news is that the increase has been stubbornly slow, barely 1% in 2018 compared with the previous year. In 2018 the number of women ministers worldwide reached an all-time high at 20.7% (812 out of 3922).