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Photo: Mali soldiers being trained by the Wagener Group. Source: Middle East Online.

Russian Mercenaries May Have Also Killed Hundreds of Africans

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — The Wagner Group, a Kremlin-affiliated private military contractor, is playing a central role in the rising levels of violence against civilians across Africa, especially in the Central African Republic and Mali, according to records newly seen by The New York Times.

The Wagner Group, which has been accused of committing human rights atrocities, is said to also have operations in Libya, Mozambique, Syria, Sudan and Venezuela, according to the Jerusalem Post.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 05 September 2022

Japan Doubles Down on Defending The Post-War Order

By Sheila A Smith

The writer, Sheila A. Smith, is John E. Merow, Senior Fellow for Asia Pacific Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — Japan has gone all-in with the Western response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The strategic consequences for Tokyo are considerable. Japan’s long-running efforts to conclude a formal peace agreement with its northern neighbour have come to an end.

Putin’s aggression has also accelerated debate in Japan about its own strategy and future military preparedness. Most important of all, the Japanese people have also defined this crisis as a challenge to the norms of the post-war order that they have relied upon for their own security.

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

The War in Ukraine Continues to Be A Conflict Between The West And Russia

Viewpoint by John P. Ruehl

This article was produced by Globetrotter. John P. Ruehl is an Australian-American journalist living in Washington, D.C. He is a contributing editor to Strategic Policy and a contributor to several other foreign affairs publications. He is currently finishing a book on Russia to be published in 2022.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) — On August 24, Ukraine’s independence day, the U.S. provided a $3 billion military aid package to the country. The additional assistance adds to more than $80 billion worth of support that Kyiv has already received between January 24 and August 3, the majority of which was provided by the U.S., the UK, and the EU.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 03 September 2022

Photo: Mikhail Gorbachev (1931-2022) Source: Meer

On Gorbachev, The World's Last Great Statesman

Viewpoint by Roberto Savio*

This article was issued by Meer and is being re-published with the author's permission.

ROME (IDN) — With the death of Mikhail Gorbachev, the last great statesman, an entire epoch has ended.

I had the privilege of working with him as deputy director of the World Political Forum, which 'Gorbi' had founded in Turin in 2003, with a headquarters agreement with the Piedmont Region.

: Roberto Savio; OPINION; 02 September 2022

Photo: A snow petrel near an iceberg in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. Source: China Dialogue.

UN Talks Fail to Finalise High Seas Biodiversity Treaty

By Fermín Koop

This article was originally published on China Dialogue under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence.

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (IDN) — While many had hoped this would be the session to do it, after two weeks of talks at the UN headquarters in New York, from August 15 to August 26, member states have failed to conclude a legally binding agreement to conserve and sustainably use biodiversity on the high seas.

Now, governments will have to keep bridging their differences until a new meeting, for which a date has not yet been set.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Forests, desertification, land degradation & biodiversity; 02 September 2022

Photo: An aerial view of the Pentagon. CBS has reportedly stifled an investigative report into diversions of arms from western sources finding their way, not to the front lines in Ukraine, but to black markets in Europe and the Middle East. Photo by Air Force Staff Sgt. Brittany A. Chase, DOD

'How the West Brought War to Ukraine'

Viewpoint by David C. Speedie

This article was produced by Globetrotter in partnership with the American Committee for U.S.-Russia Accord. David C. Speedie, a board member of ACURA, was the former chair of International Peace and Security at Carnegie Corporation.

MONTCLAIR, New Jersey, US (IDN) — The seven-month war in Ukraine, and the role of NATO, especially the Atlanticist powers, are fuelled by an official western narrative that depicts the conflict as one between the plucky little Ukrainian David and the brutish Goliath that is Russia. The invasion is as unwarranted as it is vicious and provides justification for a current tally of $57 billion in lethal and non-lethal aid from the United States alone, with the United Kingdom at its side.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 02 September 2022

Photo: Christiana, Angélica, and Delza at a UNICEF-assisted organization in Brazil, which empowers black youth to confront racism and advocates for equal education and work opportunities. Credit: UNICEF/Alejandro Balaguer.

UN Honours the Contributions of the African Diaspora

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) — The murder of George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, on May 25, 2020, in the US city of Minneapolis, galvanized people worldwide to protest racism and racial discrimination and prompted important global discussions on racial justice. 2020 marked a turning point in how these issues are being addressed at international and national levels.

: J Nastranis; HUMAN RIGHTS; Racism; 01 September 2022

The First Anniversary Issue of Sustainable Development Observer Is Out Now!

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — The 12th and the first anniversary issue of Sustainable Development Observer started by IDN-InDepthNews Southeast Asia with no funding and a lot of passion is out now. The situation has not changed, and it is your feedback and encouragement that keeps us going.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 31 August 2022

Photo: Tigray TV said death toll reached seven and broadcast footage of mangled playground equipment and a brightly painted compound in ruins at the apparent scene of the strike. Source: TRT World.

Tigray: After the Calm, A Possible Storm

Viewpoint by René Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens

GENEVA (IDN) — On August 26, 2022, there was the bombing by Ethiopian federal troops of a primary school in Mekelle—the capital city of the Tigray province, which had a population of about 500,000 before the fighting began. It is not clear if the attack brings to an end some five months of relative calm in the war-torn Tigray or not.

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 31 August 2022

Photo: Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. (right) with K.N. Govindacharya (left)

Eco-Centric Development, SDGs, and 'Ganga Samvad Yatra'

Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S.

The writer is an ex-diplomat and Special Adviser for Asia & Africa of ALCAP, the Latin American Parliamentary Association of Audio-Visual Communication. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN InDepth News.

NEW DELHI (IDN) — Those who have seen the 1969 movie Easy Rider must have reflected on the meaning of The Ballad of Easy Rider, a beautiful elegy that evokes the subconscious bond a man shares with rivers and his very existence.