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Sharp Rise in Gun Violence Triggers Debate

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | PRETORIA (IDN) — An outbreak of shootings at three different bars over one weekend has rocked the nation. Illegally obtained weapons were blamed for the violence in which 22 people died.

According to police, the gunmen in the Soweto shooting used high-calibre rifles, including AK-47s, leaving 137 empty cartridges on the scene. This has raised concerns about how criminals can access such high-powered weapons. The country’s abundance of guns held illegally is partially to blame for the shootings, community activists said.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 17 July 2022

Image: File picture of UNHCR where Sri Lanka has been censured many times.

Something Is Rotten in the State of Sri Lanka

Viewpoint by Asoka N.I. Ekanayaka

Prof. Asoka N.I. Ekanayaka is an Emeritus Professor of Community Dentistry and former Dean of the Faculty of Dental Science University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka.

COLOMBO (IDN) — This article is not primarily about the woeful record of the present government. Nor is it about the abomination of governance by a family oligarchy in whose stranglehold a nation groans in every part as if being slowly crushed by the constricting coils of some giant Anaconda.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 17 July 2022

Photo: PDP National Headquarters, Abuja.

Multi-Religious Nigeria's Ruling Party Picks 2 Muslims as Top Candidates

Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene

The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria.

ABUJA (IDN) — If the flag bearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in next year’s presidential election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, thought a “placeholder” would be a lightning rod and maybe soften the blow of his final decision, he has seen by now that he is mistaken. There is a gathering storm.

Tinubu’s decision on July 12 to choose a fellow Muslim as his running mate has riled many Christians, who make up nearly 49 per cent of the country’s population. They are doubly upset that it took him five weeks after his nomination to decide what they always suspected he would do: pick a Muslim running mate to complete what is now Nigeria’s first Muslim-Muslim ticket in nearly 30 years.

: Africa & ME Editor; OPINION; 16 July 2022

New UN Report Calls on African Countries to Rethink Export Diversification

By Jaya Ramachandran with UNCTAD Report

GENEVA (IDN) — African countries must diversify their exports to survive economic shocks from global crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, says the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

In its Economic Development in Africa Report 2022, published on July 14, UNCTAD says African countries can diversify their economies through boosting exports of high-value services, expanding private businesses’ access to financial services, tapping into new financial technologies and implementing effective policies.

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Decent Work & Economic Growth; 16 July 2022

Image: Sri Lanka protestors storming presidential palace. Source: Hurriyet Daily News

Lessons to be Learnt from Sri Lankan Crisis

Viewpoint by Dr Ram Puniyani

This article is the 22nd in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship of the International Press Syndicate. The writer is a former professor of biomedical engineering and former senior medical officer affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (now Mumbai) and, meanwhile, a social activist and commentator.

: Asia Editor; OPINION; 15 July 2022

Image: Celeste Lucero, the WHONET-Argentina (WHONET-ARG) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Surveillance Network's coordinator, is reading the results of susceptibility testing. Credit: WHO / Sarah Pabst

WHO Calls for Equitable and Global Access to Bacterial Medicines

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA (IDN) — In the first-ever “analysis of bacterial vaccines in preclinical and clinical development: 2021”, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for “equitable and global access to the vaccines that already exist, especially among populations that need them most” because of limited resources at their disposal.

This report is part of the WHO efforts to inform sustainable investment in research and development of new medicines, diagnostic tools, and other interventions to control AMR (antimicrobial resistance).

: Jaya Ramachandran; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 14 July 2022

Image: Indian woman sifts grain. / Photo: World Bank (Ray Witlin)

'Asian Century' Won’t Come Until Global Governance Becomes More Inclusiv

Viewpoint by Dawei Wang, Economist, UNCTAD

This article was first issued by China Daily and republished by UNCTAD.

GENEVA (IDN) — Claims that the “Asian century” has arrived or is set to begin frequently appear in the media and public fora.

For example, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated during the 2018 Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank conference: “Now the continent finds itself at the centre of global economic activity…It has become the main growth engine of the world. In fact, we are now living through what many have termed the Asian century.”

: UN Bureau; UN INSIDER; 14 July 2022

Photo: Bosnia bids farewell to 50 newly identified victims of 1995 Srebrenica massacre. Credit: Anadolu Agency

How The Netherlands Expunged Responsibility for The Genocide in Srebrenica

The Missing Chapter in The History Books

By Aurora Weiss

VIENNA (IDN) — Thousands of people converged on the eastern Bosnian town of Srebrenica on July 11 to mark the 27th anniversary of Europe's only acknowledged genocide since the Holocaust. While thousands of Bosniaks grieve over the more than 8,000 loved ones killed by the Serbs, the Netherlands erases its responsibility for the genocide more and more every year. Srebrenica is a missing chapter in Dutch history.

: Europe Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 13 July 2022

Image: Moscow State Pedagogical University's three uniquely qualified and acclaimed educators have co-authored a unique publication “International Standards of Education: History lessons and modern times”. Source: WIKIDATA

A Unique Book on International Education and Origins of the UN and UNESCO

By Somar Wijayadasa*

NEW YORK (IDN) — The famous Russian publishing house “Etnosfera" has published an unparalleled publication,“ International Standards of Education: History lessons and modern times”.

The 200-page publication that has generated glowing reviews in diverse news media is co-authored by three uniquely qualified and acclaimed Moscow State Pedagogical University educators.

: Somar Wijayadasa; SUSTAINABILITY; Quality Education; 13 July 2022

Photo (From Left to Right): Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn

The Challenges for Indo-French Relationship in a Multi-Polar and Fragmented World

Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn

Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. is an ex-diplomat & ALCAP’s Special Adviser for Asia & Africa and Jainendra Karn is a senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News.

NEW DELHI (IDN) — The current global food crisis brought back memories of the days gone by as a diplomat over a decade or so back which underlined the notion that the quest and security of basic needs is an essential part of international relations and geopolitics.