By Sera Sefeti SUVA, Fiji 9 July 2023 (IDN) — The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) submitted its final report to Japan on July 4 on the safety of dumping treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean, saying the discharge proposal is consistent with relevant international safety standards. But the small island nations of the […]
Viewpoint: Indian Ocean Regional Security — & Its Implications
By A. L. A. Azeez* COLOMBO 8 July 2023 (IDN) — Discussions on the Indian Ocean regional order and Indo-Pacific—and on China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)—involve strategic interests and aspirations of countries in the region and beyond. Given that the Indian Ocean is traversed annually by almost 100,000 commercial ships and that over 80% […]
Viewpoint: What After Banned Cluster Bombs to Ukraine?
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN 8 July 2023 (IDN) — “Have you noticed,” said John, “how countries call theirs ‘sovereign nuclear deterrents,’ but call the other countries’ ones ‘weapons of mass destruction’?” I am reminded of this quote from David Mitchell’s ‘Ghostwritten’ while reading how President Biden has defended his decision to provide Ukraine with banned […]
Restore-Rewild-Remind Urges 2030 Global Diversity Framework
By Aurora Weiss VIENNA 7 July 2023 (IDN) — The 2030 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted last December by the 196 State Members of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It was the first international conference designed to move into the implementation of GBF and to support the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Biodiversity was also the topic […]
US Warned Against Transfer of Cluster Munitions to Ukraine
By J C Suresh TORONTO | WASHINGTON DC 6 July 2023 (IDN) — President Biden is “under steady pressure from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky” to transfer banned cluster munitions, arguing that the munitions were “the best way to kill Russians who are dug into trenches and blocking Ukraine’s counteroffensive”, reports New York Times. If he […]
Making Madness Normal in Wartime
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO, USA 6 July 2023 (IDN) — Midway through his cumulatively stunning new book “Soldiers Don’t Go Mad,” author Charles Glass quotes a declaration from The Times of London on August 18, 1917: “The war has brought new opportunities of heroism to us all. Every Briton in the full strength of […]
UNDP: “A Record $500 Million” to Help Combat Biodiversity Loss and Climate Change
Paris Agreement Committed a Minimum of $100 Billion Annually By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK 5 July 2023 (IDN) — Though only a drop in the ocean, as part of its rapid response to environmental crises around the world, such as biodiversity loss and climate change, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has decided to […]
Tactical Nuclear Arms in Belarus “a Disturbing Development”
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS 5 July 2023 (IDN) — Russian President Vladimir Putin’s claim that he has moved his first batch of nuclear tactical weapons into Belarus last month, has led to widespread speculation as to its implications and consequences. But how credible is this claim? Or is this the continued nuclear saber-rattling by […]
India’s G20 Presidency: Can It Reshape International Climate Politics?
By Robert Mizo* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. NEW DELHI 5 July 2023 (IDN) — India’s presidency of the G20 for 2023 has been hailed with much fanfare and national pride in India. The G20, being a club of leading economies, accounts for 74 […]
Is Putin Oblivious of Russia’s Culture While Pursuing Power?
By Jonathan Power* LUND Sweden 4 July 2023 (IDN) — Observers say that what drives President Vladimir Putin is to make Russia respected. But perhaps Putin overestimates how much power Russia already has. He has overlooked which trumpets to blow—it is not his “hang tough” policies in international affairs, especially vis a vis the United […]