By P.I. Gomes The writer is Former Secretary-General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean & Pacific States (OACPS). GEORGETOWN, 23 May 2023 (IDN) — In the north-east coast of South America, the small and newest petro-state sits the Cooperative Republic of Guyana. With a population of almost 800,000 persons, the former British colony was granted […]
Stopping The Bad Being Stronger Than the Good
By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden, 23 May 2023 (IDN) — Do we, especially our politicians and media, focus more on threats than on opportunities, dwell on loses more than on gains, and learn more from past failures than from successes? When we are children, we are frightened of bogeymen. When we are adults, we often […]
G7 Leaders Falter Over Nuclear Disarmament in Hiroshima
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 22 May 2023 (IDN) — When leaders of the Group of 7 (G7) countries met in Hiroshima May 19-21, one of the issues on the agenda was nuclear disarmament. The venue of the summit was symbolically stark because the US atomic bombings in 1945 killed over 226,000 people in the […]
Investigative Journalist’s Murder in Lesotho Blasted
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK, 22 May 2023 (IDN) — Rarely does an attack on a journalist get worldwide attention, provoke alarm and outrage from the news writing community who cite threats to freedom of expression in a young and fledgling democracy nestled in the tip of South Africa. But this time, […]
Poor Countries Face Collapse Over Unsustainable Borrowing
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK, 22 May 2023 (IDN) — African countries that borrowed billions of dollars from international creditors and private lenders face painful repayment demands that threaten their budgets for schools, power, food and fuel. After nail-biting negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Ghana’s Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta announced […]
Ex-Nigerian Leader Ordered To Explain Loan For Crime-Stopping Project
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK, 22 May 2023 (IDN) — Outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari has been ordered to account for a $460 million loan from a Chinese bank to pay for a closed circuit TV (CCTV) project that failed to materialize. Minister of Finance Zainab Ahmed reportedly has been unable to explain […]
The Military-Industrial Complex Is Triggering US Debt Crisis
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK, 22 May 2023 (IDN) — In the year 2000, the U.S. government debt was $3.5 trillion, equal to 35% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). By 2022, the debt was $24 trillion, equal to […]
Insufficient Progress Made Towards Disaster Risk Reduction
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK, 21 May 2023 (IDN) — A review of progress on implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction has determined that global progress towards disaster risk management has been weak and insufficient, putting at risk the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Right to Life: A Missing Perspective on Nuclear Arms
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS, 21 May 2023 (IDN) — The Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy (LCNP) has made a new submission to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in advance of its Universal Periodic Review (UPR) of the Russian Federation. Currently, the tentative schedule of the UPR Working Group, with Russia on its agenda, […]
China-Strategy: Transatlantic and European Cacophony
Viewpoint by Herbert Wulf This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. BONN, Germany, 21 May 2023 (IDN) — The G7 summit of foreign ministers in Japan in mid-April sought to emphasise the need for a unified China policy. However, the diplomatic pronouncements can only gloss over […]