Viewpoint by Ahmed Adel This article was published in Blitz, a weekly newspaper with a distinctive difference, established in 2003 and published in Dhaka, Bangladesh. CAIRO (IDN) — A former US Marine Corps intelligence officer has not only warned that Russia is escalating its special military operation in Ukraine but that this will result in […]
Economic Crisis Threatens Sri Lanka’s Education Gains
By Hemali Wijerathne COLOMBO (IDN) — Sri Lanka’s free education system, which was judged to have achieved the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for education and is considered a post-independence success story, is now under threat due to the present economic crisis in the country of 22 million people.
Ugandan Activist Criticises World Leaders for Climate Inaction
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Climate activist Vanessa Nakate of Uganda, together with several young climate leaders, took no prisoners as they called out political and business elites who failed to move the needle on climate change which has been devastating rich and poor countries alike at the present time.
UN Criticizes Taliban Decrees But Urges Not to Abandon Afghans
By Caroline Mawanga NEW YORK | KABUL (IDN) — While calling on Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban authorities to reverse course on recent decrees limiting women’s and girls’ rights, a high-level UN delegation has urged the international community not to abandon Afghans. UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed led the delegation. UN Women’s Executive Director Sima Bahous, […]
Iran’s Human Rights Violations Are Indescribable
Viewpoint by Alon Ben-Meir* NEW YORK (IDN) — The Iranian government continues to commit human rights violations and crimes against humanity in its effort to strike terror into the heart of its people. That the government considers itself a devout Muslim regime is sacrilegious and makes a mockery of Islam.
South Korea Vows to Go Nuclear Amid Growing Threats from North
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — As nuclear tensions continue to spread across the Korean Peninsula, South Korea has for the first time declared “nuclear weapons as a policy option”,—triggering the threat of a potentially new nuclear power looming in the horizon. South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol is quoted as saying that if […]
Neutral Countries Should Mediate Between Russia and Ukraine
Viewpoint by Jeffrey D. Sachs This article was published in The Economist and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK (IDN) — Neither Russia nor Ukraine is likely to achieve a decisive military victory in their ongoing war: both sides have considerable room for deadly escalation. Ukraine and its Western allies have little […]
“Forge the Pathways to Cooperation in Our Fragmented World”
By António Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General The following are extensive excerpts from the UN Chief’s address to the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on 18 January 2023. The focus of the Forum (16-20 January) is on ‘Cooperation in a Fragmented World’. NEW YORK | DAVOS (IDN) — [The Forum’s] theme perfectly sets […]
The Idea Biden Is the One to Beat the GOP in 2024
Viewpoint by Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO (IDN) — For many months, conventional media wisdom has told us that Joe Biden would be the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump in 2024 because he did it before. The claim was always on shaky ground—after all, Trump was the ultimate symbol of the status quo when he […]
UNICEF Calls for Urgent Action to Ensure Education Resources
By Caroline Mawanga NEW YORK (IDN) — A one percentage point increase in the allocation of public education resources to the world’s poorest 20 per cent is expected to pull 35 million primary school-aged children out of learning poverty globally, says the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). However, a new report released on January 17 […]