By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden. 19 September 2023 (IDN) — “What did these vain and presumptuous men intend? How did they expect to raise their lofty mass against God, when they had built it above all the mountains and clouds of the earth’s atmosphere?” This is St. Augustine writing about Babylon in his “City of […]
Clarion Call for a World Free from Nuclear Weapons
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN. 19 September 2023 (IDN) — Mark* is 28 years. Like him, those in their twenties believed that atomic bombs, which the United States dropped over the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, belonged to a remote past. However, since Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to deploy nuclear weapons in the Ukraine […]
UN Chief Wants $500 Billion Annual Development Fund, Financial Reforms
By Arul Louis* UNITED NATIONS. 18 September 2023 (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday renewed his call for the reform of the “outdated, dysfunctional and unfair” World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and for a $500 billion stimulus fund for the world organisation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Speaking at the opening […]
Re-Elected Zimbabwe President Gets Low Marks for Gender-Balance
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | HARARE. 17 September 2023 (IDN) — Women’s groups in Zimbabwe are calling on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to have a gender-balanced cabinet. The recently reelected leader has appointed just six women out of 26 cabinet positions. Women comprise 54% of Zimbabwe’s population, but men received the lion’s […]
Decaying Dams Blamed for ‘Worst Disaster’ in Libyan History
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK. 17 September 2023 (IDN) — As stricken Libyans searched for signs of life amid the wreckage left by two enormous dams that burst in a hurricane-strength storm, anger was growing over warnings that were ignored but could have possibly prevented the worst disaster in the country’s modern […]
Global Debt Is Rising After Decline in 2022
By Vitor Gaspar, Marcos Poplawski-Ribeiro, Jiae Yoo* WASHINGTON, D.C. 16 September 2023 (IDN) — The global debt burden retreated for the second year in a row, even though it remains above its already-high pre-pandemic level, according to the latest update of our Global Debt Database. The total debt stood at 238 percent of global gross […]
A High Seas Treaty Aimed at Protecting Polluted Oceans is Now a Reality
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS. 16 September 2023 (IDN) — A historic new international treaty, described as “a monumental win for the protection of the world’s oceans”, will be open for signature by member states beginning September 20 during the high-level meeting of world political leaders at the UN General Assembly (UNGA). The treaty will […]
UN Is a Victim of the Mythic Expectations That It Is ‘World Government’
By Arul Louis* UNITED NATIONS. 16 September 2023 (IDN) — A popular myth about the UN is that it is the world government and could unilaterally act to stop wars or punish all nations launching wars—and end the universe’s ill with a fiat. Yet again, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has spectacularly blasted the myth like […]
Trillion of Dollars Needed to Ensure Green Energy for All
By J Nastranis* NEW YORK. 15 September 2023 (IDN) —Transition to green energy, addressing energy poverty and decarbonization, requires a considerable investment and impact. In the wake of new multibillion-dollar commitments to boost renewable energy, electricity access, and clean cooking technologies by 2030, the UN has therefore pledged trillions of dollars in finance and investment […]
Banish Nuclear Weapons ‘to History Books, Once and for All’, Urges UN Chief
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message on the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons, observed on 26 September. UNITED NATIONS. 15 September 2023 (IDN | UN) — The International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons reminds us that a peaceful future depends on ending the nuclear threat. Geopolitical mistrust […]