By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — “Fighting hate, discrimination, racism and inequality is at the core of United Nations principles and the Organization’s work. It is enshrined in our founding Charter, in the international human rights framework and in our collective efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals,” says United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.
Facebook Blasted for Publishing Amharic Hate Speech
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A proliferation of incendiary hate speech has turned up on social media’s Facebook for Ethiopia in ads that call for people to be killed, starved or ‘cleansed’ from an area, compare people to animals and call for genocide. Phrases used are highly offensive and dehumanizing. […]
Nigerian Pop Star Takes Down Air Pollution in Latest Hit
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Grammy-award winner Damini Ogulu, popularly known as Burna Boy, has picked a smoking topic for his latest record dubbed “Whiskey”. “Port Harcourt residents dem no dey breathe fresh air, my people! When you wake up in the morning, you cough black soot,” the song begins.
Rise in World Population Derails UN’s Sustainable Development Goals
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The UN’s 17 heavily-promoted Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have long been undermined by the three-year-old Covid-19 pandemic and the devastation caused to the world economy by the after-effects of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. But now a third factor is threatening to derail the implementation […]
SDG Roadmap is the Way Forward in the Face of Global Crises
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — The Sustainable Development Goals Report 2022 of the United Nations says the climate crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and an increased number of conflicts around the world have placed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in jeopardy. The report, released on July 7, highlights the severity and magnitude of […]
Bangladesh’s New Mega-Infrastructure to Impact Ruling Party’s Popularity
By Bahauddin Foizee DHAKA (IDN) — A historic infrastructure milestone for Bangladesh and now the longest bridge of the country, the newly-built Padma Multipurpose Bridge would now help grow Bangladesh’s GDP by 1.3% annually. The US$ 3.86 billion worth mega-infrastructure was inaugurated on June 25 and is forecast to increase jobs, service sector activity and […]
Can Millions of Lives be Saved by a Plastic Box? We think so.
By Susie Schaefer, CEO, Smile Train and Kris Torgeson, CEO, Lifebox NEW YORK (IDN) — If you’ve ever needed to undergo surgery in your life, chances are you’ve encountered a small but ultimately forgettable device that, unbeknownst to you, played an outsized role in your survival. That tool, which costs less than a pair of […]
Sri Lanka Needs a Balanced Economic and Foreign Policy
Viewpoint by Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake * COLOMBO (IDN) — A shortage of exorbitantly privileged American Dollars, the global reserve fiat currency, which is not backed by gold, silver, oil or drugs, is the purported reason for Sri Lanka’s compounding crisis and the international media narrative of ‘famine’ in the country. The financial crisis that has brought […]
Safeguards — Brazilian Nuclear Submarine
Viewpoint by Sergio Duarte The writer is an Ambassador, former United Nations High Representative for Disarmament Affair, and President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. NEW YORK (IDN) — The public curiosity about the Brazilian nuclear-powered submarine, named “Alvaro Alberto” in honour of a nuclear research pioneer in Brazil, has raised interest in […]
Let’s Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, Before They Eliminate Us
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — When UN Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated States Parties to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on the successful conclusion of their first meeting in Vienna, his warning was dead on target. “Let’s eliminate these weapons before they eliminate us,” he said pointing out that nuclear […]