By UN News UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — The magnitude of civilian casualties and destruction of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine cannot be denied, the UN political chief told the Security Council on March 17, demanding a thorough investigation and accountability. “Civilians are entitled to protection against the dangers arising from military operations,” insisted Rosemary DiCarlo, Under-Secretary […]
Should Sri Lanka De-Dollarize? Beyond Bananas, Beaches, Bases and Dependent Development
Viewpoint by Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake The writer, Dr Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, is a Sociocultural and Medical Anthropologist based in Colombo. Her latest publication is ‘Multi-religiosity on Contemporary Sri Lanka: Innovation, Shared Spaces, Contestation”.(Routledge 2022) COLOMBO (IDN) — Necessity is the mother of invention: Protests are mounting by people from all walks of life in all parts of […]
Ukraine-Russia Crisis: Africa Concerned About Consequences for the Continent’s Economy
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW | RABAT (IDN) — In an emailed interview with IDN’s Kester Kenn Klomegah, Dr Mohamed Chtatou, a senior professor of Middle Eastern politics at the International University of Rabat (IUR) and Mohammed V University in Rabat, Morocco, discusses Africa’s position on Russia-Ukraine crisis, its effects on Africa as well as […]
Ukraine War Threatens Development Aid to World’s Poorer Nations
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the current devastating war in Ukraine has an equally destructive impact on the outside world: an assault on the world’s most vulnerable people and countries. The worst affected are the world’s poor as food, fuel and fertilizer prices are skyrocketing while […]
MiniMines Mixes Lithium Extraction with Circular Economy and UN SDGs
By Anupam Kumar B.Tech*** NEW DELHI (IDN) — In 2018, the notion of circular economy and its inherent link to the UN SDGs gained currency globally especially after the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly. UNCTAD defines a circular economy entailing markets that give incentives to recycling and reusing products, rather than scrapping […]
Pandemic Pushes SDGs Further Out of Reach of Asia and The Pacific
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana BANGKOK (IDN) — 2022 marks the second anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic, and while an end to the pandemic is in sight, it is far from over and the consequences will be felt for decades to come. At the same time, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is becoming increasingly […]
Bangladesh’s Abstention from The UN Resolution on The Ukraine War Is Justified
Viewpoint by M Rafiqul Islam The writer is Emeritus Professor of Law, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia. This article was issued by The Daily Star of Bangladesh and is being republished with their permission. SYDNEY (IDN) — The UN General Assembly emergency session adopted a resolution against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine on 2 March 2022. It […]
A Timely Book to Encourage Teaching of Mindfulness to Children
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 49th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous reports. SYDNEY (IDN) — The recently published book ‘Developing Mindfulness in Young Children’* is a timely addition to educating our next generations to […]
NATO Is Far from Obsolete
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — What does ex-president Donald Trump think about NATO? Twice during his campaigning, he rubbished it publicly, saying it was “obsolete”. Three years ago the French president, Emmanuel Macron, said NATO was “brain-dead. Is it obsolete or brain-dead or both?
Tiny Pacific Atolls Battered by King Tides as IPCC Makes Big Waves
Viewpoint by Volker Boege This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. BRISBANE, Australia (IDN) — On 25 February, the government of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea (PNG) declared a State of Emergency in the Atolls Constituency of the region. On 28 February, […]