Viewpoint by Sugeeswara Senadhira COLOMBO (IDN) — Sri Lanka announced its neutrality in the Russia-Ukraine conflict and urged the parties to solve their issue through negotiations. India, though considered to be the best peace broker to intervene to solve the Russia-Ukraine conflict due to its strong relationship with the two countries, is in a dilemma […]
AU-EU Summit: Five Ways to Turn the Rhetoric of an ‘Equal Partnership’ Into Practice
Viewpoint by Inge Kaul, Senior Fellow, Hertie School This article was issued by The Conversation and is being republished under Creative Commons licence. BERLIN (IDN) — Like several prior summits, one of the proclaimed goals of the recent gathering in Brussels was to “lay the foundations for a renewed and deeper partnership” between the European […]
Russia Battles Its Own Weapon Systems in Ukraine — As US Provides Over A $Billion in Arms
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — Perhaps one of the biggest ironies of the current military conflict is that Ukraine may be using mostly Soviet-era weapons against the Russians, including combat helicopters, T-64 battle tanks and AT-6 anti-tank missiles acquired from the former USSR. But that military scenario is expected to change significantly with […]
Ukraine: South Africa Slates European Nations at UN Over Treatment of Fleeing Africans
By Jonisayi Maromo, Independent Online (IOL) PRETORIA (IDN) — The South African government has thrown its weight behind the statement of the African Union (AU), which expressed concern over the treatment of Africans fleeing the war in Ukraine. Ambassador Mathu Joyini, South Africa’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations delivered a statement at an emergency […]
Ukraine: Abolishing War Should Remain the Primary Goal
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Frederick the Great of Prussia was a friend of Voltaire and enjoyed ribald evenings with the philosopher discussing the intricacies of life’s dos and don’ts. Before becoming king, he was persuaded by Voltaire to become a pacifist. But on ascending to the throne, he became the most […]
Museums in Two Countries Fight Over a Statue
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — A fierce tug of war is underway between a U.S. Museum and a Congolese gallery over a statue depicting the angry spirit of a Belgian officer beheaded during an uprising in Congo in 1931. An image of the statue of Maximilien Balot, a colonial administrator, […]
Africa Anxious About Rising Farm Prices Due to Russia-Ukraine Crisis
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Wheat and other grains are back at the heart of geopolitics following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Both countries play a major role in the global agricultural market. That was the clear-eyed assessment of Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa […]
African Students in The Ukraine Plead for Help as Poland Says ‘Ukrainians First’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Thousands of African students are among the tens of thousands of Ukrainians seeking shelter from a barrage of Russian airstrikes against its southern neighbour in what has been called an unprovoked and unjustified effort to remove and replace the Ukrainian government by the President of […]
The Invasion of Ukraine: Call for Peace
Viewpoint by Kevin P. Clements This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. TOKYO (IDN) — As a peace researcher for over 40 years, it appals me that in 2022 we are trying to make sense of an outmoded 20th century invasion aimed at changing borders […]
UN Scientists Warn of Climate Change Threatening People and the Planet
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN (IDN) — People and the planet are threatened by the impact of climate change, according to UN scientists. Ecosystem collapse, species extinction, deadly heatwaves and floods are among the “unavoidable multiple climate hazards” the world will face over the next two decades due to global warming, they warn.