By Amitava Chowdhury KOLKATTA (IDN) — One of 2021 Ramon Magsaysay Awards—known as ‘Asia’s Nobel Prize’—has been awarded to the Bangladeshi scientist Dr Firdausi Qadri who has played a “key role” in creating more affordable vaccines to combat cholera and typhoid, the Manila-based award foundation said in a statement on August 31. The 70-year-old female […]
Former Ambassador of Sri Lanka and Ex-ACP Secretary General Join to Support as Advisors
BERLIN (IDN) — The Non-profit global media agency International Press Syndicate, with IDN-InDepthNews as its flagship, had invited two renowned international relations practitioners and diplomats to join it to support its global mission and outreach activities. We are pleased to announce that the former Sri Lankan career Ambassador A.L.A. Azeez and the former Secretary General […]
US Arms in Afghanistan Mostly Inoperable, but Others Maybe Battle-Ready
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN) — When the last of the US troops pulled out of Kabul on August 31—after a prolonged 20-year military occupation of Afghanistan—they left behind a treasure trove of weapons but most of them abandoned by retreating Afghan forces who were American allies. These weapons, including combat helicopters, armoured vehicles, […]
23,000 Refugees Returned to Libya, Mass Surveillance of Migrants in Europe, Tigray Facing Famine
By Reinhard Jacobsen BRUSSELS (IDN) — The Elders address the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tigray; refugees in Ethiopia approved for resettlement reportedly refused departure; UN urges opening of Tigray for aid; 29 Tigrayan bodies found between Sudan and Ethiopia; 5,000 Ethiopian migrants blocked in Yemen; Ethiopia is facing competing alliances; over 23,000 refugees returned […]
It’s Time to Question the Validity of the “War on Terror”
Viewpoint by John Scales Avery* COPENHAGEN (IDN) — Twenty years after the events of 9/11, 2001, and in the midst of the messy withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, it seems appropriate to question the validity of the so-called “War on Terror”. The Costs of War project estimates that America’s 20-years of wars, initiated […]
Former Ambassador of Jordan Appointed as ‘UN Women’ Chief
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN)— Dr. Sima Sami Bahous, 65, a former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, with links to the Royal family, has been appointed the Executive Director of UN Women. IDN reported on September 6 that she was the front runner for the post. UN Secretary-General António […]
Former Pastoral Nomads Considering In-Place Farming
By Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts The writer is an undergraduate student at the University of Virginia. VIRGINIA, USA (IDN) — North African pastoralism, an agricultural method used for centuries by nomadic people in the steppe highlands, is on the decline. Facing limited grazing land due to overuse and drought, pastoral nomads are favouring more sedentary farming methods […]
Amid Widespread Military Conflicts & Civil Wars, UN Promotes the Virtues of Culture of Peace
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK (IDN)— Since its creation 76 years ago, the United Nations has been preoccupied with one of its primary mandates, namely, maintaining international peace and security. But over the years, that mandate has been extended to include peacekeeping, peace-building, nuclear disarmament, preventive diplomacy, and more recently, a culture of peace.
UN Presses for Entry into Force of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — As the race for modernisation of cyber and nuclear technologies gains momentum, UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) “the centrepiece of global efforts to eliminate nuclear tests once and for all”. A statement delivered on his behalf by the High Representative for Disarmament […]
Condé Took Guinea for A Ride, But the Coup Makes No Sense
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) — Zambia’s peaceful and orderly election in August offered a glimmer of hope that Africa’s story might be changing. For the third time in three decades, an opposition leader defeated the sitting president sending a message […]