Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP). BANGKOK (IDN) — Over the past two decades, the Asia-Pacific region has made remarkable progress in managing disaster risk. But countries can never let down […]
The Story of US-Led Collusion in Razing Afghanistan to the Ground
Viewpoint by John Pilger This article was produced by Globetrotter. John Pilger is an award-winning Australian journalist, filmmaker, and author. Read his full biography on his website here, and follow him on Twitter: @JohnPilger. Source: Globetrotter SYDNEY (IDN) — As a tsunami of crocodile tears engulfs Western politicians, history is suppressed. More than a generation […]
Paralympics: An Incredible Medium to Create Awareness of the Disabled
Viewpoint by Simone Galimberti Simone Galimberti is Author and Co-Founder of ENGAGE, a not-for-profit NGO in Nepal. He writes on volunteerism, social inclusion, youth development and regional integration as an engine to improve people’s lives. KATHMANDU, Nepal (IDN) — Once again the limelight will be back on Tokyo as the city is hosting the Paralympics […]
Americans, Not the Europeans, Are Dilly-Dallying in The Iran Nuclear Deal
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The panic button on Iran is being pressed again. A report by the UN’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), suggests that Iran has taken more significant steps towards developing a nuclear weapon. At the same time the warnings from Israel are coming thick and […]
New Zealand Should Have Stayed Out of the War in Afghanistan
Viewpoint by Keith Locke Former Green MP Keith Locke was the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson. He writes occasional pieces for Asia Pacific Report. This article was first published by The Spinoff, republished in Asia Pacific Report, our partner, on August 19 with the author’s permission. WELLINGTON (IDN) — After the fall of Kabul, the obvious […]
Dwindling Democracy and Press Freedom in Hong Kong
Viewpoint by Jan Servaes Jan Servaes was Head of the Department of Media and Communication at the City University of Hong Kong (2013-2016). He taught ‘international communication’ in Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, the US, the Netherlands and Thailand, in addition to short-term projects at about 120 universities in 55 countries. He is editor of […]
Friends Of Moroccan ‘Gnawa’ Music Rally to Save Cultural Icon
By Lisa Vives, Global Information News NEW YORK (IDN) — Rooted in healing rituals and Sufism, the hypnotic sounds of Gnawa music have attracted artists and musicians of all stripes—from Jazz Age poet Claude McKay to Archie Shepp, Ornette Coleman and the legendary Randy Weston. Dar Gnawa—or Gnawa House—is a one-of-a kind three-story Moorish-style building […]
Genocide Trial Looms for Former Sudanese Leader and Aides Over Darfur Conflict
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — The architects of crimes against humanity and genocide in the Sudanese region of Darfur may finally appear before the International Criminal Court, at least a decade after the atrocities occurred. Ex-president Omar al-Bashir is among the group wanted by the court in The Hague since […]
Filipino Medal Winners at Tokyo Olympics Show Sports Could Empower The “Economically Disabled”
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — As the Paralympics begin in Tokyo—a celebration of the athletics prowess of the “differently-abled”—it will be appropriate to look at how the Tokyo Olympic Games that concluded on August 8 empowered the “economically disabled” athletes from the Philippines—a Southeast Asian country not well-known for its sporting prowess except for […]
The Human Race Against the Climate Crisis Clock
By Kirsten Mildren The writer is Head of Campaigns & Advocacy, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). NEW YORK (IDN) — On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira […]