By Kingston Reif and Shannon Bugos* WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) — As the Biden administration prepares to initiate a review of U.S. nuclear weapons policy, its first budget request proposes to continue every part of the unnecessary and unsustainable nuclear weapons spending plans it inherited from the Trump administration. This includes the controversial additions made by […]
Afghanistan Faces Funding Shortfall Amid Deepening Humanitarian Crisis
By Radwan Jakeen NEW YORK (IDN) — Nearly 18 million Afghans or half the population of the South Asian country require assistance. A third of the country is malnourished, while half of all children under five are experiencing acute malnutrition. In view of this critical situation, Ramiz Alakbarov, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan, […]
More Than 220,000 Germans Leave Catholic Church in 2020
By Catholic News Agency (CNA)* ROME (IDN) — More than 220,000 people left Catholic Church in Germany in 2020, according to official figures. The statistics issued by the German bishops’ conference on July 14 showed that 221,390 people exited the Catholic Church last year. The figure was almost 19% lower than that of 2019 when […]
15-Year-Old Girl Among Latest Fiji Covid Deaths as Virus Cases Soar Over 11,000
By Josefa Babitu* SUVA (IDN) — A 15-year-old girl has become Fiji’s youngest death due to the covid-19 coronavirus pandemic, taking the total of deaths due to the virus to 58. Health Secretary Dr James Fong has confirmed this after an investigation by medical personnel classified the case as another covid-19 death. The girl from […]
France Denies Covering-Up Deadly Nuclear Tests in French Polynesia
By Asia Pacific Report newsdesk SUVA (IDN) — The French government has denied any cover-up over radiation levels in the Pacific following its nuclear testing in the region, as state-backed discussions took place in Paris about the legacy of the explosions, reports France 24. A two-day meeting called by French President Emmanuel Macron was held […]
Germany’s Gerd Müller Chosen as Next UNIDO Director General
By Reinhard Jacobsen VIENNA (IDN) — The Industrial Development Board of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) has recommended Gerd Müller of Germany to be the Organization’s next Director-General. He is currently Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany. The Board’s recommendation will be forwarded for approval to the UNIDO General Conference—the […]
Pressing Need for International Criminal Court ‘With Teeth’
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — “Too little too late”. It’s as true of Bashar al-Assad as it was of Muammar Gadhafi, as it was of Saddam Hussein and Pol Pot. The problem always has been not lack of early warning but lack of early action. We have known, literally for decades, that […]
What About Iraq and Iran Now That U.S. Afghan War Is Over?
Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK (IDN) — At Bagram air-base, Afghan scrap merchants are already picking through the graveyard of U.S. military equipment that was until recently the headquarters of America’s 20-year occupation of their country. Afghan officials say the last U.S. forces slipped away from Bagram in the […]
Latin America’s Unique Biodiversity Can Help Boost Post-Covid Recovery
By Fermin Koop* LONDON (IDN) — Protecting and restoring natural areas in Latin America, home to 50% of the planet’s biodiversity and over a quarter of its forests, could help the region achieve a ‘green’ post-pandemic recovery and meet biodiversity conservation targets, experts say. Doing so could even create thousands of jobs in key economic […]
Combating COVID-19 and Ensuring No One is Left Behind
Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Kanni Wignaraja, and Bambang Susantono Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is the Executive Secretary, Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Kanni Wignaraja is the Assistant Secretary-General, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Bambang Susantono is the Vice-President of Asian Development Bank (ADB). BANGKOK (IDN) — If the world wants […]