Viewpoint by Prabir Purkayastha* NEW DELHI (IDN) — The COVID-19 pandemic continues its brutal march across India. Figures of new infections reached 355,828 on May 3—which accounted for more than 62 percent of the world’s new infections on that day. As hospitals run out of beds, ICU capacity, and even oxygen, these factors have been […]
Conquering Poverty in America Is Possible
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Adam Smith who in 1776 wrote “The Wealth of Nations”, the Bible of capitalism, which has become the standard economics text for over two centuries, was quick to single out monopolistic tendencies as the most important tool in undermining the virtues of capitalism. It kept the poor […]
Australians Blast Government For “Racist” Indian Flight Ban
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — A controversial ban on flights from Covid-hit India landing in Australia, has blocked around 9,000 Australians from returning home. Most of them are Australians of Indian origin, while there are also a handful of Australian elite cricketers, coaches, and other officials currently taking part in the Indian Premier League […]
The US and EU Boost Access to Covid-19 Vaccines and Waive the Patents
Viewpoint by Lori Wallach Lori Wallach is the director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch. This is a slightly abridged version of a blog post by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) New York. WASHINGTON DC (IDN | IPS-Journal.EU) — As we see infection rates in India and other parts of the world skyrocketing, European Union (EU) and US […]
Cyprus: Toward a Non-territorial Confederation?
Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens GENEVA (IDN) — Three days (April 27-29, 2021) of “informal” talks on the future of Cyprus were held in Geneva under the leadership of UN Secretary-General António Guterres. There have been no formal negotiations on the issue since 2017. The UN-sponsored meeting with representatives of Greek […]
Confronting Misinformation and Harmful News Content
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — News of working journalists in Africa is often a tale of threats, abduction, forced disappearance and arrest. Most recently, two Spanish journalists and an Irish national were abducted near a nature reserve in Burkina Faso. Government officials confirmed their deaths on April 2. It remains […]
Pres. Ramaphosa Says ANC Party Did Little to Thwart Corruption
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — In riveting testimony before a South African commission investigating corruption and graft, President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged that the ruling ANC party did little to prevent corruption, including by his predecessor Jacob Zuma. “State capture and corruption have taken a great toll on our society and […]
Uganda President’s Son Led Elite Force Linked to Rights Abuses
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Senior military commanders, including the son of President Yoweri Museveni, have been named in a case before the International Criminal Court for a wave of abductions and torture—adding new charges to claims levelled by opposition politician Robert Kyagulanyi, the former reggae singer known as Bobi […]
The NPT Review Conference: Still Haggling for a Date
“The definition of insanity is continuing to do the same thing over and over, and then expecting different results”……attributed to Albert Einstein, but first said by Rita Mae Brown (Sudden Death) Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf * VIENNA (IDN) — For more than a year, a vain search has been continuing to find an appropriate date […]
Is ‘Vaccine Consent’ Journalism Killing The “Watchdog” Model?
A special feature by Kalinga Seneviratne* to mark UNESCO’s World Press Freedom Day. SYDNEY (IDN) — In recent months, there has been alarming one-sided reporting in the so-called mainstream media—both internationally and nationally—that sounds more like public relations handouts from the big pharmaceutical companies from the West. This ‘vaccine consent’ journalism and the labelling of […]