Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Philip Stephens of the Financial Times writes in the opening page of his new book, “Britain Alone” *: “The alarm was sounded by a distinguished British scientist, Sir Henry Tizard. Tizard had served during the war as a special emissary to Washington for Winston Churchill. His task […]
Human Civilisation on a Collision Course with the Laws of Ecology
Viewpoint by Tom Pegram and Julia Kreienkamp* LONDON (IDN) — As governments around the world roll out COVID-19 vaccine programmes and seek to kickstart their economies back to life, recovery seems to be within reach. However, hard questions must not be sidestepped. How did this pandemic happen? And how resilient are we to future global […]
African Women See No Reason to Hail Int’l Women’s Day
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — March 8 marks the UN’s International Women’s Day — an occasion meant to be a global celebration. But with more and more women suffering each day, there is little to rejoice in Africa, say many women leaders from the continent. “International Women’s Day should celebrate […]
Attempts for Political Change in Senegal and in the Republic of Congo — Army Barracks Blast in Oil-Rich Equatorial Guinea
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Calm has abandoned Senegal, a country in West Africa. The young people are rising up against the “wealth hoarding” political class. In Central Africa, the Republic of Congo, the opposition is seething as the 77-year-old President seeks another term. In another Central African country, Equatorial […]
Gaelic Helping Preserve Scotland’s Marine Environment
Viewpoint by Magnus Course and Alastair Cole* EDINBURGH | NEWCASTLE (IDN) — Regulations brought in following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union have delayed the export of live shellfish to Europe, causing entire lorry loads of lobsters and langoustines to expire in Scotland’s ports. Fishing is a relatively small part of the UK’s […]
Little-Known Energy Treaty a Climate Threat
Viewpoint by Fabian Flues, Cecilia Olivet and Pia Eberhardt* LONDON (IDN) — On February 4, the German energy giant RWE announced it was suing the government of the Netherlands. The crime? Proposing to phase out coal from the country’s electricity mix. The company, which is Europe’s biggest emitter of carbon, is demanding 1.4 billion euros […]
Brutal Gender-Based Violence in Tigray — A Personal Account
By EEPA BRUSSELS (IDN) — “A woman in her 40s was found dead on the road to her home. She was found with her hands tied, injured to her head and sexually assaulted. This was in Mekelle. I know her son.” This is what one of our reporters (A.G.), who herself is a young woman, […]
Women Need to Claim their Space in Leadership
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) — Women have key contributions to make to leadership across all sectors, communities and societies from politics and corporations to sports and STEM (Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), diverse leadership benefits everyone, says UN Women, the global champion for gender equality. “Leaders need to represent the people they serve […]
The Future Is Better with Women in Every Decision-Making
By Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Women Executive Director [Also available in: ar |es | fr | ru | zh] NEW YORK (IDN) — International Women’s Day (March 8) this year comes at a difficult time for the world and for gender equality, but at a perfect moment to fight for transformative action and to salute women […]
Share of Women Parliamentarians Reaches ‘All-Time High’
By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN) — There is a long way to go to achieve gender parity. But a new report reveals that the share of women parliamentarians worldwide reached more than 25 per cent in 2020 marking a historic step. Women in Parliament report was launched on March 5 ahead of the International Women’s […]