By Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA | 10 February 2024 (IDN) — As the troubled Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) convened its Ministerial Council meeting in Abuja on February 8 to discuss the quit notice served by three of its members—Mali, Burkina […]
Diplomacy and Neutrality—Not More Killing—Is the Answer to Ukraine’s Security
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 9 February 2024 (IDN) — President Joe Biden is refusing to fold a losing hand as he bets with Ukrainian lives and U.S. taxpayer money. Biden and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer […]
Poultry and Livestock Production Helps Communities Build Climate Resilience in Zimbabwe
By Farai Shawn Matiashe HARARE | 9 February 2024 (IDN) — When Peter Mangana’s crops were hit by drought over a decade ago, he felt depressed. He struggled to feed his family in Bhasikiti village in Mwenezi, southern Zimbabwe. The 49-year-old later realised that he was experiencing the effects of climate change and that he […]
UN Chief Urges Reform of IMF, World Bank, Stresses BRICS’s Role
By Arul Louis UNITED NATIONS | 8 February 2024 (IDN) — The international financial and development institutions should be reformed to reflect the interests of the Global South, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said. While the BRICS can play an important and complementary role for developing nations, he stressed that it should not contribute to a […]
WHO Urges Provision of Life-Saving Health Services for the Most Vulnerable in Sudan
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 8 February 2024 (IDN) — Nearly ten months since the escalation of the conflict in Sudan in April 2023, the humanitarian situation in the country has deteriorated, resulting in the world’s largest displacement crisis. The World Health Organization (WHO) is calling on the international community to meet 100% of the […]
The Anatomy of Default and the IMF in Sri Lanka: Of Elections, Bond Scams, and Money Politics
By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 7 February 2024 (IDN) — With the wisdom of hindsight, the Root Causes of Sri Lanka’s first-ever Sovereign Default, staged three years ago on the eve of 75 years of ‘Independence’ from the British Raj are clear. When the Default happened in March 2021, there was too much […]
MYANMAR: Three Years After the Coup, Hope Remains
By Jan Servaes BANGKOk | 7 February 2024 (IDN) — Myanmar’s military junta has increasingly carried out unlawful airstrikes killing civilians in its military operations against a coalition of the People Defense Force (PDF) and ethnic armed groups (EAOs), Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on January 30, 2024, on the eve of the anniversary of […]
Russia Refuses Talks Though New START Expires in Two Years
By Libby Flatoff and Shizuka Kuramitsu The writers are program and research assistants at the Arms Control Association (ACA). This article first appeared in ‘Arms Control Now’ of the ACA and is being reproduced with their permission. WASHIGNTON, D.C. | 7 February 2024 (IDN) — With less than two years to go before the expiration […]
The US Should Have Persuaded Newcomers to Renounce Nuclear Weapons
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 6 February 2024 (IDN) —There are 29 states which have, at one time or another, set about becoming nuclear weapons powers or have explored the possibility. Most have failed or drawn back. Only the US, Russia, France, UK, China, India, Israel, Pakistan and North Korea have crossed the threshold. […]
Small Arms Trigger 45 Percent of Violent Deaths, Says UN
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 6 February 2024 (IDN) —The weapons used in some of the world’s ongoing military conflicts—including Russia vs Ukraine, Israel vs Hamas and US vs Houthis—are mostly sophisticated fighter planes, combat helicopters, air-to-surface missiles, battle tanks, armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and drones. But in scores of civil wars, mostly in […]