Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) – There is a dangerous element in President Joe Biden’s foreign policy. It comes from his deeply embedded dislike of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin. During the campaign, he even called Putin a thug, which was not a very sensible thing to do if you are hoping to […]
South African Nuclear Energy Chief Pleads for Energy-Mix
Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) – The power industry in South Africa is faced with huge challenges. Knox Msebenzi, Managing Director of the Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa (NIASA), discusses the impact of challenges on the country’s economy and a way out of the power generation difficulties in South Africa. The Nuclear […]
Court Finds Israeli Tycoon Guilty of Bribing Guinean Officials
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – The gavel came down on January 22 on billionaire Israeli-French tycoon Beny Steinmetz who, a criminal court in Geneva ruled, bribed government officials in Guinea, West Africa, to enrich himself and his mining company with valuable assets of the African country. The ruling caps a […]
Macron Willing to Reconcile with Algeria But No Official Apology
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Time marches on but murderous crimes committed during war may demand an apology regardless of the number of years that elapsed since the crimes took place. Such is the current case presented by Algerians who have renewed their demand for an apology for colonialization and […]
COVID-19 Decimating Ranks of Zimbabwe’s Government
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – The coronavirus is reaping a “grim harvest” in Zimbabwe. Those were the words of President Emmerson Mnangagwa acknowledging the deadly reach of the virus in the nation’s highest ranks of government. Zimbabwe’s transport and foreign ministers both succumbed to the coronavirus less than two days […]
The Three-Country Alliance Against Tigray Might Jeopardise Ethiopia’s Future
By Martin Plaut LONDON (IDN | Eritrea Hub) – The Tigray war has turned into an all-out conflict, pitting Tigrayan forces loyal to the Tigray People’s Liberation front (TPLF) against Ethiopian federal troops, the Eritrean army, Amhara militia and – as revealed last week – Somali soldiers. Despite what would seem to be overwhelming odds […]
Global Buddhist Network Heralds Entry into Force of Nuclear Ban Treaty
Viewpoint by Soka Gakkai President Minoru Harada Following is the text of a press release President Harada welcoming the entry into force of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) on January 22, 2021. TOKYO (IDN) – Together with the members of the Soka Gakkai worldwide, I wholeheartedly welcome the entry into force […]
New Opportunities for Aung San Suu Kyi After Elections
Viewpoint by Enze Han The writer is an Associate Professor at the Department of Politics and Public Administration, the University of Hong Kong. HONG KONG (IDN) – Amid the worsening domestic COVID-19 situation, Myanmar’s election in November 2020 brought a landslide victory for the National League for Democracy (NLD) under the leadership of Aung San […]
Faith-Based Communities Greet the Global Ban on Nuclear Weapons
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) – Rejecting the existential threat to humanity that nuclear weapons pose, a wide coalition of faith-based communities from around the world has hailed the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), the first international treaty to comprehensively ban nuclear weapons. Over 160 organizations endorsed a joint interfaith […]
The Nuclear Ban Is Here. Now What?
Viewpoint by Alyn Ware The author is Director of the World Future Council Peace and Disarmament Program. He is also the International Representative of the Aotearoa Lawyers for Peace. PRAGUE (IDN) – January 22 was a historic day for the global campaign to eliminate nuclear weapons, with the entry-into-force of the Treaty on the Prohibition […]