By Aar Jay Persius BRLIN (IDN) – As Germany and other western European countries struggled to combat the Corona virus, eagerly awaiting the advent of a vaccine to unfetter humanity from the scourge of the ruthless pandemic, UN Secretary-General António Guterres descended on Berlin and declared that the prophesied inoculum must be viewed as a […]
Time to Ditch the Technocratic, Mechanical Vision of Government
Viewpoint by Matthew Flinders and David Blunkett* SHEFFIELD (IDN) – If crises bring with them new opportunities to think afresh, then the combined impact of Brexit and COVID has been to focus attention on the capacity and structure of the British state. This rethinking is increasingly framed in terms of smart government. Dominic Cummings, the British […]
EEPA Report on Horn of Africa Situation on December 19
Regional situation Al Shabaab, Somalia’s al Qaeda-allied Islamist extremist group, claims responsibility for a suicide attack in Mogadishu, Somalia, at a rally to be attended by PM Mohamed Hussein Roble, killing at least ten people. The commander of the 21st Division of the SNA General Abdiaziz Abdullahi Qooje and the commander of Danab forces in […]
Locked-In, Australians Help to Keep Tourism Sector Alive
By Kalinga Seneviratne SILVERTON (IDN) – With over 9.3 million international visitors spending close to $34 billion in Australia last year, Tourism Australia’s executive director Bob East predicted a rosy picture for the county’ tourism sector, in its annual report for 2018-19 released at the beginning of this year. He said the sector has seen […]
India’s Farmers Fight for Their Rights and Existence
Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. Sonali Kolhatkar is the founder, host and executive producer of “Rising Up With Sonali,” a television and radio show that airs on Free Speech TV and Pacifica stations. LOS ANGELES (IDN) – India’s farmers are revolting […]
EEPA Report on Horn of Africa Situation on December 18
Evolving situation The Government of Sudan has accused Ethiopia of ambushing Sudanese troops on December 15. Four soldiers died. Large military reinforcements deployed by Sudanese army along the border with Ethiopia after clashes in which Sudanese military were killed and wounded, reports Al Sharq newspaper. Nine priests killed in the Church in Adi Aweshi, Tembien, […]
Welcome to the Anthropocene
Human Constructions Have the Same Mass as All Living Organisms Viewpoint by Jan Zalasiewicz and Mark Williams* LEICESTER, United Kingdom (IDN) – Our deficiencies have always driven us, even among our distant ancestors, back in the last Ice Age. Having neither the speed and strength to hunt large prey nor sharp teeth and claws to […]
UN Chief Appoints an Eminent Indian National as Resident Coordinator in China
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has appointed Siddharth Chatterjee, an eminent Indian national at the world body, as UN “resident coordinator” to China, who has the same rank as an ambassador of a foreign state accredited to that country. The Chinese government’ has formally accepted the UN […]
EEPA Report on Horn of Africa Situation on December 17
Military situation Heavy shelling is continuing in many villages in Tigray. Reported that male youth were forcibly recruited: “any males who tried to return home were taken to a local meeting and told by the Amhara forces that they would have to become soldiers.” Forced recruitment was earlier reported by UN High Commissioner for Human […]
Breaking the Culture of Violence to Advance SDG 16 On Peace & Security
Viewpoint by P. I. Gomes* PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago (IDN) – In the Preamble of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, reference is made to what is called the 5P’s of People, Planet, Prosperity, Peace and Partnership. They capture with such lucid precision what is referred to as “all areas of critical importance […]