By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 31 January 2024 (IDN) — Not that long ago, Sherlock Holmes could quite legally sit by the fire in his London flat with his pipe and sniff cocaine. If friends wanted to join him they could, without fear of a police raid, and smoke marijuana. Opium was used for […]
Smearing Ceasefire Protesters, Pelosi Combines Devotion to Israel with Cold-War Mania
By Norman Solomon* SAN FRANCISCO | 30 January 2024 (IDN) — Sometimes there’s a thin line between vile demagoguery and pure idiocy. Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi straddled both during a Sunday (28 January) appearance on CNN, when she smeared protesters who’ve been demanding a ceasefire to end Israel’s slaughter of Palestinian people in Gaza. “The former […]
Palestine Will Survive, Deeply Wounded — Israel’s Future Hangs In the Balance
By Jeffrey D. Sachs* This article was published in Common Dreams and is being republished with the author’s permission. NEW YORK | 30 January 2024 (IDN) — It is easy to be cynical about the international rule of law. No sooner had the International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Israel is plausibly committing genocide […]
Nuclear Deterrence Justifies Possession — Threatens Use of World’s Deadliest Weapon
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 30 January 2024 (IDN) — The annual Nuclear Deterrence Summit, scheduled to take place in Washington DC January 31-February 2, will focus on an ideology that has long triggered critical responses from anti-nuclear and peace activists. The 2017 Nobel Peace laureate, the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), […]
Auction of Mandela’s Belongings Slated for February
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 29 January 2024 (IDN) — Some 70 treasured belongings of former South Africa president Nelson Mandela are slated to travel to New York next month for an auction sale that sparked a firestorm between his eldest daughter Makaziwe Mandela-Amuah, his son and South Africa’s Heritage and […]
Zimbabwe Opposition Leader Quits, Blames Election Fraud
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 29 January 2024 (IDN) — Zimbabwe’s popular opposition leader, Nelson Chamisa, has resigned from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), saying his party had been “contaminated” and “hijacked” by an imposter who fraudulently removed dozens of his party members and councilors without the party’s consent. “I […]
UN-Backed IRENA Supports Climate Action and Sustainable Development
By Bernhard Schell DUBAI, United Arab Emirates | 28 January 2024 (IDN) — The lead global intergovernmental agency for energy transformation, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), which supports countries in their energy transitions, and provides state-of-the-art data and analyses on technology, innovation, policy, finance and investment, marked its 15th anniversary on 26 January. The […]
The UN Summit of the Future: A Fight at the End of the Tunnel?
By Richard Gowan* Ongoing crises keep multilateralism in turmoil, but ambitious reforms are still on the table. What to expect from the 2024 UN Summit of the Future? NEW YORK | 28 January 2024 (IDN) — Germany faces a tough task trying to build consensus among members of the United Nations on how to strengthen […]
Start-Ups Powering Up Africa’s Solar Energy Ecosystem
By Finbarr Toesland This report was published in Africa Renewal. LONDON | 27 January 2024 (IDN) — Often referred to as the “Sun continent,” Africa receives more hours of bright sunlight than any other continent. But even with 60 per cent of the world’s solar resources, Africa has only one per cent of solar generation […]
A Crisis-Stricken Africa Described as “Epicentre” of Terrorism
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 27 January 2024 (IDN) — The African continent, comprising 55 states with a total population of over 1.4 billion people, continues to undergo a rash of political, economic and humanitarian crises—including food shortages, poverty, a breakdown in the health care systems, along with droughts and floods triggered by climate […]