By Mark Leon Goldberg, UN Dispatch NEW YORK (IDN) – Linda Thomas-Greenfield will be nominated by President-elect Joe Biden to serve as the United States Ambassador to the United Nations. Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield is a veteran diplomat who most recently served as Assistant-Secretary of State for African Affairs in the Obama administration. Prior to that she […]
COVID-19 and Lessons from Traditional Chinese Medicine
Viewpoint by Jayasri Priyalal* SINGAPORE (IDN) – They are fighting an invisible enemy taking a warpath. Many countries grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic interpret the situation like a war. Frontline heroes are found in battlefield scenarios. These heroes come from different professions, medical and healthcare workers being the binding force, the rest including, security, transport, […]
Black Holes Pervade the Spirit of 2020
Viewpoint by Prabir Purkayastha* NEW DELHI (IDN) – The Nobel Prize in physics for 2020 has been shared by Roger Penrose, the mathematical physicist, for his work on the theoretical basis of black holes, and astronomers Reinhard Genzel and Andrea Ghez, who led independent teams, for verifying the existence of such a black hole at […]
COVID-19 Shatters Hopes for Industrial Advance in Africa
But the Next Decade Might Trigger the Change Needed Viewpoint by Jenny Larsen* VIENNA (IDN) – Industrial development in Africa has been sluggish for some decades. Now, as the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic kick in, hopes for better progress, at least in the short term, appear to be fading. But if countries grasp the […]
Sports and Art Suggested as Means to Promote Teens’ Mental Health
By J W Jackie RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – Art, music and sports have all been proven to boost mental health across a wide range of age groups, but one new study by researchers at the University of British Columbia indicates that these extracurricular activities are a powerful way to boost teen mental health. The […]
Allegations of War Crimes by Australian Forces in Afghanistan Shock the Nation
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) – The release of a report into a landmark four-year investigation into the behaviour of Australians special forces known as the SAS (Special Air Service) in Afghanistan, seem to have shocked the nation, judging from newspaper headlines on November 20. Yet, for many who opposed Australia’s involvement in the Afghanistan […]
New Report Sparks Anxiety About COVID-19 Wrecking UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | GENEVA (IDN) – UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi has stressed the need to address the frailties of globalization that led to the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and its uneven economic impacts, gravely wounding the world economy with serious consequences for everyone. He hopes that the situation would prove to […]
UNAI Celebrates 10th Anniversary Stressing Partnership with Universities Worldwide
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN) – United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), launched in 2010 as an initiative to align colleges and universities with the work of the United Nations, celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 18. The program has more than 1500 members in 147 countries, all applying their academic inquiry, research and innovation […]
A ‘Wind Of Change’ Could Block African Leaders Seeking ‘Presidency For Life’
By Lisa vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) As British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan once said it, there’s a “wind of change” blowing through the African continent. “Whether we like it or not,” he said, “this growth of national consciousness is a political fact.” That was the ‘60s, as countries across the continent were […]
Legacy of Late Ghana President: A View from Nigeria
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria. ABUJA (IDN) – The saying that a prophet is not appreciated at home may well be referring to former Ghanaian president, Jerry Rawlings, who died on November 12 from COVID-19 related complications, three weeks after his mother […]