Viewpoint by Alyn Ware, Vanda Proskova and Saber Chowdhury* NEW YORK (IDN) – On October 2, 2020, 77 Heads of State and Government Ministers addressed a United Nations High-Level meeting on the elimination of nuclear weapons, along with the UN Secretary-General, the President of the UN General Assembly and two representatives of civil society. One […]
BRICS Civil Forum Evolving from Strength to Strength
By Kester Kenn Klomegah* MOSCOW (IDN) – Since its establishment in 2009, BRICS, an association of five major emerging economies Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, has had a significant influence and expanded in many directions, one of which is the BRICS Civil Forum. Significant to recall that during the 7th summit held in […]
Colonial Past Rooted Police System Terrorizes the Poor and Minorities
Viewpoint by Justin Podur* This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute. TORONTO (IDN) – The Minneapolis City Council’s attempt to defund police may have fizzled out for the moment, but the problem of police violence across the United States is unresolved—and much of it stems from the institution’s colonial, […]
Ye Are Many, They Are Few!
By John Scales Avery COPENHAGEN (IDN) – I would like to announce the publication of a new book, which discusses the question of how oligarchs maintain their grasp on an excessive share of wealth and power when, as Shelley pointed out, the have-nots are many, while the power-holders are few. Here the link to a […]
Exploring Whether Trump or Putin Is a Dictator
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Who comes closest to being a dictator? Is it President Vladimir Putin or President Donald Trump? Until Trump came on the scene as America’s number one, Putin took the prize for autocracy. No longer. Who uses his power to stir up violent, anti-democratic, movements? Who incites racism? […]
Ugandan Opposition Leader Bobi Wine’s Headquarters Raided and Robbed
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Security forces raided the offices of reggae star and prominent opposition leader Bobi Wine, reportedly seizing cash, posters, banners and boxes of red berets – Wine’s signature headgear and a “symbol of resistance” which the government says is illegal. The raid took place in a […]
The US Pastor Who Preaches Climate Change Denial
Viewpoint by Paul Braterman* LANCASTER (IDN) – Every so often you come across a piece of writing so extraordinary that you cannot help but share it. One such piece is a sermon on global warming by American pastor John MacArthur. Full of beautifully constructed rhetorical flourishes, it is forcefully delivered by an experienced and impassioned […]
Xi Ready to Turn Free Tibetans Into Hapless Uighurs
By Nadir Ali Wani* SRINAGAR, India (IDN) – Taiwan, Hong Kong, Tibet. Which of them would be the first to completely lose its separate and independent identity under the watch of the expansionist Chinese president, Xi Jinping? Critics say while the world pays more attention to Taiwan and Hong Kong and the Ladakh stand-off against […]
COVID-19: Europeans Can Learn from Developing Countries
Developed Countries Should Change Their Mindset Viewpoint by Maru Mormina and Ifeanyi M. Nsofor* OXFORD | WASHINGTON (IDN) – Nine months into the pandemic, Europe remains one of the regions worst affected by COVID-19. Ten of the 20 countries with the highest death count per million people are European. The other ten are in the […]
China Continues ‘Hanization’ Violating the Freedom of Ethnic Minorities
By Nadir Ali Wani* SRINAGAR, India (IDN) – China claims, as in a 2019 white paper, “Seeking Happiness for People: 70 Years of Progress on Human Rights in China”, that it fully protects the freedom of ethnic minorities to use and develop their spoken and written languages and that the state protects by law the […]