Viewpoint by Nick Engelfried* BELLINGHAM, Washington (IDN) – As the Trump administration neared the end of its first year in office in 2017, it seemed environmental activists had lost one of the most hard-fought battles in the movement’s history. Thanks to a last-minute manoeuvre by Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Congressional Republicans succeeded in passing legislation […]
India’s Ties with South Asian Neighbours Strained
News briefs compiled by Suresh Jaura* TORONTO | NEW DELHI (IDN) – Though India became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council on June 17, with undisputed support from all countries in the 55-member Asia-Pacific Group for a two-year term in 2021-22, the country’s relations with its South Asian neighbours are strained and […]
Russia Feels Threatened by Bigger US Presence in Poland
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – Russia and the United States, since the end of the Cold War, have had confrontations on many issues, and it is highly unlikely if both will ever find something in common. There have been differences on regional issues from the Middle East and North Africa through Asia to […]
An Illuminating Farmer-to-Farmer Story in Morocco
Viewpoint by Yossef Ben-Meir The writer, Dr Yossef Ben-Meir, is a sociologist and president of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) in Morocco. MARRAKECH (IDN) – Bill Nichols served as a volunteer consultant to the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) through the Farmer-to-Farmer Program (F2F) for two weeks in January 2020. Originally from New Mexico, now residing […]
What the EU’s Corona Fundraising Tells us about Global Solidarity
Viewpoint by Inge Kaul The writer, Dr Inge Kaul, is Senior Fellow, Hertie School, Berlin and Non-resident Senior Fellow, Center for Global Development, Washington, DC. BERLIN (IDN) – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen organized two spectacular fund-raising events, one on May 4 and the other on June 27, 2020. The first drive collected […]
Wanted ‘Information Volunteers’ to Halt Viral Spread of COVID-19 Misinformation
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) — Never before has there been a more pressing need for accurate, verified information as in the current situation marked by the Coronavirus spreading its tentacles around the world. Like the virus itself, Misinformation about COVID-19 spreads rapidly from person-to-person and heightens the risk to health disseminating fear and […]
Boris Johnson’s Merger of DFID – Will it Massacre UK’s ODA?
Viewpoint by Patrick I Gomes The writer, Dr Patrick I Gomes, was Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States for five years until Angola’s Ambassador to the European Union, Mr. Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, took over on March 1. The 79-nation inter-regional body officially became the Organisation of African, Caribbean and […]
We Won’t Have a Truly Global Economy Until People Start Taxing It That Way
Viewpoint by Marshall Auerback The writer is a market analyst and commentator. This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute. NEW YORK (IDN) – Major talks between the United States and the European Union to establish a shared tax framework for multinational companies broke down on the issue […]
Put Women at The Centre of Syria Crisis Response
Viewpoint by Dr Natalia Kanem and Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Dr Natalia Kanem is the Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and Ms Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka Executive Director of UN Women. NEW YORK (IDN) – As the Syria crisis enters its 10th year, the situation is especially dire for women and girls, with the effects […]
COVID-19: How Brazil Became the World’s 2nd Worst Hit Country
Viewpoint by Alfredo Saad Filho* LONDON (IDN) – The COVID-19 pandemic has stress-tested countries, economies and political systems like never before. Nowhere has the outcome been more devastating than in Brazil, arguably the country with the worst pandemic response in the world. Brazil’s vulnerabilities are visible in the mass graves in São Paulo and Manaus. […]