News briefs compiled by Suresh Jaura* TORONTO | NEW DELHI (IDN) – Environmental degradation and climate change, US report on religious freedom, sex scandal, Covid-19, and cyber harassment in Pakistan are some issues the Indian news media has been highlighting in the first two weeks of June. These and many more are linked to India. […]
Conference Raises $130m for UN Palestinian Refugee Agency
By Bernhard Schell AMMAN | STOCKHOLM (IDN) – Seventy-five governments and non-governmental organisations have pledged $130 million in financial commitments to sustain the operations and services of the acutely underfunded United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). They gave the assurance at an extraordinary global meeting at the […]
Surprising Rift Over Africa Seat in UN Security Council
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – The non-permanent Africa seat at the United Nations Security Council was the subject of a heated duel between two African countries who lobbied fiercely for the powerful prize. On a second round of balloting, the seat went to Kenya which garnered 129 votes against 62 […]
The Second World War: Flawed and Ignorant Thinking in Both Russia and The West
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN) – The tanks will roll across Moscow’s Red Square on June 24. It is the day of the great parade to mark the 75th anniversary of the ending of the Second World War. In the West it’s not that well-known a fact that the Soviet Union lost many […]
Ugandans Launch Drive to Rename Streets with Colonial Names
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | KAMPALA (IDN) – A petition to rename roads honouring British colonial figures has gathered thousands of names. The appeal ties into the Black Lives Matter protests. Running through the centre of the city and past Kampala’s impressive Independence Monument is Speke Road, named after the British […]
If We’re Going to Defund Militarized Police Departments, Why Not Add the Pentagon?
The U.S. military’s budget, like so many police department budgets, is bloated, and diverts our tax dollars into forces of domination and violence. Now is the time to question our spending priorities at the local and federal level. Viewpoint by Sonali Kolhatkar This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent […]
Black Power Move to Remove Columbus Statue Contravenes Heritage Protection Act
Viewpoint by Dr Kumar Mahabir TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (IDN) – The National Trust of Trinidad and Tobago has been strangely silent on the rowdy and relentless campaign to remove the historical statue of Christopher Columbus in the capital city of Port of Spain. I was the Vice Chairman of the Trust from 2013 to 2015. […]
Why Global Arms Embargo Against Iran Must Remain in Place
Viewpoint by Hassan Mahmoudi The writer is a social analyst, researcher, an independent observer and commentator of Middle Eastern and Iran. The article reflects his personal perspectives and opinions, which are not necessarily shared by the International Press Syndicate Group and its flagship IDN-DepthNews. STOCKHOLM (IDN) – The global arms embargo against Iran, imposed by […]
COVID-19: UN Chief Warns of an Unprecedented Jobs Crisis
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA (IDN) – The world of work is deeply suffering from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic. Almost all of the planet’s workers, some 94 per cent, were living in countries with some type of workplace closure measures in place in May 2020, according to the UN Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on the World […]
Russia Considers 75th Anniversary of the Great Victory Shared Responsibility to History and our Future
Viewpoint by Vladimir Putin This article by the Russian President appeared in http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/63527 on June 19, 2020. MOSCOW (IDN) – 75 years have passed since the end of the Great Patriotic War. Several generations have grown up over the years. The political map of the planet has changed. The Soviet Union that claimed an epic, […]