Viewpoint by Tariq Rauf * HIROSHIMA (IDN) —August 6 and August 9 will mark the 75th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. No sentient human being who has met or seen the hibakusha (survivors), or visited the hypocentres in the two cities, or seen the photographic evidence of the destruction of these […]
Trump’s Trade Deal Poses New Dangers to Southeast Asia
Viewpoint by Calvin Cheng* KUALA LUMPUR (IDN) — After two years of alternating between tense escalation and fleeting periods of calm, the United States and China reached a preliminary phase one trade deal in December 2019. Government spokespersons in both countries promptly cheered the signing of the agreement — but observers around the world remain […]
Ugandan Court Frees Radical Advocate for Girls’ Health
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — She’s one medical anthropologist, activist and poet you don’t want to wrestle with. Dr. Stella Nyanzi is apt to say exactly what’s on her mind – even if the object of her verbal dart is the President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, or his wife Janet, […]
America’s Christian Right, Republicans and Donald Trump – 6
Viewpoint by John Newsinger* This is the sixth of a six-part article originally published in International Socialism under the title The Christian right, the Republican Party and Donald Trump. Click here for part five of the series. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of […]
Murder Charge Against Lesotho Prime Minister to Be Reviewed
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Murder charges against the Prime Minister of Lesotho, Thomas Thabane, will be reconsidered in light of a novel appeal for immunity to be heard by the country’s High Court. If his appeal is rejected, Mr. Thabane would be the first African leader to face domestic […]
Kenya Makes Risky Bet on Pesticides to Eliminate Locust Swarm
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) — Desperate East African governments are weighing their options as farmers beg for the most deadly agro-chemicals in a last ditch effort against swarms of desert locusts which have already begun to eat into thousands of acres of pasture and farmland. “This is the best time […]
It’s Time Overdue To Tame The Beast Called Capitalism
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN) – Capitalism rules the world. Correct. But Bernie Sanders has his doubts about it. Good. It is a malicious system in many ways but as Winston Churchill might have said, it is better than all the alternatives. Nevertheless, it’s time overdue to tame the beast. After the Second […]
Doha Hosts High-Level Meeting of the UNODC’s Global Judicial Integrity Network
By Bernhard Schell DOHA | VIENNA (IDN | UNIS) —The second high-level meeting of the Global Judicial Integrity Network of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has launched in Doha under the patronage of Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Emir of Qatar, with hundreds of chief justices and senior judges from […]
UN Study Predicts $32 Billion Fall in Post-Brexit UK Exports
By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN | UNCTAD) — A new study expects non-tariff measures (NTMs) to cause major fractures in post-exit trade relations between the United Kingdom (UK) and the European Union (EU), knocking up to US$32 billion, or 14 per cent, off of UK exports to the EU. NTMs are policy measures other than […]
Coronavirus ‘Not Yet a Pandemic’ But Affects 28 Countries
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | GENEVA (IDN) — A sudden increase in new cases of COVID-19 is of concern, but the spread of coronavirus is not yet a pandemic, maintains the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). “Does this virus have pandemic potential? Absolutely, it has. Are we there yet? From our assessment, […]