Viewpoint by Jainendra Karn* NEW DELHI (IDN) – India is not a signatory to the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention which defines a refugee yet the Government of India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has kept the promise that Mahatma Gandhi had made to persecuted people living deplorable lives in India’s neighbourhood through the Citizenship Amendment […]
Pompeo Accuses the ICC of ‘Unfairly’ Targeting Israel
By J C Suresh WASHINGTON, DC (IDN) – U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo has expressed opposition to International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda’s announcement that she “has concluded her preliminary examination into the so-called ‘situation in Palestine’ and asked the ICC judges” to confirm that the Court may exercise jurisdiction over the […]
India No More A Refuge for The Persecuted
Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran * This article is the 11th in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. NEW DELHI (IDN) – India has no refugee policy. It is not a signatory to the UN’s 1951 Refugee Convention, which defines a refugee. Now, India avowedly […]
Hindu Nationalist Govt. Leading India to the Edge of a Cliff
Viewpoint by Dr. Ram Puniyani This article is the 10th in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. NEW DELHI (IDN) – Citizenship Amendment Bill, while passed in both houses of Parliament has elicited diverse and negative responses all over India. On one hand we […]
International Criminal Court to Launch Probe into Alleged War Crimes in Palestine
By Robert Johnson THE HAGUE, The Netherlands (IDN) – The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has announced plans to open a formal investigation into alleged war crimes in Palestine, subsequent to a “thorough, independent and objective assessment”. At the same time, she said that she has asked the Court for a further ruling […]
UN Criticises Iran and USA for Undermining Nuclear Deal
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – The UN Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA) Rosemary DiCarlo has criticized both Iran and the United States for putting strain on the groundbreaking 2015 deal to monitor Iran’s nuclear programme, which she stressed remains a “cornerstone of international peace and security”.
Historic Meeting Wraps Up With Pledges to Boost Opportunities for Refugees
By Tim Gaynor and Matthew Mpoke Bigg, UNHCR GENEVA (IDN) – A historic meeting in Geneva wrapped up on December 18 with wide-ranging and substantial commitments to help millions of refugees and the communities they live in worldwide, including important pledges of new long-term support for their inclusion. “I want to salute the efforts pledged […]
Build A More Equitable Response to Refugee
Viewpoint by António Guterres The following are extensive excerpts from the UN Secretary-General’s opening remarks at the first Global Refugee Forum (17-18 December 2019). It came at the end of a tumultuous decade in which the number of refugees has risen to over 25 million people worldwide. Guided by the Global Compact on Refugees, the […]
Rising Concern in Russia About Spiralling Arms Race
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – Russia is convinced that proliferation risks and threats that are rampant today can be eliminated by the strict observance of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), while respecting and ensuring the balance between its three components: nonproliferation, disarmament and peaceful use of nuclear energy. The […]
UN Expects Trade Growth in Asia-Pacific in 2020 Despite Decline in 2019
By Devinder Kumar NEW DELHI | BANGKOK (IDN) – United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana has welcomed the agreement reached between China and the United States on December 13, defusing tensions in a 19-month trade war. She expects it to […]