Viewpoint by Rene Wadlow, President, Association of World Citizens GENEVA (IDN) – The entry of Turkish troops into what they call a “safe zone” on the frontier of Turkey and northeast Syria and especially the actions of Turkish-backed Syrian militias has raised in a dramatic way the issue of respect of international humanitarian law. Regular […]
Trump’s Absence at ASEAN Summit Shifts the Focus to Asian Giants
By Kalinga Seneviratne SINGAPORE (IDN) – Ever since the U.S. was invited to join the East Asia summit that is held in conjunction with the annual ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Summit, media and conference attention has been focused on what the President of the U.S. says. But this year, President Trump boycotting the […]
UN Chief Lauds ‘Quantum Leap’ on Multiple Issues in ASEAN-UN Relations
Secretary-General António Guterres’ Press Encounter Following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ press encounter on 3 November 2019 following the ASEAN-UN Summit. BANGKOK (IDN-INPS) – I am extremely happy with the UN ASEAN summit. Two years ago, I asked for a quantum leap in relations between ASEAN and the UN and we can, […]
Do Everything Possible to Avert ‘Great Fracture’
Viewpoint by António Guterres Following are extensive extracts from UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ opening remarks for the 10th ASEAN-UN summit in Bangkok on 3 November 2019. ASEAN is the Association of Southeast Asian Nations comprising ten countries in Southeast Asia – Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Thailand is […]
Opportunity Beckons as Asia Reemerges as the World’s Dominant Economic Power
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona The writer is former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations, and former Foreign Secretary. It has been said that in the 19th century, the world was Europeanized. In the 20th century, it was Americanized. Now, it is being Asianized. Sri Lanka has another opportunity, through […]
Stress Epidemic Now Reaching Global Proportions
By J W Jackie RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – By next year, stress-related mental health conditions will be prevalent across the globe and will be second only to ischemic heart disease in scope of disability, as reported by the World Health Organization. In part, the problem has to do with work. A survey by business […]
How Reparations Can Help Eradicate Poverty and Secure SDGs
Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn * NEW DELHI (IDN) – Dealing with numbers can take a toll and might make one seek fulfillment in other spheres. No wonder the most influential poet of the last Century penned The Waste Land in 1922 when he was dutifully employed with the foreign transactions department […]
More Than $10 Million Raised at Diwali Gala for Medical Equipment, Patient Care Spaces and Research
By Sahana Rangnekar TORONTO (IDN) – For the 18th year, Trillium Health Partners (THP)’s annual Diwali gala filled with fusion food, dancing and entertainment by Bollywood singing sensation Kanika Kapoor was celebrated in Mississauga, a suburb of Toronto in the Canadian province of Ontario, on October 18, 2019 to raise funds for combating cancer. The […]
Kosovo Elections Herald ‘Most Significant Change’ in 12 Years
By Radwan Jakeem NEW YORK (IDN) – The Security Council has been told that the snap elections held on October 6 in Kosovo had the highest voter turnout since 2010 and represent “the most significant change in the political landscape” there in a dozen years. These were called during a difficult time of internal political […]
How the US Regime ‘Justifies’ the ‘Theft’ of Syria’s Oil
Viewpoint by Eric Zuesse * NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – On October 26, the New York Times headlined “Keep the Oil’: Trump Revives Charged Slogan for New Syria Troop Mission” and opened by saying that “in recent days, Mr. Trump has settled on Syria’s oil reserves as a new rationale for appearing to reverse course and […]