By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – Norway’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York, Mona Juul, has taken over from Rhonda King of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines the presidency of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), who chaired the recently-concluded High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable […]
China’s Risky Bets Along the Belt and Road Initiative
Viewpoint by James M. Dorsey James M. Dorsey – a senior fellow at Nanyang Technological University’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, an adjunct senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Middle East Institute and co-director of the University of Wuerzburg’s Institute of Fan Culture – offered this viewpoint to IDN. SINGAPORE (IDN) […]
When Social Democracy Bows to the New Pensée Unique
Viewpoint by Roberto Savio* ROME (IDN | OtherNews) – Social Democrats, who had been steadily disappearing following the crisis of 2008, have been making a small comeback in the last year. Now they are in power in Spain, Portugal, Sweden, Finland and, most recently, in Denmark. But the statistics are daunting. The recent European elections […]
Everglades in Florida See Hope for Renewal Through Ecotourism
By J W Jackie RENO, Nevada, USA (IDN) – A massive ecosystem of lakes, rivers and marshes known as the Everglades dominates the southern portion of Florida. The aqueous territory once spanned a great length down the state, but extensive damage to the environment has reduced the wetland’s size in half. As young environmentalists around […]
Public Good Hijacked by Tobacco Corporation for Profit
Viewpoint by Dr. Ulysses Dorotheo The writer is Executive Director of Southeast Asia Tobacco Control Alliance (SEATCA). BANGKOK (IDN) – Many corporations make money at the expense of the public interest, but the world’s largest tobacco company, Philip Morris International (PMI) has raised the bar again. In 2017 PMI pledged US$80 million annually for 12 […]
Unexpected Struggles in The Fight Against Ebola
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – The battle to knock out the Ebola virus should have its eyes on the goal. Instead, politics and a divisive struggle between two drug makers has interfered. A key health minister in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has resigned in protest. In his resignation […]
African Media Recall Disturbing Remarks by New British Leader
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – African media greeted the new British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, by recalling some of particularly cringe-worthy remarks made during his formative years in politics. The new Conservative Party leader has a history of gaffes involving Kenya and Africa, having once attacked Barack Obama saying the […]
UAE and Russia Eye Geopolitical and Commercial Mileage in Climate Change
By James M. Dorsey* SINGAPORE (IDN) – Climate change, much like war, could prove to be a geopolitical and commercial gold mine. At least, that is the take of DP World, Dubai’s global port operator, and Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. DP World is partnering with the fund, the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to create […]
UN Condemns Israeli Destruction of Palestinian Homes
By Sean Buchanan NEW YORK (IDN) – Calling it “not compatible with Israel’s “obligations under international humanitarian law”, the United Nations has condemned Israel’s demolition July 22 of 70 homes in an East Jerusalem neighbourhood under the control of the Palestinian Authority. Israel’s Supreme Court has reportedly ruled that the houses in the Palestinian community […]
Iran at the Edge of a Cliff as the Bomb Question Hangs Fire
Trump Scrapped Security Council Endorsed Nuclear Deal Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – There’s never been a full-scale war between two nuclear-armed states. If Iran one day did cross the nuclear threshold the same deterrence will apply. No one rational would want to provoke their own incineration. Columbia university professor, Kenneth Waltz, the […]