By Yossef Ben-Meir* MARRAKECH | 24 December 2024 (IDN) — On the 12 December 2024, I set out with four colleagues of the High Atlas Foundation (HAF) to meet with members of the rural community of Tafza (Al Haouz province, Marrakesh region), located in the mountain range that bore the horrendous epicenter of the September […]
Ecuador Opens World Heritage Natural Site Galapagos Islands to US Military
By Pablo Meriguet and Benjamin Zinevich* QUITO, Ecuador | 23 December 2024 (IDN) — On 15 February 2024, Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboasigned a series military cooperation treaties with the US government, allowing ships, military personnel, armament, equipment, and submarines to be installed in the natural reserve, which UNESCO declared a World Natural Heritage Site in […]
Who Will Stop Israel as it Defies the UN and Invades Syria?
By Nicolas J. S. Davies* NEW YORK | 23 December 2024 (IDN) — The United States, Turkey and Israel all responded to the fall of the Assad government in Damascus by launching bombing campaigns on Syria. Israel also attacked anddestroyed most of the Syrian Navy in port at Latakia, and invaded Syria from the long-occupied […]
Ghana’s Historic Election Is a Vote for Change
By Nicholas Mwangi* NAIROBI, Kenya | 22 December 2024 (IDN) — Ghana’s Electoral Commission declared on December 9 that former President and opposition leader John Dramani Mahama was the winner in the presidential election held on December 7, securing 56.55% of the vote, according to provisional results. The election marked a political comeback for the […]
Coal Will Be a Central Pillar of UN Climate Summit in 2026
By Christopher Wright and Ufuk Alparslan* LONDON | 22 December 2024 (IDN) — Australia and Türkiye went into COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with a range of diplomatic goals, but none greater than each country’s hopes to be announced as the host of the UN climate summit in 2026. For Ufuk and myself, the competition between […]
Africa: Economic Potential of BRICS Partner States — Algeria, Nigeria and Uganda
By Professor Maurice Okoli and Professor Chinedu Ochinanwata* ABUJA, Nigeria | 21 December 2024 (IDN) — After the historic 16th BRICS summit held in October 2024, three African States Algeria, Nigeria and Uganda, among others in Europe (Belarus and Turkey), Asia and Latin America, recognizably became BRICS+ partner states. In total, thirteen countries received BRICS […]
UN Warns of Hunger Reaching New Heights in the Arab Region
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 20 December 2024 (IDN) — Six UN agencies have called for enhanced funding for transforming and strengthening agrifood systems, address inequalities, and ensure that healthy diets are affordable and accessible to all in the Near East and North Africa as a new report warns that the Arab region remains off-track […]
Monorails Connect Mountains to Markets in China
IFAD ROME | 20 December 2024 (IDN) —The steep mountainsides of Yunnan province are green with orchards that supply sweet mangoes to eager shoppers across China. But getting the fruit to markets in the valleys is not a straightforward matter. Most farm vehicles can’t navigate the terrain, leaving farmers to carry heavy baskets down steep […]
Will Malaysia Help Resuscitate ASEAN in 2025?
By Simone Galimberti* KATHMANDU, Nepal | 20 December 2024 (IDN) — What should we expect from the Malaysia’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025? After several years of hibernation in which the regional bloc did not certainly sparkle in terms of vitality and creativity, will Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim of Malaysia be able to resuscitate an […]
Internet Governance Forum Weighs Pros and Cons of AI
By Bernhard Schell RIYADH, Saudi Arabia | 19 December (IDN) — More than 11,000 participants gathered at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Riyadh from 15 to 19 December 2024 and addressed the transformative opportunities and risks posed by rapid advancements of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other digital technologies. They agreed that while AI presents […]