Viewpoint by Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – When I was in Moscow three weeks ago, I was briefing myself for an interview with the Soviet Union’s last president, Mikhail Gorbachev. As it happened, he had to cancel it as he went into hospital for tests. One of the American academics I always read is […]
Growing Opposition to Cameroon President Paul Biya
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | YAOUNDE (IDN) – Facing a growing pro-democracy movement, Cameroon is resorting to an old formula – namely unleashing government power in the form of threats, arrests and excessive force. Hundreds of supporters of Maurice Kamto, leader of the opposition Cameroon Resistance Movement, have been filling the […]
ACP States Are A Key Factor in India’s Extended ‘Act East Policy
Viewpoint by Gaitri Issar Kumar The following are extended excerpts from India’s Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, Gaitri Issar Kumar’s keynote address on the 44th anniversary of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. It was celebrated at the ACP House on June 7 in Brussels, which ACP Secretary-General Dr Patrick […]
Low-income Countries Ensuring Liquidity as the UN Faces Financial Crisis
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – The United Nations is at risk of running out of cash, Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a letter to UN staff in July 2018 and stated that he had “written to Member States regarding the troubling financial situation facing the United Nations”. The situation has not changed for […]
New Study Shows How AI Can Generate Fake UN Speeches
By Felicia Vacarelu The writer is Communication Officer of UN Global Pulse, a flagship innovation initiative of the United Nations Secretary-General on big data, which has released a new study discussing the risks that can arise from the malicious use of automated text generation software, and the potential impacts. The study used open-source tools and […]
Ghana’s President Stuns Women with Demeaning Remarks
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – In this day and age of “Me Too” shaking up outdated gender relationships around the world, it was somewhat unsettling to hear Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo demean his country’s working women as insufficiently activist and dynamic enough to obtain better leadership jobs. Did he really […]
New President Feels the Heat of Trouble Brewing in Liberia
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | MONROVIA (IDN) – Liberian President George Weah is having a few bad days. And more may be on their way. A citizen action group – the Council of Patriots (COP) – has a long list of demands covering governance, human rights and the rule of law, […]
China’s Meteoric Rise Revives ‘Yellow Peril’ in the U.S.
Viewpoint by Kishore Mahbubani The writer is a Professor at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the author of ‘Has the West Lost It?’ This analysis first appeared in EastAsiaForum on June 5, 2019 with the heading ‘A ‘yellow peril’ revival fuelling Western fears of China’s rise’. SINGAPORE (IDN-INPS) – Do we arrive at […]
SDGs Offer Russia New Opportunities in Africa
By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – The St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-19) that brought together thousands of foreign delegates, including those from Africa, prioritized “sustainable development” as the key theme. It offered an opportunity to discuss in-depth the significance, challenges and prospects of sustainable development, and cooperation among state institutions and businesses as […]
Urgent Action Needed to Scale-up Energy Access in LDCs
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK | BEIJING (IDN) – The world’s 47 least developed countries (LDCs) will fail to achieve global sustainable energy targets by 2030 unless urgent and enhanced action is undertaken. This was the backdrop to discussions which took place on May 30-31, 2019 at a United Nations conference on ‘Scaling-Up Energy […]