By Kester Kenn Klomegah MOSCOW (IDN) – As Russia and Mali prepare to mark their 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, Moscow has reaffirmed its unreserved preparedness to strengthen economic cooperation and provide support in bringing political stability to Mali and other African countries threatened by or gripped in conflicts. “Over these decades, we […]
Kazakh Election Shows Youth Wavering between Apathy and Passion for Change
By Milena Melnikova* NUR-SULTAN (IDN) – When Kazakhstan went to the polls on June 9 with six candidates challenging the incumbent president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, one may have thought that the people had a clear choice to make after almost three decades. But many young people in this oil-rich former Soviet Republic do not share that […]
U.S. Accusations Against Iran Not Without Risk
By Kelsey Davenport The following article by Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, was published on their website. WASHINGTON, DC (IDN-INPS) – Tensions over the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran continue to rise after the Trump administration accused Tehran of violating one of its commitments under the agreement, but […]
Borobodur in Indonesia has the Potential to Epitomise Religious Tolerance in Asia
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 33rd in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous series. SINGAPORE IDN) – Thousands of Indonesian Buddhists went on a 4 km procession from Mendut monastery to the historic Borobodur temple in Central Java […]
African Governments Join Activists to Fight Sextortion
By Kizito Makoye DAR ES SALAAM (ACP-IDN) – A poster bearing a message “Graduate with A’s not with AIDS” at the University of Dar es Salaam, tells a grim story of female students who offer sex to obtain higher grades. “My teacher wanted to date me. When I refused his sexual advances, he retaliated by […]
From Russia with Additional Insights
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 […]