By J C Suresh TORONTO (IDN-INPS) – “We know that we cannot fight tomorrow’s threats with today’s tools. Defending ourselves is no longer about just looking at a map and deciding where to position troops and equipment. We need to defend ourselves in the digital age, and in the age of artificial intelligence,” NATO Deputy […]
Disarmament in Uncertain Times Discussed in Reykjavik
By Lowana Veal REYKJAVIK (IDN) – With tension rapidly escalating between the United States and Russia – and indeed between these countries and others – a seminar on disarmament held in parallel with the 14th NATO Conference on Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iceland came at an appropriate time. The idea for the seminar, entitled […]
Insurance Essential for Sustainable Development – But Billions Still Losing Out
By Kwame Buist LUSAKA, Zambia (IDN) – Billions of uninsured individuals, families and small businesses are exposed to risks which can result in catastrophic losses, delegates to the 14th International Microinsurance Conference (IMC) on ‘Inclusive Insurance for Emerging Markets’ in Lusaka were told. Despite encouraging signs of increased insurance cover uptake in some markets, climate […]
Nigeria’s Presidential Candidate Abubakar Hires Trump’s Campaign Strategist
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – Cash money makes things happen. That’s an expression taken from the Urban Dictionary but it may also be the hope of Atiku Abubakar, candidate for President of Nigeria with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which just hired Donald Trump’s lobbying firm at an astronomical […]
Sri Lanka President Told Not to Trample on Parliamentary Democracy and the Rights of People
Viewpoint by Friday Forum Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena’s move to remove Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and prorogue Parliament was “a shameless disregard of this political mandate given to him by the people”, avers the Friday Forum in a statement circulated on November 5. The Friday Forum is “an informal group of concerned citizens pledged to […]
Theresa May Should Join Angela Merkel at the Retirement Door
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Is Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, responsible for Brexit? In a way yes she is because at the time of the great economic crisis of 2007-2013, counterproductively she insisted on austerity throughout the European Union. Austerity helped turn the poorer classes of the UK towards Brexit. But […]
The ‘CRISIS’ In Sri Lanka – Invented by the Western Media
Viewpoint by Dr Palitha Kohona Ambassador Dr Palitha Kohona, Former Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations. COLOMBO (IDN) – The change of Government in Sri Lanka, following the unceremonious sacking of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremasingha by President Maithripala Sirisena, has given rise to a crescendo of alarmist commentary in the Western media, […]
Global Forum on Human Settlements Calls for Urban Innovation
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK | BANGKOK (IDN) – The Global Forum on Human Settlements (GFHS) 2018 has called for greater efforts to speed up the transition to green growth through developing a circular economy, scaling-up financing for sustainable urban infrastructure, sustainably managing urban water, applying innovative technologies for smart cities, building enhanced partnership and […]
New ESCAP Chief Aims at Deepening Regional Cooperation
By Jaya Ramachandran NEW YORK | BANGKOK (IDN) – Dr. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, the new Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), is convinced that the organization has the opportunity to lead from the front. “The Asia-Pacific region has in recent decades seen remarkable social and […]
Kazakhstan Becomes the First Central Asian Country to Join UN Peacekeeping
By Santo D. Banerjee NEW YORK (IDN) – For the first time in the history of Central Asia, a peacekeeping contingent from the Republic of Kazakhstan is participating in a UN peacekeeping operation. 120 Kazakh peacekeepers have arrived in Lebanon to participate in the mission of the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL). The […]