By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – One reason why African presidents may cling to power, even re-writing the constitution to grant them extra terms, may be the case of Angola. Newly elected President João Lourenço is sending shivers across the continent as he relentlessly attempts to recoup billions of dollars subverted […]
Rwanda Outlaws Political Cartoons and an Opposition Leader Goes Free
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW York (IDN) – The Rwandese government of Paul Kagame has outlawed the drawing of cartoons that portray politicians/leaders in an unflattering manner. Anyone who draws such a cartoon risks imprisonment of up to two years and a fine of up to Rwf1 million ($1,145). If the cartoon targets […]
On ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics’ – or Mask of Capitalism
Viewpoint by Michele Nobile* This is the second of a four-part series. Click here for Part 1 ROME (IDN) – “Socialism with Chinese characteristics” is described by the regime in the following terms: “A historic transformation from a highly centralised planned economy to a dynamic socialist market economy has been achieved in China. A basic […]
Grim Shadow Over Cameroon President’s Re-Election Bid
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK (IDN) – As the clock ticked down to October 7 presidential elections in Cameroon, President Paul Biya remained tightlipped about a grisly video gone viral of two mothers and their infant children executed in cold blood by government soldiers. The grainy video shows two women – one […]
Kazakhstan Still Has a Lot of Heights to Climb
By Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Following are extensive excerpts from Kazakh President’s State of the Nation address on October 5, 2018 in the Akorda presidential residence. ASTANA (IDN | KAZINFORM) – Over the years of our independence we have achieved a great deal. Having created a modern progressive state with a […]
UN Hails Nobel Peace Prize Seeking to End Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – The United Nations has extended an enthusiastic welcome to The Norwegian Nobel Committee‘s announcement that it has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2018 to Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and […]
On ‘Socialism with Chinese Characteristics’ – or Problem of Epochal Social Transformation
Viewpoint by Michele Nobile* This is the first of a four-part series. ROME (IDN) – The “peaceful rise” or “peaceful development” of China is one of the most remarkable processes marking the world economy between the twentieth and twenty-first centuries … and perhaps the most important. Over four decades of the era of economic reforms, […]
Pompeo Heads to Pyongyang in Quest of Denuclearization
By Kelsey Davenport & Alicia Sanders-Zakre Kelsey Davenport is director for nonproliferation policy and Alicia Sanders-Zakre is research assistant at the Arms Control Association. This article first appeared in the Inaugural Issue: The North Korea Denuclearization Digest on October 3, 2018. It is being reproduced courtesy Arms Control Association. – The Editor WASHIGTON, D.C. (IDN-INPS) […]
Sri Lanka Chaired UN Forum Focuses on Sport to Promote Human Rights
By Jamshed Baruah GENEVA (IDN) – The Social Forum of the UN Human Rights Council serves since 2008 as a unique space for open and interactive dialogue between civil society actors, representatives of Member States, and intergovernmental organizations, on a theme chosen by the Council each year. The 2018 Social Forum, with Sri Lanka’s Permanent […]
China Suspected of Going Green by Dumping Brown Through BRI
Viewpoint by Dokku Nagamalleswara Rao & Atmaja Gohain Baruah Dokku Nagamalleswara Rao and Atmaja Gohain Baruah are research scholars at the Center for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi India. This article first appeared in East-West Forum on 25 September 2018. – The Editor. NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – The environmental impact of […]