By Rita Joshi PARIS (IDN) – Foreign aid from 30 opulent nations, designated as “official donors”, totalled USD 146.6 billion in 2017, signifying a small decrease of 0.6% from the previous year in real terms because they spent less money on refugees hosted by them. But countries most in need of aid received more funds. […]
Reflection on Today’s World and Our Era
Viewpoint by Michele Nobile* The author wrote this as a reaction to the article by Roberto Savio entitled ‘Ten Reflections on the Crisis‘ which was published by IDN on 8 April 2018. – The Editor ROME (IDN) – The reflections of Roberto Savio touch problems which have roots that are not recent and have become […]
Lula da Silva – Condemned by the Courts, Absolved by History
Viewpoint by Boaventura de Sousa Santos* COIMBRA, Portugal (IDN) – The Lula da Silva case blatantly shows that something is rotten in the Brazilian judicial system. It brings to the fore procedures and practices that are incompatible with the basic principles and guarantees of democracy and the rule of law, in a way that needs to […]
Ganga Initiative Brings Culture Into New Asian Trade Routes
By Kalinga Seneviratne This article is the 23rd in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. BANGKOK (IDN) – A recent conference at Thammasat University in Bangkok brought together Indian and Southeast Asian scholars to discuss re-building cultural links along two major rivers in Asia – the Ganges […]
Sending Brazil’s Lula To Jail Is Absurd
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – President Barack Obama said that the then president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva, was “the most popular president on earth”. Now, while fighting for a new term in office, he has been brought low, imprisoned for 12 years for corruption. He is still the most […]
A Journalist Joins the Presidential Race in Nigeria
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | LAGOS (IDN) – Next year’s race for the presidency in Nigeria just got a lot more interesting as a crusading journalist – an upstart known for exposing the millions and billions stolen by a national “loot-ocracy” – announced his candidacy for the nation’s top job. As […]
Trade War, Skripal, Arsenic and Old Lace
Viewpoint by Michele Nobile* ROME (IDN) – Like the rest of humanity, I have no way of identifying the instigator of the attempted assassination of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter. But I venture some reasoning, just to clear the field of fantasies and focus on real problems. It is true that […]
Kazakh Peacemakers Exchange Experience with Indian Partners
ALMATY (IDN | KazInform) – Kazakhstan militaries are taking peacemaking training in New Delhi jointly with Indian colleagues. The classes are taking place at the UN Training Center. The Kazakhstani peacemakers came to New Delhi to study the Indian experience to apply it in missions. Upon arrival they familiarized with the general provisions, structure and […]
UN Shipping Agency Slammed for Stalling Climate Action
By J Nastranis NEW YORK (IDN) – Transparency International has criticised the United Nations shipping agency for delaying action on climate change. The global anti-corruption organization warns in a new study that the private shipping companies’ concerns are impacting the policymaking process at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), undermining its ability to effectively regulate greenhouse […]
Reverse the ‘Individualising Imaginary’ on Climate Change
By Maurizio Fratta ROME (IDN) – The data collected by climatologists speak clearly: since 1880 – when surveys began – the summer of 2017 in Italy was the second hottest ever; the month of August recorded an average thermal excess of 2.5°C, with the fourth day of the month the hottest in the last 60 […]