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By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — There will be no state funeral for South Africa’s last white president, Frederick Willem de Klerk, his foundation said in a published statement.
Instead, Mr. de Klerk will have a private burial following cremation on November 21 for family members that will be closed to the media. He was 85 years of age.
viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana and Gillian Triggs
While Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana is Executive Secretary of ESCAP, Gillian Triggs is Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, UNHCR.
BANGKOK (IDN) — Most countries in the Asia-Pacific region are on track to reach universal birth registration by 2030: an incredible achievement and a significant milestone in realizing human rights and equality. However, as the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed, many weaknesses remain in official recording systems, creating gaps in knowledge about the population and affecting how authorities respond to crises and reach those in greatest need.
By Kester Kenn Klomegah
MOSCOW (IDN) — During his first official visit to Moscow under the military rule in Mali, Abdoulaye Diop, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, held extensive discussions with his counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The discussions on November focussed on increasing bilateral cooperation in economic sectors. But particularly significant was Russia's military assistance to strengthen the position of the new government and to fight rising terrorism in the Sahel region.
By Alexander Kozul-Wright
Alexander Kozul-Wright is a consultant for the Third World Network (TWN) based in Penang, Malaysia.
GENEVA (IDN) — At the end of October, Glencore—the world’s largest commodities trader—revealed that core earnings were on course to top $3.2bn, eclipsing the company’s guidance expectations. For context, last year’s trading profits of US $3bn (before tax and interest) marked a record high.
In 2020, the Switzerland-based group took advantage of an unprecedented drop in oil prices to buy cheap barrels of crude and then sell them in futures markets for significant profits.
Viewpoint by Thomas Klikauer and Meg Young*
BOSTON (IDN) — Ten years ago, one of Germany’s most violent post-war Neo-Nazi killing squad, the so-called National-Socialist Underground or NSU-network came to light when their caravan exploded and their Neo-Nazi hideout was set on fire to eliminate all evidence. This occurred in the former East-German city of Zwickau. Recently, a secret government file on the NSU was leaked.
By Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen*
SAN FRANCISCO (IDN) — A few days after the November 2 election, the New York Times published a vehement editorial calling for the Democratic Party to adopt “moderate” positions and avoid seeking “progressive policies at the expense of bipartisan ideas.” It was a statement by the Times editorial board, which the newspaper describes as “a group of opinion journalists whose views are informed by expertise, research, debate and certain longstanding values.”
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — The party that governed South Africa since the end of apartheid appears to have lost its grip on Black voters who turned away from the party of Nelson Mandela this month in large numbers.
For the first time in the country’s post-apartheid democracy, the African National Congress (ANC) received only 46% of—less than half of the national vote and an 11% drop from the last election—in polls for mayors and councillors.
Although the turnout ended up being slightly better than initially feared, at 12.3 million voters, it amounts to fewer than half of those registered.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — At a large pro-war rally held recently in Meskel Square in the heart of the capital city, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, surrounded by thousands of his supporters, made clear that the battle against Tigrayan rebel fighters would continue unabated, despite mounting fatalities and famine.
Residents of the capital were told to arm themselves to repel the rebel forces if they managed to reach the city. To some analysts, this suggested that Abiy’s own Ethiopian National Defence Force (ENDF) was not up to the challenge of defending the capital.
Viewpoint by Rahul Singh
The writer is a former Editor of Reader's Digest, Indian Express and Khaleej Times (Dubai). He is presently a columnist for the Tribune, and a freelance writer.
NEW DELHI (IDN) — Two persons have been in the news lately, both connected to films: Actor Naseeruddin Shah, and lyricist Javed Akhtar. I don’t know them personally, except that I once played tennis with Naseeruddin and interviewed Javed for a major Indian daily. But that was many years ago.
Viewpoint by Jan Servaes
The author was UNESCO Chair in Communication for Sustainable Social Change (2011-2016). He taught ‘international communication’ in Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, the US, the Netherlands, and Thailand, in addition to short-term projects at about 120 universities in 55 countries. He is editor of the 2020 Handbook on Communication for Development and Social Change.
BRUSSELS (IDN) — Since the February 1 coup in Myanmar, analysts have been anticipating a protracted civil war scenario, citing the example of Syria.
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