THE WORLD

Photo: Prime Minister of Portugal António Costa addressing a full house in the Kirsch Auditorium at the Stata Center, which included many students in the MIT Portugal Program. Credit: Allegra Boverman | MIT News.

Portugal an Oasis of Social Democracy

Viewpoint by Reinhard Naumann

LISBON (IDN-INPS) – Until recently, polls indicated a clear victory for the Socialist Party (PS) in parliamentary elections in Portugal on October 6. Even the absolute majority seemed within reach for the PS under the leadership of current Prime Minister António Costa.

At the same time, the liberal-conservative parties, the PSD and CDS, were heading for historic lows. They had to fear that their total share of votes would fall below the 30 per cent mark and, in this way, lose their blocking minority against constitutional amendments by the left. A horror scenario for the conservative camp.

: Europe Editor; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 04 October 2019

Photo: Chido Onumah. Credit: Oriental Times.

Advocates for Biafra and Journalists Against Corruption Face Gov’t Crackdown

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) - The war may be over in a place called Biafra – a region of states in the southern part of Nigeria – but it remains a flashpoint for ethnic tensions that simmer just below the surface.

This September, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), announced a meeting with world leaders at the United Nations to present the grievances of the Igbo community, including unfair treatment by successive governments.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 03 October 2019

Photo: People lining up for water at a borehole in Epworth, in southeast Harare, Zimbabwe.Credit: Zinyange Auntony for The New York Times.

Drought Catapults Zimbabwe into a National Disaster

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – In a new low water mark for Zimbabwe’s troubled economy, two million people in Zimbabwe's capital have now been left without water after the government ran out of foreign currency to pay for imported water treatment chemicals.

Zimbabwe’s capital city shut its main water works on September 26, potentially leaving the city dry and raising the risk of water borne diseases.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 03 October 2019

Photo: Women empowerment training. Credit: High Atlas Foundation.

Empowerment A Solution for Inequality in Rural Morocco

By Victoria Burns and Lailah Said

MARRAKECH (IDN) – The practice of empowerment has the potential to be the key to reducing the negative impacts of alienation and inequality among women in rural regions of Morocco.

High Atlas Foundation trainer Ibtissam Niri facilitates an IMAGINE empowerment workshop among girls and women in the Agerzrane village.

“We do not speak in front of others because we are ignorant and uneducated.”

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Middle East & North Africa; 02 October 2019

Photo: Ugandan investigative reporter and news anchor Solomon Serwanjja. Credit: NBS TV

Ugandan TV Host Wins Coveted Prize for Investigative Journalism

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) – Ugandan investigative reporter and news anchor Solomon Serwanjja is the 2019 winner of the Komla Dumor award. It goes to a journalist committed to changing the narrative about Africa.

Serwanjja, a presenter at Uganda's NBS TV, hosts one of the channel's prime-time shows. He has also produced award-winning reports, including one for BBC's Africa Eye program about the illegal sale of prescription drugs.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 01 October 2019

Photo: Kim Song, Chair of Delegation of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, addresses the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly’s General Debate. (30 September 2019) UN Photo/Cia Pak

DPRK Blames U.S. For ‘Little Progress’ in Achieving Peace on The Korean Peninsula

By UN News

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – Lack of progress in achieving peace on the Korean Peninsula is “entirely attributable” to the United States, a senior official from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) told the UN General Assembly on September 30.

Kim Song, head of the country’s delegation, observed that more than a year has passed since DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump issued a joint statement following a historic summit in Singapore in June 2018.

: UN Bureau; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 01 October 2019

The Climate Crisis Cannot Be Solved by Capitalism

To Fulfil the Paris Agreement, Germany’s Climate Policies Need to Look Beyond Market-Based Strategies

Viewpoint by Kai Niebert*

ZURICH (IDN-INPS) – It’s time to get tough – that’s how Chancellor Angela Merkel set the tone for Germany’s climate policies in 2019. But the question remains: will the federal government manage to reduce emissions in line with its international obligations and help to end the climate crisis?

Warnings from government figures are coming thick and fast: Merkel calls the climate crisis a ‘challenge to humanity’, Vice-chancellor Olaf Scholz calls for ‘forceful steps’, and the Bavarian MP and environmental convert Markus Söder describes inadequate climate protection as ‘a sin’.

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 01 October 2019

Photo: Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters on 28 July 2019. CC BY 2.0

The Roots of Hong Kong’s Crisis

By Henry Huang*

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IDN) – Hong Kong, the pearl of the East, yet lives in such a turmoil. The ongoing political crisis and massive protest have drawn a large amount of international concern and attention. There are multiple explanations of what has happened in Hong Kong. Some may say it is for a “wider demands for democratic reform.”^[1] On the mainland side, some may argue, “‘The demonstrations in Hong Kong are not about rights or democracy. They are a result of foreign interference.’”^[2]

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 30 September 2019

White Paper Expounds China’s Relationship with The World

By Globaltimes.cn

BEIJING (IDN-INPS) – The State Council Information Office issued a white paper titled "China and the World in the New Era“ on 27 September. This is the first governmental white paper that has comprehensively expounded the relationship between China and the world. The white paper focuses on China's international outlook, its development objectives and the role it plays with a purpose to increase the international community's understanding on China's development.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 28 September 2019

Photo: U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron at a joint press conference at the G7 summit in Biarritz, France. Credit: G7 France,

A New Iran Deal French Proposal on Hold as Tensions Mount

Viewpoint by Daryl G. Kimball and Julia Masterson

The following are extensive extracts from an that analysis first appeared on the website of Arms Control Association (ACA) on September 24. Daryl G. Kimball is ACA Executive Director and Julia Masterson research assistant.

WASHINGTON, DC (IDN | Arms Control Association) – The latest attempt by European powers to salvage the 2015 Iran nuclear deal hit a roadblock this month when the Trump Administration hesitated to engage in a French-sponsored initiative. In August, French President Emmanuel Macron offered a proposal before world leaders at the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France for a $15 billion line of credit to Tehran in exchange for its full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).