By Jonathan Power* LUND, Sweden | 23 April 2024 (IDN) — Former British prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, would never have agreed with her French counterpart, the late President Francois Mitterrand, who said “Nationalism is war”. To her, nationalism was necessary and good and she felt much as Mitterrand’s predecessor, Charles de Gaulle, who said of […]
A Plea for a Resolution to the Economic & Humanitarian Crises in Yemen
By Wameedh Shakir Following is statement to the UN Security Council by Wameedh Shakir, Chairwoman of Itar Foundation for Social Development on 15 April. UNITED NATIONS | 23 April 2024 (IDN) — I stand before you today with a heavy heart, pleading for your urgent attention to the ongoing crisis in Yemen that has unfolded […]
Rise in Global Military Spending Amidst Two Ongoing Conflicts
By Thalif Deen NEW YORK | 22 April 2024 (IDN — The ongoing destructive war between Russia and Ukraine, which has dragged on since February 2014, and the equally devastating six-month-old conflict between Israel and Hamas, have triggered a rise in military expenditures worldwide. According to the latest figures released on April 22 by the […]
Two African Students of Theater Win Major Soros Award
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 22 April 2024 (IDN) — Winners of a generous prize from the Paul & Daisy Soros fund this year include Zimbabwe-born Ruva Chigwedere and Saidu Tejan-Thomas Jr. from Sierra Leone. Both are in graduate theater programs in their respective schools. The fellowship winners are children of […]
African Union’s Health Group Slams Drug Maker For ‘Vaccine Inequity’
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 22 April 2024 (IDN) — Moderna, the drug company made famous for its COVID vaccines, has abandoned plans to construct vaccine plants in Kenya, drawing criticism from the African Union’s public health agency that the company is not committed to ‘vaccine equity’. Africa’s Centers for Disease […]
Africa Marks Earth Day With a Campaign Against Plastics
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network NEW YORK | 22 April 2024 (IDN) — Earth Day today has been marked around the world with demonstrations, conferences and awards for environmental activists. Africa is part of the program. The theme is “Planet vs Plastics” bringing attention to the serious issue of plastic pollution and how it […]
US Bashed for Vetoing the State of Palestine’s UN Full Membership
By J Nastranis NEW YORK | 20 April 2024 (IDN) — As the United States vetoed the Palestine State’s bid for full United Nations membership, the office of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said the US veto was “blatant aggression … which pushes the region ever further to the edge of the abyss”. In a […]
Will the Ukraine and Gaza Wars Encourage Russia to Support Nuclear-Armed Iran?
By Meir Javedanfar* TEL AVIV | 19 April 2024 (IDN | ELN) — According to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency’s recent report, the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) currently has sufficient uranium enriched to 60% to build three nuclear weapons if it decides to do so. Building a nuclear bomb would provide the IRI […]
The Pitfalls of Investor-State Dispute Settlements Designed to Favour Corporations
By Pedro Labayen Herrera and Guillaume Long* PARIS | 19 April 2024 (IDN) — On February 9, less than 100 days into his transitional one-and-a-half-year term, Ecuadorian president Daniel Noboa announced an 11-question referendum to take place on April 21. Amid a historic security crisis that has made Ecuador one of the deadliest countries in […]
An International Treaty to Fight Plastic Pollution is Heading Towards its Final Run
By Thalif Deen UNITED NATIONS | 18 April 2024 (IDN) — The overwhelming threat of plastic pollution, mostly on high seas and oceans, has long been described as one of the world’s impending environmental disasters. “With a garbage truck worth of plastic entering the ocean every minute, the ocean has long been ground zero for […]