European Bureaucrats May Be involved in Child Smuggling
May 31, 2023
By Aurora Weiss
VIENNA, 31 May 2023 (IDN) — A case that may implicate Croatian bureaucrats came to light in December 2022 when an alert immigration officer at Zambia’s Ndola airport detained eight Croatian citizens on suspicion of child trafficking and falsification of documents. (P05) JAPANESE | PORTUGUESE
Women Transform their Horizons in Rural Morocco
May 29, 2023
By Yossef Ben-Meir
MARRAKECH, 29 May 2023 (IDN) — A research study reveals the positive community impact of sustainable agricultural initiatives when preceded by women’s empowerment workshops, leading to participatory action, enhanced community well-being, and decentralization.
Asian Leaders Call for Unity to Confront West’s “De-Risking” Strategy
May 28, 2023
Analysis by Kalinga Seneviratne
SINGAPORE, 28 May 2023 (IDN) — The international media may have focused on the attempts at the G7 meeting this month in Hiroshima to unite against China promoting a “de-risking” strategy, which China sees as “containment” of their economic rise. It seems many Asian leaders agree with China.
Mariam Chowdhury Corner for Global Citizenship Inaugurated
May 27, 2023
Soka University of America Honours Ambassador Chowdhury’s Life Partner
NEW YORK, 27 May 2023 (IDN) — The Soka University of America (SUA) located at Orange County, California, USA held a beautiful dedication ceremony this morning for the Mariam Chowdhury Corner for Global Citizenship at its campus. The beloved life partner of SUA’s Distinguished Visiting Professor Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury, former Under-Secretary-General and High Representative of the United Nations, Mrs Chowdhury was a friend and supporter of the university, accompanying the ambassador to campus over the last two decades to support SUA’s learning clusters and dialogues on the culture of peace.
Humanitarian Aid to Africa Falls Far Short of Target
May 25, 2023
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, 25 May 2023 (IDN) — At a UN sponsored high-level meeting, donors collectively pledged about $2.4 billion in “life-saving and life-sustaining assistance” to nearly 32 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia plagued by five consecutive poor rainy seasons.
But the pledges—from 28 donors out of the 193 UN member states—fell far short of the $7.0 billion needed to rescue the countries devastated mostly by droughts.
Insufficient Progress Made Towards Disaster Risk Reduction
May 21, 2023
By Radwan Jakeem
NEW YORK, 21 May 2023 (IDN) — A review of progress on implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction has determined that global progress towards disaster risk management has been weak and insufficient, putting at risk the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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New UN Report Shows How to Drastically Slash Plastic Pollution
May 17, 2023
By J Nastranis
NEW YORK, 17 May 2023 (IDN) — A new UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report says countries and companies could reduce plastic pollution by 80 percent by 2040 using existing technologies.
According to UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen, “the way we produce, use, and dispose of plastics pollutes ecosystems, poses health risks, and destabilizes the climate.”
After Historic Apology, Fiji Moves to Build a New Nation
May 15, 2023
By Kalinga Seneviratne
SUVA, Fiji, 15 May 2023 (IDN) — In an emotionally charged “Reconciliation and Thanksgiving” service organized by Fiji’s Methodist Church—the country’s largest Christian denomination—the President of the church Reverend Ili Vunisuwai and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka apologized to the Indo-Fijian community for the suffering and insults they have endured in Fiji’s post- independence-era, paving the way to what the political leaders here call “building a new era” of peace and prosperity.
Multiple Problems Bring Sri Lanka’s Healthcare System to Brink of Collapse
May 12, 2023
By Hemali Wijerathna
COLOMBO, 11 May 2023 (IDN) — In the face of the current economic crisis, Sri Lanka’s free healthcare system, which was the envy of South Asia not long ago, is now at the brink of collapse. It is facing multiple problems with a lack of drugs, doctors migrating and the government strictly implementing a 60-year retirement policy for government doctors. (P04) HINDI | INDONESIAN | JAPANESE | THAI…
Bhutan’s Unique Buddhist Culture Has Tourism Potential
May 11, 2023
Byy Kalinga Seneviratne
This Lotus News Feature, produced in association with the Buddhist Channel, is the 53rd in a series of joint productions with IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous reports.
SINGAPORE | THIMPHU, 11 May 2023 (IDN/LCN) — A recent visit by a group of Vietnamese Buddhists to learn and experience the Mahayana tradition of Buddhism has alerted the Bhutan authorities to the potential of Buddhist cultural tourism to one of the world’s most scenic countries landlocked between India and China in the Himalayan mountains.
UN to Focus on Sustainable Management of The World’s Forests
May 5, 2023
By Radwan Jakeem
NEW YORK, 5 May 2023 (IDN) — The sustainable management of the world’s forests will take centre stage at the United Nations Headquarters in New York at the UN Forum on Forests on 8-12 May 2023. Officials from UN Member States, the UN system, international and regional organizations, will gather to discuss this critical planetary resource.
Hunger & Starvation Threaten Quarter of a Billion People Worldwide
May 4, 2023
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS, 4 May 2023 (IDN) — A new report on world hunger by the Global Network Against Food Crises (GNAFC) is a setback to the UN’s highly-publicized goal of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger by 2030—an integral part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Far from achieving progress in the fight against hunger, the latest numbers indicate a reversal in the battle front.
Indian State Elections: Ruling BJP Vows to Eradicate Manual Scavenging
May 3, 2023
Special IDN SDG News Feature*
BENGALURU, India, 3 May 2023 (IDN) — India’s southern state of Karnataka is due to go to the polls on May 10, and sustainable development goals (SDG) issues such as sanitation, food security and free nutrition for the poor, free housing sites for the homeless and free cooking gas cylinders for the poor are top billing in the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) election manifesto released on May 1.…
UNESCO Needs to Rethink Freedom of Expression
May 3, 2023
Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne
SYDNEY, 3 May 2023 (IDN) — At a time when the West has weaponised human rights, the United Nations body that promotes freedom of expression need to rethink what it means.
Every year UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) mark World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) on May 3 with a particular theme and this year is its 30th edition.…
Zimbabwe Government is Muzzling Politically Conscious Artists
May 3, 2023
By Farai Shawn Matiashe
HARARE, 3 May 2023 (IDN) — As a crucial election approaches, President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s regime is in overdrive cracking down on politically conscious musicians who encourage people to register to vote and sing against corruption. The southern African nation is set to hold its general elections in August this year. (P03) JAPANESE | SWAHILI…
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