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News for a Sustainable World
Published by The Non-profit International Press Syndicate Group
with IDN-InDepthNews as the Flagship Agency
Dear Reader,
We are pleased to send you Edition 13 | 2021. This weekly is the flagship news product of the Non-Profit International Press Syndicate Group with registered offices in Canada, Germany, Japan and Singapore, and correspondents around the world. Feel free to share and re-publish articles pro bono mentioning the source. Previous editions are available on https://newsletter-archive.indepthnews.net. Your feedback is most welcome.
Kind regards from the Non-Profit
International Press Syndicate
By Radwan Jakeem
NEW YORK (IDN) — As Viet Nam takes the presidency of the UN Security Council in for the month of April, the 15-member Council's report for March in Hindsight examines mercenarism and the mercenaries' heavy involvement in illicit, destabilising activities in a number of countries on the Security Council’s agenda.
Viet Nam has chosen to hold several signature events during the month. A ministerial-level open debate on mine action is anticipated with UN Secretary-General António Guterres as a likely briefer. A resolution is a possible outcome.
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By Kester Kenn Klomegah*
MOSCOW (IDN) — President Vladimir Putin has praised the entire healthcare system, and particularly the hard-working team of scientists and specialists from different institutions for their efforts at research and creating a series of vaccines for use against the coronavirus both at home and abroad. Three vaccines already registered in Russia, two of them—Sputnik V and EpiVacCorona—are produced in large quantities by Russian pharmaceutical companies and are currently used for vaccination. It is planned to roll out another one: CoviVac.
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Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — History and events have not been kind to Russia. Napoleon’s invasion, revolution, two world wars, Hitler’s invasion, Stalin’s communism and, most recently, the expansion of NATO, have shattered the Russian people’s equilibrium and self-regard time and time again.
At the end of the Cold War and with agreement on the NATO-Russia Founding Act it seemed that big steps towards a new kind of future were being taken. First, Russia would have a seat at NATO's table. Later it would join NATO. Later still, the European Union. Some said this would happen over ten years, others twenty.
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Viewpoint by Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana
The writer is United Nations-Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (ESCAP).
BANGKOK (IDN) — The world is emerging from the biggest social and economic shock in living memory, but it will be a long time before the deep scars of the COVID-19 pandemic on human well-being fully heal.
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Viewpoint by Alexander Kallweit
Last year, President Xi Jinping announced ambitious climate targets. But China's reluctant state apparatus struggles to reconcile high growth and climate policy, writes Dr Alexander Kallweit, who heads the office of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung in Beijing. Previously, he led the foundation's International Dialogue Department in Berlin. This article first appeared in the International Politics & Society Journal.
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By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — A scorching blaze that turned a crowded neighbourhood of Sierra Leone’s capital city into rubble and ashes has left an estimated 4,500 residents homeless with many searching for missing family.
The inferno which broke out on March 24 between 7 and 10 p.m. in Susan's Bay, devastated a community of struggling families, mostly fishermen and petty traders, according to Save the Children in a report.
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By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — “Multiple senseless attacks” on civilian populations by armed groups in the Tahoua and Tilabery regions of Niger were condemned by world leaders and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) which noted the recent killings of some 200 civilians including children in the violence.
In the last ten days alone, three attacks in Banibangou, Tahoua and Abala, near the West African nation of Mali, also destroyed productive infrastructure such as granaries, jeopardizing livelihoods in some of the most vulnerable regions of the country, the humanitarian group reported.
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By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Africa is experiencing a second coronavirus wave more severe than the first, according to a worrying new study published on March 24 by the medical journal The Lancet.
The Lancet said one reason for the rise was that some countries were implementing fewer public health measures such as mask-wearing and social distancing, probably from adherence fatigue and economic necessity.
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Viewpoint by Lobsang Sangay
The author is President of the Tibetan-government-in-exile, called as Central Tibetan Administration.
DARJEELING, India (IDN) — Tibet, famously called the roof of the world, a state in the Himalayas neighbored by India and China has for long been in a state of the tussle with Beijing. China lays the claim over the entire Tibet and calls it its own territory; however, Tibet has always strived for an independent existence. This is among the many conflicts currently brewing in South Asia, probably the worse as far as the power imbalance is concerned.
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By J Nastranis
NEW YORK (IDN) — UN Secretary-General António Guterres has condemned in the strongest terms, the killing of dozens of civilians, including children and young people, by security forces in Myanmar on March 27.
In a statement issued by Deputy Spokesman Farhan Haq, the UN chief said, “the continuing military crackdown…is unacceptable and demands a firm, unified and resolute international response”.
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By Radwan Jakeem
NEW YORK (IDN) — Earth Hour, India's donation of 200,000 vaccines to protect UN blue helmets against the coronavirus, and the UN is scaling up its efforts to help Nepal, which faces numerous natural threats, are some of the notable events in the last days.
On March 27, the world began to ripple to darkness as countries globally dimmed their lights at 8:30 pm local time for Earth Hour—an event that, according to the UN, encourages individuals, communities, and businesses to turn off non-essential electric lights, for one hour.
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Viewpoint by Sergio Duarte
The writer is Ambassador, former High Representative of the United Nations for Disarmament Affairs and current President of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs
NEW YORK (IDN) — “How can we—the non-nuclear-weapon States—be expected to enter into an interminable obligation to remain non-nuclear if the nuclear-weapon States are engaged in an interminable nuclear escalation?” (Alva Myrdal, Head of the Swedish delegation at the ENDC – Final verbatim record of the 363rd Meeting of the Conference of the 18-Nation Disarmament Committee, February 1968. ENDC/PV.363, 4-12)
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By Caroline Mwanga
NEW YORK (IDN) — The largest gathering on women’s rights has decided to contribute to accelerating the pace of progress to ensure women’s full participation and leadership at all levels of decision-making in executive, legislative and judicial branches of government and the public sector. It also appreciates that temporary special measures, such as quotas, and increased political will are needed as an enabling pathway to this goal.
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By Kester Kenn Klomegah*
MOSCOW (IDN) — The Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI) says it is working very hard to continue to prioritise the interests of Russian entrepreneurs in all its dealings. One of the ways the organisation is doing this is by strengthening its international ties.
Already, the CCI has successfully established 76 operational business councils with 76 countries. They involve representatives of the Russian business community and those from the relevant state.
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By Kalinga Seneviratne*
SYDNEY (IDN) — “The Core Group chaired by the UK tabled a shoddy motion based on a hostile UNHRC Report riddled with factual errors and unproven allegations going back to 2009; none of which qualifies as robust evidence,” said Lord Naseby. Conservative party member and the President of the All-Party Parliamentary UK-Sri Lanka Group in a statement issued on March 23 following a vote at the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva that called for intrusive human rights intervention in Sri Lanka’s domestic affairs.
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By Dr Kumar Mahabir
The writer is an anthropologist who has published 12 books on Indo-Caribbean identity.
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad & Tobago (IDN) — In March 2020, Trinidad and Tobago’s (T&T’s) relation with Venezuela shot into the spotlight. It was sparked by a secretive and suspicious meeting by Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodriguez with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley. Another controversy was sparked by the fuel shipment from T&T’s Paria Fuel Trading Company to Aruba, which was then surprisingly sent to Venezuela.
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By Azu Ishiekwene
The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of The Interview magazine based in Abuja, Nigeria.
ABUJA (IDN) — It wasn’t planned. I was seeing off my neighbour and friend on March 18 evening when one of the officers of our estate residents’ association called out to me.
He was in knickers and shirtsleeves, with his right hand clutching his left shoulder. “I’ve just been vaccinated,” he said. “Would you like me to put your name forward for it tomorrow?”
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