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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 33 | 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 J Nastranis
NEW YORK (IDN) — The year 2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the closure of the Semey test site, the 76th anniversary of the United Nations, Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings, of the first atomic testing Trinity, 51 years of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), 25 years of the The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) which is not entered into force, collapse of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) and extension of New START Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) until February 2026.
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By Bernhard Schell
CAIRO, Egypt (IDN) — The World Health Organization (WHO) is committed to staying in Afghanistan and delivering critical health services, says Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, and is calling on all parties to respect and protect civilians, health workers, patients and health facilities. "During this difficult time, the well-being of all civilians—as well as the safety and security of our staff—in Afghanistan is paramount," he adds.
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By Kalinga Seneviratne
SYDNEY (IDN) — Australia’s farming sector has been badly hit by the closing of the borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic and with the harvesting season on the horizon there is an estimated shortage of 25,000 fruit pickers and harvesting machinery operators across Australia.
While the farmers are asking the government to provide special provisions for vaccinated foreign workers to be brought to work in the farms, labour rights advocates here says that thousands of Australians on government welfare are not willing to work on “slave wages” on farms.
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Viewpoint by Jonathan Power
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The Soviet Army invaded Afghanistan in December, 1979 and withdrew, exhausted and demoralized, 10 years later. In Moscow a joke had long circulated: “Why are we still in Afghanistan?” Answer: “We are still looking for the people who invited us.”
The same is true for the Americans and NATO who are now moving through the exit door. They came to obliterate Al Qaeda after 9/11, 2001.
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Interview by Kester Kenn Klomegah*
MOSCOW (IDN) — For more than six decades, Ghana and Russia have had excellent diplomatic relations and are looking forward to build stronger economic cooperation. During these years, the bilateral political, economic and cultural engagements have transited through different distinctive phases taking cognizance of challenges and setbacks including the political changes and administration in Ghana, and the collapse of the Soviet era and emergence of the Russian Federation.
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By Mahendra Ved, LOKMARG
MUMBAI (IDN) — Buzkashi, the national game of the people of Afghanistan, has horsemen competing to possess the headless body of a goat. In one of the world’s most enduring ironies, the country has itself become the goat, being dragged and tossed around. A horrified world watches as an elected government is losing out to the Taliban, a group of women-hating men poised to take control.
They have rendered impotent and helpless the outsiders, all powerful, that have been either backing them diplomatically and militarily, or opposing them meekly, with wordy resolutions.
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By J Nastranis
NEW YORK (IDN) — The United Nations is convinced that sport promotes values such as diversity, tolerance and respect and contributes to the empowerment of women and young people, individuals and communities, as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives. With this in view, the UN Department of Global Communication's office at the country level has initiated SDG Zone at Tokyo, titled "Teaming Up through Sport to Advance the SDGs".
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By UN News
NEW YORK (IDN) — The United Nations is working to support rescue and relief efforts in Haiti following a powerful earthquake that reportedly left hundreds dead, with perhaps even more injured and missing, and caused massive damage in the south-western part of the country.
UN chief António Guterres said that he is closely following the latest unfolding tragedy in Haiti, while UNICEF reported that its teams already on the ground are making assessments to prioritize urgent needs and provide assistance to affected populations in the wake of the 7.2 magnitude quake that has reportedly killed more than 500 people.
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By Kelsey Davenport, Julia Masterson, and Sang-Min Kim
While Kelsey Davenport is director for nonproliferation policy, Julia Masterson is research associate, and Sang-Min Kim is Scoville Fellow at the Arms Control Association. This article first appeared in Arms Control Now of the Association on August 11, 2021.
WAHINGTON, DC (IDN) — Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi pledged to pursue “smart engagement” in order to lift sanctions on Iran during his Aug. 5 inauguration speech.
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Musings on 75th Year of Independence
Viewpoint by Dr Ram Puniyani
This article is the 16th in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, the flagship of the International Press Syndicate. The writer is a former professor of biomedical engineering and former senior medical officer affiliated with the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (now Mumbai) and meanwhile a social activist and commentator. This article was first published on CounterCurrents.org on August 11, 2021.
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By Thalif Deen
NEW YORK (IDN) — As the US pulls out of Afghanistan after a 20-year occupation, the Afghans have once again ousted one of their ruling powers, first the Brits, then the Soviets, both in a bygone era, and now the Americans.
The triple debacle may well be reflected in an old adage attributed to Afghans: "You have the watches, we have the time."
But the ultimate victims are Afghan civilians who have been caught in cross-fires for decades under military forces unleashed by three permanent members of the UN Security Council.
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Morocco's indigenous people Khettara helped build a civilization and transferred deserts into green paradises and stood against climate change problems. The following article shows the value of this water heritage and sustainable water initiatives.
By Errachid Montassir*
RHAMNA, Morocco (IDN) — Water is the great essence of life in all its manifestations and ways of nourishing, whether for plants, animals, or humans. Water is also the pillar of urban planning and stability. Many deserted places flourished and came to life due to water abundance whereas other lively and active places have faded away as water provision dwindled, taking the spirit of the place with it.
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By Kalinga Seneviratne
SYDNEY (IDN) — The most comprehensive report released by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued a dire warning to countries in the Pacific region where rising sea levels and increasing temperatures could wipe out island nations and make dry habitats uninhabitable. But the two major powers in the region—Australia and New Zealand—have reacted to the report with defensive rhetoric rather than moving to implement immediate action to save the region.
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