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Photo: 14th BRICS summit in Beijing. Credit: China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

BRICS Summit: “Driving Changes Together”

By Somar Wijayadasa*

NEW YORK (IDN) — The 15th BRICS Summit is scheduled to take place in August this year in Durban, South Africa at a time of great upheaval—both political and economical—throughout the world. BRICS is an acronym for five regional economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.

The first four were initially grouped as "BRIC" in 2001 by Goldman Sachs economist Jim O'Neill, who coined the term to describe fast-growing economies that would collectively dominate the global economy by 2050; South Africa was added in 2010.

: Somar Wijayadasa; OPINION; 01 June 2023

Collage with pictures or Hunter Biden with US President Joe Biden. Credit: Blitz Weekly

Is Pres. Biden's Son Undermining US-Bangladesh Relations?

By Muzaffar Ahmad Noori Bajwa*

NEW DELHI, 1 June 2023 (IDN) — In an unsettling turn of events, recent revelations have brought to light the involvement of Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden, and Nobel Peace Laureate Professor Mohammad Yunus in actions that have raised profound concerns over the delicate fabric of US-Bangladesh relations.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; South Asia; 01 June 2023

Corrupt adoption practice has nothing to do with the rights of the child, but with meeting market demand. Credit: UNICEF/Marco Dormino.

European Bureaucrats May Be involved in Child Smuggling

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.

At the start, the validity of the documents on the adoption of children from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was questionable because international adoptions from there have been completely prohibited since 2017. The suspected persons have since been officially arrested and charged with attempted child trafficking, and the trial is about to be heard in the Supreme Court in Zambia.

: Europe Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Decent Work & Economic Growth; 31 May 2023

Image: Flag of Saudi Arabia. Wikimedia Commons.

Saudi Arabia Best Positioned to be Peace Maker

By Alon Ben-Meir*

This article was originally published in CNN Arabic [https://arabic.cnn.com/middle-east/article/2023/05/29/saudi-peace-process-israel-palestinians-oped-alon-ben-meir]

NEW YORK, 31 May 2023 (IDN) — Israel and the Palestinians will not find a solution to their conflict without third-party mediation. Such a party is no longer the traditional arbiter, the US, but Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have created a promising geostrategic environment in the region and have the means and the political clout to succeed where all others have failed.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 31 May 2023

A Nuclear-Free World Begins with Young Leaders

By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS, 31 May 2023 (IDN) — The United Nations now believes—and perhaps rightly so—that a world free of nuclear weapons should begin primarily with young future leaders.

In pursuing this ambitious goal, the UN Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the government of Japan are calling on young people to apply for an innovative learning programme that will empower them to make their contribution to a world free of the deadly weapons.

: Thalif Deen; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 31 May 2023

Photo credit: ‘African Equality Foundation’ Facebook

Uganda Courts Condemnation After Signing World’s Toughest Anti-LGBTQ Laws

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK, 30 May 2023 (IDN) — In a move sure to invite condemnation and risking sanctions, Uganda has approved a new, stricter anti-LGBTQ law that includes the death penalty.

President Yoweri Museveni signed the world’s toughest anti-LGBTQ legislation, first proposed back in March but sent back to lawmakers allegedly to “tone down some provisions.”

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 30 May 2023

Image credit: ‘Simon & Schuster’ Publishers

The Murder of Chris Hani That Brought the Nation to the Brink of War

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK, 30 May 2023 (IDN) — On Easter weekend 1993 Nelson Mandela was engaged in slow-moving power-sharing talks with President F.W. de Klerk when a white supremacist shot Mandela’s heir-apparent, Chris Hani, in the hope of igniting an all-out civil war.

The story of nine tumultuous days, as the assassination of Mandela’s protégé threatened to derail South Africa’s democratic transition and plunge the nation into civil war, is told in riveting detail in a new book by South African newspaper columnist and political commentator Justice Malala.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 30 May 2023

A breakaway of Boko Haram faction. Source: Institute for Security Studies.

Dangerous Growth of Violent Groups Confront New Nigerian President

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK, 30 May 2023 (IDN) — Bolu Ahmed Tinubu, who eked out a controversial win in the nation’s recent elections, now faces a near insurmountable challenge—to quell the violence gripping the country, wielded by various groups of assorted loyalties.

“The degree of insecurity in Nigeria is unprecedented,” wrote Charles Kwuelum and Iyabo Obasanjo in Foreign Policy magazine. “It’s not just former U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria John Campbell, who are arguing that Nigeria is a failed state. Nigerian public and government officials regularly say as much themselves.”

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 30 May 2023

U.S. Marines on guard duty in April 2003 near a burning oil well in the Rumaila oil field of Basra, Iraq, following the 2003 U.S. invasion and during the Iraq War. Wikimedia Commons.

A Machiavellian US in the Middle East

By Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden, 30 May 2023 (IDN) — The war in Syria has dropped out of the news, like almost everything else, in a time when the Ukraine war seems to dominate all discourse and reporting. But the regime of Bashar al-Assad continues to strangle its own country. Even last year the Russians continued to bomb on his behalf, terrifying civilians and hospitals.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 30 May 2023

Imagine empowerment workshop participants join hands in a closing ceremony. Photo by HAF.

Women Transform their Horizons in Rural Morocco

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.