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By António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
NEW YORK (IDN) — Every New Year is a moment of rebirth.
We sweep out the ashes of the old year and prepare for a brighter day.
In 2022, millions of people around the world literally swept out ashes.
From Ukraine to Afghanistan to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond, people left the ruins of their homes and lives in search of something better.
Erdogan Avenges the American Betrayal
Viewpoint by M.K. Bhadrakumar*
This article was produced in partnership with Indian Punchline and Globetrotter.
NEW DELHI (IDN) — The curtain is coming down on the brutal 11-year-old Syrian conflict, which former US President and Nobel Laureate Barack Obama initiated as the Arab Spring swept through West Asia two decades ago. The United States has suffered yet another big setback in West Asia as the year 2022 draws to a close. The unfolding Turkish-Syrian reconciliation process under Russian mediation is to be seen as a saga of betrayal and vengeance.
They are Threatened with Torture & ill-Treatment
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — According to a joke that was circulating in Washington political circles in a bygone era, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s notorious torture chamber in the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad—once held up as a symbol of barbarity—was never shut down.
After the US invasion and occupation of the country (2003-2011), a signboard outside the prison chamber apparently read: “Under New Management”.
Viewpoint by Medea Benjamin and Nicolas J. S. Davies*
NEW YORK (IDN) — On December 27, 2022, both Russia and Ukraine issued calls for ending the war in Ukraine, but only on non-negotiable terms that they each know the other side would reject.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Kuleba proposed a "peace summit" in February 2023 to be chaired by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, but with the precondition that Russia must first face prosecution for war crimes in an international court.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema recently announced on his Facebook page that he officially abolished both the death penalty and the offence of criminal defamation of the president.
The Penal Code of 2022 repeals the mandatory death sentence in the absence of extenuating circumstances. The provisions of Section 69, which pertain to criminal defamation of the president, have also been repealed.
Former Coup leaders Change Roles in Parliamentary Vote
By Ravindra Singh Prasad
SUVA (IDN) — In a parliamentary vote on December 24, former coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka was elected the new Prime Minister by a slim majority of one after a hung parliament. He replaces another former coup leader and twice democracy-elected Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama.
A Special Report by Aurora Weiss
VIENNA (IDN) — Austria's capital is home to 20 international United Nations offices and organisations seated at the Vienna International Centre. But law enforcement in this country falls short of the UN's requirements.
The United Nations Convention against Corruption, for example, calls for independent bodies or persons specialized in combating corruption through law enforcement that can “carry out their functions effectively and without any undue influence”.
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene
The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria.
ABUJA (IDN) — The shenanigans were always there, but until FIFA president Infantino Giovanni called them out in his down-to-earth press conference in Qatar, they remained the elephant in the room.
The hint of displeasure goes back 12 years ago when Qatar won the bid, defeating Australia, Japan, South Korea and the United States. That outcome was unexpected.
Neither Side is Willing to Compromise
By Global Times Staff Reporters
BEIJING (IDN) — In the 10th month of the Russia-Ukraine conflict when military operations are scaling down in the freezing winter, observers see a slim chance of negotiations for peace in the near future as neither side is ready to compromise to figure out a common ground for talks.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Confronting soaring prices and shortages of basic goods, Liberians held a "We are Suffering" rally in Monrovia while the president, George Weah, comfortably watched the 2022 World Cup at the White House.
The Monrovia protest was organized by opposition leader Alexander Cummings and drew several hundred people.
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