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![2023] Photo: New Zealand Prime Minister visited grieving Muslim families, wearing hijab as a sign of respect, after the Christchurch Mosque attack in March 2019. Source: Twitter.com](/images/Jacinda_Ardern.jpg)
Viewpoint by Azu Ishiekwene
The writer is the Managing Director/Editor-in-Chief of LEADERSHIP newspaper based in Abuja, Nigeria.
ABUJA (IDN) — A leader like Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand doesn’t come in tens. Not even in twos. And so, it was such a bright day on October 26, 2017, when she took office as New Zealand’s Prime Minister.
She was 37 years old and also the youngest head of government at the time. What’s there not to love?
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK | OUAGADOUGOU (IDN) — French flags were set ablaze in the streets of Ouagadougou as hundreds of citizens of the West African nation of Burkina Faso gathered in the capital city on January 20. Many carried placards with the message “French army, get out!”
Anti-French sentiment has been soaring here, fed by the failure of the French military in the region to protect citizens from jihadist attacks as outlined in a bilateral accord.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Why is cryptocurrency booming in Africa but sinking in rich western countries, including the U.S.?
For starters, cryptocurrencies have gained acceptance among a large proportion of the low-income population that was, previously financially marginalized. Most banks in Africa were not accessible to this segment. Even when they were, low-income account holders were discouraged by the high transaction fees.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Climate activist Vanessa Nakate of Uganda, together with several young climate leaders, took no prisoners as they called out political and business elites who failed to move the needle on climate change which has been devastating rich and poor countries alike at the present time.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — A prominent Cameroonian journalist was found dead this week with signs of torture near the capital Yaounde, five days after he was abducted by unidentified assailants, according to the National Union of Journalists of Cameroon and media rights advocates.
Martinez Zogo's disappearance and death was a further sign of the perils of reporting in the African country, union members said.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — A 20-second video showing soldiers throwing dead bodies onto a pile of burning rubbish in northern Mozambique gives just a glimpse of what is happening far from view in this "forgotten war", the human rights group Amnesty International has declared.
It is the "latest evidence of atrocities committed" in the province of Cabo Delgado, which has been plagued by violence from armed jihadist groups for more than five years and where the Mozambican army has been supported since 2021 by Rwandan and neighboring country soldiers, the group said in a statement.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — “Too often, democracy is seen as an event which happens once in five years.”
Thus spoke Frene Noshir Ginwala, a South African of Indian descent who was the first speaker of the country’s democratic parliament. While she was modest about her achievements, she left an indelible mark on South Africa’s constitution and democratic institutions.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Africa was ever on the mind of Martin Luther King Jr. and his concerns for the continent appear in in his many papers in the King Institute.
MLK spoke out about the Congo at an event celebrating the independence of Kenya. “There are many problems on a world scale today and one of them is the Congo.”
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK | PARIS (IDN) — A check may soon be on its way for some of the last surviving African soldiers who fought in French wars around the world but were forced to live in France six months of the year in order to qualify for the pensions they were owed.
As a result of the six-month rule, many retirees could not spend their last days in Africa with their wives and children. With the regulation now to be lifted, they will continue receiving their pension payment even if they move away permanently.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK | DAKAR (IDN) — Hundreds of Senegalese gathered at the Place de la Nation in Dakar to denounce irregularities reported by auditors researching a Covid-19 fund. It was the second protest over reported problems with the funds to be called in less than a month.
The review by the Court of Auditors was said to have found “shortcomings,” “overbilling,” or lack of evidence of expenditure in their investigation of the Response Fund against the effects of Covid-19 during 2020 and 2021.
IDN-InDepthNews offers news analyses, features, reports and viewpoints that impact the world and its peoples. It has been online since 2009. Its network spans countries around the world.