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Photo: The ministers of foreign affairs of Germany, the United Kingdom, China, the United States, France, Russia, the European Union and Iran meeting in Geneva for the interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme (November 2013). Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Americans, Not the Europeans, Are Dilly-Dallying in The Iran Nuclear Deal

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — The panic button on Iran is being pressed again. A report by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), suggests that Iran has taken more significant steps towards developing a nuclear weapon. At the same time the warnings from Israel are coming thick and fast, reminding us that if necessary Israel will bomb Iran's nuclear research facilities.

All this is grist for the mill for the doomsayers who say it won't be long before countries such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt decide to develop their own bomb.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 24 August 2021

Photo: New Zealand Hercules airlifts evacuees from Kabul. Credit: New Zealand Defence Force.

New Zealand Should Have Stayed Out of the War in Afghanistan

Viewpoint by Keith Locke

Former Green MP Keith Locke was the party’s foreign affairs spokesperson. He writes occasional pieces for Asia Pacific Report. This article was first published by The Spinoff, republished in Asia Pacific Report, our partner, on August 19 with the author’s permission.

WELLINGTON (IDN) — After the fall of Kabul, the obvious question for New Zealanders is whether we should ever have joined the American war in Afghanistan. Labour and National politicians, who sent our Special Forces there, will say yes.

The Greens, who opposed the war from the start, will say no.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 24 August 2021

Photo: Members of the disabled community play a game of football in Kayunga District, Uganda. UNICEF/Rebecca Vassie

Paralympics: An Incredible Medium to Create Awareness of the Disabled

Viewpoint by Simone Galimberti

Simone Galimberti is Author and Co-Founder of ENGAGE, a not-for-profit NGO in Nepal. He writes on volunteerism, social inclusion, youth development and regional integration as an engine to improve people’s lives.

KATHMANDU, Nepal (IDN) — Once again the limelight will be back on Tokyo as the city is hosting the Paralympics Games, another carnival of sports with the participation of about 4400 athletes from 160 countries and territories.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 24 August 2021

Dwindling Democracy and Press Freedom in Hong Kong

Viewpoint by Jan Servaes

Jan Servaes was Head of the Department of Media and Communication at the City University of Hong Kong (2013-2016). He taught ‘international communication’ in Australia, Belgium, China, Hong Kong, the US, the Netherlands and Thailand, in addition to short-term projects at about 120 universities in 55 countries. He is editor of the 2020 Handbook on Communication for Development and Social Change https://link.springer.com/referencework/10.1007/978-981-10-7035-8

: Europe Editor; OPINION; 23 August 2021

Photo: Gnawa festival, Essaouira. Source: moroccoworldnews.com

Friends Of Moroccan ‘Gnawa’ Music Rally to Save Cultural Icon

By Lisa Vives, Global Information News

NEW YORK (IDN) — Rooted in healing rituals and Sufism, the hypnotic sounds of Gnawa music have attracted artists and musicians of all stripes—from Jazz Age poet Claude McKay to Archie Shepp, Ornette Coleman and the legendary Randy Weston.

Dar Gnawa—or Gnawa House—is a one-of-a kind three-story Moorish-style building built in Tangier, Morocco, in the 1850s. It’s a cultural center for Gnawa music, making it the first officially recognized center devoted to celebrating and preserving the music of the descendants of slaves in Morocco.

: SUSTAINABILITY; Quality Education; 23 August 2021

Photo: Crowds celebrate on the streets of Sudanese capital Khartoum as reports suggest President Omar al-Bashir has stood down. Video: WDMUSA24

Genocide Trial Looms for Former Sudanese Leader and Aides Over Darfur Conflict

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — The architects of crimes against humanity and genocide in the Sudanese region of Darfur may finally appear before the International Criminal Court, at least a decade after the atrocities occurred.

Ex-president Omar al-Bashir is among the group wanted by the court in The Hague since 2009 over atrocities committed by his government in Darfur, where at least 300,000 people were killed and 2.7 million displaced in a war from 2003 to 2008, the United Nations estimates.

: SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 22 August 2021

Photo: Hidilyn Diaz with her gold medal in Tokyo Olympics 2020. Source: Wikimedia Commons.

Filipino Medal Winners at Tokyo Olympics Show Sports Could Empower The “Economically Disabled”

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — As the Paralympics begin in Tokyo—a celebration of the athletics prowess of the “differently-abled”—it will be appropriate to look at how the Tokyo Olympic Games that concluded on August 8 empowered the “economically disabled” athletes from the Philippines—a Southeast Asian country not well-known for its sporting prowess except for the legendary boxer Manny Pacquiao, whose own story is a great rag to riches one.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 22 August 2021

Top Photo: San Jose, Batangas (22 January 2020) —An evacuation centre in San Jose, Batangas where over 700 families are staying due to the continued eruption of Taal Volcano. The Philippines is one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries. Photo credit: OCHA/P. Peron

The Human Race Against the Climate Crisis Clock

By Kirsten Mildren

The writer is Head of Campaigns & Advocacy, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

NEW YORK (IDN) — On 19 August 2003, a bomb attack on the Canal Hotel in Baghdad, Iraq, killed 22 humanitarian aid workers, including the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello. Five years later, the General Assembly adopted a resolution designating 19 August as World Humanitarian Day.

: UN Bureau; OPINION; 21 August 2021

Photo: The Russian President Vladimir Putin (second from left) and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi (third from right) at the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi Summit in 2019. Credit: Sochi Summit

Tales of Egypt's Quest for Russian Nuclear Power

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*

MOSCOW (IDN) — It was a highly unique step forward in October 2019, when during the first Russia-Africa Summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi reaffirmed commitment to scale-up cooperation in various economic sectors and particularly expedite work on the special industrial zone and the construction of proposed four nuclear power plants, raising hopes for an increased power supply in Egypt.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Russia; 21 August 2021

Photo: The writer, Manish Rai, in the Parwan Province of Afghanistan

Exploring why Afghan Forces Vanished So Fast

Viewpoint by Manish Rai

KABUL (IDN) — The Taliban now control almost the whole of Afghanistan including the capital city, Kabul, almost two decades after they were driven out by US troops. It was widely expected that after the United States’ complete withdrawal the Taliban will make significant territorial gains.