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Photo: Tigray forces. Source: Tufts University.

Keeping an Eye on The Situation in Tigray War

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS (IDN) — The midnight of November 3-4, 2020 witnessed the unleashing of the armed conflict in the Tigray region of Ethiopia in the Horn of Africa. For nearly a fortnight there was a communication blackout until on November 17 the Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA) launched a daily situation report.

March 10 marked the 100th edition of its publication, which has been following the chain of events of the war in Tigray. A close look at the situation reports reveals that the continuing war is regional, has been so from the start and that it had been planned as such.

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; Horn of Africa; 11 March 2021

Photo: Criticism of the handling of the rape scandal in Australia involves Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Senator and Defence Minister Linda Reynolds, and Christian Porter, Attorney-General of Australia. In the backdrop is the Parliament in Canberra. Photos from Wikimedia Commons. Collage by IDN-INPS.

Rape Allegations Rock the Australian Parliament

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SYDNEY (IDN) — While International Women's Day was celebrated around the world on March 8, a debate was gathering momentum in Australia about the “toxic workplace culture” within the corridors of power in the Australian parliament in Canberra, with politicians running for cover as rape allegations against them and their staff surfaced fast and swift.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 10 March 2021

Photo: The UN Human Rights Council meeting room in Geneva. Credit: ohchr.org

Indian Dilemma Over UNHRC Resolution on Sri Lanka

Viewpoint by Sugeeswara Senadhira

COLOMBO (IDN) — New Delhi is in an unenviable situation over the UNHRC (United Nations Human Rights Council) resolution on Sri Lanka as it would not be in India’s long-term interest to pave way for the international body to be provided with an opportunity to directly interfere in an internal affair of a member of the world community, especially a country in South Asia, where India is the superpower.

: Opinion Editor; SUSTAINABILITY; Peace & Justice; 10 March 2021

Image: EU flag removed from UK embassy in Brussels in a symbol of Brexit freedom. Source: Video | UK | News | Express.co.uk

"Britain Alone" Tells the Story of Inflated Ambition

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power*

LUND, Sweden (IDN) — Philip Stephens of the Financial Times writes in the opening page of his new book, “Britain Alone” *: “The alarm was sounded by a distinguished British scientist, Sir Henry Tizard. Tizard had served during the war as a special emissary to Washington for Winston Churchill. His task had been to supervise the exchange of advanced military technologies, from airborne radar to nuclear fission. Tizard once made an Atlantic crossing carrying in his case blueprints for every one of the nation’s secret weapons systems”.

: Jonathan Power; OPINION; 09 March 2021

Image: Cover of a publication 'What does living in harmony with nature mean to you? OEWG #Biodoversity 2020

Human Civilisation on a Collision Course with the Laws of Ecology

Viewpoint by Tom Pegram and Julia Kreienkamp*

LONDON (IDN) — As governments around the world roll out COVID-19 vaccine programmes and seek to kickstart their economies back to life, recovery seems to be within reach. However, hard questions must not be sidestepped. How did this pandemic happen? And how resilient are we to future global risks, including the possibility of deadlier pandemics?

Importantly, COVID-19 was not a ‘black swan’ event – an event that cannot be reasonably anticipated.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 09 March 2021

Image credit: University College of Dublin (UCD)

African Women See No Reason to Hail Int'l Women's Day

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — March 8 marks the UN's International Women's Day — an occasion meant to be a global celebration. But with more and more women suffering each day, there is little to rejoice in Africa, say many women leaders from the continent.

"International Women's Day should celebrate the fruits of decades of activism. But on a continent where those who stand accused of sexual abuse often get rewarded rather than punished, what is there to be proud of?," said Cameroonian journalist Mimi Mefo Takambou.

: Global Information Network; SUSTAINABILITY; Gender Equality; 08 March 2021

Collage: Photos of Senegal President Mackey Sall, the Republic of Congo Denis Sassou Nguesso, and President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of Equatorial Guinea.

Attempts for Political Change in Senegal and in the Republic of Congo — Army Barracks Blast in Oil-Rich Equatorial Guinea

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK (IDN) — Calm has abandoned Senegal, a country in West Africa. The young people are rising up against the "wealth hoarding" political class. In Central Africa, the Republic of Congo, the opposition is seething as the 77-year-old President seeks another term. In another Central African country, Equatorial Guinea, a series of four explosions in the commercial hub, Bata, left a huge plume of smoke hanging over the city. Some 20 have reportedly died.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 08 March 2021

Photo: Fishers retain a cultural memory of wildlife and habitats that has accrued over generations. Credit: Alastair Cole/Tongue Tied Films, author provided

Gaelic Helping Preserve Scotland’s Marine Environment

Viewpoint by Magnus Course and Alastair Cole*

EDINBURGH | NEWCASTLE (IDN) — Regulations brought in following the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union have delayed the export of live shellfish to Europe, causing entire lorry loads of lobsters and langoustines to expire in Scotland’s ports.

Fishing is a relatively small part of the UK’s economy, but fishing rights dominated much of the Brexit negotiations with the European Union. And with the UK free of the EU’s environmental protections, fishing is once more a battleground for competing ideas in marine conservation.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 08 March 2021

Photo: The Energy Charter Treaty allows fossil fuel companies to sue government for taking action on climate change. Credit: Alfred T. Palmer/Wikimedia

Little-Known Energy Treaty a Climate Threat

Viewpoint by Fabian Flues, Cecilia Olivet and Pia Eberhardt*

LONDON (IDN) — On February 4, the German energy giant RWE announced it was suing the government of the Netherlands. The crime? Proposing to phase out coal from the country’s electricity mix. The company, which is Europe’s biggest emitter of carbon, is demanding 1.4 billion euros in ‘compensation’ from the country for loss of potential earnings because the Dutch government has banned the burning of coal for electricity from 2030.

If this sounds unreasonable, then you might be surprised to learn that this kind of legal action is perfectly normal — and likely to become far more commonplace in the coming years.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 08 March 2021

Photo: Displaced people in Adigrat town, in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. © UNICEF/Zerihun Sewunet

Brutal Gender-Based Violence in Tigray — A Personal Account

By EEPA

BRUSSELS (IDN) — “A woman in her 40s was found dead on the road to her home. She was found with her hands tied, injured to her head and sexually assaulted. This was in Mekelle. I know her son.” This is what one of our reporters (A.G.), who herself is a young woman, has reported.

The extent and cruelty of the assaults, sexual violence and rape of women and girls that the Europe External Programme with Africa (EEPA) has received information about is simply chilling. Much of it goes unreported. There is still no internet, and journalists were prevented from reaching the region for three months. Often, these atrocities are not reported, because the facts are just too repulsive. How do you talk about such horrific incidences?