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Photo: Review and Extension Conference of the Treaty on Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons Opens at UN Headquarters in New York. Seated on the podium from left to right are: Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali; Ambassador Jayantha Dhanapala (Sri Lanka), President of the Conference; Prvoslav Davinic, Secretary-General of the Conference. 17 April 1995. Photo # 68537. Credit: UN Photo/Evan Schneider

1995 NPT Review and Extension Conference in Retrospect

Viewpoint by David Krieger

The author is President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. The following article originally appeared on the organisation's website on April 9, 2019.

SANTA BARBARA, CA | USA (IDN-INPS) – The Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was opened for signatures in 1968 and entered into force in 1970. Despite its name, the NPT sought not only to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation, but also, in Article VI, called for good faith negotiations for an end to the nuclear arms race at an early date, for nuclear disarmament, and for general and complete disarmament.

: David Krieger; ARMAMENTS; Nuclear Weapons; 16 June 2019

Photo: Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov (right) welcoming Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali, Tiébilé Dramé (let), on June 10 in Moscow.

Russia, Mali to Strengthen Economic and Military Cooperation

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) – As Russia and Mali prepare to mark their 60th anniversary of diplomatic relations next year, Moscow has reaffirmed its unreserved preparedness to strengthen economic cooperation and provide support in bringing political stability to Mali and other African countries threatened by or gripped in conflicts.

"Over these decades, we have gained extensive positive experience, which we have agreed to actively use to promote cooperation in various areas on a mutually beneficial basis in the modern era," Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov said, welcoming Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali, Tiébilé Dramé, to a diplomatic meeting in Moscow.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; THE WORLD; Africa; 16 June 2019

Photo: Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was sworn in as elected president on June 12 at the Palace of Independence in the Kazakh capital. Credit: The Astana Times

Kazakh Election Shows Youth Wavering between Apathy and Passion for Change

By Milena Melnikova*

NUR-SULTAN (IDN) – When Kazakhstan went to the polls on June 9 with six candidates challenging the incumbent president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, one may have thought that the people had a clear choice to make after almost three decades. But many young people in this oil-rich former Soviet Republic do not share that view. Subsequently, they did not bother to vote and when asked had a similar answer: “Does not matter, everything is already known without us."

: Kalinga Seneviratne; CENTRAL ASIA; 15 June 2019

Photo: Screenshot of U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo briefing the press in Washington, DC on June 13, 2019. Credit: U.S. State Department

U.S. Accusations Against Iran Not Without Risk

By Kelsey Davenport

The following article by Kelsey Davenport, director for nonproliferation policy at the Arms Control Association, was published on their website.

WASHINGTON, DC (IDN-INPS) – Tensions over the 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran continue to rise after the Trump administration accused Tehran of violating one of its commitments under the agreement, but Iran’s decision to install additional advanced centrifuges appears to fall into a gray area not covered by the accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 14 June 2019

Photos: A glimpse of the Borobodur festival. Credit: Kalinga Seneviratne IDN | INPS

Borobodur in Indonesia has the Potential to Epitomise Religious Tolerance in Asia

By Kalinga Seneviratne

This article is the 33rd in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous series.

SINGAPORE IDN) – Thousands of Indonesian Buddhists went on a 4 km procession from Mendut monastery to the historic Borobodur temple in Central Java to pay homage to the Buddha on Vesak day. The procession on May 18 passed a number of mosques with streets lined up with hundreds of local Muslims.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 13 June 2019

Photo: Women taking part in a demonstration to oppose sextortion in Dar es salaam in 2018. Credit: Edwin Mjwahuzi

African Governments Join Activists to Fight Sextortion

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM (ACP-IDN) – A poster bearing a message “Graduate with A’s not with AIDS” at the University of Dar es Salaam, tells a grim story of female students who offer sex to obtain higher grades.

“My teacher wanted to date me. When I refused his sexual advances, he retaliated by giving me poor grades,” says Helena (not her real name).

The 23-year-old law student, who has since experienced dismal performance in her studies, is increasingly worried about her academic future.

: Africa & ME Editor; THE WORLD; Africa; 12 June 2019

Photo: Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev meeting with Ronald Reagan and President-elect George H. W. Bush in New York City in December 1988. Source: Wikimedia Commons

From Russia with Additional Insights

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – When I was in Moscow three weeks ago, I was briefing myself for an interview with the Soviet Union’s last president, Mikhail Gorbachev. As it happened, he had to cancel it as he went into hospital for tests.

One of the American academics I always read is Gordon Hahn, an ex-fellow of the highly regarded Centre for Strategic and International Studies. He wrote that American policy towards Russia is a runaway train without rails, driven by a troubling confluence of hubristic ideological influences and bureaucratized sectorial interests.

: Jonathan Power; THE WORLD; Russia; 12 June 2019

Photo: Cameroon opposition leader Maurice Kamto. Credit: journalducameroun.com

Growing Opposition to Cameroon President Paul Biya

By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network

NEW YORK | YAOUNDE (IDN) – Facing a growing pro-democracy movement, Cameroon is resorting to an old formula – namely unleashing government power in the form of threats, arrests and excessive force.

Hundreds of supporters of Maurice Kamto, leader of the opposition Cameroon Resistance Movement, have been filling the streets, demanding his release from detention but were detained themselves by security forces on June 8, 2019. According to his lawyer, Kamto could be charged with: insurrection, hostility against the homeland, criminal association, threats to public order, rebellion, group rebellion, and inciting insurrection.

: Global Information Network; THE WORLD; Africa; 12 June 2019

Photo: India's Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, Gaitri Issar Kumar's keynote address on the 44th anniversary of the ACP Group of States. She presented a painting of the tree of life, painted in the traditional Indian way, which symbolizes the very essence and energy of life. Credit: ACP Press.

ACP States Are A Key Factor in India’s Extended 'Act East Policy

Viewpoint by Gaitri Issar Kumar

The following are extended excerpts from India's Ambassador to the European Union in Brussels, Gaitri Issar Kumar's keynote address on the 44th anniversary of the African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. It was celebrated at the ACP House on June 7 in Brussels, which ACP Secretary-General Dr Patrick I Gomes described "the end of an era", with the ACP finding itself in the midst of reviewing many institutions that have shaped and marked it in the previous years.

: Ramesh Jaura; OPINION; 11 June 2019

Photo: Secretariat Building at United Nations Headquarters. Credit: UN Photo/Rick Bajornas

Low-income Countries Ensuring Liquidity as the UN Faces Financial Crisis

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – The United Nations is at risk of running out of cash, Secretary-General António Guterres warned in a letter to UN staff in July 2018 and stated that he had “written to Member States regarding the troubling financial situation facing the United Nations”. The situation has not changed for the better since.

In fact, nearly one year later, the situation is preventing the Organization from reimbursing troop- and police-contributing countries in a predictable and timely manner, hindering their ability to provide lifesaving support to peacekeeping operations, Guterres cautioned on June 4, 2019.