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Viewpoint by India Walton and Sam Rosenthal
SAN FRANCISCO, USA (IDN) — As a presidential candidate, Joe Biden was hardly bullish on student debt cancellation. He was cajoled by progressives and his presidential primary opponents into adopting a more forceful student debt cancellation stance, one which ultimately helped win him the support of young voters.
Now, after a series of tepid moves, President Biden’s grand statement in the student debt saga has arrived.
By Shastri Ramachandaran
NEW DELHI (IDN) — Those who assert that western hegemony is no longer sustainable can take heart from the fact that movers and shakers on the world stage are also saying this. French President Emmanuel Macron has proclaimed that “Western hegemony is nearing its end”.
Perhaps, the most erudite among the heads of P-5 governments, Macron’s intellectual and diplomatic appeal extends beyond France and Europe, which explains his continued engagement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war in Ukraine.
WHO Media Release
GENEVA (IDN) — At the six-month mark of the war in Ukraine, the country’s badly affected but still-resilient health system is taking stock of lessons learned in providing life-saving care with the support of the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners as it prepares for a challenging winter ahead.
Viewpoint by Hidehiko Yuzaki, Governor of Hiroshima, Japan
The following is the content of Hiroshima Governor Hidehiko Yuzaki's speech at a side event (co-hosted by Nagasaki and Hiroshima Prefectures) under the theme "Nexus between Nuclear Disarmament and Sustainable Future" held at UN Headquarters on August 1, the first day of the 2022 NPT Review Conference. The side event was attended by about 70 diplomats, nuclear disarmament experts, and NGO representatives.
UNITED NATIONS (IDN) — I am Hidehiko YUZAKI, Governor of Hiroshima Prefecture and President of Hiroshima Organization for Global Peace or HOPe for short.
Viewpoint by Tim Westbury
This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission.
BRISBANE, Australia (IDN) — The Pacific Islands security narrative is often dominated by voices and interests from outside of the region. At the recent Shangri-La Dialogue, among the hype surrounding geostrategic competition in the Pacific, Fiji’s Defence Minister Inia Seruiratu said that the “single greatest threat to our very existence is ... human-induced, devastating climate change.”
Viewpoint by Jonathan Power
LUND, Sweden (IDN) — In late 2004 the U.S. was ignoring the UN despite it being obvious to the outside world that it was increasingly bogged down in Iraq following its misconceived war. On November 15, when the Coalition Provisional Authority and the Iraqi Governing Council signed an agreement that set up a transition plan, the UN was not even mentioned. But a short two months later Washington was on its knees before the UN, its transition plan in tatters.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — Is the two-party system a thing of the past? Low voter turnout in the US seems to reflect disenchantment with a single choice between Democrats and Republicans. Kenya is no different.
This month, Kenyans tossed the traditional toss-up between the Luo and Kikuyu ethnic groups to choose William Samoei Ruto, a Kalenjin. His party, the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and its allies, took the political experts by surprise when he easily won all nine governorships of Mount Kenya—once considered a sure bet for a Luo.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK | MOGADISHU (IDN) — Government forces say they have put down a siege at the popular Hayat Hotel in Mogadishu that began on August 19 and has reportedly left over 20 casualties. It is the largest siege in the country since Hassan Sheikh Mohamud was elected president in May.
The Hayat is an upscale hotel frequented by government officials, elders and people from the diaspora community. The director of Mogadishu’s main trauma hospital, Mohamed Abdirahman Jama, said the facility was treating at least 40 people wounded in the hotel attack and a separate mortar strike on another area of the capital.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK | MOGADISHU (IDN) — Mohamed Ibrahim Warsame, better known by his pen name Hadrawi, has passed away in the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa, after a long illness, according to family members. He was 79.
“We have lost an icon in Somali literature," President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud said. "A man whom we will remember for his role in peace-building and conflict resolution, building the mindset of many Somalis through his wisdom and poems for the betterment and the unity of Somalis.
By Lisa Vives, Global Information Network
NEW YORK (IDN) — In the traditional ceremonies of the Zulu people, Misuzulu Zulu, 47, was crowned the new king of the country’s richest and most influential traditional monarchy.
Thousands of people gathered at the Zulu royal palace in South Africa to witness the ceremony.
Misuzulu Zulu ascended to the throne once held by his late father, Goodwill Zwelithini. The ceremonies were partially overshadowed by a bitter succession dispute.
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