Happy New Year 2019 and Beyond...
SAO has merged into IDN-InDepthNews,
flagship of the International Press Syndicate.
UN Commends Cuba's Advances Under Fidel Castro
By IDN- INPS UN Bureau *
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon extended on November 26 condolences to the Cuban people and to the family of former President Fidel Castro Ruz on behalf of the United Nations. Fidel Castro passed away overnight at the age of 90. He served as Cuba's President from 1976 to 2008.
“At this time of national mourning, I offer the support of the United Nations to work alongside the people of the island,” Ban told reporters in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, where he was attending the Global Sustainable Transport Conference. He offered his particular condolences to Cuban President Raúl Castro Ruz, UN News reported.
Understanding Trump’s Beefed Up Economics
By Jonathan Power INPS – IDN-InDepthNews
Donald Trump is changing the right wing’s economic spots. He is doing what Franklin Roosevelt did at the time of the Great Depression by increasing government spending – although it was the rearmament brought on by entering World War 2 that was an even more important factor in lifting America out of the doldrums.
Trump is following what Hitler did so successfully before World War 2 when he rebuilt Germany’s economic strength with autobahns and industrial subsidies (not rearmament in the beginning, as is often said). He is walking in the footsteps of President Richard Nixon who when he changed course with a new economic policy said, “We are all Keynesians now”.
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Nikki Haley Nominated to Serve As US Ambassador to UN
By Suresh Jaura *
First American-born Indian-origin woman, Nikki Haley, made history in US by being nominated to serve as US Ambassador to UN, by President - elect, Donald Trump, on November 23. She is one of the two women in Trump cabinet, the other is, Ms Betsy DeVos, Secretary of Education nominee
Haley, 44, born as Nimrata Nikki Randhawa on January 20, 1972, is the American-born daughter of Indian immigrants. Her parents, Ajit Singh Randhawa and Raj Kaur Randhawa, immigrated to Canada after her father received a scholarship offer from the University of British Columbia. Her father moved his family to South Carolina after earning PhD in 1969.
Five Steps in the March to Civil Rights
By Jason Leclerc *
Whether patriots disguised as “Indians” or heirs of Attucks at a Woolworth’s lunch counter or drag goddesses marching down Fifth Avenue, the power of disruption has been the overwhelming tool of the otherwise oppressed in their respective marches toward equity in the American Dream. In many ways, a dream—a la Dr. King—has been the cadence along a similar set of civil steps.
About Nuclear Weapons and Nuclear Winter
An Open letter to President-elect Trump
By Alan Robock - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Dear President-elect Trump,
You will soon have control of the US nuclear arsenal. If it is ever used, it could kill almost every American, as well as the rest of humanity, because of the impacts of the smoke from fires that would be ignited, which would cool Earth’s surface and kill virtually all crops in the ensuing nuclear winter. You now have the opportunity to prevent this from ever happening, by quickly reducing our nuclear arsenal, saving us hundreds of billions of dollars in the process. Doing so will win you a Nobel Peace Prize. Here are the facts:
Putin Withdraws Russia From International Criminal Court
By A Correspondent *
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on November 16 to withdraw Russia from the International Criminal Court, which rules on such grave charges as genocide and crimes against humanity.
Russia in 2000 signed the Rome treaty that established the Hague-based court but never ratified it.
An Asian Perspective on the U.S. Elections
Analysis by Rodger Baker
I watched the final days of the U.S. presidential campaign from South Korea and Hong Kong — two democracies in upheaval. While I was there, tens of thousands of Koreans marched through the streets of Seoul, demanding the resignation of their president, whose popularity has fallen to the low single digits after a string of scandals. And hundreds to thousands of Hong Kong residents clashed with police to protest China's interference in Hong Kong law and its attempt to bar several opposition politicians from taking their seats in parliament.
Why Women Matter for Effective Climate Change Solutions
By Fabíola Ortiz - IDN-InDepthNews
Establishing a clear path forward and including women and girls in global efforts on climate change were some of the biggest challenges the delegations and non-state actors faced at the latest United Nations Climate Change Conference in Marrakech.
Formally known as the Twenty-Second Conference of Parties (COP22), the conference had a special day (November 14) for discussing exclusively gender issues within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
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Afghanistan Pakistan USA: Foreign Targets
Ajit Kumar Singh
Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management
Just after 5:30 am AST [Afghanistan Standard Time] on November 12, 2016, terrorists carried out an explosion at Bagram Airfield in the Bagram District of Parwan Province, the largest United Stated (US) military base in Afghanistan. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), which is heading the Resolute Support Mission (RSM) in Afghanistan, issued a statement that "An explosive device was detonated on Bagram Airfield resulting in multiple casualties. Four people have died in the attack and approximately 14 have been wounded." No one has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.
Bangladesh: Is Popular Support For Suicide Terrorism Growing
By Taj Hashmi – CounterCurrents
It’s absurd! It’s preposterous to suggest that around 40 per cent of Bangladeshis favour suicide terrorism. Yet this is what some American think tanks and “expert analysts” have recently come up with in their reports, to the detriment of Bangladesh’s reputation. Muslims in Bangladesh – around 90 per cent of the population – are peaceful, liberal, devotional, and even syncretistic, unlike their counterparts in the Middle East, Africa, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
