By Thalif Deen

UNITED NATIONS. 16 September 2023 (IDN) — A historic new international treaty, described as “a monumental win for the protection of the world’s oceans”, will be open for signature by member states beginning September 20 during the high-level meeting of world political leaders at the UN General Assembly (UNGA).

The treaty will regulate the world’s wide-open oceans, which have been degraded by illegal and over-fishing, plastics pollution, indiscriminate seabed mining, and the destruction of marine ecosystems. (P16) GERMAN | JAPANESE | SPANISH…

By Kalinga Seneviratne

SINGAPORE. 13 September 2023 (IDN) — In a rare demonstration of consensus, Russia and the US welcomed the New Delhi Declaration of the G20 summit on 10 September that did not condemn Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. Instead, they focused on the development challenges facing the global community.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who led his country’s delegation to the summit, praised India for achieving a consensus that focused on the core role of global development instead of indulging in making political statements. (P15) JAPANESE | GERMAN…

By Jeffrey Moyo

HARARE, Zimbabwe. 29 August 2023 (IDN) — The three-day BRICS Summit from 22-24 August 2023 in South Africa has raised hopes across the African continent that a new deal for development aid to Africa could be taking shape that will be more fair and equitable. For decades, critics have pointed out that Africa has been paying more to the West than it gets in terms of development loans. (P14) JAPANESE | SWAHILI…

By Manjushree Naik

MANIPAL, India. 21 August 2023 (IDN) — With India facing the prospect of a grain crisis, the state government of Karnataka in southern India has come up with a novel approach to keep to election promises by giving the poor money to buy the grains. (P13) GERMAN | JAPANESE…

By Sera Sefeti

SUVA, Fiji. 15 August 2023 (IDN) — International environmental campaign group Greenpeace’s Rainbow Warrior sailed across the Pacific waters, calling at ports collecting evidence to present to the International Court of Justice (ICJ), also called the World Court, during a historic hearing in The Hague next year. (P 12) HINDI | JAPANESE…