By Dr. Asoka Bandarage* COLOMBO. Sri Lanka | 27 October 2026 (IDN) — Buddhism was first introduced to Sri Lanka in Anuradhapura in the 3rd century BCE by Arahant Mahinda, the son of the Indian Emperor Asoka. For nearly 1500 years, Anuradhapura remained Sri Lanka’s capital and the intellectual and spiritual centre of Theravada Buddhism […]
40 years in the spirit of Assisi
By Benoit Lannoo* ASSISI. Italy | 27 October 2026 (IDN) — Today, it has been exactly forty years since John Paul II brought together different religions in Assisi for the first time for an interreligious prayer for peace. In his recently published book (in Italian, French and German) entitled Assisi – The Origins of a […]
Improving Cities from Space: Geospatial Innovations in North and Central Asia
By Kareff Rafisura, Ladislav Charouz and Elena A. Pronina* BANGKOK | 26 October 2026 (IDN) — Cities in North and Central Asia are growing quickly, bringing them face to face with the interlinked challenges of rapid urbanisation, rising population density, and heightened vulnerability to disaster and climate risks. World Cities Day is a good opportunity to consider these […]
EEPA reports on clashes erupt in Ethiopia-Kenya border town
BRUSSELS | 26 October 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on the situation in Ethiopia, the situation in Sudan, the regional and international situation, clashes erupt in Ethiopia-Kenya border town, drone strikes cause power outage in White Nile, UK sanctions RSF and SAF officials Situation in Ethiopia (per 26 October) […]
Returns on Ethics: A New Compass for Global Finance in an Age of Debt and Inequality
By Jayasri Priyalal* SINGAPORE | 24 October 2026 (IDN) — As the world moves closer to the 2030 deadline for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a troubling reality is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. Global wealth continues to expand, financial markets reach record valuations, and technological innovation accelerates at an unprecedented pace. […]
The Old Bus Was an Adventure. Will the New One Last?
A schoolboy commuter’s memories of Sri Lanka in the 1980s and 90s — and a look at the country’s new Metro Bus service. By Feroz Deen* COLOMBO | 24 October 2026 (IDN) — In the 1980s and 90s, catching a bus in Sri Lanka was an adventure. Getting on was a struggle, never mind getting […]
Renewing the Momentum for Rights-based Poverty Reduction in Asia and the Pacific
By Katinka Weinberger and Mizuho Okimoto-Kaewtathip* BANGKOK | 23 October 2026 (IDN) — Eradicating poverty in all its forms is one of the most pressing development challenges across Asia and the Pacific. While the region has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty over recent decades, multiple and overlapping crises have exposed the fragility of these achievements […]
EEPA reports on deadly drone strike on Abyei market
BRUSSELS | 22 October 2026 (IDN | EEPA) — The following are the situation reports on the situation in Ethiopia, the migration and refugee situation, the situation in Sudan, the international and regional situation, UK threatens to ban entry to all Eritreans, deadly drone strike on Abyei market, WHO delivers medical supplies to northern Ethiopia […]
Africa Aims to Transform The Continent Inspired By Asia’s Rise
By Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK, Thailand | 21 October 2026 (IDN) — The IMF-World Bank annual meeting returned to Bangkok last week (12 to 18 October) after more than three decades, with nervous Thai authorities going to great lengths to prevent civil society protests from disrupting it. Inside Bangkok’s convention centre, World Bank’s turbaned American-Sikh President […]
Why Doesn’t the US Implement Its Treaties?
By Jonathan Power LUND, Sweden | 21 October 2026 (IDN) – The US Senate—usually the Republican members—rejects multilateral treaties as if it were a sport. Others it rejects through inaction—the Law of the Sea Treaty, for example, negotiated under President Jimmy Carter and fruitlessly pushed for ratification by every president since. Republicans justify their blocking […]