By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 14 July 2024 (IDN) — CIVICUS, World Alliance for Citizen Participation, has documented the use of restrictive legislation against activists, journalists and others critical of the state, along with harassment and attacks. In its report to the UN Human Rights Committee on the state of civic space in India, CIVICUS […]
India: Homage to the Veteran Diplomat Muchkund Dubey Who Died at 90
Prof. Dubey was an expert on disarmament and development cooperation. He served as India’s foreign secretary in 1990-91, and as India’s High Commissioner to Bangladesh and Permanent Representative to UN Organisations in Geneva. He died on 26 June 2024 at the age of 90. By Saurabh Kumar* NEW DELHI | 6 July 2024 (IDN) —I […]
Sri Lanka: Perversity of Ex Post Facto Commendation
By A. L. A. Azeez* COLOMBO, Sri Lanka | 4 July 2024 (IDN) — Many people now speak and write about the late R. Sampanthan, the leader of Tamil National Alliance in Sri Lanka, following his passing recently. Much of it is a glowing tribute—sorrowful and deeply touching. But the irony is that not all […]
After the Election: What Next in India?
By Herbert Wulf* India has voted in a new parliament. The strongman, Prime Minister Modi, suffered a setback, as the opposition did very well, beyond all expectations. With the support of smaller parties, Modi has received a third term in office. Will these results change India’s foreign, economic and socio-political policies? This article was issued […]
Next Asian Hotspot: “Outsiders” Could Trigger Conflict in The Himalayas
Viewpoint by Kalinga Seneviratne BANGKOK | 27 June 2023 (IDN) — Current geopolitical tensions in the Asian region — what China calls “outsiders interfering in the region to create conflict”— spreading to India’s Himalayan borders, threatening India’s and the region’s security. The conflict in India’s north-eastern state of Manipur bordering Myanmar is already beginning to […]
Climate Change: The Missing Agenda in India’s Recent Elections
By Robert Mizo* This article was issued by the Toda Peace Institute and is being republished with their permission. NEW DELHI | 18 June 2024 (IDN) — The recently concluded general election in India was shrouded in irony. The six-week long voting period coincided with one of the worst heat waves yet recorded, but there […]
India: Net Zero for Net Zero and SDGs by AI-based Carbon Capture Innovations
By Gaurav Pant* NEW DELHI | 7June 2024 (IDN) — According to the WHO, pollution globally claims over 7 million lives annually of which more than 2 million are in India. It also has an enormous social and environmental cost, both tangible and intangible, and creates significant challenges for any society to achieve a circular […]
Indians Reject Majoritarian Hindu Politics Though Modi Returns to Power
By Bharat Bhushan* NEW DELHI | 6 June 2024 (IDN) — Despite his reluctance to concede defeat, the results of the Indian general election are a major setback for outgoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His party, the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP), has failed to secure a majority on its own. The BJP has heavily lost […]
Sheikh Hasina Proclaims Bangladesh as a Global Peace Model
By Tajul Islam* DHAKA | 30 May 2024 (IDN) — Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has declared Bangladesh as a role model in establishing global peace. Speaking at the International Day of UN Peacekeepers 2024 on an event at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre (BICC) in Dhaka on 29 May, she emphasized the country’s unwavering […]
Wealth of Nations and the Poverty of Theory: Debt Restructuring as Rocket Science
By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake* COLOMBO | 26 May 2024 (IDN) — Calls for divestment from BlackRock and other International Sovereign Bonds (ISB), have echoed across Columbia, Yale and many non-Ivy League universities in the United States recently. BlackRock is heavily invested in weapons companies fueling a genocidal war in Palestine. However, the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF), […]