By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — As the Paralympics begin in Tokyo—a celebration of the athletics prowess of the “differently-abled”—it will be appropriate to look at how the Tokyo Olympic Games that concluded on August 8 empowered the “economically disabled” athletes from the Philippines—a Southeast Asian country not well-known for its sporting prowess except for […]
Australian Farmers Cry Out for Foreign Labour as Locals Shun “Slave Wages”
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Australia’s farming sector has been badly hit by the closing of the borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic and with the harvesting season on the horizon there is an estimated shortage of 25,000 fruit pickers and harvesting machinery operators across Australia. While the farmers are asking the government to […]
Pacific ‘Voice of The Voiceless’ Media in Renewed Post-Covid Struggle
By David Robie The writer, Dr David Robie, is editor of Asia Pacific Report, founding editor of Pacific Journalism Review and former director of the Pacific Media Centre. AUCKLAND (IDN) — Pacific journalism educators are worried that the global covid pandemic has threatened media development programmes in a vast region of island microstates at a […]
For Sesenieli Donu, The Fijiana Sevens Rugby Triumph in Tokyo Thrills Home Village
By Josefa Babitu* SUVA, Fiji (IDN) — It might have been just a bronze medal to some people but for the Fijiana team—especially Sesenieli Donu—it was the fruit of sacrifice and a token of appreciation for her village of Vatukarasa in Nadroga. After an intense competition for the bronze medal with Great Britain at the […]
The Chinese President’s Strategic Tibet Visit
Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran * NEW DELHI (IDN) — The significance and strategic implications of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Tibet from July 21-23 is unlikely to be lost on those entrusted with India’s external affairs, national security and defence. How New Delhi views this landmark visit to the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) by […]
China Counters Western ‘Hypocrisy’ At UNHRC With Development Rights Push
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY | GENEVA (IDN) — China came out with its guns blazing at the recently concluded 47th sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) pointing out western hypocrisy on human rights, by particularly targeting Canada and Australia. China was supported on this counterattack by over 60 developing country members of […]
Who Wins from The Tokyo Olympics Going Ahead?
Viewpoint by Corey Wallace The writer is Assistant Professor at Kanagawa University. YOKOHAMA, Japan (IDN | East Asia Forum) — Since the beginning of the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics have cast a shadow over Japan’s COVID-19 response. Critics—including a former Japanese prime minister—questioned whether the government’s lacklustre early response to the outbreak and its ‘risky’ […]
US Exit from Afghanistan Promises Opportunities for China
Viewpoint by Emil Avdaliani* TBILISI, Georgia (IDN) — China fears the repercussions associated with the looming US withdrawal from Afghanistan as a rise of extremism in the country could spread and threaten Beijing’s key positions in Xinjiang and Central Asia. However, America’s exit might yet bring some unforeseen benefits. A Chinese-led peacebuilding agenda would mean […]
Militarization, Environment, and Hybrid Maritime Trade War Under a Covid-19 Mask
By Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake The writer, Dr. Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake, is a Social and Medical Anthropologist, at the International Centre for Ethnic Studies, based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. COLOMBO (IDN) — On June 24, Poson Poya (full moon) day, one of the most sacred days in a Sri Lankan Buddhist’s calendar, the day that Buddhism arrived on […]
Battle To Ensure Safety in Bangladesh Garment Factories Continues as Safety Accord Is Extended
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — The dark side of the global fashions industry was exposed in 2013 when over 1000 workers were killed in a factory fire and collapse. The global outrage resulted in the adoption of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety (AFBS) in Bangladesh. The eight-year-old Accord was due to expire […]