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 […]
One Country Two Governments as Bitter Political Battles Continues in Samoa
By Kalinga Seneviratne SYDNEY (IDN) — Samoa, a small island nation in the South Pacific, is currently having two governments both sworn in with one claiming that they have been appointed to govern by God and the other claiming they have got the peoples’ mandate. The political crisis is also embroiled in arguments over the […]
Australian Monk Takes On The Mammoth Task To Bring Buddha’s Discourses Into One Place
By Kalinga Seneviratne As Buddhists across the world celebrate the triple anniversary of Vesak on May 26 that marks the birth, enlightenment, and death of the Buddha, this IDN-Lotus News special feature by Kalinga Seneviratne—46th in a series—focuses on a landmark project in the dissemination of the Buddha’s teachings. Click here for previous reports.
Tahitian Community Keen To Save Endangered Sacred Mountain
By Asia Pacific Report News desk TAHITI (IDN) — A collective of community groups in Tahiti, trying to preserve a historical-cultural icon at Tautira, have condemned the Tahitian government for “deliberately trying to destroy our heritage”. The iconic Tahua-Reva is the community’s sacred mountain on the southeastern tip of Tahiti-Iti, the smaller section adjoining the […]
UN Experts Call on Myanmar Businesses ‘To Take a Stand’ Against Military Junta
By Caroline Mwanga NEW YORK (IDN | UN News) — Independent rights experts of the United Nations have urged businesses in Myanmar to fulfill their human rights responsibilities and pressure the military junta to halt grave human rights violations against its own people. According to UN News, some businesses have reiterated their public support for […]
New Commission to Govern Colombo Port City Soon
Sri Lanka Embarks on Ambitious Project to Create Another Asian Financial Hub By Sugeeswara Senadhira COLOMBO (IDN) — The Sri Lankan Supreme Court’s determination on the proposed Colombo Port City Economic Commission Bill will be placed before the parliament on May 18, paving way for the legal act to establish the Commission, with an amendment […]
Walking History Through Viet Nam’s Security Council Presidency
By Ramu Damodaran The writer is Chief, United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) hosted in the Department of Global Communications. This OpEd was first published in #WhyWeCare on April 15. NEW YORK (IDN | UNAI) — If, as Suzanne Nossel writes, “the United Nations remains the closest thing to a system of global governance that the […]
Two Years On: Geopolitics of The 2019 Easter Sunday Crime in Sri Lanka and Cover-Up
The Weaponization of Religion Amid Hybrid Cold War in The Indian Ocean Region Viewpoint by Darini Rajasingham-Senanayake The writer is a cultural and medical anthropologist with research expertise in international political economy, peace, and development studies in South and South-East Asia. Her research spans issues in gender and women’s empowerment, migration and multiculturalism, ethno-religious identity […]