News Media

illustration: Sandeep Joshi. Source: The Tribune

Exploding the Myth of the ‘Ugly Indian’

The new-generation tourists are the millennials, and they are anything but ugly — at least when abroad. They travel light and are averse to carrying stuff. They travel not to pick up things, but to gather experiences.

By Shastri Ramachandaran*

NEW DELHI (IDN) – East Asian hotels and resorts, especially in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, have a despicable practice of not letting a guest leave until the room has been gone through with a toothcomb. A lot of hotels in Europe are also behaving like those in East Asia, especially when it comes to Indians. In parts of Europe, there are hotels that discourage Indians while a few keep a separate section for Indians.

: Shastri Ramachandran; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 11 August 2019

Photo: Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives at the swearing-in ceremony of Mufti Mohammad Sayeed as Jammu&Kashmir Chief Minister, at Jammu University, in Jammu and Kashmir on March 1, 2015. The J&K Governor N.N. Vohra is also seen. Credit: India Prime Minister's Office.

Hindu Nationalists Succeed in Depriving Jammu & Kashmir of ‘Special Status’

By Pieter J. Friedrich*

GREENWOOD, Canada (IDN-INPS) – Terror grips the most militarized zone in the world after India’s Central Government terminated Jammu and Kashmir’s 70-year-old "special status" as the first step towards stripping the disputed region of statehood entirely.

Internationally infamous as the world’s hottest potential nuclear flashpoint, J&K originally acceded to India in 1947 only on the condition that the newly-formed country be restricted from interfering in the domestic affairs of the mountainous northern region.

: Suresh Jaura; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 08 August 2019

Photo: Former President Almazbek Atambayev (left) at a rally in his support. His immunity from prosecution has been removed by 103 votes out of a possible 109. | Source: Facebook / Almazbek Atambayev.

Standoff in Kyrgyzstan After Parliament Strips A Powerful Ex-President of Immunity

By Kamila Eshaliyeva* | Open Democracy

BISHKEK (IDN-INPS) – At the end of June 2019, Kyrgyz MPs removed former president Almazbek Atambayev’s immunity from prosecution by 103 votes out of a possible 109. Parliament’s decision is based on a new law signed by current President Sooronbay Jeenbekov, which provides a mechanism for removing immunity from former heads of state.

The General Prosecutor’s Office has found evidence of serious offences in Atambayev’s actions during his six year-long presidency (2011-2017), which means that he may now face criminal charges. Atambayev himself rejects the accusations and, by all accounts, is preparing for a fight.

: Asia Editor; CENTRAL ASIA; 13 July 2019

Photo: Huawei at Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. Credit: Huawei

Huawei Will Give $300 Million A Year to Universities with No Strings Attached

Its new fundamental research division could help the company regain international favour and outmanoeuvre the U.S.

By Karen Hao | Technology Review

The writer is the artificial intelligence reporter for MIT Technology Review. In particular she covers the ethics and social impact of the technology as well as its applications for social good. This article first appeared in MIT Technology Review.

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, USA (IDN) – In just the past week, the U.S.’s stance on China’s Huawei has become very confused. On Saturday [June 29], during the G20 summit, President Donald Trump announced that he would ease restrictions on the company, allowing U.S. companies to sell goods to it once again. But by Tuesday [July 2] an email sent to the Commerce Department’s enforcement staff, seen by Reuters, reiterated that Huawei should still be treated as on the blacklist.

: J Nastranis; SUSTAINABILITY; Decent Work & Economic Growth; 05 July 2019

Photo: Andrew Bremberg, Trump’s nominee for US ambassador to the UN in Geneva, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 20, 2019. Aspects of his anti-abortion views, whether rape victims should be entitled to abortions, infuriated Senator Bob Menendez, the highest-ranking Democrat on the committee. Bremberg, above, in 2018. GAGE SKIDMORE/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Trump’s Pick for UN in Geneva Opposed to Reproductive Rights

By Stéphanie Fillion, Passblue

MONTREAL (IDN) - “I am pro-life, I believe that all human life is sacred, and that human life begins at conception,” Andrew Bremberg told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee recently. Asked if rape victims should have access to abortion, he replied, “I don’t believe that abortion is a moral solution to any problem.”

Nominated by President Trump to be the United States ambassador to the United Nations office in Geneva, Bremberg is a policy adviser at the White House with no experience in international affairs.

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; USA and Canada; 29 June 2019

Photo: Congress president Rahul Gandhi with his sister and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. Credit: Outlook

Congress Should Dump Gandhi Family, Reinvent itself for Survival

Viewpoint by Shastri Ramachandaran

The Congress party has to reshape and sharpen itself for re-emerging as an instrument of public usefulness, writes in the Outlook Shastri Ramachandaran, a political and foreign affairs commentator, also for IDN-INPS. Views expressed are his own.

NEW DELHI (IDN-INPS) – Congress president Rahul Gandhi and, perhaps, his sister and party’s general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have good reasons to step down from their official position in the party. It is irrelevant whether the Congress party failed Rahul, or the helmsman sunk the boat. In its present, vastly emaciated state what is relevant is creating conditions for the party’s revival.

: Shastri Ramachandran; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 24 May 2019

Photo: Shaheen II, surface-to-surface ballistic missile, according to Pakistan capable of delivering conventional and nuclear weapons at a range of up to 1,500 kilometers, during a training launch in this photo released by Inter Services Public Relations, May 23, 2019.

Pakistan Tests Nuclear-Capable Ballistic Missile, Affirms Willingness for Dialogue with India

By Ayaz Gul

This article first appeared on Voice of America on May 23, 2019.

ISLAMABAD (IDN-INPS) – Pakistan says it has successfully conducted a “training launch” of a ballistic missile capable of carrying both nuclear and conventional warheads up to 1,500 kilometers.

The move came amid Pakistan’s heightened military tensions with neighboring rival India, and it is seen by observers as part of the efforts Islamabad is making to keep pace with New Delhi’s massive investments in military hardware and advancements.

: Asia Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 24 May 2019

Photo: Women discuss politics at a women’s conference in Darfur, Sudan. Credit: UN

Women in Politics: Miles to Go Before Parity Is Achieved

By Zipporah Musau

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – In the fight for gender equality, women around the world have advanced in small and large ways. Yet for women in Africa, progress is measured in micro steps, and the struggle has a long way to go.

The good news is that women’s representation in political decision making has been on the rise globally. The not-so-good news is that the increase has been stubbornly slow, barely 1% in 2018 compared with the previous year. In 2018 the number of women ministers worldwide reached an all-time high at 20.7% (812 out of 3922).

: UN Bureau; THE WORLD; Africa; 19 April 2019

Photo: Sengalese at cultural parade in Harlem in New York. Photo: Alamy | Richard Levine | Source: Africa Renewal.

African Migrants Strive to Preserve Their Cultural Heritage

By Sharon Birch-Jeffrey*

NEW YORK (IDN-INPS) – To experience a taste of African culture deep inside the Big Apple, visitors – including many Senegalese – turn to Le Petit Senegal (Little Senegal), a West African neighborhood in West Harlem, New York.

African grocery shops, fabric stores, hair braiding parlors and regional restaurants sit shoulder to shoulder along the streets. The Sandaga Market of Little Senegal showcases a strong blend of African cultures, customs and languages, symbolizing efforts by African immigrants to project and protect their cultural identities.

: Africa Renewal; THE WORLD; Africa; 08 April 2019

Photo: Parliament building (west wing) in Bridgetown, Barbados. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

ACP Countries Urged to Intensify Cooperation to Confront Global Challenges

By Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC)

The original report by CMC has been slightly modified.- The Editor

BRUSSELS | BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (ACP-IDN) – A two-day inter-regional high level consultation on comparative regionalism in Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific (ACP) began here on March 26, 2019 with Barbados underscoring the need for the 79-member grouping to build a strong, vibrant and energetic relationship among themselves especially in a changing global environment.