THE WORLD

Photo: Jammu and Kashmir Police detained seven persons from Pulwama district of South Kashmir in connection with the deadly terror attack that left 40 CRPF personnel dead. Credit: HT

'Pulwama' Strike Should Remain a Limited One

By Ram Puniyani

This article is the fourth in a series of joint productions of South Asian Outlook and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate.

MUMBAI (IDN) – There are reports that Indian Air force MIGS launched an attack on terrorist camps in Pakistan and dropped bombs demolishing the terror hubs and killing many. This has been the fallout of the dreaded terrorist attack in Pulwama in which 44 Central Police Force (CRPF) jawans (male police constables or soldiers) were killed when a car carrying explosives, probably RDX, drove into the convoy of trucks carrying 2400 CRPF jawans.

: Suresh Jaura; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 06 March 2019

Photo: 17th regional meeting of ACP-EU Parliamentarians in Suriname. Credit: European Parliament

Parliamentarians from the Caribbean Confer with EU Counterparts in Suriname

By Robert Johnson

BRUSSELS | PARAMARIBO, Suriname (ACP-IDN) – Climate change, which is a major concern in the Caribbean, and identifying and implementing effective climate adaptation and mitigation strategies were high on the agenda of the 17th regional meeting of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly in Paramaribo, the capital of Suriname, from February 28 to March 2, 2019

Parliamentarians from the Caribbean region of the ACP Group and their European counterparts also focused on regional Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs), security and the political situation of the region as well as on energy, economic growth and employment.

: Robert Johnson; GLOBAL GOVERNANCE; ACP Group of States; 05 March 2019

Photo: Rohingya refugees walk towards a refugee camp after crossing the Myanmar-Bangladesh border. Credit: Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune

Myanmar and Bangladesh Trade Blame, UN Concerned About Rohingya Crisis

By J Nastranis

NEW YORK (IDN) – A humanitarian crisis continues to unfold on both sides of the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, with almost 1 million Rohingya people now living in the world's largest refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

While Myanmar and Bangladesh trade blame over the crisis, the United Nations is concerned about persistent military and civil tensions in Myanmar ahead of general elections in 2020, which it fears is impacting efforts towards the "dignified" and voluntary return of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh.

: J Nastranis; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 05 March 2019

Photo: A bird's-eye view of Sochi. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Towards the First Russia-Africa Summit

By Kester Kenn Klomegah*, Eurasia Review

China has offered $60 billion, Japan $32 billion, and India $25 billion, while large investment funds have also come from the United States and European Union, all towards realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Africa. Russia has not pledged any funds. But Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree to establish a committee that will be in charge of preparing for and holding the Russia-Africa Summit in October 2019 in Sochi on the Black Sea. This is the first in a series of articles on Russia’s decision to join the new “Scramble for Africa” nearly 28 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union. – The Editor

: Ramesh Jaura; THE WORLD; Africa; 04 March 2019

Photo © European Union 2018 – European Central Bank

Lessons from Money Laundering Scandals in European Banks

Viewpoint by Maíra Martini and Laure Brillaud

This article is reproduced with the permission of Transparency International. Maira Martini is Knowledge Coordinator and Laure Brillaud Senior Policy Officer, Anti-Money Laundering, of Transparency International. Any views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of IDN.

LONDON (IDN) – What do all recent major grand corruption scandals have in common? Individuals and companies involved in schemes like the Russian and Azerbaijani “Laundromats” and Operation Car Wash in Brazil relied on European banks to pay bribes, transfer illicit funds and hide the proceeds of corruption.

: Phil Harris; THE WORLD; EU & Europe; 04 March 2019

Photo: Pilgrims at the sacred Bo-Tree. Credit: Kalinga Seneviratne | IDN-INPS

India's Bid to Promote 'Buddhist Tourism' Encounters Hurdles

By Kalinga Seneviratne

This article is the 29th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews, flagship of the International Press Syndicate. Click here for previous series.

BODHGAYA (IDN) – In recent years the Indian government has been promoting the concept of a 'Buddhist Tourism Circuit' (BTC) with Bodhgaya – the site of the Buddha’s enlightenment under a Bo-Tree – as its centrepiece. Yet, with less than 1 percent of India's population Buddhist today, lack of Buddhist communities around the Buddhist sites hinders the promotional pitch. Bodhgaya is a good example.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 03 March 2019

Photo: Accra Central. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Ghana Hosts Africa Climate Week as First of Three Regional Climate Events

By Rita Joshi

BONN (IDN) – The Africa Climate Week, which is being hosted by Ghana from March 18–22 in Accra, is the first of three annual regional climate events this year – the latter two being the Latin America & Caribbean Climate Week and the Asia Pacific Climate Week.

According to the Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the collective goal of these Climate Weeks is to support the implementation of countries' Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement and climate action to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In so doing, they bring together a diverse array of international stakeholders in the public and private sectors around the common goal of enhancing climate action.

: Rita Joshi; SUSTAINABILITY; Climate Action; 01 March 2019

Photo: The first Xi–Modi meeting of 2018 at Wuhan, China in April was a rare one-on-one informal summit. Source: NDTV

Soft- and Hard-Power Challenges in China-India Diplomacy

Viewpoint by P S Suryanarayan

The writer is a Visiting Senior Fellow with the South Asia Programme, S Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore and the author of 'Smart Diplomacy: Exploring China-India Synergy' (2016). The author’s views are his own and do not represent the position of any institution. A version of this article originally appeared here on RSIS.

SINGAPORE (IDN-INPS) – Buoyed by four summit meetings and the formation of a new people-to-people mechanism in quick succession, China-India engagement appears to be on an upward trajectory. Though challenges remain, it is an opportune moment for the two countries to press ahead towards total rapprochement.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 28 February 2019

Photo: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis (right) stands with Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne before an office call at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., April 6, 2017. (DOD photo by U.S. Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith)

Australia Increasingly Silent on U.S. Leadership in Asia

Viewpoint by Hugh White

The writer is Emeritus Professor in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, The Australian National University. EastAsiaForum carried this article on 18 February 2019. A version of this analysis was first published in The Straits Times.

CANBERRA (IDN-INPS) – Sometimes what is left out of a major policy speech is as important as what is said. This was certainly true late January 2019 when Australia’s Defence Minister Christopher Pyne spoke about regional security in a keynote address to a prestigious audience in Singapore.

: Kalinga Seneviratne; OPINION; 27 February 2019

Photo: Kim and Trump shaking hands at the red carpet during the DPRK-USA Singapore Summit on June 12, 2018. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Beyond the Second Trump-Kim Nuclear Weapons Summit

Viewpoint by Jonathan Power

LUND, Sweden (IDN-INPS) – Kim Jong-un, paramount leader of the North Korean dictatorship, arrived in Vietnam by train and limousine ready to meet President Donald Trump. The two leaders met in June 2018 in Singapore, applauded themselves and each other and made some sort of a deal even if it wasn’t the one Trump boasted about – the total elimination of the North’s nuclear weapons.

Nevertheless, the North has stopped nuclear testing. The U.S. only stopped in 1992 and France in 1996, so this is a very important step forward. It should not be minimized as the American “Blob” is doing. (The “Blob”, a creation of the White House of President Barack Obama, is the highly influential industrial/military/legislative/media complex, a majority of whom are hard line on foreign affairs.)