World Bank Ignores Land Grabbing

Sales of huge land areas of Ethiopia, by the Ethiopian government, to foreign investors, have led to starvation and forced displacement. In his documentary Dead Donkeys Fear no Hyenas, Swedish film director Joakim Demmer exposes the consequences of land grabbing, and holds the World Bank complicit.

A Day in Life of a Minimum Wage Earner in Bangladesh

Shoma Begum is a garments factory worker who earns slightly more than the minimum wage earner in the country.

Autism Awareness

April is the cruellest month of the year, wrote T.S. Eliot. It is a month of painful rebirth, but also a time of immense possibilities, when each being has the chance to blossom. It is thus very aptly the month that hosts World Autism Awareness Day today, April 2.

Sri Lanka and the born-again Commonwealth

Interestingly, if not ironically, the British Government having voted to exit the European Union (EU) in accordance with the wishes of a majority of its people, is now looking forward – or maybe looking back – at the Commonwealth once again.

Eritrean-born journalist Dawit Isaak awarded UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2017

Dawit Isaak, an imprisoned Eritreann-Swedish journalist, has been chosen to receive the 2017 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize. Mr. Isaak was arrested in a crackdown on the media that occurred in September 2001. The last time he was heard from was in 2005. His present location is unknown.

Dubai 1977, Dubai Now

Christmas of 1976 was a turning point in my life. It was the afternoon that Sultan Khalifa of Dubai personally met me at the Mandarin Hotel. He said that His Highness Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, had sent him around the world to look for planners to help plan, design, and develop Dubai and transform it from the Third World to the First.

Combating the Global Threat to Public Health

As can be seen by global reports, in the vast majority of cases where antimicrobials are used, the microorganisms have found a way to evade or resist the antimicrobial agent. Resistance occurs wherever antimicrobials are used -- in the community, on the farm, and in healthcare. Antibiotic resistance is a public health problem of increasing magnitude, and finding effective solutions to address this problem is critical.

CT made easy

Terrorists operate in small groups, at times individually, and can blend in with the masses. Unconstrained by time and space, they can pick and choose between a wide range of soft targets. They can network with others of their ilk and are often supported by forces, domestic and foreign, inimical to the state or its system. With all these assets, and easy access to modern technology and means of communication, the terrorist of today can be very nexible and evasive.

Developing Nations Support Proposed New Global Compact on Migrants

The Group of 77, joined by China, has extended its strong support for a proposed new global compact on migrants. The UN General Assembly, which approved the relevant resolution last month, will soon begin a preparatory process for inter-governmental negotiations for “a global compact for safe, orderly and regular migration.”

Transformative Adaptation to Climate Change

The subject of adaptation to climate change has gone through two major phases already and is now on its third phase.

G77 Calls for Access & Benefit-Sharing of Marine Genetic Resources

The Group of 77 has strongly underlined the significance of marine genetic resources (MGRs) to the economies of developing nations. Speaking on behalf of the Group of 77, joined by China, Luis Ona Garces of the Ecuadorean Mission to the UN told a meeting of the Preparatory Committee that the Group reaffirms the importance of access and benefit sharing of marine genetic resources and reiterates that the principle of common heritage of mankind must underpin the new regime governing MGRs of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

The Failure of the Happiness Index

My next-door neighbour in upstate New York was an old woman named June. Her husband Herbert was housed in a care centre for the elderly. They had grown-up kids living in different states of the US from where they made rare visits to their parents. June was more attached to my wife and kids. She loved us very much. We used to invite her anytime we had some kind of festivities. As I came to know later, one midnight June had chest pain but did not want to disturb anyone. She braved to drive the car to the nearby hospital, where she breathed her last. My family could not resist a tearful outburst when we came to know that June left us silently. How happy was June living in a country like the US that ranked 14th in the latest Happiness Index 2017?

The Ebola Crisis: Lessons Learned for Developing Nations

The Group of 77 has pointed out that the Ebola crisis of 2014-2015 proved that “no country is immune from a disease outbreak, no matter where it emerges” The Group has argued that the world is now a big village, where the borders between countries are crossed by millions every day for different reasons-- a better life for some, a migration for others, all due to different factors, including climate change and the outbreak of fast-spreading diseases.

UAE unveils first National Strategy for Children with Disabilities

The UAE Cabinet approved a national strategy to promote the rights of children with disabilities and maximise their well-being, and a strategy for motherhood and childhood, as part of the Strategic Plan for the Rights of Children with Disabilities 2017-2021, and the National Strategy for Motherhood and Childhood 2017-2021.

Sri Lanka in superpower geopolitical gymnastics

Marshal Josip Broz Tito of the former Yugoslavia is credited with the famous quote of yesteryear that Non-Alignment meant “signalling left and turning right”. Or maybe it was the other way around, but the drift was clear.