No Comments (This is the third article in the series in the run-up to the 2nd anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370. Other articles in the series can be read here -> Abolition of Article370 – Secular or Communal? and here -> Towards a Secure, Peaceful and Stable Jammu & Kashmir) India’s Historic Decision to Transform Jammu, […]
4 Comments Yoga is a journey which leads everyone in the path of spirituality. In order to move higher up spiritually, we need to transcend many layers. By practising Yogaasanas, everyone experiences various benefits on various levels, this includes physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being.
No Comments Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has scrapped the controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) deal between China and the state of Victoria, calling it “inconsistent with Australia’s foreign policy”. The Morrison government’s decision to scrap Victoria’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) agreement with China was based on Australia’s new Foreign Relations Act, which says the […]
No Comments Earlier this week, a report commissioned by Rwanda said the French government “bears significant responsibility for having enabled a foreseeable genocide” in 1994. The report said: “From its knowledge of massacres of civilians conducted by the government and its allies to the daily dehumanization of the Tutsi…the French government could see that genocide was coming. […]
No Comments The deal between Chinese and Russian space agencies for a lunar station shows the strained relations between NASA and Roscosmos
Russia and China did not sign the NASA established the “Artemis Accords”, a series of bilateral agreements with various space agencies
The latest Russia-China agreement for the same purpose is now seen as a counter to the US led lunar consortium.
Another aspect which resulted in the Russia-China space partnership is strained relations between US and China.
On the other hand, Indian, Japanese and European space agencies are joining hands for several joint missions.
Alliances is a norm in deep space exploration but forming of different alliances for the same purpose may be a precursor to the ensuing ‘space race’.
No Comments Tibet is warming three times faster than the rest of the world and natural disasters such as droughts, landslides and floods are increasing in frequency.
One of the key threats faced by Tibetans today is the eradication of their environment
In recent years, China’s exploitation of Tibet’s natural resources has gathered pace significantly and Tibetans have no power to protect their own land
For China’s government, Tibet’s water is another resource to be exploited, for hydro-electric power, diversion to supply people elsewhere in China
Large Scale mining, damming and deforestation are leading to the Tibetan glacier melting at a faster rate
The risks in Tibet is a global concern and requires decisive action from all countries to avoid a humanitarian crisis on unimaginable proportions in the coming decades.
No Comments Nationwide protests emerged against then-Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika after his nomination for a fifth term sparked mass outrage from citizens
The citizens were frustrated with growing corruption, sluggish economy and lack of freedom in a country besieged by the clout of the military and the islamists.
Bouteflika resigned on 2 April 2019 after months of mass protests. However, the Hirak members were unsatisfied with the resignation as they demanded a change in the entire system.
New President Tebboune signed a decree adopting a new constitution but protesters allege that the army remains the center of power behind a civilian facade led by Tebboune.
Though Arab Spring has ended in countries where it began, the flame of the spring is being kept alive by the Hirak movement.
The Hirak pro-democracy movement is important for a country which has long felt trapped between the Military controlled regime and the Islamists.
No Comments China’s newly-enacted Coast Guard Law allows the Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) to “take all necessary measures, including the use of weapons, when national sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction are being illegally infringed upon by foreign organizations or individuals at sea.”
The new law also empowers the CCG to halt construction or destroy foreign structures on Chinese-claimed land features, like those on the Philippine-occupied Pag-asa Island and Second Thomas Shoal.
Several Asian countries including Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia have opposed China’s law saying it could escalate maritime disputes and be invoked to assert “unlawful claims”.
The Philippines has filed a formal rejection of the law, emphasizing that, given the large area involved and China’s ongoing disputes in the South China Sea, the law is a verbal threat of war to any country that defies it.
The lack of a definition of ‘jurisdictional waters’ in the final version of the new law will increase the potential for conflict.
In addition to creating opportunities for misunderstandings between foreign vessels and the CCG, it gives the coastguard flexibility to conduct law enforcement outside of its traditional jurisdictional waters.
No Comments Cambodia has tested 434,424 people for COVID-19, of whom only 479 tested positive and no deaths.
Medical experts attribute it largely due to the government’s Pandemic Preparedness and Mitigation Plan.
Research of Phnom Penh-based data specialist David Benaim suggests that 24 out of the 25 countries with the lowest number of COVID cases per million are situated between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn
Some believe Vitamin D exposure can help prevent COVID-19 infections but Beanaim says that tropical climates can’t totally explain low case counts, as in the case of Philippines and Indonesia
Furhter, most of Cambodia’s tests are done in conjunction with the internationally-accredited Pasteur Institut du Cambodge (IPC) following all guidelines from the WHO
Experts have attributed the success of Cambodia to the government’s decision to tighten up the borders, strict quarantine measures that kept tourists away, keeping the possibility of outside infections low.
No Comments The New Start treaty, signed in 2010, limits the number of long-range nuclear warheads that the US and Russia can possess.
The New START aims to prevent another arms race from unfolding, and reduces the risk of an accidental escalation.
Given unrealistic demands from the Trump administration to extend the New START treaty, Moscow and Washington were forced to wait until the inauguration of Biden administration
India hopes that the New START triggers a debate on complete withdrawal of nuclear weapons while restricting it to production of clean energy.
