Author: Nishtha Sharma

Pakistan Placed On Financial Action Task Force’s Grey List

Members of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an anti-money-laundering watchdog based in France, placed Pakistan on the “grey list” of nations with inadequate terrorist financing or money laundering controls. The group was persuaded by Washington to put Islamabad back on the list since its removal in 2015. Members placed

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Women And War: Lessons From The Brutality Of India’s Partition

As India and Pakistan mark the 70th anniversary of partition this year, the violent legacy of the period continues to enflame relations between the two nations. What was then seen as a battle over land caused by religious differences after independence, also became a battle over women’s ‘honour’ – an

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Heavy Rains And Flood Impact 45 Million People Across South Asia

Heavy rains in South Asia during the monsoon season have caused massive flooding, affecting 45 million people across the region. While some flooding is expected during the rainy season or monsoon season from June to September, this year’s floods have been the worst in many years. The UN said, “torrential

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Lebanon Abolishes ‘Marry-Your-Rapist’ Laws

Lebanon has joined a wave of other Middle Eastern states to outlaw the practice that allowed rapists to fight prosecution by marrying their victims. While Jordan and Tunisia abolished similar provisions last month, Egypt and Morocco made similar changes to domestic laws in 1999 and 2014. The campaign against the Lebanese rape-marriage

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Modi’s U.S Visit Puts Differences Aside For Common Interests

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Singh Modi’s first visit to the White House under President Donald Trump’s administration has come at a time when differences between Washington and New Delhi have dominated headlines. President Trump’s decision to cite the likes of India and China in his rationale for withdrawing from the

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Globalization And The Fight For Human Rights And Environmentalism

Globalization has been understood both as a threat and an opportunity in the global fight for environmentalism and human rights. Many indigenous groups often face increasing pressures from global neoliberal institutions as they struggle to retain their way of life through the high tides of globalization. However, because globalization is

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West Africa: A Triumph And Defeat For Democracy In 2016

West Africa has witnessed both a win and a loss for democracy in the region since national elections were held in both Ghana and Gambia. While Nana Akufo-Addo, the leader of Ghana’s opposition New Patriotic Party won the nation’s seventh election since its return to multiparty democracy in 1992, Gambia’s

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Japan Reveals Its Vientiane Vision In Laos

During the second ASEAN-Japan Defense Ministers’ Informal Meeting, Japanese Defence Minister Tomomi Inada announced the “Vientiane Vision” and unveiled plans for closer security collaboration between Tokyo and the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) during a visit to Laos on 16 November. Japan seeks to advance

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Food Crisis Sparks Further Unrest In Venezuela

Amidst reports that around 90 percent of Venezuelans can no longer afford to buy food, the Venezuelan food crisis has exacerbated. Opposition protests against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro mobilised a million demonstrators in the nation’s capital Caracas on Thursday. Demonstrators yelling “Venezuela is hungry” and “this government is going to

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South Korea Faces North Korea’s Nuclear Reality

  Amidst increasing fears about North Korea’s nuclear reality, South Korea has witnessed retaliatory public sentiment in favour of the nation going nuclear. South Korea has followed the policy of non-proliferation as a signatory to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. However, as a result of growing security fears and challenges

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UNICEF Expresses Concerns Over India’s Child Labour Bill

UN agency UNICEF has expressed its concerns regarding provisions in India’s Child Labour Amendment Bill, 2016 that allows a child to help out in family enterprises after school hours. The agency claims that the amendments will negatively impact children from lower socio-economic backgrounds and will legitimise family work. The bill

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U.S. And Japan Agree To Amend Historic Status Of Forces Agreement

  Tokyo and Washington have agreed to amend a 1960 pact to limit preferential treatment towards U.S. military personnel under the U.S.-Japan Status of Forces Agreement, which is also commonly known as SOFA. This is due to frequent violations of Japanese law by military personnel, and a rising number of

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