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
According to an annual survey published by the Indian government, more than 63 million women are “missing” statistically across India. The survey also found that upwards of 21 million girls were unwanted by their families due to a cultural preference for male children. The report also revealed that an affinity
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
India’s Supreme Court passed a landmark ruling against sexual relations with an underage bride, claiming any relations would constitute as rape. The court ruled that if a man engages in sexual intercourse, with or without consent, with his wife who is aged between 15 and 18, he would be committing
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
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
Pakistan’s Nawaz Sharif has been disqualified from his role as Prime Minister after the country’s Supreme Court ruled on a corruption probe. Following the 2015 Panama Papers leaks, Sharif and his children were linked to offshore companies after a probe into his family’s finances failed to account for their wealth.
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
India’s Supreme Court reserved its verdict on the constitutional validity of the practice of “triple talaq” among Indian Muslims. “Triple talaq” refers to the practice of Muslim men being able to instantly divorce their wives by saying “talaq” three times. This practice is banned in many Islamic countries, such as
At the beginning of March, Somalia’s prime minister announced the unfortunate death of more than 100 people in just 48 hours due a famine in the drought-plagued country. The famine has left 6.2 million people in urgent need of help. The UN has said that Yemen, South Sudan and Nigeria have also
The United Nations Human Rights Council has passed a resolution warranting an international fact-finding mission to investigate allegations of killings, rape, and torture of the Rohingya people by Myanmar’s military and security forces in western Myanmar’s Rakhine state. The UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution brought by the European
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
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
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
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
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
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
The UN has expressed concern after Britain withdrew two police officers while Germany and Sweden withdrew seven and three police officers respectively, according to a UN memo. It also said the United States was reportedly planning to withdraw nine police and that Norway was planning to repatriate one police officer
For many across the world, Eid, which marks the end of Ramadan, has come with a whirlwind of emotions. While millions in the global Islamic community come together to celebrate the end of the Islamic holy month of fasting, many mourn the death of those that became victims of
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
