Showing 1 - 10 of 74
Ending European tech stagnation
News, Published on 15/07/2025
» As the tech revolution intensifies, Europe is finding itself on the sidelines, particularly in AI. This is a problem not only for Europe but for the broader Western alliance. As other regions surge ahead with tech-centric ambitions, the prospect of Europe fading into digital irrelevance is becoming stronger.
India and UAE to develop Sri Lanka energy hub
Published on 05/04/2025
» COLOMBO - India and the United Arab Emirates have agreed to develop an energy hub in Sri Lanka, the Indian foreign ministry said on Saturday, as New Delhi’s competition with China grows in the Indian Ocean island nation.
Did COP29 fail women and girls?
News, Published on 13/12/2024
» The most recent United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) focused on finance, but it fell short in more ways than one. The contentious negotiations -- representatives from several developing countries walked out in protest -- defied the odds to produce a commitment -- the "Baku Climate Unity Pact" -- from developed economies to deliver $300 billion in climate funding annually to their poorer counterparts by 2035.
Moving towards a fifth world order
Oped, Published on 26/10/2024
» The Bretton Woods institutions -- the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank -- are now 80 years old. But they are as under-resourced and poorly supported by national governments as at any time in their history. Their predicament is perhaps the clearest sign that economic and financial multilateralism is fragmenting along with the global economy. Worse, this fragmentation comes at a time of rising international tensions, financial fragility, sputtering growth, rising poverty, and mounting reconstruction bills in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, and elsewhere.
Recommitting to pandemic preparedness
News, Published on 26/08/2024
» Four years ago, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, governments were scrambling to protect their populations and prevent an economic meltdown. No one would dispute that addressing this existential threat was the top political priority back then.
Xi, Putin score wins as more Asia leaders aim to join Brics
Bloomberg News, Published on 21/06/2024
» SINGAPORE - As Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese Premier Li Qiang wrapped up separate meetings in Southeast Asia this week, the two partners in the Brics economic bloc encountered a region keen to join a group seen as a hedge against Western-led institutions.
Youth 'absent' from Summit of the Future
Poramet Tangsathaporn, Published on 03/06/2024
» People's voices, especially youth, need to be heard at the United Nation's Summit of the Future later this year, and their perspectives incorporated in the final communique prior to its signing, human rights activist Vitit Muntarbhorn said on Monday.
A turning point for clean cooking
Oped, Published on 15/05/2024
» For most of her life, Florence Auma Ode cooked over an open fire in her Kenyan home. The resulting smoke coated the walls with a layer of soot and filled her lungs -- and those of her family members -- with particulate matter.
Trade route talks meant to bridge Asia-Europe move at two speeds
Bloomberg News, Published on 15/03/2024
» WASHINGTON - An ambitious project to link the emerging industrial powers of South Asia with Europe and beyond is moving at two speeds, illustrating the difficulty of aligning aspirations for one of the world’s longest trade routes during a period of geopolitical turmoil.
Aid must reflect vulnerabilities
Oped, Published on 13/02/2024
» Last October, at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund in Marrakesh, member countries emphasised the urgency of scaling up development finance. In recent years, an extraordinary confluence of health, climate, and security crises has worsened global inequalities and eroded the economic and social gains of the last few decades, especially in many African countries.