Showing 1 - 10 of 120
Crushing dissent widens rifts with governments
Oped, Amitabh Behar, Published on 31/10/2025
» Thousands of civil society organisations (CSOs) and activists are gathering in Bangkok during the International Civil Society Week from Nov 1–5. The event will be organised by the CIVICUS Alliance. CIVICUS is an international non-profit organisation focused on civil rights and citizen action. It was founded in 1993 and is based in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Timor-Leste's long road to Asean
Oped, Ronny P Sasmita, Published on 22/10/2025
» This Sunday, when Timor-Leste finally joins Asean as its 11th member, it will mark a diplomatic triumph for one of Asia's smallest states and a moral test for the region's most enduring organisation. For Dili, this long-awaited step is not about prestige; it is about survival, legitimacy, and opportunity. For the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), welcoming Timor-Leste completes the Southeast Asian map but also exposes the limits of its inclusivity.
The right simple questions fuel true growth
Oped, Mariano Carrera, Published on 17/10/2025
» We need to be asking, "Is there a better way?" or "What else is there?" and "How can we improve?" These three simple questions direct growth, innovation and ambition, which are the qualities required in personal, business and social life.
When societies rise, fall, and face catastrophe
News, Antara Haldar, Published on 11/10/2025
» When the United Nations emerged from the rubble of two world wars 80 years ago, it represented humanity's most ambitious attempt ever to turn catastrophe into cooperation. But while the scarred world of 1945 had hope following the Allied victory, that optimism has since curdled. The UN today is underfunded, risk-averse, and paralysed.
Postal services still lead the way
Oped, Vinaya Prakash Singh, Published on 09/10/2025
» World Post Day, observed every year on Oct 9, was proclaimed by the 1969 Universal Postal Congress in Tokyo to mark the anniversary of the founding of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) in 1874 in Berne. Across 192 UPU member countries, the day is celebrated through the launch of new products, the opening of postal facilities, employee recognition, and community engagement.
How gender equality boosts the economy
Oped, Pinelopi Koujianou Goldberg, Published on 26/09/2025
» With protectionism and industrial policy returning to advanced economies, and with geopolitical tensions on the rise, this is an inauspicious moment for trade-led growth strategies. Since future growth will increasingly depend on sound domestic policies, low- and middle-income countries should focus on ensuring that existing resources are fully and efficiently deployed. And no resource is more valuable than human capital.
Limits of Xi, Putin's 'no-limits' alliance
Oped, Ruby Osman & Dan Sleat, Published on 05/09/2025
» Much has changed since Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin last stood together atop Tiananmen Square in 2015. When they did so again this week, it was supposedly as equal partners. But, of course, the reality is far more complex.
Good ethics and bad
Postbag, Published on 31/08/2025
» Re: "Court sacks PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra for ethics violation", (Online, Aug 29).
Tiny Vanuatu steps up to protect the climate
Oped, Antara Haldar, Published on 28/08/2025
» Although the International Court of Justice (ICJ) turned 80 this year, there is a sense in which it has never felt younger. In a David-versus-Goliath moment, the tiny Pacific Island state of Vanuatu recently changed international law forever by bringing the world's most important issue before its highest court. The result is an ICJ advisory opinion on "the legal obligations of states in respect of climate change", as requested -- at Vanuatu's urging -- by the UN General Assembly (with 132 states co-sponsoring the resolution).
AI set to replace most humans
News, Stephen Jen, Published on 22/08/2025
» Is technology more job augmenting or job replacing? This has been a long-standing debate. But recent academic work suggests that technology has been a net destroyer of jobs for decades.