Author: Harvey Rogers

The Biden administration is funding a $4 million project to determine a connection between child labor and climate change in the South Asian country of Nepal. The U.S. Department of Labor on Monday announced the availability of $4 million in federal taxpayer dollars to be released through its Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) “to fund a technical assistance project in Nepal to increase the responsiveness of local communities to child labor and/or forced labor in the context of a changing climate.” Interested parities have until Oct. 9 to apply for the massive grant, and award decisions are expected to…

NEW DELHI: India has informed the United States that pressuring the Bangladesh government over the country’s upcoming general elections could end up strengthening the hand of extremist forces and affecting regional stability, people familiar with the matter said. The Indian side conveyed its concerns on this issue to the US during several recent interactions, the people said on condition of anonymity. New Delhi also believes that US pressure on the issue of free and fair elections could push Bangladesh closer to China, a development that can have ramifications for the region, they said. While the Indian side has made it clear that it…

A statement from President Arif Alvi’s office said he acted on the advice of the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in disbanding the lawmakers as the assembly’s five-year term is ending. Usually, such a step is a formality and a general election would typically have to be held within 90 days. But this year there’s a twist. A delay until the spring is possible if Pakistan’s election commission opts for redistricting ahead of an election, based on the results of a recent census. The uncertainty over the election date coincides with the legal and political drama surrounding Sharif’s predecessor and national cricket hero, Imran…

Nepal holds a significant place in China’s South Asia assertiveness which is prominently visible in recent years as the Communist Party of China is overtly meddling in the domestic politics of Kathmandu. But China has not limited itself to the higher echelons of Nepali politics but has spread its tentacles deep into the local political discourse of the tiny Himalayan country. If we ponder over the present scenario, increasing Chinese influence at the lower rungs of government in Nepal, from education to social media, from elections to economy at the local level, from cultural to social aspect, is a sign of China’s new…

That was a good 24 hours for Pakistan cricket. Try and say those words out loud, to a friend, at a dinner party, even to yourself in an empty room. Notice the inflection in your voice as you reach the end of that sentence? It’s surprisingly difficult to voice that sentiment without the muscle memory in your vocal chords preparing for the caveat which always qualifies such a sentence, an unfortunate extended phenotype spawned by painstaking years of real-world experience. “That was a good day, but what is it the English are saying about our suspiciously sudden reverse swing? That…

Brussels, Frankfurt (29/5 – 33) European Parliament members have strongly condemned ongoing repression by the authorities of Tajikistan against journalists, activists and protesters in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO). A history of violence escalated extending several years, following confrontational events in November 2021 and May 2022 where dozens of civilians were killed. The European Parliament has since passed a resolution on 7 July 2022. European deputies called on the Tajik government to “put an end to repression against the residents of GBAO”. “We call on the government of Tajikistan to stop persecuting protesters, independent journalists, human rights defenders, lawyers and civil society activists,…

India has, as its immediate neighbor, one of the most dangerous nations in the world. The vandalism and arson in the Lahore Corps Commanders’ residence and the GHQ in Rawalpindi were enduring images of the anarchy that overwhelmed the already nebulous law and order situation in Pakistan post the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. While most in India would have watched these images with glee, these would have certainly given stress to the military planners at Raisina Hill, New Delhi. If the protestors could reach and enter the heavily guarded and fortified GHQ, there would be nothing stopping…

Brussels (12/7 – 30.77) International investigators interviewing survivors of a mountain massacre that occurred in May 2022 in Tajikistan have collected evidence that government security services carried out a planned massacre of peaceful protestors as part of a larger ethnic cleansing campaign targeting the peaceful Pamiri indigenous people of the mountainous eastern region of the country. Numerous witnesses described how heavily armed troops from both the Ministry of Internal Affairs (VKD) and the intelligence service (GKNB) gunned down Pamiri demonstrators in the town of Vamar/Rushon on 18 May 2022. The non-violent protests had erupted in various cities of the Gorno-Badakhshan…

A new mural on display in India’s new $110 million Parliament has become an unlikely target of ire among its South Asian neighbors, with Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh seeking an explanation from New Delhi. The mural depicts a map of an ancient Indian civilization encompassing what is today Pakistan in the north and Bangladesh and Nepal in the east. Speaking to reporters earlier this month, the spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Arindam Bagchi, said it portrays the ancient Ashoka Empire and symbolizes “the idea of responsible and people-oriented governance that (King Ashoka) adopted and propagated.” But to some…

One person was killed and at least 25 others were missing in flash floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains that battered east Nepal, officials said on Sunday — the first known fatality since the annual rains began last week. Heavy rains washed away a hydroelectric project under construction on the Hewa River in the Sankhuwasabha district in eastern Nepal where 16 workers have gone missing, said Bimal Paudel, a government official. “One body has been recovered while police are searching for the missing labourers,” he said. Nine people were also missing in flash floods and landslides in neighbouring Taplejung…