In The News

NYT: Charity Closes India Operations Amid Crackdown

Ellen Barry and Suhasini Raj March 27, 2017
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, elected as a Hindu nationalist, has worked to rigorously enforce a law that regulates use of foreign aid in the country. The government has canceled the registration of more than 11,000 NGOs since Modi took office in 2014. One prominent charity, Compassion International, is locked in a legal battle with the state. Compassion International is a Colorado-based...

Phys.org: Indonesia Vows Action After UK Cruise Ship Ruins Coral Reef

Awa Mulalinda March 16, 2017
The tourism industry relies on environmental wonders and wildlife, but a 4,200-ton British-owned cruise ship carrying birdwatchers struck and damaged a pristine coral reef in Indonesia at low tide. Attempting to remove the vessel caused more damage. “Raja Ampat in eastern Indonesia has long been a top attraction for intrepid travellers and avid divers, home to palm-fringed islands surrounded by...

Southeast Asia Globe: Faith in Flux

Paul Millar March 3, 2017
Religious minorities in undeveloped nations are susceptible to funds and influence from outside sources. Fundamentalists in Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia target poor Muslims around the globe, including the Cham community in Cambodia. “Tracing their descent from the ancient kingdom of Champa in modern-day Vietnam, the more than 400,000 Chams who live in Cambodia have...

Daily News & Analysis: After Kansas Shooting, Indians Jolted, But American Dream Alive

Heena Khandelwal February 27, 2017
International students represent a majority of graduate students in US higher-education for many engineering specialties as well as economics and computer science. Most students studying in the United States come from China followed by India; Indians receive more H1B visas than any other internationality. Skilled labor contributes to innovation and economic prosperity. A rise in anti-immigrant...

WWD: Global Retailers Call for Action on Labor Issues in Bangladesh

Mayu Saini February 14, 2017
Fashion loses its allure when associated with horrific factory conditions. “In a letter addressed to prime minister Sheikh Hasina by the steering committee of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety global retailers called for the release of detained worker leaders after the December unrest in Ashulia, and a wage review mechanism to address the increased cost of living in Bangladesh,”...

The Diplomat: Australia Keeps TPP Alive

Anthony Fensom February 13, 2017
Leaders of Japan and the United States, the leading economies that had negotiated the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, announced plans to pursue stronger bilateral ties. “Importantly, the joint statement also allowed for Japan to continue pursuing the TPP, even after [Donald] Trump’s January 23 decision to withdraw,” reports Anthony Fensom for the Diplomat, adding that Japan has invested more...

Project Syndicate: ASEAN and the Rohingya Crisis

Syed Munir Khasru February 10, 2017
Muslim Rohingya communities lack citizen rights in Myanmar and are under military attack as well. “The United Nations considers the stateless Rohingya to be among the world’s most persecuted minorities,” writes Syed Munir Khasru for Project Syndicate. “Now, other countries in an otherwise stable region are becoming embroiled in the crisis; indeed, countries such as Bangladesh, Thailand, and...