In The News

Indonesia, EU and Palm Oil: Jakarta Post

Made Anthony Iswara December 29, 2019
The European Union labeles some palm oil as unsustainable, responsible for high rates of deforestation. Indonesia has filed a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization over EU renewable energy policy. The European Union plans to phase out use of biofuels by 2030, and Indonesia officials express concern that EU policy could “tarnish the image of palm oil products in global trade.” The EU insists...

Indians Protest Citizenship Law: Al Jazeera

December 19, 2019
Rules around citizenship help define a country’s values and aspirations. Large numbers of Indians are turning out to protest a new citizenship law that welcomes refugees from neighboring states but pointedly excludes Muslims. Authorities have detained hundreds of demonstrators and banned gatherings in Uttar Pradesh as well as parts of the northeast, Bihar and cities including Hyderabad and...

Family Separations for Textile Workers: Spiegel

Fiona Weber-Steinhaus and Kazi Riasat Alve December 19, 2019
Workplace schedules establish cultural patterns for nations, and governments often must step in to end grueling routines. For example, in the United States, Congress mandated an eight-hour workday in 1916 and the five-day workweek emerged a decade later. A pattern has emerged in the world’s most populous developing nations with low labor costs: Parents leave rural communities for work in...

Pakistan’s Biggest City Crumbles: Economist

December 17, 2019
Karachi has a population of 16 million people, about double that of New York City. Pakistan’s largest city and former national capital functions as the country’s financial center. Monsoons and environmental disasters have shed light on years of poor urban planning and maintenance. “Wild, unplanned growth has overwhelmed almost every element of urban planning,” the Economist reports. “Sewers,...

India’s Parliament Passes Citizenship Bill: NYT

Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini Raj December 12, 2019
India’s parliament has approved a Citizenship Amendment Bill, expected to be signed into law soon.The bill “uses religion as a criterion for determining whether illegal migrants in India can be fast-tracked for citizenship” and “favors members of all South Asia’s major religions except Islam,” reports the New York Times. Muslim leaders regard the measure as discrimination; up to 15 percent of the...

Go Back to RCEP: Times of India

Nayan Chanda November 18, 2019
As strong emerging economies, India and China understand smaller Asian markets. For example, India manufactures more than 90 percent of the three-wheel auto rickshaws sold in 10 Association of Southeast Asian Nations Despite such success and high expectations for the Modi government, India resists opening its economy to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, or RCEP. “After seven years...

Pollution Fight in Delhi Has Failed: India Times

Saket Suman November 4, 2019
India’s capital city contends with severe pollution due to rising population, unchecked agriculture burning in nearby states and disregard for regulations. Delhi residents mourn how growth has contributed to a decline in quality of life: “the city has multiplied manifold, both in population, infrastructure and pollution-causing agents such as automobile, consumption of electricity and the use of...