Global Research Asia News

As Heat Waves Intensify in India, These Inspiring Examples Show How Small Budget Efforts to Conserve Water Made Big Contributions By , June 17 2025

Heat waves have been intensifying over vast areas of India in recent days and there are also many reports of water scarcity making the conditions worse for people. However the situation can differ significantly in various villages depending on whether

Convergence and Integration of Several Objectives Needed for Policy on Tribal Communities in India By , June 12 2025
There has been a lot of thoughtful discussion on policies relating to promoting welfare and sustainable progress of tribal communities in India which is also of much wider relevance at world level.
The Stagnation of Philippine Political Maturity: A Reflection on the Cycle of Personality Politics By , June 12 2025

The political maturity of an electorate may be broadly conceptualized along a continuum comprising three distinct levels: personality politics, party politics, and platform politics. These stages reflect a progressive evolution in civic consciousness and engagement, ranging from the rudimentary to

Philippine Senate Abdicates Duty in Duterte Impeachment Trial, Exposing Political Subservience and Institutional Decay By , June 11 2025
Despite the clear directive of the 1987 Philippine Constitution which mandates that impeachment cases transmitted by the House must be tried by the Senate “forthwith,” the Senate majority voted to remand the case back to the House
Women’s Struggle for Realizing Right to Employment in India By , June 10 2025
A great relief for villagers in India, particularly the economically weaker sections, exists in the form of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).
Senators Must Recuse Themselves to Preserve the Integrity of the Duterte Impeachment Trial By , June 10 2025
As the Philippine Senate embarks on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte, the nation stands at a critical juncture.
Despite Recent Setbacks, True Progress in South Asia Must be Based on an Agenda of Peace By , June 09 2025
Despite all hostilities of the past, South Asia as a region really needs the path of peace-based progress.
Corporate Land Grab in Pakistan Prioritizes Foreign Interests over Food and Water Security of Local People By , June 06 2025
GRAIN has exposed the recent and ongoing efforts by powerful interests in Pakistan to grab land and water resources to serve corporate and foreign interests.
Increasing Importance of Seed Conservation by Indian Farmers and Rural Communities By , June 05 2025

In traditional farming one of the most important tasks and responsibilities was that of selecting, saving and conserving seeds. In several rural communities women farmers had an important role in this as well as special skills and understanding related to

Vaagdhara’s Efforts to Strengthen Self-Reliance of Indian Rural Communities Have Wider Appeal and Relevance By , June 04 2025
This self-reliance approach can provide increasing confidence and resilience to rural communities by making it possible to meet more of their needs in healthy ways.
Russia-Myanmar Strategic Cooperation: Key to Stability in Southeast Asia By , May 30 2025
The West has long been making every effort to spark a color revolution in Myanmar, an important partner of both Russia and China in Southeast Asia.
India: Vision of an Alternative Foreign Policy By , May 29 2025

If Socialist Party (India) would have been in power it would have pursued a completely different foreign policy. It would have not wasted any more time in trying to prove that Pakistan is a patron of terrorism.

Narendra Modi has

Strengthening Tribal Communities and Protection of Environment By , May 27 2025

Various tribal communities constitute about 8.6 per cent of the population of India. Nearly 700 tribal communities with a total population of over 110 million are spread all over the country with their more dense habitation on about 15% of

The Impact of Climate Change on Tribal Communities By , May 27 2025

Along with growing realization of the various adverse consequences of climate change, there is increasing concern regarding the communities that are more vulnerable and are likely to be more severely impacted by climate change.

This calls for multi-dimensional analysis as

Rohingya Deportation and the Eviction of Evidence By , May 22 2025
The Supreme Court refused to pass interim orders to halt deportation of Rohingyas from India and called a writ petition alleging forcible deportation of 43 Rohingyas
Singapore: Ruling Party Maintains Supermajority Following General Election By and , May 22 2025
Singapore’s ruling centre-right People’s Action Party (PAP) won the May 3 general election, gaining 65.5% — a swing of 4.3% from the 2020 result. PAP won 87 out of the 97 parliamentary seats.
Amritsar Liquor Tragedy Is Just the Tip of a Wider and Worsening Tragedy of Alcohol-Related Deaths in India By , May 19 2025

While the tragic death of about 23 persons in Amritsar district of Punjab and the serious condition of several others has understandably evoked a lot of concern, this must be seen as only a partial although very tragic reflection of

Remembered Images Imagined (Hi)Stories—Japan, East Asia, and I By and , May 15 2025

Abstract

This is a conversation between Japanese artist Mio Okido and art historian Asato Ikeda, centered on Okido’s exhibition Remembered Images Imagined (Hi)stories—Japan, East Asia, and I at the Museum of Asian Art in Berlin. The dialogue examines Okido’s exploration

Attempts to Introduce Gene-Edited Rice Varieties Opposed in India By , May 07 2025

India has a good record of standing up for safety of food by opposing GM crops, particularly in the context of food. This is why despite relentless lobbying by powerful corporate groups to introduce GM varieties for food crops like

The UK-India Free Trade Deal: A Corporate Coup By , May 07 2025

It’s a charming British summer for corporations, following the long-awaited UK-India trade deal signed after three years of negotiation. The Labour Party-led British government has hailed the agreement as “the best deal India has ever agreed to, providing businesses with

Kashmir Terrorist Attack: India Politicizes Domestic Issues By , May 07 2025

On April 22, 2025, in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, unidentified people who emerged from the forest in the vicinity of the city of Pahalgam shot a group of civilians, including tourists, with machine guns. According to estimates by the

Who Is Behind the Deadly Kashmir Attack on Tourists? By , April 28 2025

The Resistance Front (TRF) has denied involvement in the deadly attack on April 22, which left 26 tourists dead in the popular Baisaran meadow in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.

In a post on X, TRF stated,

“Any attribution of this act to

Army in Pakistan: How They Transform an Empty Vase into a Dangerous Weapon By , April 25 2025

On April 16, 2025, India experienced a deadly terrorist attack in the Pahalgam area of the broader Jammu and Kashmir region, with authorities suspecting that the perpetrators may have passed through Kishtwar to Tajmou and reached Baisaran via Kokernag in

In Kashmir Terrorist Attack, Local Rescuers from Pahalgam Show the Path for Maintaining Inter-Faith Harmony in India By , April 24 2025

On April 22 in one of the most inhuman terrorist attacks seen in India, terrorists killed 26 entirely innocent tourists and injured several others in the tourist resort of Baisaran Meadow, located in the famous Pahalgam area of Kashmir.

While

Armed Groups and Junta Profit as Toxic Mines Devour Southern Myanmar By , April 24 2025

Since Myanmar’s 2021 coup, lead mining in the country’s southern Tanintharyi region has exploded, with the number of mining sites more than doubling as lawlessness enables rapid expansion.

The environmental impact has been severe, with polluted rivers, dying crops, and

Recent Kashmir Massacres: A Quranic Analysis of Violence and the Path to Peace By , April 24 2025

This study examines recent massacres (April, 22, 2025) in Kashmir through the lens of Quranic teachings, particularly its foundational principles of non-violence, justice, and peace. The Quran unequivocally condemns terrorism, violence against civilians, and unlawful killings, offering an ethical framework

All Rural Landless Households Must Get Some Farmland. India as an Example By , April 23 2025

A very important and much needed rural reform is getting increasingly neglected. This relates to the need for all rural households to have at least some farmland.

While this is being written here mainly in the context of what I

Dotty and Cretinous: Reviewing AUKUS By , April 22 2025

It was a deal for the cretinous, hammered out by the less than bright for less than honourable goals.  But AUKUS, the trilateral security alliance between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, is now finally receiving the broader

50 Years Since the Fall of Saigon — Build the Movement to Liberate Palestine By , April 16 2025

“Saigon liberated! A victory for all humanity”, was the cover headline of Australian socialist publication Direct Action (DA) on May 2, 1975. DA (forerunner of Green Left) joined the worldwide celebrations for the historic victory of the Vietnamese people and

Bangladesh-Balochistan: Divided by Distance, United by Struggle By , April 10 2025

The international community is sounding the alarm about the situation in Balochistan, where incidents of violence against intellectuals and activists are reminiscent of the persecutions faced by people of spirit in Bangladesh. According to a United Nations report on March

China Plans to Build the World’s Largest Dam – But What Does This Mean for India and Bangladesh Downstream? By , April 10 2025

China recently approved the construction of the world’s largest hydropower dam, across the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet. When fully up and running, it will be the world’s largest power plant – by some distance.

Yet many are worried the

India’s Public Diplomacy Falls Flat By , April 10 2025

Apropos the recent Raisina Dialogue in Delhi, Politico wrote, quoting an Estonian diplomat that “engaging with Russian lawmakers was a waste of time given Russia’s autocratic system.” He disdainfully added, “Why should we? On a list of people who

The Significance of Women’s Organization. The Case of Mahila Sangathan Barmer in India By , April 07 2025

There is a widespread feeling in the villages of India that when the national rural employment guarantee scheme is implemented properly as per the provisions of its law called NREGA, it is very helpful, particularly for women. However a frequent

SAARC Likely Won’t be Resuscitated Anytime Soon By , April 07 2025

Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar reportedly told members of the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on External Affairs last month that the South Asian Association For Regional Cooperation (SAARC) “is on pause; we have not pressed a full stop on

Open Letter to Australian MPs: Mainstream Undercounting 0.6 Million Gaza Deaths By , April 07 2025

Dear Honorable Member, 

Australians will vote to elect a new Federal Government on 3 May 2025. For decent Australians the major issue is the Gaza Genocide, the US-backed, Zionist Israeli mass murder of about 0.6 million Indigenous Palestinian children, mothers,

Water Management and Conservation in India Can Improve Significantly with Community-based Local Solutions By , April 04 2025

Water scarcity for many months in a year is becoming a significant problem in many rural communities of the world. In many areas it has become a survival issue and several communities are forced to abandon their habitations for a

SRUTI: Celebrating 40 Years of Support for Initiatives of Social Justice and Change in India By , April 03 2025

SRUTI, associated with several highly creative and useful initiatives for social justice and empowerment of communities through collective action, has recently completed four decades of its eventful existence. 

To coincide with entering its fifth decade, SRUTI (Society for Rural, Urban

Respect for India’s “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi By , March 28 2025

Kindly consider these three facts, also try to imagine the real life situations based on these:

  • At the age of 26 a youth from the poorest landless community took upon himself the impossible looking task of breaking a huge mountain
Hegseth’s Visit to the Philippines Meant to Advance US War Agenda in the Indo-Pacific By , March 25 2025

The upcoming visit of newly appointed US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to the Philippines on March 28-29 undeniably exposes Marcos Jr. as the preferred puppet of US imperialism in advancing its Indo-Pacific Strategy. Hegseth’s visit is not a benign gesture

The Cake: Australia’s Birth Certificate Bond By , March 25 2025

I had the good fortune last week to sit in with a Common Law group in Australia called The People’s Lore of Terra Australis. They wanted to hear what I was doing in the States and share with me

India: Mobile Phone Gambling Is Ruining the Life of Our Children By , March 24 2025

Recently when I was speaking to a group of socially active women from remote villages in Niwari district (Madhya Pradesh) regarding the need for a campaign to reduce consumption of liquor and in fact all intoxicants, one of the women

Rodrigo Duterte’s ICC Trial: A Legal Battle of Global Significance By , March 20 2025

Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is now facing the most serious legal battle of his life, detained in The Hague after being arrested by Interpol in the Philippines on the basis of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal

The Trauma Will be Instagrammed: Wombat Handlings in Australia By , March 19 2025

The influencer might be defined as a modern, junked cretin of arrested moral and ethical capacity – with specific skills.  Such an individual, for instance, is often able to use technological platforms with aptitude for two mundane purposes: to manipulate

Duterte’s Arrest by ICC Sparks Political Turmoil in the Philippines By , March 13 2025

The recent arrest of former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, executed under a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) and facilitated by the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), has ignited significant political unrest in the Philippines.[1] Duterte, known

Rural Women Groups in India Combine Economic Progress with Social Reform By , March 05 2025

By pooling their savings on a regular basis every month self-help groups (SHGs) in many parts of India have improved their economic and social security. However such efforts, particularly of rural women, have been able to achieve more when they

Australia’s Universities Lie and Censor for Apartheid Israel By , March 03 2025

Australia’s 39 taxpayer-funded universities have endorsed a highly controversial new definition of antisemitism that was drafted by leaders from the Group of Eight (GoE), Australia’s top universities, and is expected to be enforced on all campuses. It is likely that

Experience of Suhagpura Villages in India Shows Water Conservation Must Get the Highest Priority By , March 03 2025

Chittodia village, located in Suhagpura block of Pratapgarh district (Rajasthan), is finding sustenance increasingly difficult because of water scarcity during the first half of the year, before the advent of the monsoon rains. It is not just a matter of

The People of Okinawa Stand Up for Women’s Rights and Peace By , February 25 2025
2,500 noble citizens came together on the 22nd of December in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan to raise their voices against the recent increase in sexual crimes committed by U.S. military personnel against local women and children.
Gloominess and Magical Thinking: The Comical, Frightening Mike Burgess of the Australian Secret Intelligence Organisation By , February 25 2025

Never allow intelligence chiefs to speak publicly.  Their prerogative lies in lying, their reassurance, cool deception.  While the attractions of transparency are powerful, the result of a garrulous spook is always going to be unreliable.

In Australia, a comically looking

Deforestation in India: Government Must Join Hands with Local People to Save Thousands of Threatened Trees Near Gangotri in the Himalayas By , February 19 2025

Probably the most ecologically sensitive area in India, also known for its great cultural and spiritual heritage, is the Uttarkashi-Gangotri area near the origin of the Ganga River in the Himalayas. This is also close to the Gaumukh glacier. It

Rohingya Refugee in Bangladesh: ‘The world cannot afford to look away’ By , February 19 2025

The Rohingya refugee crisis remains one of the most urgent humanitarian challenges of our time. Since the mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar in 2017, Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh has become the epicentre of the world’s largest refugee settlement,

Vimla Bahuguna, Environment Activist and Social Reformer, Is No More By , February 17 2025

Vimla Bahuguna, who dedicated herself at a very young age to leading her life in accordance with Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings of serving people, breathed her last at her home in Dehradun on February 14. She was 92. She leaves

Khudai Khidmatgar — Taking the Message of Inter-faith Harmony to More and More People By , February 11 2025

Khudai Khidmatgar, an organization founded in memory of Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in India in 2011, has been organizing several meetings for inter-faith harmony in various parts of the country in collaboration with various like-minded organizations with continuity. 

Important roads

The Philippines: Navigating the Fine Line Between Defense and Diplomacy By , February 11 2025

The recent announcement that the Philippines is ramping up its military spending[1] has sparked a mixture of concern, intrigue, and heated debate. At the heart of this decision is the nation’s increasingly volatile geopolitical situation, especially in light of its

Indonesia Joins BRICS: What Does It Mean for West Papua? By , February 07 2025

Indonesia officially joined the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa consortium) on January 6 — marking a significant milestone in its foreign relations. In a statement released on January 7, the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasised that this

Albanese Government Bans DeepSeek from Official Devices on Security Grounds By , February 07 2025

The Albanese government is banning DeepSeek – the Chinese artificial intelligence model – from all government systems and devices on national security grounds.

It says this is in line with the actions of a number of other countries and is

Peace as a Way of Life By , February 04 2025

The White-West notion of peace is largely associated with the absence of war. Even the origins of the peace symbol stem from the denuclearization movement. But what do we mean when we talk about peace?

*

If someone were to

India Should Adopt Protective Himalayan Policy By , January 28 2025

Civil Society magazine has recently published a series of interviews with eminent persons who are very well-informed regarding the Himalayan region. One of them, Sonam Wangchuk, the famous environmentalist from Ladakh, told the magazine how even really needed steps like

High Risks of Large Dam Projects in the Himalayas By , January 24 2025

Various countries are building large dams on Himalayan rivers. Apart from local factors this often gets discussed in terms of the conflicting interests of various countries. In the process the wider reality of dams in Himalayan region being inherently risky

ASEAN Should Hope for the Best But Prepare for the Worst in 2025 By , January 24 2025

As 2025 ASEAN Chair, Malaysia faces significant challenges, including Myanmar’s crisis, South China Sea tensions and geopolitical shocks from the US–China rivalry. To ensure ASEAN makes it through the year not only unscathed but even stronger, Malaysia should use its

Rising Deforestation Threatens Rare Species in Indonesia’s Ancient Lake Poso By , January 24 2025

The forests around the ancient Lake Poso in Indonesia’s Central Sulawesi province are being lost to mining, oil palm plantations and smallholder farm expansion, threatening both unique species and local residents.

The lake and its surroundings are designated as an

Myanmar’s Self-Proclaimed President Wants Ukrainian-Like Military Aid By , January 23 2025

No one can say with confidence what’ll happen other than predict that the conflict might pass a turning point later this year, though it’s unclear whether that would be in the Tatmadaw’s or the anti-government forces’ favor.

President of Myanmar’s

Justifying the Egregious: John Howard and Spying on East Timor By , January 21 2025

Bugging, in the context of intelligence, is natural for the buggee.  Those who approve it and engage in such a practice, however, get riled when the favour is returned in all its rich naturalness.  In the murky stock exchange of

Water Conservation Helps to Promote Sustainable Farming and Quench Thirst in Drought-prone Patha Area By , January 21 2025

Patha,  the plateau  area of Chitrakut district in Uttar Pradesh, is an area that has been often in news due to water scarcity. When I visited this area over four decades back at the time of a severe drought there

China Continues to Shift Exports to Global South By , January 16 2025

China’s exports grew 10.7% year-on-year in December, outpacing November’s 6.7% gain and beating analyst forecast of 7.3% growth.

Restocking in anticipation of tariffs accounted for a small part of the gain, but the main driver of Chinese exports remains the

Neoliberalism and Agriculture: Who Is at the Root of India’s Agricultural Crisis? By , January 16 2025

The roots of the agricultural crisis in India lie in a variety of factors that collectively make the situation more challenging for the country’s farmers. Despite agriculture being the backbone of the Indian economy, it often receives inadequate attention. The

Chinese Military Might vs Washington’s Asymmetrical Tools of Empire By , January 16 2025

Over the past few months China has achieved several breakthroughs in terms of military power in both quantity and quality including the introduction of new aircraft, increased production rates of existing aircraft, and the launching of a new amphibious assault

Making Sense of South Korea’s Senseless Martial Law Declaration By , January 15 2025

Abstract

On 3 December 2024, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, the first time such an order had been given since the country democratized in 1987. Koreans and international observers alike are puzzled as to why Yoon

India’s Massive River Links Project Can Disrupt River Ecology Like Never Before By , January 13 2025

Viswamitra sage: (Addressing Beas and Satluj rivers)—You move like chariots to the sea, through the power of Indira. You are full of water and wish to unite with each other.

The rivers: we, who are full of water, move along

2025 Might be a Tumultuous Year for South Asia By , January 09 2025

The future of Indo-US relations under Trump 2.0 will ultimately play the largest role in determining the degree of tumult that South Asia experiences next year.

South Asia is generally thought of as a comparatively stable region whose primary problems

China’s Metal Storm Poised to Shred Hypersonics By , January 09 2025

China has unveiled a hyper-fast machine gun that could revolutionize defense against hypersonic missiles, posing a bold challenge to conventional missile defense systems.

This month, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported that Chinese scientists are developing a groundbreaking machine gun,

Towards Comprehensive Food and Farming Policy By , January 08 2025

There is increasing realization that while various countries have varying levels of success in their food and farming policies, on the whole, at world level, the existing farming and food system is going more and more under the control of

Victoria Australia’s Proposed Anti-protest Law a Fundamental Attack on Civil Liberties By , January 07 2025

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan’s announcement on December 17 of “strong action” supposedly needed “to fight hate” is a declaration of war against all supporters of free speech and the right to protest.

It is the latest in Victorian Labor’s attempt

US-India: Diamonds Are Not Forever. Modi’s Gift to Biden By , January 07 2025

The US state department disclosed on Thursday in an accounting of gifts received from foreign leaders during 2023 that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s was the “priciest” gift that President Biden received, rather, his wife Jill Biden received — a diamond

Construction Workers in Delhi Struggle to Meet Their Basic Needs By , January 07 2025

The largest number of workers in Delhi are construction workers. Women are also employed in construction work in significant numbers. However their presence in more skilled work like that of masons is negligible.

Recent interviews with several construction workers in

Driving Hindutva and Culture of Commodification of Identity By , January 06 2025

In the 1959 Hindi movie “Dhool Ka Phool” (Flowers of the Dust), there is a song written by Sahir Ludhianvi and sung by Mohammad Rafi, which can be translated as: “you will neither become a Hindu nor a Muslim; you

Rodrigo Duterte’s War on Drugs: A Campaign Shrouded in Violence and Deception By , January 02 2025

Rodrigo Duterte’s presidency (2016–2022) marked one of the darkest periods in modern Philippine history. His aggressive war on drugs, touted as a necessary step to save the nation from the clutches of narcotics, left an indelible mark of violence and

Jesting on the Environment: Australian Mining Gets a Present By , December 26 2024

Mining magnates seem to have it all.  Far more significant than royalty, such figures are the unelected captains of industry who know that governments will do whatever they can to accommodate their wishes and whims.  True, the official rhetoric might

Revolutionising the Self. Colin Todhunter By , December 19 2024

Bindu Art School in Chengalpattu, a couple of hours by road from Chennai in South India, was set up in 2005 in the Bharatapuram leprosy colony. It was started by Austrian artist Werner Dornik and activist Padma Venkataraman

Werner, …

Not Just a Showman: Raj Kapoor Gave Us Four All-time Great Films Within Six Years By and , December 17 2024

This being the birth centenary year of Raj Kapoor many writings remembering his contributions have appeared recently and the most frequent tribute paid to him has been to remember him as the greatest showman of the Hindi film industry. In