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A plea for a UN summit on the global food crisis

- Thalif Deen, IPS -

A coalition of civil society organizations, (CSOs), including climate activists, anti-poverty campaigners and celebrity chefs, are among those calling for an emergency meeting of world leaders on the global food crisis during the UN General Assembly (UNGA) sessions in New York next month. With 735 million people going hungry, 122 million

Pakistan’s Christian Community: Sons And Daughters Of The Soil

- Umer Farooq -

Christians are sons of the soil; not only have the Christian community's contributions to this nation's defense, education and healthcare sector been crucial, but they are among the original inhabitants of this land. Our state needs to do better by its minority communities. I studied in a Christian missionary school in

UN must reclaim multilateral governance from pretenders

- Jomo Kwame Sundaram, IPS -

International governance arrangements are in trouble. Condemned as ‘dysfunctional’ by some, multilateral agreements have been discarded or ignored by the powerful except when useful to protect their interests or provide legitimacy. Economic multilateralism under siege Undoubtedly, many multilateral arrangements have become less appropriate. At their heart is the United Nations (UN) system,

Saudi implements mega projects to provide unforgettable experience to pilgrims

- Rafiqul Islam -

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the custodian of the Islamic faith's two holiest sites, Makkah and Madina, is ushering in a new era of religious enlightenment. Several mega projects have been initiated to reinvent the experience of the millions of pilgrims that flock to Makkah and Madinah every year. In recent

Scientists using NASA satellite data to text Bangladeshi farmers water-saving strategies

- Sharmila Kuthunur -

A new technology provides regular advice about crop irrigation to farmers via SMS. Tapping into NASA satellite data, a new technology is helping farmers in Bangladesh reduce water waste while irrigating rice crops — an effort that could ultimately mitigate the water and energy footprint of the country's large-scale rice production. The

Pakistan regresses to a full-blown praetorian state as curtains draw on National Assembly

- Mohammad Taqi -

The Shehbaz Sharif government’s abject abdication of the political and governance space to the army has paved the way for an Indonesian-style Dwifungsi or “dual function”. On August 9, Pakistan’s 15th National Assembly (NA) was dissolved by the country’s president upon Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s advice. The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)