There can be no doubt about the fact that parliamentary democracy in Pakistan will take years to recover from the devastation inflicted upon it in the last five years. Over the last few years, Pakistan’s parliamentarians, individuals who have sworn to protect and uphold the Constitution, have betrayed both the letter
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Niger Coup: What is Russia’s role?
Kate Hairsine The coup in Niger has people asking about potential links to Russia. Neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso have turned to the Kremlin after severing ties with France. Is Moscow behind Niger's coup? At demonstrations in support of Niger's coup, several people were seen waving Russian flags. "Long live Putin," protesters
Time to ensure equity in global research vocabulary
A recent publication in the journal PLOS Medicine reviewed the relationship between COVID-19 and mental health in eight low- and middle-income countries, collectively referred to as LMICs. As important as this publication is, we are appalled by the widespread use of the term “low- and middle-income countries” utilized in this
Russia upstages neo-colonialist France in West Africa
Going back to the 16th century and continuing through the late 1960s, France was described as the world’s second largest colonial power—just behind the British Empire. As the old saying goes: The sun would never set over the British Empire because God wouldn’t trust an Englishman in the dark. But would
Press freedom in Asia under siege
In Asia, freedom of the press continues to erode, especially in authoritarian regimes where journalists are often targeted in broad daylight. More and more, journalists are put behind bars or face strategic lawsuits against public participation, otherwise known as SLAPP, for reporting what’s actually happening on the ground. Over the past three
Mining revenues undermined
The primary commodity price boom early this century has often been attributed to a commodity ‘super-cycle’, i.e., a price upsurge greater than what might be expected in ‘normal’ booms. This was largely due to some minerals as most agricultural commodity price increases were more modest. This minerals boom improved many developing
Cyber Security Act won’t stop criminalise freedom of expression
Bangladesh authority has announced to replace the controversial Digital Security Act (DSA) of 2018 with Cyber Security Act (CSA) 2023, which is expected to be passed in the parliament in the September session. The CSA is going to be passed in the parliament which has an overwhelming majority of the ruling
Israel curbs power of ‘interventionist’ Supreme Court
Should military leaders be barred from addressing the UN?
A rash of military coups in African countries — including Burkina Faso, Sudan, Guinea, Mali, and most recently Niger– has raised a legitimate question: What should be the response of the United Nations, a world body that swears by multi-party democracy, on army take-overs? Condemnation? Yes. Last week, the strong denunciations of
