India’s top court declines to legalise same-sex marriage 5 years after Supreme Court unbanned gay sex
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had opposed the petitions, calling them “urban elitist views” and stating that parliament is the right platform to debate and legislate on the matter.
Canadian PM calls for India’s cooperation in murder probe of Sikh separatist leader Nijjar
Traditional Canadian allies have so far taken a relatively cautious approach to the matter. Political analysts said this was partly because the United States and other major players see India as a counterweight to the growing influence of China.
Sikh leader’s murder: Canada caught between US and China as PM Trudeau fends off India allegations
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that Canada was “actively pursuing credible allegations” that Indian agents had potentially been involved in the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.
India’s PM Narendra Modi uses G20 summit in Delhi to popularise self abroad, lure voters at home
The Modi government has gone into high gear, promoting India as a bridge to the developing world and arguing it is well-placed to tackle issues of climate change, terrorism and the debt crisis. His administration is also highlighting India’s position as a growing power courted by major Western countries, particularly after US President Joe Biden’s state visit in June.
G20 summit host India scrambling to relegate war in Ukraine discussion to periphery
Failing to forge a consensus will also hurt the diplomatic credentials of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is using the presidency to bolster New Delhi’s position as economic powerhouse and a leader of the global south.
New University of Chicago research shows Asia, Africa bear brunt of pollution health burden
If hazardous airborne particles known as PM2.5 were brought down to levels recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), average life expectancy would rise by 2.3 years worldwide, saving a combined 17.8 billion life years, the report estimated.
China bans fish imports from Japan after release of Fukushima radioactive contaminated water into sea
Plant operator Tokyo Electric Power (Tepco) said the release began at 1:03pm local time (0403 GMT) and it had not identified any abnormalities. However, China reiterated its firm opposition to the plan and said the Japanese government had not proved that the water discharged would be safe.
Why North Koreans are hoarding US dollars and Chinese yuan, but use local won to buy cheap items like vegetables and soda
North Koreans are likely resisting attempts by authorities to take their foreign currency given the low level of public trust in the government’s economic policies, said Choi Ji-young, an analyst at Seoul’s state-funded Korea Institute for National Unification.
Largest study yet on Covid spread puts to rest doubts about effectiveness of masks in reining in transmission
A study involving more than 340,000 people in Bangladesh offers some of the strongest real-world evidence yet that mask use can help communities slow the spread of Covid-19. The research, conducted across 600 villages in rural Bangladesh, is the largest randomised trial to demonstrate the effectiveness of surgical masks, in...
Two journalists arrested and held in Myanmar’s infamous Yangon torture centre
Sithy Aung Myint, a political analyst for Voice of America and Frontier Myanmar, and BBC Media Action senior producer Htet Htet Khaing, were arrested by police and taken to a Yangon interrogation centre on August 15. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has called upon the State Administrative Council to...
