International issues

Geneva, Switzerland – Midway through the Plastics Treaty negotiations scheduled to end this Thursday August 14, IPEN notes that concerns for the threats to human health from toxic plastic chemicals are widely shared by delegates as momentum grows for a…

Shashi Tharoor tells Trump that colonialism is over and that he is a hypocrite. I recently gave some comments to India’s NDTV about the decline of the US in the global society. It was on its Friday evening “India Ascends”…

Rebranding existing logistics corridors across its territory as part of CPEC is a means to this end. Iran’s Mehr News Agency and others reported that one of their country’s leading economic officials discussed the possibility of it facilitating Pakistan’s trade with Russia and Europe…

In recent weeks, a motley crew of writers has found common cause in attacking Nicaragua’s Sandinista government: Jaden Hong, a high-school student from Sammamish, Washington, who has never visited the country; Jared O. Bell, a former USAID Foreign Service Officer;…

The Russian invasion of Ukraine. The rise of Russian-style hybrid warfare. General receptivity to the idea of nonviolent civilian-based defense (CBD) in Latvia, one of the two Baltic states that share a border with Russia, has never been lower. It…

Addressing the nation on live television on 5 August 2025,  Bangladesh’s interim government head Dr Muhammad Yunus announced that the south Asian nation will go for 13th Jatiya Sansad polls by the first half of February next year (Bangladesh election…

Group Presses for Regulatory Action to Prevent Dumping of Non-compliant Products 11 August 2025, Quezon City.  The toxics watchdog group EcoWaste Coalition urged government regulators to craft product safety standards for reusable stainless steel water tumblers after finding violative levels…

Member States and Chair Fail to Act in Stocktake Plenary  Geneva, Switzerland – Plastic pollution is accumulating in our water, air, food, and bodies while the majority of Member States continue to allow themselves to be bullied by a small group…

UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed grave concern over Israel’s decision to “take control of Gaza City”, his Spokesperson said in a statement on Friday.  The announcement following an Israeli cabinet meeting “marks a dangerous escalation and risks deepening the already catastrophic consequences for millions of…

by Jason Weiner, Executive & Legal Director, Bank Climate Advocates & Nazareth Del Pilar, Just Transitions Advocacy Officer, NGO Forum on ADB Asian Development Bank (ADB) calls itself the “climate bank of Asia and the Pacific.” But with its proposed…