BY PRADIP BAIJAL IANS | June 15  India always had problems in dealing with spectrum.   -- We wasted valuable wireless spectrum for fixed line services in 1995, unlike any other country, after the erroneous decision that expensive mobile phones were not for the poor Indians. The decision was reversed in 2004, but led to a lot of inspired criticism by mobile incumbents.   -- Earlier, the government approved a Convergence Bill in 2001, for more efficient u

Anti-racism protests in Taipei also draw attention to the rights of the island's original inhabitants   TAIPEI, June 14 (Reuters) - Hundreds packed into a park in central Taipei on Saturday for a Black Lives Matter protest, with a group of indigenous Taiwanese given prominent billing to draw attention to discrimination against the island's original inhabitants.   The rally, attended by more than 500 people, mostly foreigners, was peaceful with only a very li

BY VISHNU MAKHIJANI  New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) The Reconstruction Period (1865-77) that followed the conclusion of the American Civil War gave rise to the pejorative term Carpetbaggers to describe politicians and financial adventurers from the Northern Confederate states who descended on the South to reap from the devastation the conflict had caused.   Sharply dressed and riding a horse with their belongings tied up in an elongated bundle (the carpetbag) that they

In the mountainous region, trees have been cut down as tourism ground to a halt and guards were unable to patrol under tight restrictions to curb the spread of COVID-19   SRINAGAR, India, June 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - India's coronavirus lockdown has paved the way for a rise in illegal logging and timber-smuggling in forest-rich Indian-administered Kashmir, with guards unable to patrol and local incomes plummeting, the region's forest officials said.  

Coronavirus pandemic may spark the first rise in child labor since 2000, the United Nations warned   NEW YORK, June 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The coronavirus pandemic has put millions of children at risk of being pushed into underage labor, reversing two decades of work to combat the practice and potentially marking the first rise in child labor since 2000, the United Nations warned on Friday.   As the pandemic pummels the global economy, pushing millions of

Pandemic is also creating fertile ground for movements like Black Lives Matter   LONDON, June 12 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The coronavirus pandemic is boosting both nationalism and community spirit, unleashing shifts in attitudes that would usually takes years to trickle down, according to a survey released on Thursday.   The survey of six nations from across the globe reveals that COVID-19 has also prompted more people to want to work for organisations commi

New Delhi/Mumbai, June 11 (IANS) Rarely have these two mighty Indian megalopolises -- one being the nation's capital and the other its commercial capital -- looked so "helpless".   As actors in Mumbai and politicians in Delhi get a taste of the virus, the two cities are finding it increasingly tough to deal with the pandemic with their available resources and health infrastructure.   As Maharashtra on Wednesday recorded new highs on the Covid-19 dash

Only a handful of countries have women leading coronavirus responses, with many nations excluding women almost entirely   ROME, June 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Increased teenage pregnancies, curbed access to sexual health services, a spike in household violence and a surge in revenge porn: the COVID-19 pandemic's disproportionate impact on women and girls has been laid bare in recent months.   Research suggests women leaders have been more successful th

A grain export terminal that draws long lines of truckers each day is raising risks, say Amazon communities who oppose its expansion   BRASILIA, June 11 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As the coronavirus pandemic reaches deep into Brazil's Amazon, a ceaseless stream of trucks carry soybeans and construction workers to an expanding port complex in the heart of the forest.   Indigenous activists have opposed the Itaituba port in Pará state for nearly a dec

MEXICO CITY, June 10 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Centers in Mexico providing vital healthcare and support services to indigenous and Afro-Mexican women are running out of money and could be forced to close due to government spending cuts, organizers say.   The 35 mostly state-funded houses for indigenous and Afro-Mexican women (CAMIs) provide health care during pregnancy, traditional births, advice for victims of violence, translation services and a safe space for margina

New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) With the Government now announcing unlocking of the country in three planned phases, citizens are getting anxious due to the growing numbers of COVID-19 cases, according to a survey by Local Circles.   The survey found that from Lockdown 1.0 (March 25) to Unlock 1.0 (June 1), there has been a 166 per cent rise in number of Indians who are feeling anxious or worried. While 56 per cent people are now feeling anxious or worried, 21 per cent felt that wa

BY SIDDHI JAIN  New Delhi, June 9 (IANSlife) India has ranked 168th out of 180 countries in the 2020 Environmental Performance Index (EPI), according to researchers at Yale and Columbia universities, who say Indias decarbonization agenda needs to accelerate, and the country faces a number of serious environmental health risks, including poor air quality.   In the 2020 EPI - a biennial scorecard of national results on a range of sustainability issues - Denmark has r

BY SONIA GANDHI  IANS | June 8 The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 is a shining example of a radical and rational systemic change. It is radical because it transferred power to the poorest of the poor and enabled them to escape hunger and deprivation. It is rational because it puts money directly in the hands of those who need it most. It has proved its worth in the years it has been in existence, even enduring six years of a hostile

BY SUMIT KUMAR SINGH  New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) China is aggressively pursuing a diverse range of tactics -- from cyber-attacks to recruiting insiders for economic espionage, Indian security agencies have warned. The specific alert circulated among key stakeholders suggests that Chinese operatives are not only planning to steal classified cutting-edge defense technology but also eyeing to recruit best academicians and researchers around the globe, especially from the US. &n

Already hit by climate change and growing grazing restrictions, pastoralists now see their movement limited and markets closed   NEW DELHI, June 5 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When India's lockdown to contain the coronavirus pandemic eventually ends, it may be too late for B. Hanumanthu to earn an income this year.   The herder keeps 150 Poda Thurupu cattle, prized as draft animals. In April and May, right after the spring harvest, farmers from southern India

BY SIDDHI JAIN  New Delhi, June 4 (IANSlife) The novel Coronavirus has altered the lives of billions of humans in unprecedented ways, but what shone through is the resilience of nature. Air pollution levels down, animal communities freer to roam the planet, and clearer streams of water -- restricted human activity has achieved what only years of organised environmental effort could have corrected.   Human activity has altered virtually every corner of our planet, fro

The government inquiry into murdered and missing indigenous women blamed racism, colonialism, sexism, and apathy in Canadian society   TORONTO, June 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A year ago, Canada announced that the disappearance and murder of thousands of indigenous women amounted to genocide, raising hopes authorities would act to address the historic tragedy.   Now the government says a plan of action is delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic, a developmen

In the face of protests, inequality and rising climate threats, a coronavirus recovery needs to spur a "greener, smarter, fairer" world   LONDON, June 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As protests over racial injustice sweep the United States and a virus-driven global downturn threatens to hike inequality, spending to restart economies must focus on creating a "greener, smarter and fairer world", top public figures urged Wednesday.   About 170 n

Building climate resilience and lifting living standards of vulnerable communities can help protect against future shocks   BANGKOK, June 2 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As countries look to revive their economies in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, strengthening climate defences and raising the living standards of vulnerable communities can generate jobs and help guard against future shocks, development experts said.   The International Labor Organization (IL

Indigenous elders, who are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus, play a vital role as keepers of cultural knowledge   TORONTO, June 1 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - When Diane Janvier Dugan's mother was born in 1929, there were no roads or stores in her indigenous village in northwest Saskatchewan so as a child she learned how to hunt and trap for her food.   "I'm starting to realize how much my mother knows about being Dene," said Dugan, a