Sri Lanka owes 81 percent of its external debt to U.S. and European financial institutions and to Western allies, Japan and India. China owns just 10 percent. But Washington blames imaginary “Chinese debt traps” for the nation’s crisis, as it considers a 17th IMF structural adjustment program, reports Benjamin Norton.
Although the South Caucasus region has traditionally been in the Kremlin’s geopolitical orbit, it is the European Union that seems to be playing the major role in peace talks, border delimitation and the reopening of transportation links. During the past six months, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev met three times through the mediation of European Council President Charles Michel, reports Nikola Mikovic.
India witnessed the hottest March in 122 years. With temperatures several times crossing 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in northern India, heat waves amplified the existing divisions between the poor and well-off, reports Sanket Jain.
On May 16, Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) member countries held a summit in Moscow, marking the alliance's 30th anniversary. The CSTO could play a significant role if the situation in Central Asia deteriorates. Could the CSTO get involved in Ukraine, too? Nikola Mikovic reports.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan accused top U.S. diplomat Donald Lu of organizing a “foreign conspiracy” to topple his government. Video of Lu testifying in the Senate confirms Washington is angry over Khan’s growing relations with Russia, reports Multipolarista's Benjamin Norton.
In March 2020, India’s health ministry tasked 1 million Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) with COVID-19 duty in rural areas. This, in a country where 65 percent of its 1.38 billion people live outside cities. Suddenly, ASHAs’ workload increased exponentially. Yet, they remain underpaid and now suffer stress-related chronic ailments, reports Sanket Jain.
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