Asia

Governments from Asia Pacific adopt New Delhi Declaration on South-South Cooperation for Children’s Rights We, the delegations of the governments of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cook Islands, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji,…

Interview with: Dr Dédé Oetomo, a leading activist for LGBT rights in Indonesia. * Oetomo: I came to Hong Kong to speak at this conference on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the workplace [First LGBT summit in…

Labour rights groups and worker activists have, for the first time, jointly devised and published a grassroots blueprint for collective bargaining in China. The aim of the Code of Collective Bargaining, issued on 11 October, is twofold: To give employers…

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) congratulates the people of Bangladesh for the enactment of the Torture and Custodial Death (Prevention) Act, 2013. The Jatiyo Shangsad (National Parliament) enacted the draft law,…

1. New Zealand, on behalf of 117 countries, including Japan, issued the Joint Statement (PDF) on the Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons at the United Nations General Assembly First Committee at around 6:20am on October 22, (5:20pm October 21 local time). 2．This…

Even as EU pressure mounts, lies and denial mark the Ukrainian government’s approach to the plight of the Crimean Tatars. The old lie about supposed Crimean Tatar collaboration with the Nazis, used as Joseph Stalin’s excuse for deporting nearly 200,000…

In an article titled “Call for the nuclear truth” published in the Hong Kong Standard October 21, 2013, writer Qi Luo began with: “Nuclear power is neither efficient nor clean – and an alliance wants textbooks to get this message…

It is sometimes said (you will hear it if you are invited to boring parties) that there are two types of Sanskritists: those who translate the Bhagavad Gita, and those who do not. The comment is meant to disparage those…

With Joy of Giving Week on the horizon, Humanist Center Borivali-Dahisar* takes the opportunity to spread cheer amongst BEST, BMC and Borivali police station officials.  By Sajid Patel Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transportation (BEST) bus drivers and conductors, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s…

Japan’s Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida has publicly stated his government will sign the UN anti-nuclear statement calling for a ban on the use of nuclear weapons. This is a formal decision that has been publicly announced. New Zealand, Switzerland and…